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#go on mikel do the ting
coachtfd · 3 months
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The defense rests, Your Honor. 👨🏾‍⚖️
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Aubameyang on being the fastest Arsenal player to score 50 PL goals: “Really proud, but first of all, I’m proud of the team. What we did today, I think we deserved the win because we did a great job. Everyone worked really well today. I’m really happy & proud! I’m really happy today. I think my performance was good! I’m always happy to score goals & help the team to win games.”
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Aubameyang on Saka’s contract renewal & his own contract: “I’m really happy Bukayo signed da ting! Now, we’ll see [about me]. We’ll talk with the club & we’re going to see what’s going to happen. First of all, I’m really focused on the games in this end of the season. As I said, since Mikel [has come] in, we’re doing well & we’re working very well. We have good signs that we’re improving.”
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Arteta: “I’m not worried about the table now, it’s just how we keep evolving, playing better will take us closer to winning football matches. I think we are controlling the games much better. Hopefully they can gain confidence, trust & day-by-day be a better team.”
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Arteta on Aubameyang: “We were talking that he wasn’t scoring many in the last few weeks. He’s the type of player that’s always trying to be the best, scoring goals to help the team & I’m really glad with him, not only for the goals but his attitude overall. He knows really well my thoughts towards him, the project I want to create and that I want him in that. He can see what we are trying to do and hopefully he can evolve.
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Arteta on Aubameyang: “He is willing to stay with us. I am positive and I will remain positive we can keep him here for many years, but things have to progress. I think he is really happy where he is, he can see what we are trying to do.”
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kohakuhime · 7 years
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Artemis had been on his way to the kitchen, Talia not far behind, when Sara popped into view. Her face was inches from his and cold air radiated between them. Her hands flashed for his shoulders. “Artemis!”
Artemis yelped at the contact, stumbling backwards to get away. Talia silently steadied him and Artemis straightened. “Sara, we’ve been over this before, don’t do that!” he snapped. “I don’t—“
“Artemis, help him!”
Artemis registered the distress in her voice and instantly sobered. Beside him, Talia stiffened. “Who? What’s happened?”
“It’s Abastor! Artemis, you’ve got to do something!” Sara begged. Her electric green eyes were lit with fear. That more than anything caught his attention — Sara was rarely afraid. “I can’t do anything, I’m bound to the house—they’re taur bucking, Artemis, he’ll break a leg—“
Taur Bucking. The latest “craze” to swing into the region, in which roving gangs of thrill seekers sought out, tied up, and used unwilling centaurs as rodeo horses. More than one centaur had ended up with dislocated hips or knees from this, even more with cracked hooves and broken legs and spines. Artemis had heard of it, but he had not thought anyone would target Abastor—the centaur was gentle-natured and well-known in this area.
Clearly, though, someone had.
Artemis was already gathering his magic, feeling the familiar charge in the air around him as it concentrated in his ring. The scent of ozone filled the air around them, and Talia inadvertently snarled at the change in the atmosphere. “Where?” he demanded, voice curt and thrumming in power.
“The alley down the street, I saw them haul him away—Artemis—!”
But Artemis did not hear the rest of her sentence, the air shifting and warping as the teleportation spell activated. Talia and Sara disappeared, and in their place came the outside world.
Artemis found himself in the middle of the road, down a ways from his home. The sun was starting to set and hardly anyone was out; he took a moment to reorient, and looking over his shoulder he noticed passing pedestrians avoiding a break in the road. He had overshot the distance, he realized, but he could hear raucous laughter, whoops and hollers, and the tell-tale clop of hooves on the cobblestone. Artemis followed the sounds with growing fury.
He turned the corner and stopped, the world freezing in place.
There were five men in the small cul-de-sac, each standing a safe distance away from the center of the road—in which a sixth man was astride the currently bucking and twisting Abastor.
