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В днешната последна част на поредицата, посветена на синдрома "Arteta Out", ще си припомним последните два сезона на Арсенал под ръководството на Микел Артета. Приятно четене! Някои хора биха казали, че Артета и неговият Арсенал са избрали много лош момент да се надпреварват с Манчестър Сити в сезон, в който „гражданите“ спечелиха всичко, каквото можеха да спечелят и завоюваха исторически за клуба требъл, след като най-накрая добавиха към витрината си дългоочакваната купа от Шампионската лига. Въпреки това инатът, упоритостта и жаждата за успехи на Артета не стихваха и това си пролича още с летните трансфери през 2023 г., след привличането най-вече на Деклан Райс, в допълнение с Юриен Тимбър, Кай Хаверц и Давид Рая. За съжаление сезонът за Юриен Тимбър не започна никак добре, след като се контузи още в официалния си дебют на старта на сезона и пропусна всички мачове до края. Това най-вероятно обърка и първоначалните тактически планове на отбора. Арсенал започна колебливо сезон 2023/2024 и още в началото се препъна срещу градските си съперници от Фулъм и Тотнъм, като и с двата отбора завърши при резултат 2:2 на свой терен. Странното е, че в първите три мача от сезона Артета реши да започне без Габриел Магаляеш в титулярния състав и това някак като че ли разваляше баланса в отбрана. След като върна Магаляеш в стартовия състав, испанецът направи и още една промяна, като след четири мача в първенството смени Рамсдейл с Рая на вратарския пост. Предстоеше мач срещу Манчестър Сити в Лондон, в който за първи път изразително си пролича залитането на Артета към дефанзивния и по-сигурен футбол с къси хоризонтални разигравания по терена. Двубоят всъщност се превърна в шахматно тактическо надиграване и този път Артета излезе победител, а единственият гол беше умело изработен в четириходова комбинация от влезналите като смени футболисти. Този успех предизвика злобните коментари на тръгващите си гостуващи фенове от стадиона, които питаха на висок глас: „За какво ви е тази победа, като правите Тотнъм лидер в класирането“. Този сезон се превърна в състезание между три отбора, като в борбата за първото място се включи и Ливърпул. След колебливи игри лидерството се променяше почти във всеки кръг и с наближаването на заключителната фаза на сезона напрежението се покачваше. През декември, преди мачовете по Коледа от „Boxing day”, Арсенал водеше в класирането с точка пред Ливърпул и пет пред Манчестър Сити. Последваха равенство на „Анфийлд“ и отново препъни камък в лицето на лондонски съперници. Загуба у дома от Уест Хям и на винаги негостоприемния „Крейвън Котидж“ след обрат от Фулъм. Така Артета загуби набързо преднината пред останалите, както и доверието в най-взискателните фенове, които отново започната да надават вой за неговата оставка. Арсенал се отдалечи на пет точки от временния лидер Ливърпул, но през новата година последва зашеметяваща серия от десет победи и едно нулево равенство на терена на Манчестър Сити, с голова разлика 38:4 и победа над прекия конкурент Ливърпул с 3:1. Така „артилеристите“ си върнаха лидерската позиция до злополучния 33 кръг, когато едва 5 кръга преди края на сезона допуснаха домакинско поражение с 0:2 от Астън Вила, в ден, в който Ливърпул претърпя загуба на свой терен от Кристъл Палас. В този ден Ливърпул и Арсенал направиха съвместен подарък и своеобразен шпалир, като едновременно освободиха пътя на Манчестър Сити към рекордната четвърта поредна титла. След претърпяното поражение лондончани бяха безупречни в оставащите си пет мача до края на сезона, но и Манчестър Сити не сгрешиха след предоставения им шанс и записаха девет поредни победи. Така Арсенал остана в битката за титлата до последния кръг и завърши на две точки от „гражданите“ в сезон, който статистически беше по-успешен от предходния с 89 точки, постигнати 28 победи, 5 равенства и 5 загуби, отбелязани 91 гола и допуснати 29, срещу 84 точки през миналия сезон, 26 победи, 6 равенства и 6 загуби, отбелязани 88 гола и допуснати 43, но усещането за разочарование сякаш беше по-голямо. Неуспехът като провал Мнозина смятаха, че сезон 2024/2025 вече ще бъде сезонът на Арсенал, но уви дори и не искаме да си припомняме за него. След проваления опит за привличане на нападател още преди сезонът да е започнал, започнаха и