Arsenal will play Valencia this Thursday in the Europa League semi-final, just one year after they faced Atletico Madrid in the same round. Spanish opposition, European semi final and sitting outside the top four… so what’s changed for Arsenal in the last year?
The Chalkboard
Unai Emery took over for Arsene Wenger, who stepped down after 22 years in charge. Wenger’s departure came after leading Arsenal to a second successive finish outside the top four, but for the first time in his tenure, the Gunners were evidently in decline, losing ground on their rivals.
Emery arrived as a breath of fresh air. He was described as “meticulous”, “intense”, and “demanding”, leaving Arsenal fans rightly very excited about the prospect of the Spaniard.
Emery was given a modest budget in his first summer transfer window, and has used it to bring in first team stars Bernd Leno, Sokratis, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, who have all enjoyed a successful first season at the club.
The remit was to get the Gunners back into the Champions League either via top four qualification or by winning the Europa League, which Emery has won three times prior.
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So, have they improved?
Premier League statistics are the best measure for improvement; Arsenal in 2017-18 scored 74 goals, conceded 51 goals and kept 13 clean sheets. This season, with two games still to play, the Gunners have scored 69 goals, conceded 51 goals and kept eight clean sheets. Despite very similar statistics, Emery’s side have already bettered last season’s points tally of 63 by three with games still to play.
Despite concerns about away form Arsenal are still in a top four race, contrary to last year, and the ex-PSG boss has certainly got his side competing with their rivals. They’ve beaten Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea at the Emirates while drawing with Liverpool and losing just to Manchester City.
The results and performances against the big six are the best indication of improvement under Emery, no matter what the stats say. It’s a lot easier to fix poor results against the mid-table sides, as proven by Liverpool this season, who also found those fixtures to be their achilles heel for many years.
What’s most encouraging is that Arsenal no longer get bullied by sides with more investment and squad depth and are able to stand up to their rivals when facing them one-on-one. Wenger was always capable of delivering a good result against these sides, but the consistency in the high level of performance under Emery during these games is incredibly encouraging, and puts Arsenal in good stead for the semi-final.
Yes they’ve improved, and the signings have done very well to raise Arsenal’s level in big matches, but the squad isn’t good enough to sustain this form over a whole season.
The Gunners are enduring an end of season implosion which is somewhat skewing the results, with three defeats in a row and nine goals conceded in those games dragging Emery’s good work through mud. Still, it’s clear that the North Londoners have improved, and they’ll fancy themselves to go one step further in Europe this year by making the final.
It would be stating the obvious to say that Manchester United are not in the best shape they’ve ever been in right now.
They have just seen their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League vanish after a humiliating 1-1 draw with bottom placed Huddersfield, and are in free fall with a number of players either wanting to leave or just simply not good enough anymore.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a lot on his mind right now; what should he do with Paul Pogba? Who does he need to sign this summer? Will David de Gea sign a new contract? To name just a few examples.
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Another example would be the United backline. It has become powder-puff. Phil Jones is bottom-half standard. Marcos Rojo is barely available. Ashley Young is well past it. I could go on.
However, if you scratch beneath the surface a bit more, you’ll find one stat that shows just how vulnerable United are right now, and just how open De Gea is with little protection.
The Red Devils stopper, who has played all 37 of United’s Premier League games, has faced the third most shots in the top-flight this season behind relegated Cardiff’s Neil Etheridge, and 11th-placed West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski – that is not the company the Spaniard should be finding himself surrounded by, especially with the ambitions United have for themselves.
To further reinforce the point, just below the former Atletico Madrid man is Watford’s Ben Foster, and 19th-placed Fulham glovesman Sergio Rico, along with a few other bottom-half keepers.
This is Manchester United we’re talking about. Liverpool and Manchester City’s Alisson and Ederson find themselves 18th and 21st on this very same list, having had to face a whole 82 and 101 less shots respectively.
Yes, he has come under fire for some sloppy errors recently, but United’s backline, and the team as a whole, aren’t doing enough to protect their No.1 and keep the opposition at bay like the teams they are aspiring to match.
Tottenham Hotspur fans have been starved of new signings in the past eighteen months but there has been no shortage of rumours during that time.
With the season now finished – aside from the small matter of a Champions League final date in June of course – it’s time for Daniel Levy to begin making some plans for the summer window, or perhaps not…
Well, time will tell whether Tottenham’s chairman is set to change his ways and bring a handful of players to the club, but recent reports suggest that he’s got his eye on a bright Bundesliga talent.