Abastor’s arms had been bound behind him, his forelegs roped together; the rope was being held by two of the men, keeping Abastor from fleeing. A rope was looped around his neck, the end of which was wrapped around the rider’s hand. Abastor’s glasses were gone, face flushed and hair matted and tangled. He fought and bucked to get the offender off his back, giant hooves slamming into the cobblestone as he writhed. He danced in place for one moment more before he bucked once again.
“C’mon, Damon!” called one of the onlookers. “Let us have a turn!”
“He’ll kill you if I get off his back!” retorted the one named Damon, and as Artemis watched the man dug his heels into Abastor’s sides. The centaur’s back arched and he reared, letting out a strangled cry. It was evident that Abastor was tiring, however, and even more evident that he was scared; the rope around his neck was pulled back even harder and Abastor choked, staggering in mid-buck and stumbling but regaining his feet. His flanks and knees were slicked with blood.
Artemis’s vision tinged red.
“HOW DARE YOU!” he thundered, his voice echoing in the confined space.
Everyone jumped and seven pairs of eyes swinging to Artemis as he strode forward. His hand sliced through the air, magic pulsing through his fingertips. The rider was thrown violently to the ground at Abastor’s feet; whether through instinct or some shred of kindness left for his attackers, Abastor did not trample him and instead staggered away. He stood to one side, breathing heavily and legs trembling.
Artemis jerked his hand at the others gathered around, forcing them all into the center of the alley as he advanced on them. “What part of you thinks this is funny?” Artemis spat, watching them cower beneath his fury. “How dare you ride him?! How dare you — and within walking distance of my house, no less!”
One of them actually had the gall to look up and offer a timid, “B-but he’s part horse!”
Artemis rounded on the speaker, eyes blazing. The offender squeaked and shrank in place. “Whether he’s part horse or part unicycle, he did not ask for you to turn him into your form of entertainment! He’s no different from you and he has earned your respect, whether he’s full or part human!” he snarled. “Would you like it if I saddled you up and whipped you and used gods-damned spurs on you!?”
“We aren’t horses!” piped up another man, voice stronger.
Artemis’s eyes glinted and his hand moved, forming a sigil in the air in front of them. They didn’t even have time to protest before they had shifted, transformed into six donkeys. Artemis spotted a spare rope that likely would have been used on Abastor and used it to tie the donkeys together with a flick of his wrist. “No,” he said coldly, “but I’ve never seen so many jackasses in one place before.”
Artemis glowered at them in disgust as they registered what happened, fearful brays rising from the crowd. Fools, the lot of them. No respect at all for others, no kindness or caring for other people in the—
Artemis turned sharply when he heard a heavy thump behind him. Abastor had sunk to ground, breathing heavily and still shaking; his human torso had fully folded, hands and arms still feebly fighting to free themselves. Fury immediately melted into concern as Artemis hurried to Abastor’s side. As Artemis approached, however, the centaur stiffened and tried to stagger back to his feet.
Artemis stopped. He couldn’t risk riling Abastor up any further than he was—one direct kick from Abastor’s heavy hooves and Artemis could end up seriously hurt. “Easy, Abastor,” he said soothingly. “It’s only me. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Abastor’s sides were still heaving, his hair hanging in his face. The centaur could not see beyond the curtain of curly dark hair. Still, he could see the tension bleeding out of Abastor’s shoulders as he sank back to the ground.
Artemis heard a small sound behind him and turned in time to spot Talia ghosting to his side. Green-gold eyes flitted once at the donkeys curiously, then flinted when she felt the magic surrounding them. She knew exactly what they were. “Talia, watch them,” Artemis ordered. “Not one of them leaves.”
He couldn’t help but feel slightly vindictive when Talia’s eyes flashed amber as she blocked their path and the donkeys all brayed in alarm. Even though they didn’t entirely understand why they were so afraid of her, the fact they were prey animals was controlling their instincts - and all prey animals naturally feared a werewolf.
