Arsenal away Thursday 8th January at 8pm

[danperkins]

The teams we struggle against don’t play like Real Madrid. It’s much easier to press teams that play higher up the pitch.

This is true for sure but heart is heart, effort is effort, getting stuck in is getting stuck in ... regardless of the tactics of the opposition. You still have to do the hard yards and break your bollox vs Leeds, Wolves, Fulham etc. Sometimes merely having more quality isn't enough.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Ah sure it's all about opinions, personally when I talk about best squads/squad depth, they are the same to me. If you have good squad depth, to me it means you have quality throughout the squad which they 100% do imo & as you said, there is no drop off in quality when they rotate or players come in, that is true. Can you name many others sides with a squad as good as them?

Raya/Kepa

Timber/White/Gabriel/Saliba/Hicapie/Mosquera/Calafiori/Lewis Skelly

Odegaard/Rice/Eze/Zubimendi/Saka/Trossard/Martenelli/Merino/Madueke/Nwaneri

Gyokeres/Havertz/Jesus

It's a ridiculous squad, so versatile & exactly why they are going to win the league & probably challenge in the cup competitions in the final stages.

Oddly enough, for a team on top of the league, it is up front where they have a lack of quality or cohesion and could probably upgrade easily. Just as well they did not get Ekitike.


What they are elsewhere is a team that is a well drilled effiecient unit in which the top tier players work as hard as the more regular level players.

I might dislike how they play, but everything about them works as a unit and they are where they are on merit.

Would add a little caveat about their squad though, I do think if you dropped a Klopp or Guardiola (only picking PL proven managers of recent times) in charge of the squad Arsenal have had over the past four seasons, then they would imo have won the league already and possibly more than once.

This season it is working out well for a very good Arsenal team, but I do wonder how Arteta would be faring had Liverpool or City been firing on all cylindars.

For me he brings that squad down a level from where it maybe should be based on the talent within it.

[BigChief]

Dreading this one to be honest

Nah, Leeds and Fulham were my 'fear' games. The result against Arsenal won't decide our top 4 fate either way. Almost a free hit.*

*shows how far we've fallen since last season.

[danperkins]

Oddly enough, for a team on top of the league, it is up front where they have a lack of quality or cohesion and could probably upgrade easily. Just as well they did not get Ekitike.


What they are elsewhere is a team that is a well drilled effiecient unit in which the top tier players work as hard as the more regular level players.

I might dislike how they play, but everything about them works as a unit and they are where they are on merit.

Would add a little caveat about their squad though, I do think if you dropped a Klopp or Guardiola (only picking PL proven managers of recent times) in charge of the squad Arsenal have had over the past four seasons, then they would imo have won the league already and possibly more than once.

This season it is working out well for a very good Arsenal team, but I do wonder how Arteta would be faring had Liverpool or City been firing on all cylindars.

For me he brings that squad down a level from where it maybe should be based on the talent within it.

Yeah no doubts, don't rate Arteta but they have just bought so well in recent years and developed such a balanced squad and a solid base. The strikers are the only ones where you could maybe ask a question, that's why they bought Gyokeres who was scoring 600 goals a season but has struggled in the prem so far. They still can get a load of goals out of Havertz, Jesus or Merino in that CF spot, aswell as lots of goals from Saka, Odegaard, Rice, Trossard, Eze, Martenelli to cover for injured or under performing strikers. They have goals everywhere, it's pretty annoying to be honest. It's fantastic squad.

[BG1973]

The defence is excellent, the rest is very good.

Overall a good squad, but nothing truly special about them. But given all rivals have crapped the bed this year it will be enough I'm sure.

It's unbelievably frustrating that both times we won the league we have managed to competely **** the next seasons. I guess you have to look at last season as an unexpected bonus and now we have some reality.

[Fierce]

⁰The defence is excellent, the rest is very good.

Overall a good squad, but nothing truly special about them. But given all rivals have crapped the bed this year it will be enough I'm sure.

It's unbelievably frustrating that both times we won the league we have managed to competely **** the next seasons. I guess you have to look at last season as an unexpected bonus and now we have some reality.

I dunno, strikers aside, that's the best squad in the prem IMO. City probably have better midfielders but its close

[danperkins]

The whole squad is very good as a whole and you don't need one or two elite players when you have 13 or 14 or 15 'very good' players whlith some world class players added in there. The squad wins the league most of the time and they have bought so well and have such a good balance with no drop off... is why they are where they are.

In saying that, horrible to watch and their manager is a giant toolbut they are 14 points ahead of us so we can't say ****.

[Doc_Piptorious]

The whole squad is very good as a whole and you don't need one or two elite players when you have 13 or 14 or 15 'very good' players whlith some world class players added in there. The squad wins the league most of the time and they have bought so well and have such a good balance with no drop off... is why they are where they are.

I saying that, horrible to watch but they are 14 points ahead of us so we can't say ****.

That is exactly their strength right now. You could look at their best 14 or 15 players and there is maybe one guy that you could make an arguement for as being in the best 5 or 10 in the world for his position/role. But because everyone else in that team tends to give at least a 7/10 performance week in week out they become a very stubborn team to shake off.

