W. | 2nd Look

Absolute king. I am going to miss him so much. Wishing him nothing but the best. Seflishly, I really hope he returns to the Premier League soon...

To me Trent is elite, he just didn't have a good season in a broken club. I could say the same about Bellingham, but nobody is considering leaving him behind. Still, I can find some justification here, even though I personally think it is wrong, there is some logic to it. Fine. But with Maguire, I compeltely fail to find absolutely anything that would support this decisio

@2ndLookPL @EBL2017 Did you watch Trent for Madrid this year?

🚨 Let me take you inside the mind of Thomas Tuchel… 💭 Tuchel prioritises profiles over names. Gareth Southgate tried to fit all of the best names into the team to start the Euro's last time around and that resulted in England playing poorly in every game in the entire tournament. Alright, they got to the final, but they were seconds away from being KO'd by nations like Slovakia and Switzerland which would have been a natural disgrace. The media said 'you have to play Foden, Trent, etc'. Tuchel doesn't buy into that primitive way of thinking, and rightly so. He has a tactical system and the players must fit into that. It's a 4-3-3 base with a #6, #8, #10 balance in midfield. Rice has freedom to 'feel the spaces' and play slightly lower than the #10 who must stay high and between the lines. However, the balance in each wide triangle is the priority. On each side, when England have the ball in open play, there must be 1 player high and wide, 1 player high and between the lines in the half space, and 1 player low in a central position at the base of that triangle. This gives England the best possible balance to interchange, combine, rotate, occupy the 5 lanes across the final third, AND maintain compactness in defensive transition in the initial line of counter-pressing and in the second line of managing the defensive transition. Within those triangles, each player must be comfortable in each area (high and wide, in the half space between the lines, and at the base of the triangle) whilst each collective trio offer a balance of showing to feet and running in behind. Take the left triangle, for example. O'Reilly can play in each of the three areas but also run in behind. So can Gordon and so can Rice. On the right, the same is true for James, Saka, and Rogers. With Kane as the #9, England will need players who penetrate the space in behind the defensive line as he drops deep to link play (this might explain why Palmer, for example, missed out). But football is not just a 'with the ball' game. You need to excel defensively, too. Tuchel's England press in a diamond shape from the goal kick. To press zonally, you need reliable defensive players, especially alongside someone like Kane. Saka, Gordon, Rice, and Rogers are some of the most reliable defenders in the game. The same is also true for Bellingham. Gibbs-White would have been closer to selection than Foden and Palmer for these reasons. Not only does he run in behind more, but he is also a much better defender. Similar can be said for Mainoo in midfield over Wharton. Mainoo has played that exact pressing role at the tip of Carrick's diamond at Manchester United, so he is an apt alternative to Declan Rice should he or Elliott Anderson get injured/suspended (Rice could then play in the #6 with Mainoo as the #8, for example). England also try to transition into a man-to-man press at times or they defend low in a 4-4-2, and they do this via a central rotation (centre back jumps to the #10, #6 jumps to the #6, and the #10 jumps to the centre back – think Guehi, Rice, and Rogers). Tactical discipline and collective balance relative to Tuchel's system is why he has made some eyebrow raising selections. He likes Spence at fullback because he can play in the 3 lanes in the left triangle and provide cover at right back if James/Livramento get injured. Burn can also provide cover at left back in that context. Someone like Henderson in midfield is unlikely to get many minutes (if any), especially because Rice is versatile to play in the #6 and #8, but his presence is crucial in the camp because of his leadership qualities. Similar can be said for Dan Burn. Levi Colwill is a better player than him, but Burn is #1) heavily underrated and #2) an incredible standard setter and character. Harry Maguire will feel unfortunate to have been left out because he profiles similarly to Burn whilst being a better player, but he is not as versatile to cover at left back in case of an injury crisis. Quansah is also positionally versatile. It could even see Reece James play in midfield at some point because of the presence of lots of right back profiles in the squad (Konsa included). An argument can certainly be made for a guy like Harry Maguire to be in the squad over John Stones, for example, and I can see that, but the reality is Stones also happens to be a special player who has incredible experience at the highest possible level. Tuchel has had the luxury to leave out Maguire, Shaw, Foden, Bowen, Gibbs-White, Trent, Wharton, Palmer, Colwill, Hall, and others I'm sure that I'm forgetting like Welbeck and Calvert-Lewin… there was always going to be uproar or unhappiness at certain choices with that level of depth at his disposal. However, from Tuchel's perspective, he strives for balance relative to his system and style of play. I think it's a risk to not bring another left-footed fullback over someone like Spence, for example, as that can negatively impact build-up dynamics as he gets trapped on his right foot (especially with Guehi being right footed on the left too), but outside of that the squad makes a lot more sense to me than it seems to to the average person… Tuchel will give England balance at the World Cup and they are one of the favourites to win it because of that. They have always had the talent, but now they have guaranteed tactical balance on top of that. Something Southgate failed to provide at crucial moments in previous tournaments (despite doing a good job overall).

