Chelsea have an \u2018immature bunch\u2019 of players and that showed v Arsenal, who might well be on for the Quad.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your views as ever; we nearly got through a whole Mailbox with no Man Utd. Send your views to theeditor@football365.com<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The more things change at Chelsea\u2026<\/p>\n
I wrote in a mail 16 months\u00a0ago that all Chelsea needed was a world class #9, a world class manager and a world class goalkeeper. Obviously a lot has\u00a0changed since then and now all Chelsea really need is a world class #9, a world class manager and a world class goalkeeper.
Ben Teacher<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chelsea v Arsenal: Some conclusions<\/p>\n
Good game last night<\/a>. Some observations from an Arsenal fan\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n Zubimendi is Arsenal\u2019s signing of the season without a doubt. Whether he\u2019s one of the league\u2019s best is up for debate among others. I\u2019m just happy we have him and not Partey.<\/p>\n Arteta mentioned a year or two back that Raya stops things before they even happen. Neither of those goals happen if Raya is in net imo. He\u2019s so dominant in the air. Kepa is fine, but an understudy is all he\u2019ll ever be at Arsenal.<\/p>\n MLS clearly not trusted at the moment. He\u2019s got this habit of inviting pressure and gets dangerously close to being caught. It\u2019s one of his strengths when he wriggles out, but also a weakness. That and his positioning hasn\u2019t been great this season. Expect he\u2019ll be stronger next year. We need Calafiori back asap. He\u2019s got elite qualities that are unmatched. Hincapie not dynamic enough but a good defender.<\/p>\n Saka has some goal contributions this season but he doesn\u2019t seem to be quite on it, hoping he really hits his stride coming into the final months. We\u2019re gonna need more goals from him if we\u2019re serious about winning titles. I like Madueke but he reminds me of a fly who just keeps banging into a window over and over but eventually finds way through on occasion.<\/p>\n Estevao could be a world beater in a couple of years. The problem Chelsea have is they\u2019re aren\u2019t really enough what you\u2019d call \u201ctop senior pros who have won it all\u201d, the type that would be helpful to learn off in terms of mentality and attitude for some of these young and promising players. Instead you\u2019ve got tw*ts like Garnacho, Enzo and Cucurella. Neto too. Some of them look like little boy band wannabees. It really is an immature bunch.<\/p>\n He may have won with Spain but Cucurella just doesn\u2019t get near enough flak for me. Instead of getting ready after conceding the throw in, he cries foul, lets Saka run off him for the Arsenal second goal from White to Gyokeres. It\u2019s pathetic gamesmanship which you\u2019ve come to expect from the annoying little tw*t.<\/p>\n Also, Cucurella should definitely have had a second yellow for a pathetic dive when conceding another corner to Saka.<\/p>\n One of the reasons Arsenal fans get frustrated with refs is we have rarely got the benefit of the doubt, if that was Michael Oliver and AN Arsenal player, you can guarantee that\u2019s a second yellow. That said, contradiction here, we\u2019ve benefited from some decisions this season. I felt the last couple of seasons we got punished for anything and everything.<\/p>\n Cucurella also got his customary yellow for hacking Saka down. He\u2019s a good player, but compared to James (who was obviously missed), his petulance and attitude costs him.<\/p>\n We played Chelsea at both a good and bad time. New manager bounce, but also, missing some key players. That game should have been out of reach, but as usual, our decisions\/finishing let us down. Should have enough for the second leg but if they score first\u2026 game on. \u00a0<\/p>\n Is the Quad on?<\/p>\n Only 30mins in the the match tonight but I\u2019m already hearing \u201cquadruple\u201d nonsense in my head\u2026<\/p>\n Every man, dog, podcaster has been talking about the depth in this Arsenal squad.<\/p>\n Could this be the year? If it is are they the greatest team ever? If it isn\u2019t is it a big old choke fest? PS. When did three paragraphs stop being a thing?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A reffing question<\/p>\n It\u2019s half time and I\u2019m sure there\u2019ll be loads of VAR e-mails (it\u2019s a goal, as was City\u2019s), but I have a different question.