Arsenal have spent more money than Man City? Pull the other one!

Is Manchester City’s success down to the money their wealthy owners have been willing to spend over the years? Most of us outsiders think so, but is it so? Man City Chief Ferran Soriano doesn’t think so; he says that it is unfair to claim Manchester City is getting the success they are getting due to overspending, as he feels they haven’t spent much; clubs like Arsenal have spent more than them.

“Look, you only have to look at the investment in players in England in the last year, three years, five years… we are never the club spending the most on players,” Soriano argued while speaking to Spanish outlet Movistar.

“There are many other clubs investing more money than us: Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal.

“Saying that we’ve spent a lot of money and we won because of that is just not true.”

However hard Soriano claims City’s success isn’t about the money, my question to him is, who has the best squad in the PL? To get a squad with such a strong bench, didn’t they spend? One reason that Arsenal failed to win the league is their inferior squad; this summer, they will try to bridge the gap between them and the Cityzens.

Given that only spending big could see Arsenal’s summer window turn out to be a success, you are left to wonder: could City have managed to have the success they’re having without spending?

Man City is probably the best club; for the last few weeks, they’ve proved time and again they are the real deal. At one point this year, they were trailing Arsenal by 8 points, but just out of nowhere, they are now on an 11-game winning streak in the league, and they’re set to beat Arsenal to the league title.

Incredibly, this league title win will be their fifth in six years, but to say they didn’t build that squad by spending zillions is simply not true!

Moggy

http://thearsenalblog.com/questions-to-ask-a-girl-you-are-dating/

I have never understood why the prevailing suggestions that Arsenal must have a 20+ goal striker next season to be successful. I am of the opinion that having multiple sources of goals within the team is much more important, and that Arsenal has plenty of players who can score goals.

I would argue that Arsenal should prioritize other areas of the team, such as the midfield, fullbacks, and centerbacks, which need more investment to improve the team’s defensive record.

The fact is that Arsenal has scored a decent number of goals this season, with multiple players contributing to the team’s goal tally. The saying goes that the League Table doesn’t lie, and that is telling me that, despite the high-scoring defeats that Man City have been giving to their opponents this season, they have scored only 9 more goals than Arsenal up to now. Plus, for further perspective, the team in third, Newcastle United, have 20 fewer goals than Arsenal!

However, the team has struggled defensively and has conceded more goals than some of its rivals. Again, the table says both Man City and Newcastle have let in 11 goals less than the Gunners, and Chelsea, who are having a nightmare season down in 11th place, have also conceded one goal less than us!

Therefore, I think that Arsenal should focus more on improving its defense, which has been unbelievably poor at home. Other than the relegated sides, only Fulham, Bournemouth and Everton have let in more in home games, which you must admit is a crazy stat for a team that had pretensions of winning the title. So much for Fortress Emirates!

Okay, I would agree that Arsenal could benefit from acquiring a taller striker who is good in the air, to offer something different. However, it seems to me that Arsenal’s style of play under Arteta does not rely heavily on crosses into the box, and therefore a tall multi-goal specialist striker should not be a priority for the Boss, who would rather work with more attacking options from midfield or the wings.

So, it makes sense to me that Arsenal should prioritize improving its defense and investing in other areas of the team this summer rather than splurging on an expensive 20+ goal striker.

I think that Arsenal has more than enough firepower in our current squad and that with some strategic investments in key positions, the team can improve its defensive record and compete at the highest level in the next campaign.

Just my opinion Gooners!

Moggy

Are Liverpool going to be a big threat to Arsenal in next season’s title hunt?

For the better part of the season, Arsenal have been the real deal. Prior to this season. For at least the last five seasons, Liverpool and Manchester City have fought for the league title. Though Liverpool have only lifted the league once, twice they’ve missed out on the league title to the Citizens by a point.

This season Liverpool were out of the picture; they’ve been poor most of the season. Arsenal took part in the title race in their. With the Gunners giving the Manchester Blues a run for their money, at one point even being 8 points clear of them.

However, after a poor run in April, Arsenal lost all the favour they had in taking the PL title home. Just like Liverpool failed four other times in the last five seasons, Arsenal will not manage to get the better of City unless something special happens between now and May 28th.

