Guest Post – Stepping Into The Unknown by TTG
Jun 7th, 2018 by 'holic
My thanks are due to our very own TTG who has once again crafted a piece to share with us during the summer break. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
I’ve just begun to appreciate that for a significant number of Arsenal fans, a new experience is on the horizon. An Arsenal team not managed by Arsene Wenger! For others, many of us on here, it will be the third phase of our Arsenal fandom. We had the PW era (pre-Wenger) which began for me in 1958 just as George Swindin took up the reins, then the 22 years Wenger era, and now we are in the very early stages of the AW (After Wenger era). That a classification of one’s support can be so closely tied to one person shows the enormous impact that Wenger has had on the club. No-one supporting Arsenal under 30 can probably remember anything before him and even for an old ’un like me or Clive, or Uply, or the guvna himself, the Wenger years constitute round about a third of our supporting life. That is a significant chunk of time and it is entirely fair to regard this as a new era in the history of the Arsenal (as we were taught to refer to it by our Dads).
We’ve only seen one comparable situation occur like this in modern English Football, at Old Trafford, where Sir Alex, hopefully well on the road to recovery, stepped down after 27 years. That was five seasons ago and despite the acquisition of a few trophies the transition has been rather messy. The Moyes disaster, the Van Gaal debacle and the current Mourinho years all have the United fans I know yearning for the past. Their past was of course significantly more successful even than ours with a treble and one other Champions League, innumerable titles as well as FA Cups, League Cups, and other success in Europe. It’s ironic to think that in this day and age SAF would never have been afforded the time to achieve that haul of glittering prizes. He’d have been gone within two years and the face of English football would have been substantially different.
The United experience has already influenced the succession plan at Arsenal. There was no automatic transfer of power to Arsene’s self-anointed successor as there was with Ferguson and Moyes. We are led to believe a very rigorous process was followed, and indeed it began almost a year ago with the putting in place of a new structure that saw Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi brought in. Arsene maintained a dignified silence externally, as one would expect from a man who whatever his faults has huge dignity and grace and a massive love for Arsenal Football Club. The erosion of his unique power base must have been humiliating for him and one can only guess at the angst as he had to try to integrate players that he probably wouldn’t have bought himself. I can imagine from my own experience in management teams how I might have reacted to large chunks of my responsibility being handed over to others, however competent they may be.
As we approach the new season I think we have to seek that elusive quality of patience, not a commodity that is readily found in most boardrooms. Four men stand to be judged going forward and each must do his job exceptionally well if we are to prosper. The high profile appointment is Emery and he will attract most of the media attention. Will Arsenal become a better coached side as a result of his appointment? Will we defend better, be better organised away from home and look like a team where everybody understands his role? We can’t possibly know yet but those are the KPIs we will look for.
Will Sven Mislintat bring a freshness to our recruiting in the same way that Wenger did in the late 90s? Mavropanos was a good start and the two lads from Dortmund – Mkhitaryan (via United) and Aubameyang -have suggested great things since they joined. Can Sven, working within the sort of proscribed budget he presumably had at Dortmund find gems that justify his reputation as ‘Diamond Eye ‘?
Raul Sanllehi has been less apparent but as someone who was apparently the DOF at Barcelona he is a major appointment at Arsenal. His remit is akin to David Dein’s was when Wenger arrived. He is the facilitator for the plans of Sven and Unai. He is also responsible for helping to build the Arsenal brand worldwide. It’s a big job but he must have been lured from Barcelona with a promise of support that he was happy to work with to build up the Arsenal as a European power.
The most intriguing role is that of Gazidis. Those of us familiar with business politics recognise an operator originally recruited by the board, but primarily Arsene, who has bided his time and now has struck for home. My sense (and I may be completely wrong) is that Arsenal have contained a massive internal battle that Ivan has won with Josh Kroenke’s help. Wenger has been pushed into the shadows over the past year after renewing his deal directly with Kroenke Sr. Before we feel too sorry for Wenger let us reflect that he chose his moment after we beat Chelsea in the FA Cup Final to renew, a master stroke and an indication that he was very streetwise when he needed to be. Whatever the case we will now find out how good Gazidis is. Can he rejig and revive Arsenal and restore us to our former glories or is he a spin merchant who when asked to come out from behind the protective veil of Wenger can’t cut the mustard?
My sense is that he is a formidable operator but his success in this structure will be dependent on high performance by all his appointees. In the past he could hide in Wenger’s considerable shadow. Wenger did an immense job for many years and covered so many of the tasks three new men are being asked to fill. Eventually it became too much but boy did he give it a serious go! The new era begins with Gazidis on centre stage inextricably linked to the Emery project and his new vision of the Arsenal. I pray he is successful, but what do others think will be the immediate future of our club? Will the After Wenger era be one that we can look back on with pride or embarrassment?
30 Responses to “Guest Post – Stepping Into The Unknown by TTG”
Very interesting post, TTG.