серията от проблеми с контузии на основни играчи. В различни периоди от отбора отсъстваха капитанът Мартин Йодегор и т. нар. starboy, определян за звездата на отбора Букайо Сака. След няколко грешни стъпки на Арсенал и Манчестър Сити, Ливърпул натрупа комфортна преднина, която успя да запази през целия сезон. И когато изглеждаше, че „артилеристите“ няма да отстъпят лесно преследването на лидерската позиция, дойдоха и следващата серия от травми на Габриел Жезус и на останалите единствени представители за върха на атаката Кай Хаверц и Габриел Мартинели. Това наложи пренареждане на позиции и преквалифицирането на Микел Мерино в ролята на централен нападател, в която се оказа, че се представя никак нелошо. Стилът на проповядвания от Артета футбол ставаше още по-предпазлив и неатрактивен, тактически Арсенал залагаше все повече на ролята на статичните положения в мачовете, което никак не се нравеше на част от феновете. За капак в този неприятен за тях сезон „артилеристите“ загубиха общо 21 точки в 10 мача, в които водеха в резултата, превърнало се в негативен рекорд за клуба. Може би единственото хубаво нещо, освен достигането до полуфинал в Шампионска лига през този сезон, е налагането в отбора на младите таланти Итън Нуанери и Майлс Луис-Скели. Тук стигаме отново до момента на разочарование, в който всеки неуспех на отбора се превръща в личен провал на Артета. Безмилостно атакуван за липсата на трофеи вече шести сезон с клуба, очакванията към него се повишават с всяка изминала година. Може би много от критикуващите забравят момента, че трофеите не са даденост, футболните турнири са състезания, в които няколко отбора се надиграват кой от тях е по-добър и по-устойчив в дългия път към върха. В тези надпревари винаги има само един победител и няма как винаги да е този, който най-много ни се иска. Да бъдеш шампион изисква много време и усилия и кандидатите винаги са няколко, които също отделят време и полагат усилия в безмилостна конкуренция. Все още неразбиращите могат да изслушат набралото популярност интервю на звездата на Милуоки Бъкс в NBA Янис Адетокумбо след отпадането на неговия отбор през миналия сезон, в което дава логично обяснение на въпрос от журналист провал ли е това, което до голяма степен кореспондира и с представянето и пораждащите се настроения към Артета. А скандиранията „Arteta Out” се превърнаха в синдром, защото колкото по-рядко Арсенал губи, толкова по-шумни стават те, когато това се случи. Видяхме това след загубения полуфинал в Шампионска лига, видяхме го след поредното второ място в класирането на Висшата лига, видяхме го след привличането на Нони Мадуеке, дори още преди да е тренирал с отбора, а го видяхме и след изравнителния гол за Съндърланд, равенството срещу Челси с човек повече на терена и загубата от Астън Вила с гол с последното докосване до топката на терена. Въпреки победите в последните два мача от Висшата лига този сезон, недоволството към Артета не стихва заради неубедителната игра на отбора, скромните победи с едва гол разлика и крехката преднина от две точки на първото място в класирането. Ще го виждаме и още при всяка удобна възможност, но се надяваме, че все по-рядко ще има поводи за това. Може би сега отново трябва да си зададем въпроса: когато създадеш очаквания и върнеш отбора в борбата за първото място, провалил ли си се, можеш ли повече от това или трябва да го оставиш на някой по-добър от теб да го довърши? Едно е сигурно и то е, че предстои да разберем! А още по-интересно и показателно за добрата работа на Артета е, че във Висшата лига статичните положения отново са на мода. След като Арсенал бяха яростно критикувани, че вкарват повечето си голове от статични положения, сега головете след центрирания от ъглови удари и фалове, както и дългите тъчове в наказателното поле, се превърнаха в редовна практика за почти всеки клуб от лигата. Практика, наложена от Артета и заимствана от другите като добре работеща. Накрая ще завършим поредицата с думите на Деклан Райс в негово интервю, в което казва за Артета: „Не го съдете сега. Съдете го, когато е спечелил всичко….“. Надяваме се всички ние феновете на Арсенал да имаме тази увереност, както очаквания, а още по-важното е момчетата на терена да я имат повече от всички останали, защото най-важното е да не забравяме, че Арсенал не е просто отбор, той е семейство!