All Arsenal may have to do is take what they learned this season, go in the summer, recruit well, and come next season, find a way to win the title race. While the thought next season is that the battle for the league will be between Arteta and Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp has hinted he is returning his side to the title race conversation. Speaking to the media on Friday (for the clash against Leicester), Klopp described why teams shouldn’t be dismissive of his team next season.

“There are two games a season, maybe with cups three, four, or five, when you play City, Arsenal, and the others,” he said as quoted by the Independent.

“There are five million ways to win a football game; you only have to find one. A successful season is you are ready for all the games, that you can win 25-odd games.

“If City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Tottenham, Man United are all involved in that 25 then it is even better.

“But it is about: can we create a team who can win the majority of the games? Yes, we can. It was never about what the other teams do.

“We didn’t become champions by a point twice, and there will be some people who say it was because we didn’t have this player in that moment.

“Getting 90-odd points is absolutely insane, pretty special, and no one should take these things for granted.

“The top seven get even closer together, it will be more difficult and more competitive.

“It doesn’t make it easier, but everyone with a good idea has a chance to be part of it. If you are part of the battle up there, then you can win it as well.”

Liverpool have, in recent weeks, found their brilliance. They are on a run of six wins out of six. Many had ruled them out of Champions League football, but if they win the rest of their games and either Newcastle or Manchester United lose two of their remaining games, they’ll finish in the top 4 and play Champions League football.

Liverpool could be a threat next season; should Gooners be scared?

Peter Mac

My thoughts after watching Arsenal’s disastrous defeat at home to Brighton

Here are my thoughts after watching Arsenal’s disastrous defeat at home to Brighton

Managerial Concerns

It appears that Mikel Arteta does not have a great deal of faith in his Arsenal squad as a whole. He seems to be certain about the first XI, but after that, he is not sure or confident that the other players can get the job done. This is likely why he has been reluctant to rotate his squad. Of course, none of us can know this for sure, but it is the impression that I get.

Ramsdale

Aaron Ramsdale is the best shot-stopper in the Premier League, and I would not trade him for anyone else. As time goes on, he will cut out the occasional mistake and go on to become a legend for Arsenal.

Partey

It took me a while to start believing in Thomas Partey, but he did have a fine season until recently. For whatever reason, he has gone back to being a bit ponderous and has generally lost form. I hope that he can regain his form soon, as he is a key player for Arsenal.

Diving

Today’s footballers are great athletes, but they do like to “go down” too easily. For example, Gabriel’s collapse in the recent match was unbelievable. He should have stood up and defended the clear and present danger, but he instead chose to go down and appeal for a foul. This type of behavior is disappointing to see, and it needs to stop.

Everton/City

I am not sure that the Everton/City result had anything to do with Arsenal’s performance against Brighton. Everton are a good team, and they were always going to be a tough test for City. Arsenal should have been prepared for this, and they should not have let the result of the other match affect their performance.

Summer Transfers

The right recruitment during the summer will see Arsenal improve as a squad. Contrary to what some people believe, City are not going to dominate forever. Arsenal need to strengthen their squad in order to challenge for the title.

Osimhen

Even if Napoli were willing to sell Victor Osimhen, he would be too expensive for Arsenal. However, Arsenal do need a proper center-forward. An old-school “killer striker” who can score goals would give Arsenal another dimension and keep opposition defenders guessing. At present, Arsenal have excellent tricky players, but they are all similar in their style of play.

Game Management

Arsenal can improve their game management. There is no shame in playing against City or Liverpool with less than expansive football if it means coming away without losing. Arsenal need to be more pragmatic and learn how to win ugly.

Sean Dyche promises to make life hard for Man City as they hold Arsenal’s last hope of title

Sometime back, Pep Guardiola described Brighton as one of the best teams in the world, saying, “The best team at making the buildup in the world is Brighton.

“There is no team better that make the process to get the goalkeeper to bring the ball into to the last quarter.”

Everton easily defeated them (Brighton) last Monday, winning 5-1, and Arsenal might do the same this weekend. Notably, Everton’s next game after beating the best team in the world, Brighton, is against Manchester City. Given that strong win (against Brighton), the Goodison Park home ground advantage, and the reality that Everton must win all of their games to stay up, could City drop three points this weekend, increasing Arsenal’s chances of taking the league title from the Citizens?

Guardiola knows this Sean Dyche side shouldn’t be taken lightly, admitting in his press conference, “My thought is just Everton—no more than that.