With that situation remedied, Artemis then returned his focus to Abastor. He carefully approached again, and this time Abastor didn’t struggle to his feet. Artemis knelt, slowly brushing Abastor’s hair out of his face so he could see the wizard. His eyes went to the centaurs flanks, immeasurably relieved that the cuts were only superficial; a couple looked like they were fairly deep from the spurs, but nothing a batch of Mikel’s herbal ointment couldn’t fix. “I’m going to untie you. It’ll just be a moment,” he said soothingly.
Artemis dared not use magic. Centaurs were skittish around it to begin with and he didn’t want Abastor to hurt himself worse. Instead, he reached for the rope tied around Abastor’s neck—if Abastor suddenly panicked, he didn’t want that rope getting any tighter. He found himself hissing in fury and sympathy as he saw the ugly rope burn marring Abastor’s skin. “Hang on a moment, I’ll get this off you first.”
Abastor’s eyes found Artemis’s, clouded and dazed but trusting, and Artemis felt his heart ache. He might have found a way to protect his home and those who lived under his roof, but beyond the walls surrounding his home he did not have as much power to shield them. “I’m so sorry,” Artemis said gently, voice shaking. “This shouldn’t have happened, Abastor.”
The knot loosened beneath his fingertips and pulled away, and Artemis flung the rope off with disgust. It wasn’t too long after that when Artemis had the rope binding Abastor’s arms undone. Artemis was relieved to see something more coherent in the dark eyes meeting his.
There was a soft noise behind him, and Artemis turned to find Talia standing behind him. “Talia?”
She held out Abastor’s glasses, lenses smudged but intact and frames surprisingly unbent. Her eyes weren’t blazing gold, instead returning to that curious shade of green-gold. Her gaze flitted to Abastor, worry lining her features as she watched the centaur.
“Thanks, kid,” Artemis said, voice gentle. “He’ll be okay.”
Talia dipped her head once, expression softening at Abastor, and then she glided back to where she had been before. There was a new line of fury in her face and the donkeys all cowered beneath it.
“Artemis?” Abastor’s voice was hoarse and distant. It was the first word Abastor had spoken and Artemis was relieved to hear it.
“Yeah, it’s me. Can you stand?” Artemis asked, offering a hand. “I’ll get you taken care of at home.”
Abastor did not immediately react and Artemis felt a new spike of concern. If Abastor could not walk he would have to find a way to get him back. Teleporting with him was out of the question, but maybe Talia could—
“I can,” Abastor said tiredly, reaching for Artemis’s hand. Artemis had enough time to brace himself before Abastor hauled himself up, though Artemis nearly fell over and staggered as Abastor’s full strength pulled against him. Bad idea — next time Talia was going to do heavy lifting.
Abastor took a moment to gain balance, and then he took a step forward. He blinked, pausing in midstep at the sight of the donkeys. “Artemis…?”
“Not sorry for that,” Artemis said flatly. “If they want to be human again, they’d best figure out an apology for you. No exceptions.”
In spite of his weariness Abastor started to protest. “Artemis, I appreciate what you’ve done but I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me. The Summoners will hear of this and — “ “Oh don’t you worry about getting me in trouble, Abastor. I can handle myself. Thank you, though,” Artemis said warmly, touched by the comment. “Your concern is well appreciated.”
His gaze went to the nervously dancing donkeys and his eyes narrowed. “Anyways, I would love to see them try to charge me with anything,” he continued pleasantly, but his voice carried an edge to it. “As far as I’m concerned, these asses are the ones in trouble. Taur bucking probably falls under kidnapping in some variants of Summoner law, and that’s before factoring in the penalties are invoked by the laws of your people.”
“Artemis - “
“Tut tut, no arguing with Artemis, bucko,” said Artemis, feigning cheerfulness. “I’ll deal with them when the time comes.”
Noticing Abastor’s reluctance to leave and the dismay on his face, though, Artemis sighed. “All right, Abastor, but only because you asked. Talia, get him home and see if you can’t get Sara to bring some of Mikel’s ointment. I’ll catch up in a moment.”