3 spots up for grabs? Looking at the current squad I think it is reasonable to say that there are only 3 positions that are not nailed on. Possibly less as there is an argument that the 11 I am about to reveal is first choice for sure with the possible exception of the players in red. David Raya Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly Rice, Zubimendi, Odegaard Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli Is Jurrien Timber a certain starter? If all are fit, is there anyone out there to argue that I am wrong? And if I am right, then Arteta has managed to secure a settled first team squad in which substitutions and injuries are the only way to allow others to get games. Over 60 games or whatever means that 15, 16, others will play some part in matches but the default could well be these 11. How will that play out, if opportunities are only short term and players don’t get a settled run of games to stake their claim? Goal and defence may have no spots really In goal, Raya seems certain to get back in straightaway even after an injury. Arrizabalaga seems to be there as second choice only and it is hard to see him snatching the net except with a longterm injury to Raya. Anyone disagree? Ben White won't stay as sub, I am certain Gabriel, Saliba and Lewis Skelly are nailed on, surely? Is Timber also? He could be. However, keeping Ben White happy seems unlikely in that scenario. He has made it clear he doesn’t want to get splinters on the bench. Calafiori also hasn’t come here for a bit part. Zinchenko and Kiwior will need to move as well if opportunities this season are limited. Both are first choice internationals and they will lose out if they play few games. Mosquera will presumably be willing to bide his time and may even be sent out on loan as he is young. So, at most one spot open in defence. Nor is there truly one in midfield Nobody is going to argue that Rice and Odegaard haven’t got their places. That means incredible competition for one place. And over 60 million pounds for Zubimendi indicates that that place is his to lose, not someone else to take. Nwaneri is too strong a talent to leave idle but where can he fit? He does not seem like a holding midfielder anyway so Rice or Odegaard are his targets, or maybe upfront? I am certain of one thing, Nwaneri will need lots of games this year to keep him on board. Merino, Norgaard and Havertz are the others most likely to hunt this possible one spot. Bit part players? Seems unlikely considering all are internationals and Havertz and Merino are with major teams that can win trophies. Martin Zubimendi at 60 million pounds must be first choice? If I am right, though, the eleven posted above will get the majority of games as Arteta seems to trust certain players and uses them a lot if fit. Does anyone disagree with me? Goalkeepers and central defenders only get subbed if injured so midfield and upfront at least allow plenty of appearances if not always a lot of minutes. Maybe even 2 spots in attack? In attack, Saka is certain. Gyokeres also but he will have to score or create a lot of assists, or threats/space to allow others to score. He is this season’s signature signing, relieving the pressure on Zubimendi which should work in the Spaniard’s favour. All indications are that Martinelli is also first choice although the competition is getting fiercer. Mandueke knows he has to take this chance but will he get it? Nwaneri is lurking, as is Trossard. Trossard is, I believe, a favourite of Arteta, because of his reliability to score. Somehow, he rarely seems to be first choice but is often the first sub. I feel that may continue. When we need a goal send on Trossard. Nwaneri must get plenty of games or surely he will go? And whither Havertz? He has come back looking bigger, fitter and more determined than ever. If Gyokeres falls apart he is surely the one to step in? Jesus was supposed to be going out on loan but so far that has not happened. Could this finally be his year? Gyokeres will be under a lot of pressure but if he handles it and does a Haaland then chances for the names I have mentioned will be very limited. And I haven’t even mentioned Max Dowman or the others bursting to appear from the Academy. A lot of unhappy players? So, is that what is going to happen? The top eleven above play the majority of matches and the rest have sore arses? Some really good players could get little opportunities. And of course, lack of game time makes it harder to do well when called upon. Yes, most seasons there are plenty of injuries and last season was for sure one of them, but we may have a fairly clear season this time and that will also generate problems. It is not easy being a manager as only 11 can be on the pitch at any one time. I could be wrong but only Martinelli of the top 11 I have posited is probably not everyone’s first choice. He does seem to be Arteta’s, though. Gabriel Martinelli's position may really be the only one open I feel it is good for the team to have a settled 11. The only way in now is to play superb when chances are given. That is a test of character for players, to handle the pressure of playing well when coming on as sub or replacing a key player as starter when injured. Kiwior did well last season but the problem is that every mistake is magnified when replacing someone key. Gabriel wouldn’t have done that, or Saka or Rice or Odegaard and the fans get frustrated. Two things seem certain this year – we appear to have greater depth but we also need to win a major trophy because of it. The excuses have run out. Winning is the only currency Arteta can invest in. It may be that this is his year, one way or the other. I hope it is his good year, not his last. And Kai Havertz is first choice sub striker and midfielder?

