Win English Super Cup | Arsenal 1 - 1 Manchester City | Sunday, August 6 | KO: 16:00 BST | ITV1

Just like that, the new season is here...and what a way to get it properly started, the cup of cups!

Can we add to our glowing collection of Shields and start the season with a trophy...

...going for our 16th title in this comp (and it is number 16, don't listen to wiki...as the one we "won" in 1991 (( my birth year too ffs )) was actually shared with Sp**s of all teams, so that one can get right in the ****ing bin) and I reckon we will win it 2-1.


Win it for Gabby Jesus, lads!

 

[Batman]

Imagine being ginger and getting cucked by Courtois, hard times man...

He might be telling the truth about not being bothered. Got a spine made of tapioca.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

This is fascinating and something I never copped. City rushed all their penalties while all 4 of ours our players took a few seconds to compose themselves before hitting it.

I wonder if it's something we've worked on since losing both last year to Lisbon and recently to United, but also I wonder if Pep encouraged all three of his takers to take them quickly because it's also bizarre how all three were just over a second waiting before striking. The logic being Ramsdale wouldn't have had time to react (I imagine could be wrong and it could just be a coincidence).

This whole idea of a delay before kicking isn't new. It's been talked about for years but never scientifically measured. I didn't realise the City players were so quick tbh but I guess they had a longer journey home

 

[Ash10]

This is fascinating and something I never copped. City rushed all their penalties while all 4 of ours our players took a few seconds to compose themselves before hitting it.

I wonder if it's something we've worked on since losing both last year to Lisbon and recently to United, but also I wonder if Pep encouraged all three of his takers to take them quickly because it's also bizarre how all three were just over a second waiting before striking. The logic being Ramsdale wouldn't have had time to react (I imagine could be wrong and it could just be a coincidence).

I've personally always associated penalties with ball striking technique. The purer your shot is the more likely you're gonna score as no matter what the keeper predicts if you hit cleanly to the side-netting or top corner no keeper is saving that

That's why Debitch hit the bar & Fabio found the top corner

 

[HollandGooner]

And now we over-celebrated? just look at the way Pep and City were screaming when they scored **** the media really.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

How much do you have to cope for your criticism to be over celebration anyway?

The usual copium is stuff like "they got lucky" or "the ref was on their side" or perhaps "I don't like their style of football" or whatever sore losers come up with, over celebrating is scraping the barrel even for copium.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

He’s rattled

He was probably going for the standard "we only focus on ourselves" type response but he comes across a bit insecure saying it like that.

Actually a bit surprised by how seriously City and Pep seemed to take the Community Shield, they were clearly upset to lose and definitely celebrated their goal every bit as much as we did ours. Odd given they have won everything meaningful recently and have had our number in actual games for the past three years.

My only guess is they wanted to win a Shield because they keep losing them, and also may have wanted to stop us getting any momentum (and belief we can beat them head to head) right before the start of the season.

 

[db10_therza]

and also may have wanted to stop us getting any momentum (and belief we can beat them head to head) right before the start of the season.

Think it’s this mainly. They know how important their psychological hold over us was and wanted to maintain it at all costs

 

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

He’s rattled

100% rattled. When they beat us he’s full of compliments. All of a sudden he’s not worried .

He needs to focus on his own nerves. There’s a bit of bottler in this lad. Two CL finals, countless penalties and failure to show up when Belgium need him.

Kompany explained it perfectly on The Overlap. He’s fantastic when conditions are perfect. Need someone to drag you kicking and screaming? He’s not your guy.

 

[Dokaka]

Kompany explained it perfectly on The Overlap. He’s fantastic when conditions are perfect. Need someone to drag you kicking and screaming? He’s not your guy.

Think you could honestly apply this to pretty much any creative midfielder in history tbh.

The lad provided two assists in the first leg against Madrid last season, and then scored a goal himself in the second leg. If any Arsenal player did that and you had fans of other clubs, neutrals and whatever making arguments like "he doesn't show up when needed", you'd be laughing at those takes.

I think he's an absolutely world class player and a huge reason why City has been so dominant for so long now. He might be the best creator in PL history. At the very least the most consistent one.

It's just a shame he's playing for City which makes it all a bit boring really.

 

[AmeriGooner]

@A_G I think we need a MOTM poll for this. Competitive match una.

 

[Ash10]

Think you could honestly apply this to pretty much any creative midfielder in history tbh.

The lad provided two assists in the first leg against Madrid last season, and then scored a goal himself in the second leg. If any Arsenal player did that and you had fans of other clubs, neutrals and whatever making arguments like "he doesn't show up when needed", you'd be laughing at those takes.

I think he's an absolutely world class player and a huge reason why City has been so dominant for so long now. He might be the best creator in PL history. At the very least the most consistent one.