<\/p>\n If a foul is committed and the referee deems it worthy of a yellow card but the player fouled waves an imaginary card, why should they receive a card also? They\u2019re only agreeing with the referee\u2019s reading of the situation, something they probably wish happened for the whole 90 minutes? \u00a0<\/p>\n Yer Chelsea man out<\/p>\n This is a disgrace.. Liam (is it) Rosen.. Ronsein.. any whatever his name is out. Too many changes .. just because he was good at Copenha\u2026 no wait Rosenbrg no Stradsdenbrourg.. or whatever club it is or what ever his name is let\u2019s be honest he is no Arvam Grant\u2026<\/p>\n Half-time reaction \u00a0<\/p>\n Daylight robbery<\/p>\n I have been reading a lot about \u2018Arsene Wenger\u2019s offside law proposal\u2019 recently. Essentially it entails changing the offside law to require a gap (or clear daylight) between attacker and defender before offside is given.<\/p>\n Fundamentally, I am not against trialing this to see what the impact is, and perhaps it may get rid of those ridiculous marginal calls (although does it just shift the margins?). Nevertheless, am I making this up or was clear daylight between players for offsides suggested years ago? Like, a decade or more ago? In my head it was even trialled for a bit and scrapped.<\/p>\n If so, why is Arsene being anointed king of the daylight rule, to the point where it feels like it might even be called the Wenger rule? If not, then it\u2019s very possible I foresaw the future in a past dream, and I might have to challenge Wenger to a game of Mario Kart for the title. \u00a0<\/p>\n The only option for Spurs: Xabi Alonso<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if many here have seen the Marvel Avengers movies but in the Avengers Infinity War film a few years back, there\u2019s a moment where the good guys are in absolute dire straits. One of the good guys makes one last crazy move \u2013 because he\u2019d seen 14 million versions of the future\u2026 and only one version where they win.<\/p>\n For Spurs at the minute, it feels as though we\u2019re in a similar state of dire straits. The football is dull, the results are bleak, and every game now seems to end in a fight between some mix of fans, managers and players. Grim.<\/p>\n It feels like a very dangerous moment for Spurs. The risk of falling into the obscurity of mid table (or below) while former Big 6 rivals rush off ahead, and the likes of Villa and Newcastle leapfrog. The risk of losing Van de Ven or Romero and struggling to replace their quality.<\/p>\n I feel like Spurs have their own Avengers moment right now: One move they can make to get back to brighter days: Break the bank for Xabi Alonso.<\/p>\n Yes, yes, laugh, ridicule, why would he go to Spurs, etc., etc. Yawn.<\/p>\n Mourinho came. Conte came after Nuno Espirito Santo. With the right money and the right persuasion: the newly out-of-a-job Xabi Alonso would come to Spurs. Is he going to wait for an Arne Slot sacking that might never come? A Man City job offer that might not materialise?<\/p>\n But why is he the right one?<\/p>\n Under Frank, Spurs have lost their belief and their identity. Ange, for all his flaws, had a beautiful exciting vision: \u201cWe\u2019re not aiming for 5th, mate.\u201d He wanted Spurs to be a protagonist. We\u2019d go toe-to-toe with big teams, and we\u2019d win playing exciting, attacking football. And to an extent, he achieved it!<\/p>\n His volatile league form meant he was replaced with the uber-sensible, pragmatic Thomas Frank, and while I like and respect Frank, I fear he\u2019s brought his Brentford \u2018underdog\u2019 mentality to Spurs. We set up to \u2018stop\u2019 good teams, not to be a good team. We\u2019re a plucky underdog trying to nick a win from a set piece, and not get our ass handed to us. This has not only resulted in dull, lifeless football, it\u2019s resulted in a set of disillusioned players and fans who don\u2019t know what Spurs are? What exciting vision is Thomas Frank building towards?<\/p>\n Spurs need someone who can come in, inspire the team with *his* way of playing and winning football matches. Someone who commands respect. Someone who\u2019s won before.<\/p>\n Xabi Alonso ticks those boxes.<\/p>\n Xabi\u2019s mistake at Real Madrid was that he had the audacity to think he could coach that team. Real Madrid don\u2019t need coaches. They need a CEO. Someone with the ego and authority to command all those other egos. Not the right fit for a team builder like Xabi.<\/p>\n At Spurs? Not only does he have the raw materials of an enviable bright young squad with talent like Xavi Simons, Van de Ven, Bergvall, Romero, Udogie, Gray, Vuskovic, but he would be picking them up off the floor right now in terms of form, confidence and belief. They are putty he can mould with his hands.<\/p>\n My apologies to Thomas Frank; who I believe will do well at Fulham or Bournemouth or wherever next year, but Spurs need to take a swing for the fences here.<\/p>\n Go and get Xabi Alonso. It\u2019s the only way we can win.
Strevs, AFC, Canada<\/p>\n
Brian (Time will tell) BRFC<\/p>\n
Howard (Sanchez just settled the tie) Jones<\/p>\n
Iain, Dublin, Chelsea<\/p>\n
Garey Vance, MUFC<\/p>\n
Andy, THFC, Eire<\/p>\n