NFL
By: Ty Reeves
Arsenal’s season got off to an unexpected start after the Gunners suffered an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Brentford away from home. Now, it wasn’t embarrassing because of who they lost to, more so because of how the players performed and the tactics that were put out by the manager.
The defense looked poor as neither Pablo Mari nor Ben White put in the best shift. Going forward it was the same exact playstyle Arsenal were accustomed to playing last season. The ball was constantly forced down the left side of the pitch and crossed into a box with no attacking players in it.
The only bright spots from the game were Emile Smith-Rowe, who showed why he has been handed the No. 10 jersey, and Bukayo Saka who was only on the pitch for about 30 minutes. Arsenal now has Champions League winners Chelsea coming to the Emirates this Sunday. If Mikel Arteta and company hope to get any sort of points from the match, they will need to pick their game up severely.
News ahead of the game:
One of the major points of emphasis that Arsenal has wanted to improve on this transfer window was creativity in the midfield. After being linked with Leicester City’s James Maddison for the majority of the summer, Arsenal changed routes and signed attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard on a permanent deal from Real Madrid.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1428612767427203076?s=20
Odegaard will be returning to the Emirates for about 35$ Million after spending the second half of last year’s Premier League season at the club. In 20 appearances for the Gunners, he racked up 2 goals and 2 assists. Now the numbers aren’t the most impressive, but the energy and creativity he brought to the team was noticeable.
Arsenal is also in the final stages of signing Sheffield United keeper Aaron Ramsdale on a permanent deal. The fee has been rumored to be around 28$ Million, and the feeling around the transfer is attracting various reactions. Fans seemed to be confused on why the Gunners would make a move for a relegated keeper when the likes of Ajax keeper Andre Onana being on the market for a reduced fee.
Confirmed. Total agreement reached between Arsenal and Sheffield United after last bid – Aaron Ramsdale will be new Arsenal GK. 🤝🔴 #AFC
Ramsdale has agreed personal terms with Arsenal.
Confirmed as per @David_Ornstein today.
Ødegaard deal will be announced in the next hours. pic.twitter.com/jBLJLpetmn
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 18, 2021
Arsenal also confirmed that the tandem of Aubameyang and Lacazette both missed out on the Brentford game due to positive Covid-19 results. Lacazette will be sidelined for the Chelsea game on Sunday while Aubameyang will be assessed before the game. Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic has also tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss the game at the Emirates. Luckily for Chelsea, striker Romelu Lukaku should be available for the Blues.
Rumored Transfer News:
Even with the signing of Odegaard, it is apparent that the club is still in the market for a midfielder. One of the names being thrown around is Lyon’s Houssem Aouar. The French midfielder was a target of the Gunners last season, but with the crippled market, they couldn’t meet Lyon’s asking price. Tottenham is also monitoring the midfielder’s situation.
Arsenal is still looking to offload multiple players this transfer window with those names being Hector Bellerin, Sead Kolasinic, Lucas Torreria, and Willian. It’s apparent that many of the deals will be loans with buy options as clubs are still struggling to recover financially.
Arsenal are still hopeful to find a solution for Willian. He wants to leave the club since May – Arsenal are looking for bids for Willian, Hector Bellerin, Lucas Torreira. 🔴 #AFC
Al-Ahli links for Willian were completely fake – never started any negotiation. https://t.co/syoUu8ec5e
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 19, 2021
Ty’s take:
As far as transfers go, I believe that the entire team needs work still. The center-back situation needs to be resolved quickly as it’s clear to see Pablo Mari is not the ideal partner for Ben White. Hopefully, when Gabriel returns from injury he will be slotted into the lineup next to White.
In the midfield, Arsenal needs to sign a player who can play the holding spot but has the creativity to make runs forward. Grant Xhaka had a fantastic EURO tournament, but for me, he is still not the guy that is needed in the midfield. Spurs’ Tanguy Ndombele is unsettled at Tottenham and is apparently up for sale and Arsenal should take a look at the midfielder.
Ndombele is a player that can play deeper in the midfield but has that creative mind going forward. In all competitions for Spurs last season, he finished with 3 goals and 2 assists, appearing in 33 matches. Ndombele never found his groove at Spurs with constant managerial change and a lack of consistent starts. One thing for sure is the talent is there, he just needs to be in the right place.
Tottenham manager Nuno on Ndombele situation: “I can be completely honest with you, Tanguy is not going to be involved in the squad on Sunday”, he said to @jonathandveal83. ⚪️ #THFC
Spurs board are now looking for a solution in order to sell Ndombele in the next 12 days.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 20, 2021
Ty’s lineup vs. Chelsea:
Arsenal is already in a must-win situation and it’s only the second game of the season. Chelsea look to be a dominant force in the league this season, so this game will be a test to see how good or how bad the Gunners will be this season.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel will line up in his preferred 3-4-3 formation. Chelsea likes to get their wing-backs wide up the field, and with a new physical specimen in Lukaku’s leading line, Arteta will really need to play to defend him. I believe the only way to contain Lukaku and the wide players is to mirror Chelsea’s formation.
My preferred lineup has Leno starting in the net. Rob Holding, Ben White, and Kieran Tierney will line up as the three center backs. Bukayo Saka and Nuno Tavares will serve as the wing-backs, with Sambi Lokonga and Xhaka starting in the midfield. Smith-Rowe and Odegaard (if available) will start in the more advanced midfield roles with Aubameyang leading the line.
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