“It’s 11 months working for the Premier League. We don’t have much time to Madrid because we play Sunday—thank you so much—but it’s a real, real priority, Goodison Park.”

On his part, Sean Dyche, as per MEN, has some good news for Arsenal. The Everton boss promises a rough game for Manchester City, saying he’ll tell his boys, “The message will be simple: just take it on. It’s a big challenge, obviously. I’m sure the Evertonians will back us as they do; it’ll be a really good atmosphere for us to go and play in.

“But it’s about taking it on with the mentality we showed at Brighton. All the details have got to be right against Manchester City. You might need them to have a soft one, and your key players play well, all of them things go in the melting pot.

“Yet, it’s still about us taking the game on.”

I am for an Everton win this weekend; what about you?

Could Gabriel Jesus be a Golden Boot contender with no injuries?

Many Arsenal fans would agree that Gabriel Jesus is a key component of their team’s supremacy this season. The arrival of the Brazilian and Zinchenko to Arteta’s project turned Arsenal from a team that only honoured Premier League fixtures to a title challenger.

Arsenal’s attack was toothless in the 2021–22 season, with Aubamayeng (before leaving for Barcelona) and Lacazette failing to dazzle. This struggle saw Arteta willingly pay Manchester City £45 million for Jesus in the 2022 summer transfer window to get his attack right.

It didn’t take long for the Brazilian to make an impact at Arsenal With his impact, Arsenal’s assault was deadlier than ever from pre-season through the World Cup. With his momentum in his first few months at Arsenal, I bet he would have been the league’s signing of the season if he hadn’t been sidelined for three months due to an injury sustained at the World Cup.

Interestingly, Emmanuel Adebayor, an ex-Arsenal player, feels an injury-free Jesus might be in the running for the golden boot. In conversation with FutFanatico, he spoke of how highly he rates the Arsenal number 9, saying, “[It] would actually be interesting to see him play a season without any worries; his potential is huge. Then you would be able to see if he would be in the fight for the goalscoring crown.

“I honestly have no doubts about that because he’s always capable of scoring goals; he’s ice-cold, and he needs fewer and fewer chances to score. He is on a very good path.”

Jesus can score goals; his ten goals in 22 league games hint at that, but he needs consistency in front of goal. If he stops wasting the many chances he’s been wasting (like the chances he wasted versus Southampton), there is a golden boot winner in him

Gary Neville pinpoints which Arsenal players have let the side down recently

Much has been said about Arsenal losing their favour in the PL title race. Gary Neville has had his say on The Overlap. The ex-Premier League star says the failure of the experienced Arsenal stars to step up when needed has cost them. He says, Xhaka, Odegaard, Zinchenko, and Partey have just failed to lead by example. Apparently their failure to do so has seen the young Gunners fail to play at the level they ought to.

“In fact, they contributed to the difficulties they were having in the matches,” said Neville.

“Xhaka at Anfield [referring to the incident with Trent Alexander-Arnold], Partey’s performances in the last few games, I think Zinchenko gave a goal away in one game as well—the Liverpool game and maybe West Ham as well—and Odegaard had probably his most difficult game as well against Manchester City.

“And then, if you think of the huddle that Zinchenko did [against Southampton], and then Odegaard came over and said, ‘Break up’.

“So those four players that are the leaders in that team have not been able—at the moment those younger players needed it—to really pull them together and keep them calm and composed. That, to me, has been apparent these last few weeks.”

Going forward, everything will be said about what was not right about Arsenal’s title charge. Winning the Premier League may be hard, but Arteta and his team need to end the season in style. A five-game winning streak could be a nice way to end the season. It could set up a blockbuster summer transfer window where Arteta could take Arsenal to the next level.

Saka may have had an off day against Fulham but he’s still POTS

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are in a league of their own when they are at their best. They were charged up after seeing their main nemesis, Manchester City, win on Saturday night and just had to  overcome Fulham on Sunday afternoon at Craven Cottage.

The Gunners dominated the game from minutes 1 to 90, from the start until the end. Arsenal deserved to win this weekend because they were the best team on the pitch. Of the players who shined for Arsenal this weekend, Trossard came out on top, but Odegaard was also a revelation.