Man Utd were the devils Yes, it has happened before. We were well behind Manchester United in 2000/01 and they had kept us second 3 years in a row. 2001/02 was nothing to look forward too. The previous year we had let go Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petitt to Barcelona and they seemed a huge loss. We had also let go Davor Suker who, for the benefit of those who are unaware, was regarded as a great buy as he came from Real Madrid and was an established goalscorer but could not replace the guys in front of him in Bergkamp, Henry and Kanu, however he was definitely above Gyokeres and Sesko in current stature, and possibly Isak who are our seeming targets this season. Until players come to the Premier League we can never say they will work out. Even if they come from Real Madrid. Even Suker couldn't make it at Arsenal So, what happened in 2000/01? Sort of similar to this year. We were 10 points behind Utd at the end and possibly a bit more than that behind Liverpool this year. We had 70 points as opposed to 74 if we beat Southampton on Sunday. We were beaten 8 times and drew 10 as opposed to 4 losses and 14 draws (depending on Southampton). We got to the quarter final of the Champions league being beaten by Valencia on away goals. We did much better this season winning out in a much tougher group stage in joint second along with Barcelona and Inter, who also made it to the semi-finals alongside us. We destroyed various teams along the way including beating Real Madrid home and away. In contrast in 2000/01 we played two group stages without any standout wins. So we were better in the league and the Champions League this year. Owen the heartbreaker And in the two domestic cups we had mixed fortunes, in 2000/01 we got to the FA Cup final where we played Liverpool and Michael Owen broke our hearts with a very late goal with Arsenal being the better team. Some sort of parallel with this year as Liverpool won the league without being outstanding a lot of the time. They were very dogged, winning games late and putting away the lower teams. Beaten by Liverpool to a trophy is a characteristic both times. Michael Owen the heartbreaker In the League Cup we went out in the 3rd round to Ipswich whereas we did much better this term, getting to the semis before being beaten by Newcastle. Overall so we did better in the FA Cup and worse in the League Cup in 2000/01. We were worse in 2000/01 than now I think it is fair to say that we were worse overall in 2000/01 than this season. The only trophy in which we did better was the FA Cup. Will Gyokeres be the answer? And then what happened in 2001/2002? We won the double! Can we do it again? Well, let’s look at what was better in that season. Here, we have to look at the past season where we brought in Robert Pires, Lauren, Edu and Sylvain Wiltord as important buys. Pires and Wiltord did well without setting the world alight and Edu and Lauren were bit players particularly Edu. All of those, but to a lesser extent, Edu, became critical players in 2001/02. This season, Raya signed and continued his good work from last year. Calafiori did not set the world alight but can he blossom next season? Mikel Merino also had apatchy first season but will he shoot for the stars? Lewis-Skelly has been phenomenal and Ethan Nwaneri superb when he has played. Havertz still feels like a new player to me, so can this be his breakout year? That will be critical, I feel. If the team gels like they did in 2001/02 then we can hit the heights. We used to have the greatest striker in the world now do we even have any? "I saw something today I never saw last season – we played as a team. It's the most important thing in football." — Thierry Henry's reaction following our first game against Middlesbrough in which we won 4-0. Our most serious defect And despite our good defensive record this season we were susceptible to quick breakaways in which our team did not cover properly. We do need to work on stopping this problem and that has to be a whole team effort. That cost us against PSG and Newcastle and in various games against weaker teams this season. We must play better as a team and the fact that we had lots of changes in personnel mitigated against that. A more settled side with the newer players gelling better and I feel we can be unstoppable. Sol Campbell - anyone remember who he used to play for? So who did we buy in in 2001/02? One was the biggest surprise ever, Sol Campbell, who came from nowhere, or sorry, some small team, I can’t remember the name, and shocked us all. England’s best defender had come just as the George Graham magic defence had finally disappeared. Plus Kolo Toure who was to provide a great partnership with Campbell alongside Ashley Cole and Lauren. Who needs George Graham? By the way, that defence gives the lie to the myth that Arsene Wenger couldn’t put together a defence. Those four would be among the best defences we ever had. Buying