The player in question is Julian Brandt – a creative midfielder who was selected for Joachim Lowe’s Germany World Cup squad in 2018 ahead of Manchester City’s Leroy Sane.
According to a report from SportBild, (via Sport Witness) Spurs are one of the clubs showing an interest in the 23-year-old, who has scored nine goals and provided 17 assists in all-competitions this season.
And, in response to the report, the Spurs supporters expressed their enthusiasm over the mooted deal and called for the club to bring him to north London in the summer.
Here’s what the Lilywhites faithful fans have had to say about their links with Brandt…
West Ham United have no chance of signing Willy Caballero from Chelsea this summer, per ClaretandHugh.
What’s the word?
The Hammers had been linked with a swoop for the goalkeeper as they look to bring in a deputy to current No.1 Lukasz Fabianski.
Spanish ‘keeper Adrian is set to depart the club this summer on a free transfer as he looks for first-team football elsewhere.
And that has led the Irons to scour the market in search of back-up to the Poland international, who won the club’s Player of the Season award.
The London Evening Standard reported that Caballero could be a target, having worked with Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini at Malaga, but ClaretandHugh claim that Chelsea have triggered an option in the Argentine’s contract tying him to the club until the end of next season.
The 37-year-old made a total of nine appearances in 2018-19 and is currently back-up to Kepa Arrizabalaga at Stamford Bridge.
Give Trott a chance
West Ham don’t need to buy a goalkeeper.
Nathan Trott, the impressive young stopper, is primed to make his breakthrough at the London Stadium and deserves a spot in Pellegrini’s first-team squad.
Aged 20, he can learn on the job while deployed as Fabianski’s deputy, and he is already highly-rated.
An England youth international, he was a part of the Under-19 squad that won the European Championships in 2017.
He has kept a total of 15 clean sheets for the Under-23 side but has yet to make his first-team debut and it feels like the perfect opportunity has arrived to thrust him into the first-team.
Everton turned to Marco Silva to head a transition period that would see Everton compete financially and competitively with the big six of English football.
They made a decent start to life under the Portuguese manager, who himself had a mixed reputation after decent spells at Watford and Hull that ultimately ended badly. He arrived bringing with him Richarlison for £40m from the Hornets, before acquiring Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes, Bernard among others.
Everton suffered a tricky run of form between December and March, but things did start to improve for the Toffees after a well-earned draw against rivals Liverpool.
That proved to be the catalyst for an end-of-season revival in form, energy and confidence. Everton ended the season strong with wins against Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. So, overall, did the players earn their wages this season?
[snack_break title=”Goalkeepers”]
Jordan Pickford (£5,200,000 p/y)
He’s made errors this season but overall he’s done ok. Sometimes he looks a bit manic and lacking composure, but he’s doing alright overall.
Has he earned his wage? Just about.
Maarten Stekelenburg (£1,560,000 p/y)
He’s a good back-up option and does ok when called upon.
Has he earned his wage? Just about.
[snack_break title=”Defenders”]
Seamus Coleman (£3,640,000 p/y)
Always an attacking threat down the right-hand side, always committed and always passionate. He’s a real asset for Everton.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Leighton Baines (£3,640,000 p/y)
His best days are behind him and he’s been replaced by Lucas Digne.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely not.
Michael Keane (£3,120,000 p/y)
He’s found his best form in the final months of the season and looks an accomplished, reliable defender for Everton.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Kurt Zouma (£2,080,000 p/y)
After a really promising start to life at Chelsea, opportunities haven’t come for Zouma. It didn’t work out for him at Stoke, but at Everton, he’s rediscovered some of his best form.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Phil Jagielka (£2,600,000 p/y)
When needed he steps up and does a very good job considering he’s an ageing centre-back who rarely gets a run in the team.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Yerry Mina (£6,240,000 p/y)
There were high hopes for Mina when he came to Everton from Barcelona but it hasn’t worked out for him. He’s been outclassed by better players this season.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely not.
