Arrogant Guns have won niks
Hello my good football people, trust you’re well… Mad what’s going on!
Erling Haaland being criticised as a lazy flop, Arsenal (inevitably) turning into Spurs, Liverpool walking around the streets of Merseyside like a drunkard and no English clubs left in Europe!
Have to kick off with Arsenal… proving that they are just the fancy version of their North London rivals.
Just unable (again, as they did against Aston Villa last week) to lift themselves in the second 45 against Bayern Munich, only to be bullied off the park like the bunch of inexperienced pretenders they actually are.
They ain’t been there, they ain’t done it… and nor has their manager! It just goes to show you how important heritage and experience is.
After a decent outing at the Emirates against Bayern the game was in the balance. Ok, in Munich it was always gonna favour the home side, but the collapse was startling.
Standout worst performers Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Jorginho and Martin Odegaard. They just fell out the game.
Like a pervert on Porn Hub, I laid in bed late Wednesday night trawling through Arsenal Fan TV and various reaction sites… what great entertainment that was!
But in all seriousness, there’s a section of the fanbase (not just on social media) that want #ArtetaOut. What the f*ck is wrong with them? I guess the question is, are we seeing season on season improvement? I’d say yes… I think the Gunners have looked better than last year.
Rice has given them what I feel they lost in Granit Xhaka, plus stability at the back, patrolling in front of the defensive line. They look more solid and for the best part of the season, more mature in the way they’ve managed games.
On the negative side, barring a brief spark in March, the continued utilisation of Havertz (regardless of what Mikel Arteta says about the value of his movement and all-round game) has been detrimental. He’s lazy and adds little. Let’s imagine Phil Foden or Cole Palmer in that 10 (or false 9) role. Would they be more complete? F**K yes!
And then of course there’s the morphing into Spurs at the end of the season which is very much reminiscent of the last campaign. All in all I’d be a very disappointed little Gooner, but generally happy with the progress and how the future is shaping up.
Of course a long-term view is rare amongst today’s success hungry fans, but I’d imagine the board will back the current coach. It’s better than it’s been for many years.
Saying all that, the question is: “Why are rival supporters laughing at Arsenal’s demise?”
That’s easy – they haven’t earned the ‘arrogance’ their fans have displayed all season. Try winning something!
It was funny, following the depression of the Villa defeat and the throwing in of the proverbial towel, after deserving the three points at Wolves, they’re all like “the title race is on”. Just a sign of the plastic, money game and the fans that have been attracted to it. Olds bastards like me have been left behind.
As for Liverpool, man can you see it? A pot-bellied bloke in stained grey slacks, old shoes, unshaven and smelly, holding himself up against a wall in Toxteth, cigarette burnt down to the stub in one hand, can of Special Brew spilling out of the other, belly popping out of a broken buttoned shirt, mumbling to people as they step past him. That’s what the club feels like to me at the moment.
It lost its wife, gambled its money and hit skid row. That return game in Atalanta promised so much (especially as the goal went in) but again, lacking commitment, fight and presence, they unceremoniously crashed, leaving Jurgen Klopp with that huge muppet smile he does when everything is so bad that all he can do is grin like a madman.
But the win on Sunday at Fulham will make ’em feel a whole lot better and they’ll give it their all to take it to the wire.
Meanwhile, the FA Cup threw up a couple of stories… great game on Saturday, ruined (from a Chelsea perspective) by poor, poor, decision making by Blues players and possibly the most corrupt VAR decision in its history as Jack Grealish handled for a stonewall penalty that everyone in the world including Pep Guardiola, the Gallagher brothers and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed knew would be given, but was somehow waved away? Could quite easily have been 3-0 to Chelsea. Then that mad one on Sunday… WTF is wrong with United?
Cruising, hardly broke a sweat, but really should have been knocked out in the end, with the only positive being that the coaches, backroom guys and players didn’t really celebrate when the winning penalty went in. Have to respect that. Lucky bastards.
Some big midweek fixtures to look out for as we motor towards the end of the season… tonight Chelsea travel to the Emirates, tomorrow it’s the Merseyside derby (Goodison edition) and on Thursday City are at Brighton!
Chat next week, bye byeeee.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za