a top striker didn’t work We also brought in Giovanni von Bronkhorst from Rangers, a gifted midfielder who looked like a solid buy, and Richard Wright as cover for David Seaman. But the clincher was Franny Jeffers from Everton, a striker who burst on the scene at 16, and was expected to be the missing piece in the striking department, someone who would mop up all the chances we created. It wasn’t to be. Neither player hit the heights expected, particularly Jeffers, whose career went downhill. Injuries led to loss of form and he was never the golden boy again. Franny Jeffers - no fox in the box for us Could Arteta do the same again? Buy 2 defenders, a midfielder and a striker and it is the defenders who go on to become Arsenal greats? It seems unlikely. In defence now we have top players all vying for limited spots whereas the George Graham defence had to be replaced. Winterburn was already gone and Adams and Dixon had restricted appearances with only Martin Keown getting quite a few games. Jeffers was coming into Bergkamp, Henry, Kanu and Wiltord, with Pires and Ljungberg also capable of playing a forward role. We would expect a top forward, if one comes, to get in the side and start hoovering up chances. A double would be like double ice-cream. Havertz could yet surprise us, though. At 25, he is still young. We may get Gyokeres as reported this week and he may not be the answer. Time will tell. Isak would seem to be the most likely to make it at Arsenal as he has proven himself at Newcastle but I suspect we will not get him. Havertz to nab the striker spot not whoever we buy? In short, with the players coming back, the academy guys getting better, Max Dowman being a sensation, and the new players gelling to play as a fluid side, we could and should be in for our best season ever. Will we have Declan Rice echoing Thierry Henry? A nice double of Champions League and Premier League would do me.

3 games and the anticipation. For the first time ever, I am going to 3 Arsenal games in 8 days, all at home. I have a few times gone to 2, when a European or other match coincided with a home match at the weekend either before or after. Midweek matches are easier to get tickets for as people can’t travel so easily. They become available on the ticket exchange. Will Arteta need one of these if we lose all three? These three are critical, though. Tottenham are the old beast that we love to beat. Aston Villa have been huge rivals in recent years and Dinamo Zagreb have popped up against us twice before in the Champions League. Liverpool’s extraordinary form means we must beat the Spuds and Villa to stay in with a chance of the Premier League and a win against Zagreb pretty much gives us a great chance of an automatic spot in the Champions League. Are we afraid of winning? So, I am travelling with one wish, 3 wins. Will it happen? We shall see. Are we better than those 3? Yes, we are. Does that mean we will automatically win? Of course not. But this is the life fans want, where we need to win all matches but are fearful that we won’t. Every defeat flattens our dreams and brings out the Arteta out brigade to complain about how useless he is and they also trot out their favourite player to blame. The haters always say how if Arteta stopped picking (insert your hated player here) we would win all matches. Arteta deliberately picks say, Havertz or Martinelli or Jesus or Trossard or Merino or Kiwior just so that Arsenal can lose. Did you know that Arteta plays Havertz to make sure we lose? There is a good chance that all of those might appear over these next 3 matches so we could lose all of them, by that logic. 3 defeats? Oh,no, Arteta out out out! We will see, but I suspect we will see most of those on the pitch at some stage over my 3 games. If we win them all, the strange thing is that those same fans will still not be happy , they will still blame Arteta for playing them and gambling with defeat. Playing experienced internationals such as these is a big risk, it seems. Even if they all score, they will say the same. Is Arteta a great in waiting? It is always a source of amusement to me how fickle fans are. Managers are rarely given a chance to see out the season despite the fact that it could all turn around quite quickly. I have instanced before how Alex Ferguson seemed to be on his way out until an FA cup win saved him and he got the chance to be the greatest manager ever in English football. Look at Guardiola’s recent bad run, unable to win even against much weaker teams. That would have been enough to get him dumped at Everton, Leicester, West Ham and other recent dismissals. Emery tries harder against us This is the background to my upcoming 3 games. 