Talia dipped her head to acknowledge him, then shot one last parting and scathing look at the donkeys. Artemis watched in satisfaction as the animals tried to scatter, panic lighting their eyes — Talia knew exactly how to channel the wolf without the full moon to help her. More importantly, she could do it without revealing what she was.
Artemis waited until his charges were safely away before he waved a hand at them, feeling the invisible sigil start to fade away. “I’ve given your voices back but don’t you talk just yet,” he said coolly. “You little peons have precisely one day to each handwrite five full pages of apology to Abastor, what you will do to show respect to centaurs in the future, and why you will never engage in Taur Bucking again. It needs to be heartfelt and dripping with sincerity. You will drop it off here, where I can come get it for him. If you’re lucky, Abastor will forgive you.
“If by the end of the day you don’t have those letters ready, and if it’s not sincere in the slightest, you’ll turn back into what you are right now. Don’t even kid yourselves into thinking I can’t do that from a distance, because guess what? I can.
“Now, do I make myself clear?”
A chorus of “Yessirs” and “I’m sorry” followed this, each voice drowning the other out as they bleated out their apologies. Artemis studied them, then focused on the sigil. “All right, then. As you leave this alley, you’ll turn back to normal. I suggest you go home and get started on your apologies.”
Artemis watched them go, the enchantment fading away as the men practically scurried away from him.
What Artemis did not tell them was that they’d be walking home stark naked, or that he had just cast another spell to remove any convenient hiding places or items that could be used to cover themselves. He also decided he’d “accidentally” forget to tell them about the donkey ears they still sported, or about the patch of fur on their foreheads that read “I’m an ass” that couldn’t be hidden or shaved off until they had done as they had promised
Oops. Oh no. What a tragedy. How careless of him. He had failed to fully lift the enchantment. Someone arrest him.
With another gathering of magic and concentration, he teleported from the alleyway with a crack. He could walk, but truth be told he was worried about Abastor and preferred to get home quickly. Mikel should be coming home soon anyways from visiting family, but since Artemis only had one jar of the herbal ointment and he had asked Sara of all people to get it….
Well. She was a self-proclaimed poltergeist. No telling what she would do.
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365footballorg-blog · 6 years
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Tuchel unlikely? What next for Arsenal after Wenger exit?
New faces behind the scenes, a five-man shortlist and the dilemma of whether to go for experience or potential.
This is the backdrop as Arsenal seek a new manager for the first time in nearly 22 years after Arsene Wenger’s announcement he will step down at the end of the season.
But where does the news leave the north London club? And what might happen next? BBC Sport’s David Ornstein explains…
Big-name boss? Or promising coach?
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis says Arsenal had not begun sounding out replacements before Friday and I suspect Wenger will not have a say.
Leading the process will be Gazidis, alongside head of football relations Raul Sanllehi and head of recruitment Sven Mislintat.
Arsenal have been linked to the former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel, who has admirers at the club. But any move might have been complicated by the fact he fell out with Mislintat when they were together in Germany.
That will likely be irrelevant, though, as it is my understanding he is going to take charge of Paris St-Germain.
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Big-name options such as Max Allegri, from Juventus, and former AC Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti have been mentioned but a younger coach – one who is more willing to slot into the club’s revamped structure – might be more appealing.
That is why former captain Mikel Arteta – an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and said to be admired by Gazidis – and another former skipper Patrick Vieira – who is at New York City – have been linked, although both lack elite-level management experience. Likewise, club record goalscorer Thierry Henry, who is currently Belgium assistant coach.
The backgrounds of Sanllehi and Mislintat have seen suggestions that Luis Enrique – who Sanllehi worked with at Barcelona – and Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann – who Mislintat knows from Germany – could also be candidates.
But Arsenal will not seek simply to make a quick appointment.
All the reaction to Wenger’s departure
‘One of the greatest’ – Ferguson on Wenger
‘The brilliant revolutionary who refused to change himself’
Pick Wenger’s greatest Arsenal XI
What has been happening behind the scenes?