I imagine that Emery’s priority for the new season must be Champions League qualification. This will be a tall order to start with, if Betway’s 11/4 for a top four spot is anything to go by, but would definitely feel “like a trophy” after two years in the desert.
Very interesting indeed, TTG. All the major players’ roles defined nicely.
As you discuss the timing of Arsene Wenger’s drawn-out succession and the hirings of Sanhelli and Mislintat it makes me think about the timing of the Lacazette and Aubameyang signings. The latter seems to be a post-Wenger signing but not the former, which makes me wonder where Lacazette may get support from the new management team, and especially if he does not start the new season with a bang. This is all guesswork because my insider knowledge is nil, but the Lacazette signing remains mysterious in many ways, not least because of the way Wenger consistently substituted him after around 75 minutes.
If Lacazette had not been so consistently substituted early in the first half of the season before the Aubameyang signing (after which the Frenchman was marginalized even more) I think it is safe to say that his end of season goal tally would have been considerably higher, even to the extent that people might be discussing what a great first season he enjoyed in English football whereas most people at the moment would probably classify his first season as a disappointment. Will Lacazette now get the chance to prove himself or will he be shunted aside and classified as a Wenger signing, do you think? Also, am I using Lacazette correctly as an example of a Wenger signing who came in at such an awkward time (Summer 2017, almost half a season prior to the arrival of Mislintat) his integration was bound to be problematical, or had Wenger’s influence on the identification of new signings already diminished prior to the start of last season?
ttg, well posted. i am hoping for pride, but expect it’ll be mostly pride with some embarrassment. i’m afraid it’s the nature of the beast.
so far so good, though. i like the signing we made (or signings, if you include mavropanos), and hope we get to the end of the summer with at least one more, a vidal-type dm who can sink his teeth into a game and worry it to bring points.
bt8, i wondered why lacazette was used the way he was. it made me think it wasn’t actually a wenger-desired signing, but one for gazidis (perhaps in consultation with sven and/or raul prior to their arrival). given that, and the way laca and auba played together at the end of the season, i’d hope they’ll be used together as often as possible. IF they play the way our new coach wants to play, i think we’ll see that.
Excellent and thought-provoking analysis TTG. However it’s impossible to answer your final questions. Time will tell.
As you observe, Ivan’s future hangs on the performances of his three ‘signings’, most particularly that of Unai Emery.
I do think Emery is as good a prospect for our new Head Coach position as was available this summer and he has a cv that suggests that if he gets the breaks, he has a reasonable prospect of meeting our demand that he achieves top four in his first season and exceeds Arsene’s performance in the Europe League this season.
I would very much like him to find a way to combine the strengths of Lacazette and PEA.
TTG
Excellent summation of the current situation,end of one era,and the beginning of a new one,as the Arse sails into uncharted waters.
I am really looking forward to the new season.
Fixtures for 18/19 season will be announced next Thursday 14th,and the players, [ excluding the few at the World cup ] return for pre season training on July 2nd,giving the new coaching staff 6 wks to impart their wisdom/beliefs/playing style,on the squad,before the season starts on Aug 11th.
It will be a steep learning curve for some,and i suspect a bridge to far for a few others as well.
We will certainly see the wheat well and truly sorted from the chaff.
Going to be fascinating to see the makeup of the first eleven that walks out to play the first league game of the new era.
Excellent piece, TTG. I obviously hope we do end up looking back on the post-Wenger era with pride, but also that we recognise the solid foundation it was built on.
Nice piece TTG.
If the KPI’s you note – defend better, better organisation away from home and everybody understanding their role – are the ones used to assess Emery’s first year then I suggest he could hardly fail if measured against last season’s performance.
My hopes are that he also introduces a more consistent pressing game. The very best teams all have one and on the limited occasions we used one last season we looked immeasurably better.
I too would like to see Laca and PEA given a lengthy run playing together. I realise that a solitary striker has been the fashionable option for some time but the partnership at the end of last season gave cause for optimism that we could improve our conversion rate of chances created.
However, it will all count for little unless we can sort out the defence and imo the less we see of Bellerin, Kos and Mustafi next season will be for the better.
UTA.
Great post TTG, and a nice bit of
eliciting at the end.
To be honest, I’m a bit more negative
than most about Emery, Ivan & Co
for next season.
But I’m pleased we’ve passed on
Evans at CB, that was good news.
“All Premier League games to have VAR in the 2018-19 season”
There goes all our fun.
Before they name it the Fly Emirates VAR can we call it the Mike Dean Memorial VAR?
Misleading headline cited in #9. Carabao Cup games played at Prier League grounds will have the Mike Dean Memorial VAR.
I attended an MLS game earlier this year in which VAR completely spoiled it. I (as well as everyone around me) went home without any understanding of why the original referee ruling had been overturned. Why should anybody attend the game if the VAR rulings, which nobody understands in the stadium, are only explained to television viewers?