3 defeats or 3 draws will bring the knives out. I would advise Arteta to get a stab vest for his front and back, and his head and his legs if that happens. Beaten by the Spuds at the Emirates will be a hammer blow. Being sent home crying by Unai Emery will be a bomb exploding. And defeat by Zagreb? Wow! Leaving us open to a playoff to stay in the Champions League? He may need to build a nuclear bomb shelter under the Emirates. We need to be invincible now It is, like every 3 matches we will have between now and the end of the season (as long as we keep winning most of them) very critical that we win them all. Otherwise we go back to the way we were from the time of Wenger’s decline up to 3 seasons ago. We were hoping we could win matches but not really expecting to. We don't want to lose to him So, the Spuds? They are going through an awful phase in the league with one win and one draw from their last six. Relegation form and this match could be a tester for Ange Postecoglou. Daniel Levy must be about to blame the manager again at the Spuds so a loss and the Aussie could be gone. I badly want a win to set me up for these 3 games and another bad day for you, mate. Can we lose to Zagreb? Aston Villa? 3 wins, 2 losses and a draw from their last six and a mediocre season for them so far with 6 losses and five draws makes them vulnerable to us at our best. We are not at our best without Saka, though. He draws 2 defenders away, leaving space for the rest. Being the better team and home advantage should be enough to dispel the Emery effect, I hope. They seem to raise their game against us. But I am hopeful that we get the second crucial win of the trilogy. Maybe we can drop points here and still be ok? Dinamo Zagreb? Logic suggests that we might play a slightly weakened team for this one with some big players on the bench to rescue us. Even a draw would not be a disaster and, indeed, if we are to lose a match from these three, this is the one I would pick. The last match against Girona should still save us. They have only managed one win with no draws so far. Even 16 points may well be enough to avoid a playoff. A late birthday present It will be my birthday the day before so I would love a late present from it though. We would already have 16 points and may well have already qualified for the top 8 leaving us with a run out for the reserves for Girona. That would really suit us best. I will talk to fans and report the atmosphere Somehow I don’t think so. I plan on writing my next blog on the road for these games to give fans the chance to see what it is like to fly across and sample the big match atmosphere. I will report who I see, what their feelings are, and hopefully celebrate the 3 wins that will make for a great birthday present overall. Up the Gunners!

Do we have two teams and do we now have strength in depth like Manchester City or not? Team who started against Wolves David Raya O. Zinchenko Gabriel Magalhães W. Saliba B. White D. Rice T. Partey M. Ødegaard (c), Gabriel Martinelli K. Havertz Bukayo Saka The alternatives A. Ramsdale K.Tierney R. Calafiori J. Timber T. Tomiyasu J. Kiwior Jorginho M. Merino F. Vieira E. Nwaneri L. Trossard E. Nketiah R. Nelson Gabriel Jesus Raya Raya has cemented his place Above I have listed the team chosen against Wolves as a possible first team, although with obvious question marks over some positions. I will go through these against the best of the rest. Raya is Arteta’s man and I feel most fans are happy with that. But Ramsdale (if he stays)is a good substitute and I do not believe, with a good run in the side, that we would be weakened if he was playing. Strong at goalkeeping. White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko Calafiori has to come in? The defence is where there is now serious competition. Calafiori was surely not bought to be on the bench so that means Zinchenko to swap places? Can he take Gabriel’s place instead? I feel that the Saliba/Gabriel partnership is written in stone now so it would take an injury for it to be shaken up. White, Calafiori, Timber, Kiwior and Tomiyasu can all play central and full back so that leaves Zinchenko and Tierney as full back options. 9 for 4 positions seem to be strong and only Tierney has big question marks over whether he can complete a season. I suspect that Timber and Calafiori are the biggest contenders for a first choice position but Ben White’s understanding with Saka makes him hard to shift. Calafiori to replace Zinchenko then is my belief. Strong at defence. Partey, Rice and Odegaard next. Declan Rice will be hard to replace Rice and Odegaard are nailed on but Partey’s position seems open. Merino, if he comes, surely will take that spot. Jorginho always does well and would be first choice at most teams. Nwaneri seems to have pushed himself into the first team squad at 17 but he would need Rice to go back as he is an attacking midfielder. I suspect he is there for a reason and may well be the first academy player in a while to nail down a place. Still very young, though. Fabio Vieira and Zinchenko could do a job but neither are as good as the first choice. Havertz also does a good job in midfield. I feel we have