OT: “All or Nothing: Arsenal”

[mike412]

Just finished watching the 8th and final episode. It’s the third show Amazon Prime has done on a Premier League team in the past few years. The first was “Sutherland Until I Die” and next was one on Man City.

The Sutherland series was excellent television. It had a little bit of the end of the season in which they got relegated but focused more on their attempt to get promoted back, which came up short. (I believe now they have been relegated again to the 2d Division.)

It focused quite a bit on the fans as well as on an absentee ownership which had promised much and delivered nothing. The focus on the fans IMO made it compelling. Here was one of the oldest, proudest teams in English football, with very loyal fans totally devoted to the team struggling to get by because of economics. Sutherland is a shipbuilding and industrial town south of Newcastle in the economically depressed NE of England trying to stay in the Premier League with very limited resources.

By contrast, the Man City series was all about Pep and Arsenal was all about Mikel Arteta, the coach. As a Barca fan, I love Pep, but he just did not make for good TV. And, Arteta is even less compelling; very little about his home life or life outside soccer (if he has one beyond a very pretty wife he always is saying goodbye to). Most of the show was his speeches to the team before, at half time and after matches, and at practices. And, they were all pretty much stock, except he says fu*k at least once in every sentence. Often two or theee times. They had one interesting player story that season: Aubeymayang going from team captain to outcast and then getting transferred to Barcelona on the last day of the transfer window. But, I assume he didn’t cooperate because there were no interviews with him.

They had what I thought could have been a very good side story — how did Saka react in the season immediately after he got barraged by hate mail and racist taunts from English fans after missing a PK in the Euro final; again, very little was done with it.

Basically, if you have nothing else to do try to find something else to watch. Or watch “Sutherland Til I Die” if you haven’t seen it.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Just finished watching the 8th and final episode. It’s the third show Amazon Prime has done on a Premier League team in the past few years. The first was “Sutherland Until I Die” and next was one on Man City.

The Sutherland series was excellent television. It had a little bit of the end of the season in which they got relegated but focused more on their attempt to get promoted back, which came up short. (I believe now they have been relegated again to the 2d Division.)

It focused quite a bit on the fans as well as on an absentee ownership which had promised much and delivered nothing. The focus on the fans IMO made it compelling. Here was one of the oldest, proudest teams in English football, with very loyal fans totally devoted to the team struggling to get by because of economics. Sutherland is a shipbuilding and industrial town south of Newcastle in the economically depressed NE of England trying to stay in the Premier League with very limited resources.

By contrast, the Man City series was all about Pep and Arsenal was all about Mikel Arteta, the coach. As a Barca fan, I love Pep, but he just did not make for good TV. And, Arteta is even less compelling; very little about his home life or life outside soccer (if he has one beyond a very pretty wife he always is saying goodbye to). Most of the show was his speeches to the team before, at half time and after matches, and at practices. And, they were all pretty much stock, except he says fu*k at least once in every sentence. Often two or theee times. They had one interesting player story that season: Aubeymayang going from team captain to outcast and then getting transferred to Barcelona on the last day of the transfer window. But, I assume he didn’t cooperate because there were no interviews with him.

They had what I thought could have been a very good side story — how did Saka react in the season immediately after he got barraged by hate mail and racist taunts from English fans after missing a PK in the Euro final; again, very little was done with it.

Basically, if you have nothing else to do try to find something else to watch. Or watch “Sutherland Til I Die” if you haven’t seen it.

A very successful coaching friend of mine keeps telling me that Arteta is amazing and it’s a must watch.

 

[eastender2]

Sutherland got demoted two years in a row, but after 2 years in League 1 are back in the Championship.

 

[mike412]

A very successful coaching friend of mine keeps telling me that Arteta is amazing and it’s a must watch.

I don’t doubt his coaching. Pep obviously thought he was great. He also seems like a good guy. But, watching him rehash the same speech 25 times is very hard to take. There isn’t a single scene where he discusses strategy, changing formations, any nuance of coaching.

 

[ILO]

I don’t doubt his coaching. Pep obviously thought he was great. He also seems like a good guy. But, watching him rehash the same speech 25 times is very hard to take. There isn’t a single scene where he discusses strategy, changing formations, any nuance of coaching.

Mike,

I felt the same way, I would have loved to see the tactics that go into game prep, but assume that the coaching aspect was not allowed to be filmed to give away anything. I thought the Xhaka episode was good. Overall I gained respect for both Arteta and Xhaka from the show. Arteta has some stones getting rid of Auba. I am a huge Arsenal fan and think its a good watch.

ILO

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Mike,

I felt the same way, I would have loved to see the tactics that go into game prep, but assume that the coaching aspect was not allowed to be filmed to give away anything. I thought the Xhaka episode was good. Overall I gained respect for both Arteta and Xhaka from the show. Arteta has some stones getting rid of Auba. I am a huge Arsenal fan and think its a good watch.

ILO

I want to know what Barca has over Chelsea? Chelsea are willing to pay a crazy transfer fee on a 33 year old Auba and thus give Barca the capital they need to sign another player. Auba will score more goals than Havertz…but as far as I’m concerned no thanks.

I remember the 3 way deal that involved Auba, Michy, and Giroud. Giroud left on a free and was 3rd choice forward (inexcusably) at Chelsea. Michy is a career curtain jerker who won’t command anything on the market, and no one wants him. And Auba is what he is, a good #9…but not for 25 mil.