Bukayo Saka didn’t shine this weekend even though he was lauded on Sky Sports punditry (as quoted by Team Talk) before the game by Floyd Hasselbaink, who said, “Bukayo for me is player of the season. He has done so well.” and Jamie Redknapp, who said, “There is nobody who can do what he can do. Brilliant matchup today. Bukayo has been a revelation this season.”

Looking at Saka’s game this weekend, I don’t know about it, but he didn’t look fresh. Many believe he should have been rested against Sporting Lisbon last Thursday, but it is obvious that Arteta relies on him, and he is correct to do so. Saka has 10 goals and 9 assists in 29 appearances so far this season.

But what has occurred is history, and one bad afternoon will not change the reality that Saka could be crowned player of the season.

Man City legend was wrong to predict Arsenal’s consistency

When Arsenal found themselves at the top of the league standings in the first half of the season, many predicted that they would fall from that position. Sergio Kun Aguero, a Manchester City icon, even believed he knew when Arsenal would fall from first place. The Premier League legend claimed that injuries would see Arsenal slip from first place. He said that with significant injuries, they would become inconsistent.

Aguero stated at the time as per the Mirror, “We’re on the first stage of a Premier League that will be different from many others—by and large because we’ll have a World Cup in the middle of it. That makes it harder to foresee how it’ll turn out.

“Consistency is the name of the game to win the title, and the missing piece is knowing in what condition each player will rejoin their clubs after the World Cup. Arsenal will probably be one of those teams but surely not the only one.”

It’s safe to say Arsenal haven’t suffered much without Gabriel Jesus, who hasn’t hit a ball since the World Cup due to injury. Nketiah has attempted to fill his void, but Arsenal have won games without the Brazilian, which many questioned they would. Even the recent injury to Thomas Partey hasn’t deterred Arsenal; Jorginho’s acquisition has essentially replaced the Arsenal number six; Arsenal defeated Aston Villa without Partey.

Arsenal have been on another level this season, and as ironic as it may appear, all of the criticism has only served to drive them on further.

Gary Neville has made himself look silly with his Arsenal comments

Believe Any Other Claim, But Not That The Gunners Aren’t The Team To Beat For The PL Title

Imagine there is someone who still believes Arsenal will not win the Premier League title. That person has to be Gary Neville’s friend. After watching United go nine games unbeaten last weekend after beating Manchester City, the Manchester legend believes United will finish ahead of Arsenal.

“No. But I said Leicester wouldn’t win the league,” Neville said when asked on Sky Sports if he thought Arsenal would win the title. “They won’t win the league. Manchester City will win the league, and I think Man Utd will finish second, and I know that will annoy Arsenal fans!”

Many Arsenal fans were not comfortable with Neville’s claims, and luckily for them, Arsenal legend Bacary Sagna has blasted Neville’s claims, revealing why the Premier League champion will be coming from North London this time around. “That’s his [Neville’s] opinion. He has his own point of view, but there is a difference between his point of view and what I believe will become reality. This season, Arsenal have been the best and most consistent team. Manchester United and Manchester City have two important games coming up,” said Sagna on FindMyCasino, in response to Neville’s claims.

“I don’t see United finishing in front of Arsenal. They have improved, but Arsenal are better and have been the best team all season—Pep Guardiola will agree with that! He’s been saying they are difficult to catch, and they will be. This weekend Arsenal have an important game and again they will have to show that they’re strong, but I’m not worried about that.”

Bottom line, as a Gunner, you must be aware that much will be said, and some may even argue that Liverpool is still in the title race. However, at the end of the day, statistics are all that matter. Arsenal leads in every statistic that can propel a team to victory in the league. After 18 games, Arsenal have 47 points, which is 8 points more than Manchester City (before their Spurs match) and 9 points more than Manchester United (before their midweek Crystal Palace match). While Manchester City has a goal machine in Erling Haaland, who has already scored 21 goals, they have only scored 4 goals more than Arsenal this season with 46 goals. Imagine if Haaland was at Arsenal.

Anyway, comparing Manchester United’s inferior goals to Arsenal is a joke. Arsenal’s defence has also demonstrated its tenacity, with Manchester City conceding four more goals and Manchester United conceding seven more than Arsenal. This Arsenal team is simply superior to the two Manchester sides tipped to trouble them, to the point where if Arteta’s boys can be better or match the performances of these two in the remaining league games, there is no way Guardiola and Ten Hag will steal the 2022-23 Premier League title under Arteta’s nose.