reasonable strength in midfield but Rice and Odegaard are better than the rest and either or both getting injured could derail our title chances. Midfield not quite so strong in depth. Martinellli, Havertz, Saka Kai Havertz - is he the striker that we have needed? Attack is the area where we have the most concerns. Havertz up top seems to be working despite the 60 million being down the drain :). Jesus probably is not quite superstar level. Saka and Martinelli (if he has rediscovered his mojo) are possibly the 2 best wingers in world football. Trossard is an excellent backup. Nelson also puts in a reliable shift when called upon but that seems rare nowadays. For Nketiah it is the same. Attack seems vulnerable to something going wrong. Six are certain I think we can say that we have 6 players written down from the start: Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Odegaard and Saka. Calafiori and Timber may well prove to be the equal of Saliba/ Gabriel. But Rice, Odegaard and Saka do not have alternatives in my opinion. Three subs were used against Wolves, Timber for Zinchenko who was struggling a bit, Trossard for Saka who had got a yellow card, and Jesus for Rice who wasn’t as good as normal. The final two came on late when we were 2-0 up. Arteta doesn’t seem to like subs whereas Guardiola often uses all five. I feel that is a weakness, that Arteta doesn’t really trust certain players. Players come on after 80 minutes which makes it very difficult to have an impact. Jurrien Timber looks like a player you cannot leave out We were lucky with injuries last season. The previous year we were unlucky. I reckon that what is above raises question marks about our depth if something goes wrong. A top notch striker, winger and midfielder would be useful. But they would have to get game time. The fringe players last year got very little. For example, Reiss Nelson had 14 sub appearances in the league but I doubt if he got 90 minutes in total. Nketiah similar. Emile Smith Rowe also. Without game time players cannot improve and feel comfortable in the team. More players need starts and games I have listed 25 players and obviously some of the academy guys from pre-season are trying to push for a spot but I reckon no more than 15 players will get regular starts. Last year only 15 got 10 or more. If Arteta continues with late or little subbing then how will the fringe players get match-wise? You may hardly get the ball in a few minutes. Saka is irreplaceable I feel I firmly believe that we can only have a strong squad by rotation, by longer subbing, and by players feeling trusted. We will get punished this season if Arteta follows the same pattern as last year. Unless we get lucky with injuries again and the 6 critical players listed above start almost every game. My conclusion is that our strength in depth is open to question. We certainly do not have a like-for-like reserve in many positions. We will also probably have many players with limited game time when we do need a game-changer. I believe that Arteta needs to change his ways. I doubt if he will. We might pay for that.

ASCB - The Best? Of course they are And so, finally, we headed off to Arsenal vs Chelsea, our big day spoiled by Chelsea pretending they could win a trophy without Abramovich by cancelling our match to play in the FA cup. There was never a chance a bunch of Pensioners could win without the magic Roman. And so April 23rd, 2024 was our big day instead, new plane tickets and maybe new hotels for people, but we are ASCB, we don’t give in for anything. Our own programme Some 33 of us were given the chance for a VIP experience to greet the players and even a lucky two got to turn up on the pitch for an interview to blaze a trail for Arsenal Bulgaria. Everyone now knows who we are and what we represent. And we never forget that as we showed and which I will talk about later. The biggest surprise for me though was after we were given our armbands to allow us into the media centre. We got our own programme welcoming us to the Arsenal with our own name on it. That, and the armband will be passed down the generations. We love you Arsenal, we do! One for display We were there, we saw the players, we saw the staff, and we saw Super Mik Arteta and sang and cheered as they all filed past, some stopping for a low five with Gunnersaurus. Was I the only one worried as he entered the glass doors to the inner sanctum? Luckily the giant remembered to duck his head. A Gunnersaurus without a head would not be the same. Of course he mingled and low fived many of us including some young, excited kids from Romania. We show our class Mertesacker and Edu were prominent figures who came in by themselves prompting great excitement . But we were asked to wait for Chelsea as we also greeted the Pensioners as they struggled to make it off their bus. We were asked not to boo them but we have too much class for that anyway so we cheered for the Arsenal