 

[mike412]

I want to know what Barca has over Chelsea? Chelsea are willing to pay a crazy transfer fee on a 33 year old Auba and thus give Barca the capital they need to sign another player. Auba will score more goals than Havertz…but as far as I’m concerned no thanks.

I remember the 3 way deal that involved Auba, Michy, and Giroud. Giroud left on a free and was 3rd choice forward (inexcusably) at Chelsea. Michy is a career curtain jerker who won’t command anything on the market, and no one wants him. And Auba is what he is, a good #9…but not for 25 mil.

Most teams have Barca over a barrel. They offer less than market for Barca players and sell at higher than market.

I assume Chelsea is desperate after the bad start. Auba supposedly has a very good relationship with Tuchel. The thing about him is that he does score goals. He scored 11 in 18 games for Barca. He moves well off the ball. He can’t and doesn’t pass worth a damn and doesn’t track back, but he scores. He will score more goals for them than Morata will. Remember in the deal with Arsenal, Barca had to pick up Auba’s salary, which reportedly is huge. I have read that the proposed deal with Chelsea contemplates Barca still paying some of that.

By Barca standards, 33 Million is a bargain. They paid 55 Million for Ferran Torres, who is still young but as far as I can tell has no skill at all.

I don’t think Barca will buy Silva. If the deal goes through, they will use the money to register Kounde. LaPorta has to start saying No to Xavi.

I’m starting to have serious doubts about Xavi. I have said all year that Barca should play a 3-4-3, with Kounde, Christensen and Araujo as the back 3. I think they need to do that because of their situation at RB and LB, but also because they have so many good MF players and Busquet is not the player he was so they need to use a double pivot.

They started against Real Sociedad with their typical 3-3-4, but then he made two substitutions, taking out Balde at LB and Torres. He went with a 3-4-3 with Erik on the left instead of Kounde who isn’t registered yet.
The match, which Real had been dominating, immediately changed. Two goals in 9 minutes and another 7 minutes later. 4-1. Then he brings in Alba and goes back to a 3-3-4 and the offense sputters again until full time.

When they were using 4 MFs, they swarmed all over Real’s midfield and had 90% possession, in attacking positions. Pedri pushed forward and it was almost like a 4-3-3. Pedri, Dembele, Fati and Lewandowski accounted for both goals. Dembele and Fati give them plenty of width on the wings. They don’t need the RB and LB creating width. Xavi was asked about the change and mumbled some well it wasn’t the change in formation which resulted in the goals b.s. It absolutely was. They played that same formation when they embarrassed RM 4-0 in the last Clasico at the Bernabeu.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Most teams have Barca over a barrel. They offer less than market for Barca players and sell at higher than market.

I assume Chelsea is desperate after the bad start. Auba supposedly has a very good relationship with Tuchel. The thing about him is that he does score goals. He scored 11 in 18 games for Barca. He moves well off the ball. He can’t and doesn’t pass worth a damn and doesn’t track back, but he scores. He will score more goals for them than Morata will. Remember in the deal with Arsenal, Barca had to pick up Auba’s salary, which reportedly is huge. I have read that the proposed deal with Chelsea contemplates Barca still paying some of that.

By Barca standards, 33 Million is a bargain. They paid 55 Million for Ferran Torres, who is still young but as far as I can tell has no skill at all.

I don’t think Barca will buy Silva. If the deal goes through, they will use the money to register Kounde. LaPorta has to start saying No to Xavi.

I’m starting to have serious doubts about Xavi. I have said all year that Barca should play a 3-4-3, with Kounde, Christensen and Araujo as the back 3. I think they need to do that because of their situation at RB and LB, but also because they have so many good MF players and Busquet is not the player he was so they need to use a double pivot.

They started against Real Sociedad with their typical 3-3-4, but then he made two substitutions, taking out Balde at LB and Torres. He went with a 3-4-3 with Erik on the left instead of Kounde who isn’t registered yet.
The match, which Real had been dominating, immediately changed. Two goals in 9 minutes and another 7 minutes later. 4-1. Then he brings in Alba and goes back to a 3-3-4 and the offense sputters again until full time.

When they were using 4 MFs, they swarmed all over Real’s midfield and had 90% possession, in attacking positions. Pedri pushed forward and it was almost like a 4-3-3. Pedri, Dembele, Fati and Lewandowski accounted for both goals. Dembele and Fati give them plenty of width on the wings. They don’t need the RB and LB creating width. Xavi was asked about the change and mumbled some well it wasn’t the change in formation which resulted in the goals b.s. It absolutely was. They played that same formation when they embarrassed RM 4-0 in the last Clasico at the Bernabeu.

Well I think because Barca got Auba on a free, asking for 30 million now is crazy. You’re right that Chelsea thinks Barca is over a barrel desperate to sell so that they can register Kounde. Barca thinks Tuchel is desperate for a #9 because Kai sucks (as you called it over a year ago). So here we sit waiting to see who blinks. I think Chelsea’s problem is Tuchel’s system, and Auba won’t be the answer. He will get a few more goals than Havertz but it won’t matter. This team is on a downward trend with a baseball guy handing Tuchel a blank checkbook and also offering Tuchel an extension. I hope I’m wrong but I don’t like where this is headed.