Ned,
I’m losing my sense of who we might be likely to sign but have been told we are seriously involved in negotiations for the Sampdoria player, Torreira who might be a very interesting DM solution.
He has three caps for Uruguay – surely that is not enough for a work permit even though he is in their World Cup squad?
Very interesting news about another quality coaching appointment
Former Germany youth coach Marcel Lucassen named as Arsenal’s director of football development Jeorge Bird’s Arsenal Youth20:22
Interesting article, TTG. Generally, I’m optimistic about our immediate future, but then I usually am. Unlike many other supporters, I believe there are many positives for the club. I think we are as strong, offensively, as any team in the PL, including City. Lacazette and Aubameyang are classy strikers, Ozil and Mkitarayan are very creative. Xhaka, Ramsey, Maitland-Niles and Elneny are all good midfielders and Iwobi is certainly worth persisting with. I don’t think Jack has the legs any more and should go. We have some promising young midfielders coming through but we do still need to strengthen there.
I can’t understand why we were so poor defensively last season. I actually think we have several good defenders but collectively couldn’t perform. I don’t think Mustafi and Kos can play well together. They seem to be quite similar and would probably perform better with a bigger, more dominant partner. Cech is probably good enough for another two seasons. I suspect a lot of our poor performances away from home were down to mental issues, which we should have been able to overcome but didn’t. I’m sure we won’t be as bad again, it was a one-off weird season, and I would expect us to get back to our usual nine or ten away wins, not good enough to challenge for the title but maybe for top four.
I’d like to see us get over 80 points, which would be quite an achievement. I’m not sure when we last did. whether that would get us in the top four is a different matter. Ironically, when Leicester won the title, we came second with a fairly measly 71 points, I think, and most of us were disappointed. The following season we achieved 75 points, I think, and finished fifth. So points don’t necessarily win prizes. Finally, my ambitious target for next season is 80 points, hopefully top four, a good run in at least one cup, and some better performances against other top six clubs, eg a nice win against Liverpool.
TTG@12, it looks as if Torreira has dual nationality, Spanish and Uruguayan, so he would be able to play in the UK (at least for now!) as an EU citizen even though he doesn’t meet the ‘highest calibre’ criteria for a work permit, which requires the player to have been selected for at least 75% of their country’s competitive tournament fixtures over the previous two years for which they were available (back of the envelope calculation is that he would have needed 10-11 caps, against the three he has), and the country is ranked by FIFA in the top 70 (which Uruguay isn’t currently under the average ranking formula the Home Office uses but should shortly). Torreira has been playing in Italy since 2014, and while Italy’s immigration requirements for foreign workers are less strict that the UK’s, he may well have been able to do so as a Spaniard.
Devon Stu@14: 2007-08. 83 points. We were third, behind Chelsea 85 and Man U 87.
PUMA OUT!
Ned,
Many thanks to you and my gratitude to the monks for their diligence. A glass of Chartreuse on the bar for each of them . You confirmed my thoughts about the work permit rules but I had not realised he had dual nationality.
It’s a hobbyhorse of mine that our scouting in South America has been underwhelming. The only really good South American I can remember is Gilberto ….and I could have scouted him after he won the World Cup with Brazil.
We’ve had some shockers who have never played for the first team !
sylvihno was good
I thought it might be that season, Ned. In many ways, it was a very good season for Arsenal, undefeated at home, just three defeats all season despite the usual injuries to Van Persie and Rosicky and the awful injury to Eduardo. The five consecutive draws towards the end of the season put paid to us but considering we were up against the might and wealth of United and Chelsea, it was a great season. I can remember us losing to United near the end of the season even though we were the better side, and had we won we probably would have won the league. The ref helped them out that day, no surprise!
Howard Webb as a matter of fact, who gratuitously offered up a penalty retake for Cristiano Ronaldo. You could look it up, if I hadn’t already. 😉
http://www.skysports.com/football/man-utd-vs-arsenal/101110
Edu was good too.
Parlourinho?
edU!
celta 2004.
what a goal
what a f*cking goal
Best write up to have ever bumped into since i discovered Birgkampesque.Great piece.Awsome stuff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gyCvwTXuxs
Wondering what activities they will have in the Fan Zones at the Russia World Cup. Surely not “whack-a-Putin” contests. The overly enthusiastic contestants might win the contest but lose the war as it were, by risking getting picked up by security for their efforts on their way home. Whack-a-Trump contests on the other hand, might be both popular and relatively politically correct. I guess we shall have to see …
Lovely write up, TTG, thank you.
For the sake of the club, I hope that Gazidis gets it right.
The structure is in place so let’s pray that everyone knows their individual and collective roles and with full commitment, get on with it.
On a lighter note……………
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uIy100tZd0&feature=youtu.be
Solid, As they said in the clip you posted, the English do seem to be very bad at penalties. Maybe they should take a nip of Scotch before they step up to the line?
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