Do think they need a few elite or top level players though if they truly want to compete if and when the likes of us and City get our feet under us again as both us and City tend to build teams that end up for three to five elite players surrounded by very good players.


Disagree that there squad wins the league most of the time. If that were true then they would have already but coming up against the likes of us and City has shown the difference between a very good squad versus a very good squad that also contains a number of elite players.

Though having said that, I still believe that their current squad coupled with an elite manager might well be capable of going punch for punch more often with teams with a greater number of elite players.

Arteta learned a lot under Guardiola but for me his tactical style of often much closer to that of say Mourinho or Simeone.

That more cynical oft dirty style of playing. Wingers that are happier to go down at a slight touch that to burst free from the full back. Playing the percentages in the other team's defensive third rather than having a spark of genius or a razor's edge to carve the back line open.


Now that style is very effective, as we are seeing this season, but for me it also comes with a lower ceiling over a period of time than what we see from the Klopps of the world.

[BG1973]

I dunno, strikers aside, that's the best squad in the prem IMO. City probably have better midfielders but its close

Definitely agree just don't think it's super special either. Hopefully it starts getting cherry picked by Madrid.

[Slinky Skills]

Snowfall looking quite bad Thursday night into Friday. I've a feeling this game may get cancelled, travel from the North West in particular looks really tricky and dangerous. I think from a safety POV it'll be pulled and rescheduled. The Met Office has a good interactive map on their website.

[danperkins]

That is exactly their strength right now. You could look at their best 14 or 15 players and there is maybe one guy that you could make an arguement for as being in the best 5 or 10 in the world for his position/role. But because everyone else in that team tends to give at least a 7/10 performance week in week out they become a very stubborn team to shake off.

Do think they need a few elite or top level players though if they truly want to compete if and when the likes of us and City get our feet under us again as both us and City tend to build teams that end up for three to five elite players surrounded by very good players.


Disagree that there squad wins the league most of the time. If that were true then they would have already but coming up against the likes of us and City has shown the difference between a very good squad versus a very good squad that also contains a number of elite players.

Though having said that, I still believe that their current squad coupled with an elite manager might well be capable of going punch for punch more often with teams with a greater number of elite players.

Arteta learned a lot under Guardiola but for me his tactical style of often much closer to that of say Mourinho or Simeone.

That more cynical oft dirty style of playing. Wingers that are happier to go down at a slight touch that to burst free from the full back. Playing the percentages in the other team's defensive third rather than having a spark of genius or a razor's edge to carve the back line open.


Now that style is very effective, as we are seeing this season, but for me it also comes with a lower ceiling over a period of time than what we see from the Klopps of the world.

Agree with all of that. Regarding Arteta, they're probably going to win the league which might be a bit of a monkey off their back. It will be interesting to see what that brings. I don't rate Arteta and try not to let my bias get it the way as imo he's horrible & plays horrible football but what he is doing is effective and if they win the league who can argue. I do wonder if they win the league, will that unit stick together and then strengthen even more. If that is the case, they could be a force ..even if their are better manager that undoubtedly could get more out of that squad.

Time will tell but what we can all universally agree on, is that Arteta is a ****ing tool

[Cerbie]

Snowfall looking quite bad Thursday night into Friday. I've a feeling this game may get cancelled, travel from the North West in particular looks really tricky and dangerous. I think from a safety POV it'll be pulled and rescheduled. The Met Office has a good interactive map on their website.

No snow forecast for London. I can’t see the Prem or Arsenal giving a **** about Liverpool fans travelling tbh and Arsenal will want to play us right now cos we are so ****.

I’m due to fly to London tomorrow for work, but we are on our 3rd day of amber snow warnings. We have had over 2ft of snow since the 2nd Jan, and it’s bartering it down again now.

[fidget]

We have had over 2ft of snow since the 2nd Jan, and it’s bartering it down again now.

How about 1 foot? No?
Ok 18 inches and we'll shake on it?

[frank the tank]

Ah sure it's all about opinions, personally when I talk about best squads/squad depth, they are the same to me. If you have good squad depth, to me it means you have quality throughout the squad which they 100% do imo & as you said, there is no drop off in quality when they rotate or players come in, that is true. Can you name many others sides with a squad as good as them?

Raya/Kepa

Timber/White/Gabriel/Saliba/Hicapie/Mosquera/Calafiori/Lewis Skelly

Odegaard/Rice/Eze/Zubimendi/Saka/Trossard/Martenelli/Merino/Madueke/Nwaneri

Gyokeres/Havertz/Jesus

It's a ridiculous squad, so versatile & exactly why they are going to win the league & probably challenge in the cup competitions in the final stages.

Yes that squad is unreal. Their wage bill must be huge.

Looking at their defenders, there is an argument that any of those 8 would get in our starting 11. Similarly, I don't think they would swap their first 4 or 5 midfielders for any of ours based on form this season - maybe Szoboslai is the exception there.

****in nuts

[Doc_Piptorious]

Yes that squad is unreal. Their wage bill must be huge.

Looking at their defenders, there is an argument that any of those 8 would get in our starting 11. Similarly, I don't think they would swap their first 4 or 5 midfielders for any of ours based on form this season - maybe Szoboslai is the exception there.

****in nuts

On this season's form I think only Alisson and Ekitike would get into their starting XI.