Lucas Digne (£4,680,000 p/y)
One of Everton’s most exciting attacking options – from left-back! Has a wicked cross, great striker of the ball and gets forward well. What a signing he’s been.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
[snack_break title=”Midfielders”]
Andre Gomes (£5,800,000 p/y)
It will be such a shame for Everton if they can’t keep hold of the Barcelona loanee because he’s been immense for them. Gifted on the ball, powerful when he strides forward and a very intelligent all-around midfielder.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (£5,200,000 p/y)
Everton’s most gifted playmaker has provided a cutting edge this season and gone some way to justifying his mammoth price tag. He’s got the ability to score great goals, to assist, and even when he’s struggling on the ball you know he’ll work hard off it.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
James McCarthy (£2,600,000 p/y)
Hasn’t played enough unfortunately. Though on form he’s a tenacious and classy midfielder.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely not.
Idrissa Gueye (£3,640,000 p/y)
Always one of Everton’s best players. Tenacious, good on the ball and reliable. He’s been linked with a move away and he might just fancy himself at a Champions League club.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Morgan Schneiderlin (£5,200,000 p/y)
Hasn’t been the signing everyone hoped, and hasn’t truly kicked on since his time at Manchester United. Southampton might have been the best place for him all along. He’s a neat and committed player though and does well from time to time.
Has he earned his wage? Just about.
Tom Davies (£1,300,000 p/y)
Hasn’t developed into the player fans hoped he would, but he’s still young and has a lot to learn.
Has he earned his wage? Just about.
[snack_break title=”Forwards”]
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Theo Walcott (£5,200,000 p/y)
Struggled in his final season at Arsenal and he’s struggling at Everton. Always got the ability to score a goal, whip in a good cross and use his pace to be dangerous, but overall he doesn’t do enough.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely not.
Bernard (£6,240,000 p/y)
On a free transfer, he’s been an amazing signing. He’s quick, skilful, direct and very intelligent as well. He’s unpredictable and can be that player who makes a difference in a tight game.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Cenk Tosun (£3,120,000 p/y)
Hasn’t worked for him since his move to the Premier League. He tries hard but he’s quite a static forward and Premier League football is evolving past the era where those types of players succeed.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely not.
Oumar Niasse (£2,860,000 p/y)
Didn’t play much before disappointing in Cardiff as well.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely not.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£1,040,000 p/y)
Not everyone rates the youngster but he works hard, is strong in the air, can play with the ball on the ground as well and loves to run in behind. He’s versatile and helps wherever needed.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Richarlison (£4,680,000 p/y)
Everton spent big money on the Brazilian and he’s done very well since arriving. He’s scored 13 Premier League goals this year and poses a threat whenever he plays. Can only see him improving more with each year that passes.
Has he earned his wage? Definitely has.
Ademola Lookman (£1,196,000 p/y)
Lookman has never been an Everton regular, but he’s got the skill and talent to suggest he could be one day. Hasn’t been trusted to start much under Silva, but with a space needing filling down the right wing, perhaps he’ll be ready to step up next season.
Former footballer Matt Murray spent ten seasons as a professional at Wolves but has now found himself at the centre of some controversy within the club.
After becoming a registered intermediary with Unique Sports Management, Wolves have adjudged him to overstep the line following attempts to recruit players for his agency at the training ground canteen.
Per The Daily Mail, they’ve told him not to exploit his access after having free reign of the place following his retirement.
It seems a bizarre situation but Wolves supporters have been reacting on Twitter, offering their thoughts on what’s occurred.
One fan made reference to Jorge Mendes, who has a number of their players on his books already, suggesting Murray was stepping on his turf.
Another claimed that harassing players at training may not be the best of ideas. However, a further member of the Molineux faithful couldn’t see what was wrong with it.
The ex-goalkeeper had to cut short his playing days at just the age of 29 following injury and since hanging up his gloves has also made a living through punditry.
The Daily Mail claim that Murray still retains a good relationship with Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell despite the events.
Arsenal fans on Twitter have refused to believe that N’golo Kante will miss the Europa League final after Maurizio Sarri confirmed that the midfielder is a doubt with a knee injury.
The Gunners face Chelsea in Baku on Wednesday night in a season-defining match for Unai Emery’s side.
Having finished third in the Premier League, Sarri’s team have already secured Champions League football for next season, but Arsenal require Europa League triumph to qualify.
The build-up to the European showpiece has been dominated by the troubles involved with the host city of Baku including transportation issues and Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s controversial absence.
Losing Kante would be a huge blow for a Chelsea side that has already been ravaged by injury with Antonio Rudiger, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Callum Hudson-Odoi all on the treatment table.
The France World Cup winner’s ailment was initially expected to definitely rule him out of the Baku final, but he now seems in with a chance of participating to some degree.
