Transfer Gossip
- Thread starter Flight
- Start date
Agravaine
Professional Slacker
I honestly don't know.
So far in pre-season we've looked great. Many of the reserve players look fantastic, as do Clichy and Sagna. RvP and Adebayor looked crap on Wednesday but then it was their first game back.
Vela (19) and Wilshere (16) look ready for the first team now although it remains to be seen how they'll handle getting kicked up and down the pitch in a proper game.
My worry is, have the kids got enough mentally now to hack a full premier season without folding against the other top clubs and/or being held against the other teams.
We had a run of about 6 games last season, starting with Birmingham away, where we had an absolutely shit decision go against us and it cost us every single one of those games. The Eduardo injury screwed everyone up psychologically too, which didn't help. But the fact is, you've got to deal with shit like that, even if it happens every game, and we couldn't.
I'm also concerned that Wenger hasn't bolstered the defence so far and he knows it was a major problem last season with us conceding sloppy goals. Something has to change on that front.
Regardless of how we performed against the top teams, if we'd picked up the points against the likes of Birmingham, 'Boro and Wigan, we'd have won the league.
I have high hopes as usual and we just need to improve in a couple of areas.
I still can't see Liverpool mounting a serious challenge as Rafa will do his best to screw things up and Chavski will decline further this season, I think. Unless Ronaldo leaves or has a bad season and no one steps up with the vital goals, anyone who finishes above Manure will take the title.
I'd just like to thank David Bentley. Not only has he made us millions by demanding a high profile move away from Blackburn, he's spent the summer claiming he needs to make the next step up in his career..........then joined Spurs. Comedy genius.
So far in pre-season we've looked great. Many of the reserve players look fantastic, as do Clichy and Sagna. RvP and Adebayor looked crap on Wednesday but then it was their first game back.
Vela (19) and Wilshere (16) look ready for the first team now although it remains to be seen how they'll handle getting kicked up and down the pitch in a proper game.
My worry is, have the kids got enough mentally now to hack a full premier season without folding against the other top clubs and/or being held against the other teams.
We had a run of about 6 games last season, starting with Birmingham away, where we had an absolutely shit decision go against us and it cost us every single one of those games. The Eduardo injury screwed everyone up psychologically too, which didn't help. But the fact is, you've got to deal with shit like that, even if it happens every game, and we couldn't.
I'm also concerned that Wenger hasn't bolstered the defence so far and he knows it was a major problem last season with us conceding sloppy goals. Something has to change on that front.
Regardless of how we performed against the top teams, if we'd picked up the points against the likes of Birmingham, 'Boro and Wigan, we'd have won the league.
I have high hopes as usual and we just need to improve in a couple of areas.
I still can't see Liverpool mounting a serious challenge as Rafa will do his best to screw things up and Chavski will decline further this season, I think. Unless Ronaldo leaves or has a bad season and no one steps up with the vital goals, anyone who finishes above Manure will take the title.
I'd just like to thank David Bentley. Not only has he made us millions by demanding a high profile move away from Blackburn, he's spent the summer claiming he needs to make the next step up in his career..........then joined Spurs. Comedy genius.
Flight
Full Member
Queiroz leaving the Mancs is a massive blow to them. I suspect he has been more important tactically to them than anyone realises; under him they went from Slur not being able to play anything other than a straight 4 4 2 for 15 years to all sorts of formations, almost overnight.
Will be interesting to see if the players and the management have learnt everything Queiroz had to teach them or whether he was guiding the team on a day to day basis. Last time Queiroz left them, to manage Real, the team went from great to shit (by top teams standards) and won nothing.
Flight
Full Member
As for Liverpool, we only lost four games last term, two to the Mancs, in a season destroyed by key injuries. Agger returning from injury is huge for us; Gerrard reckons he is amongst the best players in the team. Agger back and Risse being replaced by our record signing for a defender is more important than the Keane signing. Would love to see us get Barry - he would fit the team perfectly. I'd be happy with the team in just about every position, for the first time in 20 years.
Treebeard
Ranger of the North
Watching the friendly against Stuttgart on Wednesday just reaffirmed that all is well.
Walcott, Clichy, Sagna, Nasri (on his debut), Wilshire, Bendtner, Vela and Ramsey all looked very good. I thought RvP did ok as well. He played quite deep on occasion and hit some lovely balls for the wide men.
Our pace was most suprising even though we are pretty renowned for it. The Sagna/Walcott and Clichy/Nasri combo's are going to cause nightmares for defences. Vela looks no slouch either.
The biggest disappointments were our experienced lot. Gallas and Ade looked like they had been dragged in off of the street ten minutes before kick off having never kicked a ball before but it was their first game.
With the attacking players we have I don't think we will miss Hleb for all of his wizardry on the ball. We may even benefit as we seemed a lot more direct without him trying to take on 3 players (and winning to be fair to him).
We'll miss Flamini more although Arsene said that the plan during last seasons Emirates Cup was for Diaby to partner Fab for the season but he got injured. He also suggested that he wants to buy an experienced player in that role before the start of the season but I can't see it. Would be nice to have seen Barry and Fab play in the middle though and I wonder if the Barry situation with Liverpool is they are still not guaranteed CL football this season (same as the Arse).
Should be some great games today and tomorrow.
Walcott, Clichy, Sagna, Nasri (on his debut), Wilshire, Bendtner, Vela and Ramsey all looked very good. I thought RvP did ok as well. He played quite deep on occasion and hit some lovely balls for the wide men.
Our pace was most suprising even though we are pretty renowned for it. The Sagna/Walcott and Clichy/Nasri combo's are going to cause nightmares for defences. Vela looks no slouch either.
The biggest disappointments were our experienced lot. Gallas and Ade looked like they had been dragged in off of the street ten minutes before kick off having never kicked a ball before but it was their first game.
With the attacking players we have I don't think we will miss Hleb for all of his wizardry on the ball. We may even benefit as we seemed a lot more direct without him trying to take on 3 players (and winning to be fair to him).
We'll miss Flamini more although Arsene said that the plan during last seasons Emirates Cup was for Diaby to partner Fab for the season but he got injured. He also suggested that he wants to buy an experienced player in that role before the start of the season but I can't see it. Would be nice to have seen Barry and Fab play in the middle though and I wonder if the Barry situation with Liverpool is they are still not guaranteed CL football this season (same as the Arse).
Should be some great games today and tomorrow.
McHoff H. McChrist
4" Member
Silly girl, countries can't captain for England.
