Czar

@HLlozana I suppose time will tell. May Glasner prove you right immediately haha

@UnkemptBlue Fairs. But I am judging on the basis of what I have seen. Gives a bad example as well, with these pseudoprojects. Leicester were a very limited team in 2016 and won the title more impressively. They have spent a lot and have sacrificed many seasons for a PL won on less than 85pts

Just as Avram Grant was a hair away from winning the UCL and maybe other trophies as well, due to the strong foundations build by Jose and Steve Clarke + Henk Ten Cate preparing the tactical approaches, Arteta is actually winning the league propelled by Jover's masterclass.

Only one proper striker in there and it's Igor Thiago. How on earth does Joao Pedro not get in?

@HLlozana For sure. They had just enough this season that they could win a title with the supplement of the set pieces. They'll be here again next season though. Set pieces + competent attackers? Hope not.

@UnkemptBlue I agree that they should use it. And I am also saying they don't have much more bar that and the defence, which they have spent half a billion on. The midfield is ok, solid, but nothing special. Attack is top 4 level at best.

Maresca's a good manager, but there will always be whiplash when someone of Pep's calibre, influence, and roots leaves a club. There can be no simple continuity. We must take advantage.

@HLlozana For sure, Arsenal are not anywhere comparable to those Liverpool and City teams. But really impressive their floor with the inferior talent at their disposal. And it really seems like they've made a consistent science out of set pieces, so why not use it as their X factor?

@UnkemptBlue And I am saying they are excellent at that. But it's not normal to be such reliant. Liverpool and City have excellent at everything at peak, tactics, variety of goal sources, defending, consistency, depth, everything. No wonder they went 98 vs 97 points in 2019.

@HLlozana What's to stop them adding ruthless attackers in the summer now?

@HLlozana Instead of that top consistent goalscorer, they've got Mr. Piece, first name Set, is what I'm saying. In a time where Liverpool and City fell apart under the demands of the game, Arsenal found a solution and way to win. Don't make me glaze them, man!

And stay out! (Remarkable things he's achieved, changed the face of the league, best coach ever to have lived. But it's been tough for the rest of us.)

I have this feeling that Xabi will love Garnacho.

I don't understand the hate certain people have for Ben Roberts. A lot of correlation is causation stuff from people who are usually sober about these things. And in any case, Alonso doesn't have a GK coach of his own. So many rocks to bash our owners with, why pick hot air?

@HLlozana We've been Set Piece FC this season, so many goals from set pieces. Cueva has been great. Just our defense on set pieces, he seems unable to figure it out. But even so, who knows where we'd be in the table without him?

Isn't there a better GK coach out there? And Parrilla is apparently a top set-piece preparator, why should Cueva stay? Two years of almost nothing significant. McFarlane, with all due respect for the seriousness he has tried to show, isn't Steve Holland. I don't like this.

Sounds suspiciously reasonable.

My word, what have Strasbourg just pulled off here?

@realist_cfc Ah the kind of player that is just a great footballer, rather than a great *insert position*. These are unicorns though, aren't they? Wouldn't say no to another for sure. Feels like 'versatile' players like Joao Felix would be more likely on the market though.

@UnkemptBlue Eh I disagree there. I actually think the opposite. I don’t think Félix was versatile, he couldn’t thrive in any other role outside of a off-the-ball passenger second striker. Many of our best players (Caicedo, James, Palmer, JP) I would call versatile.

Early thoughts on Xabi Alonso's 3-4-3 as a fit (🧵): - Palmer and Caicedo the only locks positionally. - New defender should be well-suited to CCB role, as our only natural option there atm is Tosin who isn't good enough. Other route would be Colwill CCB + Hato/new signing LCB.

@realist_cfc Often versatile means master-of-none, which is what I fear, and we end up buying another Joao Felix.

@UnkemptBlue I think it suffices just to have it in mind. Shifting from a back 4 to a back 3 is very easy if you have players that are versatile enough. Just don’t buy highly specialized players unless they’re complete game-breakers and it’ll be fine.

@realist_cfc Makes sense. I hope we don't alter the transfer strategy irl just to fit players into a back 3 though.

@UnkemptBlue Yeah I mean it’s still my core philosophy. But considering a 3-4-3 adds value to some players and influences the transfer strategy just a little bit.

@realist_cfc Counting on the intangibles of Pep leaving as much as whatever gap we can make up in talent, as well as the midweek training time we'll get with no Europe. We have talent, we just need to sign enough that will help us remain consistent, even if not on the level of recent winners.

@UnkemptBlue I don’t think there’s any way Chelsea can make up the talent gap in one summer, especially one with no UCL. Even if every single thing goes right, there’s no answer on the market to the likes of Haaland, Cherki, Doku-Semenyo wing pairing, etc. Same goes for Arsenal imo.

If this is true, there is really no reason our summer business shouldn't be directed towards creating a title-challenging team for next season itself (funds willing). It is the eve of change. We must come out on top in the ensuing chaos. But can we do that with our SDs?

@realist_cfc Can never go wrong with that thought!

@UnkemptBlue Just in case. I don’t know if it’ll be a 3-4-3 but I do think it’ll be an option he’ll consider. In any case it’s more difficult (and hence interesting) to reshape the squad into that than to keep status quo. Otherwise my thoughts would be sell the shit players, buy good ones.