again. Honestly they didn’t look very happy filing past. Maybe they knew what was awaiting them? Without their talisman Cole Palmer maybe they felt that they had no chance. They were right. A nice shot from Alex sets me up For me, a trip to the Arsenal is not complete without a visit to my old friend, Alexander Sztranyovszky from Hungary who is Mr Arsenal. He turns up for every game and is a permanent fixture at Peggy’s refreshment stand at the side of the Arsenal Supporters club near the old Highbury. And Alex never fails to disappoint with his own refreshments always on hand, some nice strong shots to warm our hearts. Declan, you are my darling The real excitement came when I took my seat in the Clock End. We were all together, bundled into a top spot just high enough to see everything yet not too high that you need binoculars. It meant there was a big booming section of Bulgarians (and me) ready to give their all for the Arsenal. It was a magical time for me, being part of such a large group. Often I am by myself, this time we all celebrated together. We probably shouldn't have forced Chelsea to play on a sloping pitch And it didn’t take long for us to celebrate. Chelsea looked poor from the off, or was it that we were so good? Trossard was causing mayhem down the left hand side and we had a few chances straightaway but then Declan Rice boomed forward, flicked the ball over to Trossard who tucked it into the corner of the net. We were delirious and only 4 minutes had passed! The pattern continued but somehow we didn’t score. Havertz had a few chances but didn’t put any away. Maybe he didn’t want to score against his old club? We dominated our section of the Clock End as much as Arsenal dominated Chelsea Who was this new striker? Wright or White? I was hoping Chelsea wouldn’t transform in the second half but it was whoop de whoo many times as all sorts of improbabilities happened. We had a new striker called Ian Wright Wright White who whacked in two goals and Kai Havertz, freed of having to score against the away Chelsea fans at our end, suddenly became super striker, firing in two great goals to make it five and it could have been ten. Chelsea were hopeless. They were afraid all game to keep the ball and kept giving it back to us. Fifteen minutes of fame for ASCB The only time I watched Arsenal live slam in more goals, to my memory, was when Alan Ball brought Portsmouth up from the old second division back when I was living in London in the late ‘80’s. We were 5-0 up up half time and Alan Smith kept banging in the goals. We got only one in the second half to make it 6-0. Portsmouth fans left en masse at halftime and the Chelsea fans did the same as the goals flew in second half. We were delirious. Go home you bums And did I say the Bulgarian Arsenal fans had too much class to boo the Chelsea players? It didn’t stop them screaming “Your team are shit” (they sang slightly different words, but this is a family blog) at the departing away fans. No need, people, they know their team are shit. The strange thing is, they could still get 6th place as Manchester United and Newcastle are also shit this year. It is a weird season, for sure. They looked to me to be already on the beach, though. Still, that is Arsenal’s best win ever against Chelsea and yes, we owed it to them for humiliations in the past. Waiting patiently for the team to arrive 4 games to go and if we get the win against a white and black team on Sunday, then we have to believe we can do it. Ì had an English guy sitting beside me on the train back insisting we will win 2-0 against the Spuds and go on to win it. Man City and Liverpool will be shitting themselves. And that leads me into the table of doom. Update to the Table of Doom Table of Doom Fixtures Current Max Arsenal Spurs (a) 77 89 Liverpool Spurs (h) 74 86 Man City Spurs (a) 73 91 Ah, Jurgen Klopp, I am still waiting for you to apologise for your teams unsporting behaviour against Forest. Everton gave you a tanking and you are now on the cusp of leaving the Table of Doom. Another draw, even, and your maximum is 84. Our goal difference will not be bettered now, I feel, so if it matters at the end, we will win. If we draw against the Spuds we can still get 87 but will it be enough? I say yes. City have a lot of matches to cram in and they are not that simple, the Premier League rarely is. If we win 4 they have to win 6. We are putting them under pressure. We can’t ask any more from our boys. Be proud. Gunnersaurus with Tszetomir Tsekov Commiserations to poor old Sheffield United. The door is just about to close on Chris Wilder. He was talking about preparing them for next season but will he really get the chance? It is surely such a difficult job managing a team trying to make it in the Premier League. He seems a good manager and a very decent human being but I suspect they will want a change. I would be happy if he gets his chance and one day bring them back to stay.