@ManCity My eyes actually hurt from reading all these comments downplaying him. Arsenal is my team, but you have to be compeltely blind to deprecate Peps achievements.

Pep Guardiola to step down after incredible decade as City Manager 🩵 🔗 mancity.co/Pep-Guardiola

@RohanJivanAFC Just to clarify. I feel like he didn't mean available playrs on the market, but just the squad in general, saying that none of them will score 20-30 or even 30-40 league goals this season.

Biggest myth is Arteta can’t coach attacking football. Meaningless blanket statement that offers no substance. If you’ve followed us closely, you will recognise how we have many strings to our bow. And what we do depends on two factors: 1) Player availability 2) Where the league is at

I feel like insted of him, Tuchel is going to call up MLS.

@pedroelchileno I genuinely can't find a single resan to leave Harry out. Absolute bizarre decision from Tuchel.

What? Major mistake by Tuchel. Its not like England has such a talented CB pool of players that would have make this decision very difficult, but having a CB that can make the difference in both boxes, experienced and that is actually in good form is not looking great.

There is absolutely no way to justify leaving Maguire out. Shocking decison. Both from a purely footballing perspective and in terms of squad harmony, because Harry seemed like a really popular figure in the dressing room.

@pedroelchileno Odegaard just can't play as a CM/DM because of his physical limitations. He won't win a single aerial duell and he is going to get completely bullied in any body-to-body duel.

Not showing priorities and also dont think its posible to all in the summer, but with the current squad, what i would do is the following: - Move Hincapie to CB - Sign Alejandro Balde as the LB - If White is truly out of gas, replace with Livramento - MLS to midfield - Replace Noorgard with a high potential DM/CM - Sign Gordon as LW - Replace Trossard and Jesus for a young right footed Alvarez or Jesus type that can play across the front 3 - Sell Martinelli if necessary for cash Have a 22-24 outfiled squad for 26/27 and make decisions in 2027 regarding loans/departures since its a WC year Defending unit: Saliba Gabriel Mosquera Hincapie Calafiori Timber Balde White/Livramento DM/CM: Rice Ode Zubi MLS High potential DM/CM CAM: Eze Merino Nwaneri Forward unit: Saka Gordon Havertz Gyokeres Madueke Martinelli or young Alvarez or Jesus type Dowman This covers multiple roles and at least 3 players per position which we will need in a season with players that come from a 60+ game season + WC. It also allows the team to develop in many ways, tactical approaches and formation without losing our identity.

@whatever26a @hitaboutit Definitely not for me. Kane has elite hold-up play and brilliant passing, but he is compeltely less dynamic. Plus his box presence is massive because of his size and strength. To me, they are just completely different players.

@2ndLookPL @hitaboutit Alvarez is closer to kane with less box presence , kroupi isnt as technical imo but id rather kroupi wayy better shooter

- Technically elite - Never makes the wrong decision, high IQ - Loves receiving and passing BTL - Scores screamers & also pounces in the box We will be there

@FootballEra_ With all due respect, Gabriel Jesus is just creative chaos. A lot of ball retention, dribbling and physical duels, while Alvarez is all about dynamism, quick 1-2 touch play and a great shot. For me, Kroupi is definitely more of a baybe Alvarez than a baby Jesus.

@damienslash I am sorry for him

Arsenal haven't won yet

@RyanTaylorSport Not gonna lie, I am still waiting for som Arteta footage. Really want to see his reaction at the final whistle. Hopefully there are still some videos left to be released.

Mikel Arteta was not visible in any of Arsenal's Premier League title celebrations at the Sobha Realty Training Centre. However, sources indicate he did later join the squad at Tape London nightclub in Mayfair. Insiders say it was one for the books. 🕺⬇️ mirror.co.uk/sport/football…

I fully understand giving it back to Rodri for what he said. You need that inner fire and you basically have to see your rival as the enemy. So I get the line is very thin, but being dismissive toward Pep or depreciating someone like that O’Reilly vs MLS thing is just not my style at all.

NGL, I am dying to see Artetas face the exact moment the final whistle blew yesterday. Still waiting for some clips of him.

As an Arsenal fan, I genuinely think he is the absolute GOAT. I really hope he stays for another year because I love his rivalry with Arteta. But at the same time, I can totally understand the burnout after so many intense years. Whatever he decides, I wish him nothing but the best.

Pep was seen carrying his books and belongings in his hands as he left his office late at night. 🥹

We did it, together.

@SkySportsPL Hincapie with the bottle :)

The moment the Arsenal squad found out they were CHAMPIONS! 🏆🙌

@EBL2017 Hincapie with the bottle😭😭😭

From nothing, to something, to everything. TRUST. THE. PROCESS.