BOURNEMOUTH MATCH DAY BLOG
ROTATE HARD OR GO BIG?
You know the sort of music my ears like?
On how to have fewer injuries next season:
That's another discussion we have. We have so much to play for still in the two competitions—Premier League and Champions League. The focus is there. Then at the end of the season, we have many weeks to reflect and do the work that we are already preparing to give you much better answers.On if working out how to keep more players fit is one of the key things:
Two main things. Play with 11 players—number one—for 38 games if possible. And the second one, have availability of your best players in their best positions and win your games. Ideally, for 38 games in the league. If you have those two things, you have a much better chance. Without those two, look at the history over the last 100 years—not one single team has done it.
God bless whichever journalist asked these two questions.
Our season didn’t fail on a striker, a winger, or another left back… it failed because we had too many injuries—and a lot of that is on the manager.
If we want to win the Premier League next season, that has to be addressed this summer.
Why did I open on this point? Because Arteta needs to make BIG decisions on the team tomorrow. Bournemouth are a beastly team that’ll cause problems. Will Arteta think about this week as a block, or will he go tunnel vision and just think about securing second when glory is on the horizon?
I don’t want to have a Sporting Lisbon moment—where we lost Tomi and Big Bill Saliba and killed the league.
I don’t want to have those Emery nightmares all week, where he blew the league run by focusing on the wrong tournament.
I want Arteta to make sure the team he puts out in Paris is EXPLOSIVE and ready to create a riot out there.
Sorry, that means no Timber and no MLS. Get me Tierney and Ben White.
That means I want to see Declan rested, because we need him roaming the Paris streets next week as an 8.
I’ll accept Thomas Partey because the last time he started was Palace, and two weeks out would leave him rusty.
I don’t want to see Saka starting—give it to Ethan.
I don’t want to see Ødegaard starting—give it to Dowman.
Symbolically, I like the idea of second.
Physically, mentally… maybe romantically—I like the idea of a Champions League final.
Was that last line a bit much? It was. I’d delete it, but I meant it—and I know, deep down, you feel the same way. Sick stuff, but that is the game.
Tomorrow is about getting the double-barrel-named Hale Enders on the pitch.
Get Jorginho in the mixer at the 6. Maybe Calafiori?
I want to see an absolute abomination of a starting 11 and if the cost is Arsenal finishing 3rd in the Premier League, I’ll take that.
Ok, very short one today, this week has been a grind, I’ll be going to be early this evening so I can deliver some good podcasting tomorrow and get on the BIG writing on Sunday.
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P.S. Get on the match day comments you freaks.
What the fuck is going on with Arteta in game management atrocious even worse then the banter years with wenger at least he subbed in around the 70th minute.
It's just painful watching Arsenal under this manager. Madrid aside which was amazing but a complete anomaly the season on the whole has been up and down with gormless football that if we're honest with ourselves was always going to end up like the other. If it's not PSG on Wednesday it'll be whoever in the final. You don't win things with a shit manager, boring football and broken players. We were deluding ourselves for thinking otherwise after he broke our only fit CF after not bringing in anyone in January.