Arsenal has become a deeply political club at board level. They were split on whether Wenger should have signed a new two-year contract last summer, and that situation had not changed.
The difference compared to a year ago is that Arsenal have a new structure off the pitch – Sanllehi arrived from Barcelona; Mislintat from Dortmund; head of negotiations Huss Fahmy from Team Sky; and head of high performance Darren Burgess from Australian Rules football.
All four have inherited significant power and influence, and worked with American majority shareholder Stan Kroenke to put a structure in place for life beyond Wenger.
The only new head of department that had not been appointed was a head coach. The only question was whether that would be Wenger or not.
Until extremely recently, even some of the most powerful people at the club did not know this was coming. Indeed, there remained a feeling he may see out his contract.
However, I have heard suggestions that a five-strong shortlist was drawn up to present to Kroenke in the event of Wenger leaving.
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‘Wenger closer to leaving last year than we knew’
Wenger’s possible departure had been a talking point for months, even years. Every time there was a bad period of form, the rumours started and this recent poor run did not feel any different.
Even when it became known a meeting of staff and players had been called for 09:45 BST on Friday – unusual on a recovery day for players – it was still thought he would not leave.
The Frenchman has never broken a contract and it is my understanding the club were prepared to see how the season concluded and, provided there was not a catastrophe, leave him in charge until the end of his deal next summer.
I was told very recently that Wenger was as stubborn, determined and energetic as ever and if he was to leave he would need to be dragged out kicking and screaming.
However, it is my understanding Wenger was closer to walking away towards the end of last season than we knew at the time. Those closest to him were advising him to leave on a high after the FA Cup win against Chelsea in May.
But at that time, Arsenal did not have a plan in place to replace him. They were not set up to start a recruitment process. Wenger knew as much and felt – rightly or wrongly – that he would be leaving them in the lurch. He felt it was an obligation to carry on and he thought he could have one last crack at leading this team to success.
But things have deteriorated, both on the pitch and in the stands. Ask people what has changed and the response is “that is the problem – nothing”.
Wenger has always been the great survivor at Arsenal, he has taken all the bullets and carried on, shielding the board, players and club. But it is only human that he started to feel the criticism piercing him.
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‘It was a genuinely mutual decision’
It’s not clear who made the first move, but this has been an ongoing discussion for some time. It had become inevitable.
There was a feeling on Wenger’s side that it would be best to do it now, in conjunction with the club hierarchy, to enable him to have a fitting send-off.
If they were to suffer a heavy defeat in the Europa League, there was a chance he would have to leave in unceremonious fashion. Nobody wanted that. And if they were to win it, Arsenal could end up in the same situation in a year’s time.
The overwhelming feeling is that this is the right decision and my understanding is that it was genuinely mutual.
By sorting it out earlier, this gives Arsenal the ability to start a recruitment process without doing it behind Wenger’s back, or starting too late.
How will the fans react?
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The decision has been greeted well, tinged with sadness and nostalgia as expected, but also hope and optimism that Arsenal can reunite a fractured fanbase and rally round a new manager.
In recent years, there has been a very nasty environment. Fans have been divided, there have been fights among Arsenal supporters in stadiums, protests inside and outside grounds, banners saying ‘it’s time to go’ and the slogan ‘In Arsene we trust’ being replaced by ‘In Arsene we rust’.
The large swathes of empty seats at Emirates Stadium were a sign that the anger had turned into apathy.
Arsenal, who used to break records for all the right reasons, were breaking records for the wrong ones – they are the only side in the top four divisions to have lost every away league match this year.
West Ham on Sunday is the penultimate home Premier League game of Wenger’s reign.
Despite growing opposition in recent times, there will be huge support, respect and gratitude from a large crowd. ‘There’s only one Arsene Wenger’ may well be sung for the first time in many, many months.
The decision has galvanised the fans to get behind the club as they push for victory in the Europa League.
What might Wenger do next?