Despite Sarri’s concerns over his star midfielder, Arsenal fans are confident that the Italian is just playing mind games and that Kante will be back to his normal marauding self come kick-off time in Azerbaijan.
Celtic are set to miss out on transfer target James Justin, according to The Daily Record.
What’s the story?
With Emilio Izaguirre leaving the club this summer after the expiration of his contract, the Hoops are on the hunt for a new left-back that can provide back-up for Kieran Tierney, a player who has had a host of injury problems over the last 12 months.
The Record report that Justin was a priority signing for the Hoops this summer after an impressive season at Luton Town, but that former boss Brendan Rodgers is set to beat them to his signature.
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The paper reckon that Leicester are now preparing ‘to swoop’ for the 21-year-old after getting a recommendation from former Celtic recruitment chief Lee Congerton, who now has a similar role at the Foxes.
A big transfer blow?
Yes, obviously missing out on one of their initial summer targets would be a blow to Celtic’s ambitions, but the fact they were looking at such a highly sought after player is good news for supporters.
It’s clear the club are shopping in the same market as Premier League clubs, a sign that the recruitment team at Celtic Park are gearing up for a big summer.
Having offered Izaguirre a contract before he decided a stay at the Hoops wasn’t for him, fans have been worried that Celtic were to let the left-back position stagnate.
The aim appears to be signing proper quality competition for Tierney though, someone who can not just play a relief role but also test the Scotland international and potentially push his game onto new heights.
Who is further down the Hoops’ transfer wishlist remains to be seen, but Celtic are definitely taking the left-back slot seriously, and that’s reason enough for optimism for concerned fans at this stage of the summer.
He may not have enjoyed consistent first-team starts for Jurgen Klopp’s side in his first season at Anfield, but Xherdan Shaqiri will surely feel justified in making his move to Liverpool.
The Switzerland international left relegated Stoke to join the Reds in a £13.5m move last summer, and finished his debut campaign on Merseyside by lifting the Champions League trophy.
Following his country’s Nations League disappointment, Shaqiri can finally jet out on his end of season break and took to
/BynaSRMiar4/” data-lasso->Instagram to thank his fans for their support.
Liverpool teammate Georginio Wijnaldum responded to the post with a short and sweet message, including a trophy emoji to mark the Reds’ triumphant campaign in Europe.
In 30 games across all competitions for Klopp’s side, Shaqiri registered six goals and five assists with two of those set-ups coming in the Reds’ Champions League journey.
With Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane understandably making their places in the first-team their own, Shaqiri was predominantly forced to make his impact off the bench or as an unconventional central midfielder.
But having had a full season to get used to his teammates and his manager, the Swiss star could really showcase his true potential next season when Liverpool will no doubt look to dethrone Manchester City as champions of England.
Leeds’ fixtures for next season have been announced, and the EFL haven’t been kind to the Whites with their scheduling.
The festive period presents the Yorkshire club with some of the most challenging fixtures they could ask for, and if they want to get promoted next season they need to improve on how they performed around Christmas last year.
Last season
Marcelo Bielsa’s team can count themselves incredibly lucky that they picked up as many points as they did over the Christmas and New Year period last term.
The Whites rescued four points with three injury-time goals against Aston Villa and Blackburn either side of Christmas. In these matches, Leeds looked off the pace and slow, and they were only saved by a late bit of brilliance from Kemar Roofe both times.
It’s unlikely that the Whites will get away with that again this season, and their poor performances ended up catching up with them. The Yorkshire outfit would go on to lose four of their next six games, including winnable matches against Nottingham Forest and Hull. This run saw them loosen their grip on the automatic promotion spots.
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This year their run of fixtures during that period is even harder; therefore, their performances need to step up.
This season
In mid-December, the Whites play two clubs who will expect to be promotion hopefuls in Cardiff and Fulham, before a Boxing Day clash with Preston who knocked Bielsa and co out of the EFL Cup last year.
The game after that is a tough away fixture at Birmingham City, who were the only side to do the double over Leeds last term.
Things don’t get easier from there – West Brom away on New Year’s Day is swiftly followed by a Yorkshire derby against Sheffield Wednesday.
Comparing this to last season’s run over the festive period, and you can see their fixtures are much tougher this time around.
United can’t allow themselves to lose focus around this time of year again, as last campaign it proved to be costly as the points they dropped around this time ruined their hopes of being promoted.