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Wenger has had offers but, short of an opportunity he feels is too good to turn down, it is likely he will take a break for the first time in more than 30 years. It is what those closest to him are advising.
We are sure to see him at the World Cup in Russia, where he is expected to work for a French broadcaster, but after that it is very likely he will manage again.
Exactly where is far from clear. It could be club or international level but if something tickles his fancy – be it because of the environment or potential – I can see him doing it.
But he’s not in a rush to get back doing it quickly and who can blame him?
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Tuchel unlikely? What next for Arsenal after Wenger exit? was originally published on 365 Football
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coachtfd · 2 months
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“#Artetaout”
“He’s a terrible coach.”
“He let our best players go!”
“It’s not good enough!”
“I can’t work out what he’s trying to do.”
Remembering those days back in year two of this project. 😂 The reason a proper rebuild takes time is because you’re not just replacing the manager, you’re replacing almost an entire team in most cases. Sometimes you have to take it into the academy. Sometimes you have to change the entire culture around the entire club, which means staff all around the country or even the world.
Anyone who thinks you complete a proper rebuild by simply changing the manager isn’t doing a rebuild, you’re just trying to bless your mess. That’s why there’s never any progress after 2 or 3 years or any progress stops and you find yourself starting all over again. You’ve only changed one aspect of a very multifaceted problem.
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coachtfd · 7 months
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Surprising Stat:
It’s been almost 6 years since Arsenal took all 3 points at Goodison Park. The last time they did, Arsene Wenger was in charge. 😮🤯
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coachtfd · 1 year
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Arsenal fans, I hear you. I understand your frustration, but I’m actually encouraged. The bar was raised, you BELIEVE you can win the league and are backing the team to do so. Keep backing them, this isn’t the time to falter. The season isn’t over yet so the race isn’t over yet. It’s gonna be HELLA tight, but they’re almost there. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
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coachtfd · 7 months
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Partey to Tomiyasu, Tomiyasu to Havertz, Havertz to Martinelli, Martinelli with the winner. I’ll take it all day and twice on Sunday. 😎 FANTASTIC win today. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
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coachtfd · 2 months
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Arteta bringing out the 4-4-2 against Brentford, who is no slouch athletically in midfield. On a technical level, it should be men against boys. Ramsdale is back in goal. This should be interesting. 🤔🧐
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coachtfd · 1 year
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coachtfd · 4 months
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I said it around this time last season and I’ll say it again this season: Arsenal can win the league. Will they? Hard to say, I still think they need more goals in the team but let’s see where they are after the winter window. They definitely need to strengthen defensively and offensively. A solid left back and an impactful winger are my moves. Personally, I think they should’ve made a play for someone like Osimhen in the summer. But to get across the line, they definitely need a winger that’ll produce. 🧐
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coachtfd · 3 months
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I think Arsenal are doing quite fine without Mr. Morgan and Mr. Murray at the helm. 🙄 It’s called managing the game and Troussard is who you bring on to do exactly that, while simultaneously protecting one of your best players and killing the game off to ensure all three points. Which is funny, because if he didn’t do this and Martinelli got injured he’d be pasted for that as well.
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coachtfd · 3 months
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Arsenal fans how you feeling? 😉 If they played like this every week they’d be running away with the league right now. This is what managers mean when they talk about performance levels. Tactics and lineups don’t mean squat if the players aren’t switched on and up for it.
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coachtfd · 1 year
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Yeah, they’re winning the league. 😎
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coachtfd · 1 year
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#ArtetaOut is it??
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Having a laugh. 😂😂😂
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coachtfd · 1 year
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5 points clear of City and 15 points clear of Liverpool? ✅
Scoring for fun without relying solely on their striker? ✅
Clean sheet after clean sheet, conceding fewer goals than City? ✅
RIDICULOUS passing and possession stats on a par with Benfica at the moment? (And you’ve seen what they can do) ✅
Strengthen in January Arsenal and strengthen well, because you can win the league. 🧐
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