It's just a shame he's playing for City which makes it all a bit boring really.

He was utter crap for 99% of those games you brought up. It’s his thing, plays crap, flukes goal/assist, media goes crazy. He gets carried by far better teammates, a fact only known to people who watch city play regularly

 

[Dokaka]

He was utter crap for 99% of those games you brought up. It’s his thing, plays crap, flukes goal/assist, media goes crazy. He gets carried by far better teammates, a fact only known to people who watch city play regularly

So he plays crap, flukes the most important part of the game and thus he's crap? I don't get it.

How do you fluke an average 10 goals and 20 assist per season for your entire career, on top of winning literally everything being the creative talisman of the most dominant team in history?

He led Wolfsburg to a 2nd place finish in the Bundesliga before joining City, putting up a monstrous 15 goals and 25 assists statline. Who carried him there? Nicklas Bendtner?

 

[Ash10]

So he plays crap, flukes the most important part of the game and thus he's crap? I don't get it.

How do you fluke an average 10 goals and 20 assist per season for your entire career, on top of winning literally everything being the creative talisman of the most dominant team in history?

He led Wolfsburg to a 2nd place finish in the Bundesliga before joining City, putting up a monstrous 15 goals and 25 assists statline. Who carried him there? Nicklas Bendtner?

If you think he plays the same way for city as he did for Wolfsburg then there is not much to say, for his first about two seasons for city he was genuinely good. Then he saw didn’t have to do much other than just to attempt killer balls & shoot anytime from anywhere.

City played the best football in their history in a season where he was out for the majority of it for a reason. Both Gundogan & Bernardo Silva had their best patches/season when he was out injured. He holds players that are better than him back by trying to be something that he was never was good enough to be. Media made him a superstar, they try to portray city as a one man team yet that one man is one of the lesser players. His PR is Rashford level of cringe

 

[A_G]

@A_G I think we need a MOTM poll for this. Competitive match una.

Completely forgot

 

[RunTheTrap]

I made some notes on yesterday's game and preseason as a whole.

1. The 4231 is not dead. I think the double 6 pivot does a lot for several players including Rice, Partey, Vieira, Tierney, Timber, Jorginho and Trossard.

2. Our fullbacks will behave more like traditional fullbacks. I'm not saying Zinchenko or the inverted fullback is fully dead, but I see their use repurposed to provide more width and cutbacks and crosses. Kai, Jesus and Eddie will notch a few easy tap-ins.

3. We will go long more often.

4. Expect more assists from Ødegaard and Saka.

5. The right hand side is elite. Sakai, Ødegaard, White and Saliba is as good as any in Europe.

6, Our build-up play will suffer at times.

7. Timber is not similar to Zinchenko. The former Ajax man is a ball-carrier/dribbler whilst Zinchenko is a passer. Timber will vacate his position more often than Zinchenko so it's imperative Rice and Gabby are on the case.

8. Trossard is the man.

9. Martinelli will start the season slowly.

10. Havertz is a CF.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Who are these usual suspects? I disagree with most stuff you post but here I think the frontlines between the two sides are very different to the usual camps you see here.

Been calling for PGMOL to be dissolved and its members to be hanged for well over a decade on AM fwiw.

That @GDeep™ chap springs to mind, but don't ask me to go back and look through old posts. Ask the guy who found my anti-Arteta posts from Nov/Dec. 2021 and reposted them as A-M classics. He/she/they might be able to help?

Good to see that you are on the right side of the barricades in the referee battles.

 

[blaze_of_glory]

So he plays crap, flukes the most important part of the game and thus he's crap? I don't get it.

How do you fluke an average 10 goals and 20 assist per season for your entire career, on top of winning literally everything being the creative talisman of the most dominant team in history?

He led Wolfsburg to a 2nd place finish in the Bundesliga before joining City, putting up a monstrous 15 goals and 25 assists statline. Who carried him there? Nicklas Bendtner?

I have to agree here.

KDB has been the best player in the EPL ever since he got to City, with probably only Salah being realistic competition. You can argue that he's not the guy you want in the absolute clutch moment when it's down to just him, or the guy to drag a team out of a tough place, and that's fair enough. He's not that guy. But he has been more consistent at performing at an elite level than anyone else in the league for years now, at least in regard to attacking/creative players, and he has the stats and titles to prove it.

He gets hated by some because he's a ginger guy named Kevin, that's it lol.

 

[BaZZe]

Minor trophy or not...

Players who won their first top flight career medal yesterday... Ramsdale, White, Martinelli, Tomiyasu and Kiwior.

Players who won their first trophy as Arsenal players yesterday.. Gabriel, Timber, Partey, Rice, Ødegaard, Havertz, Fabio and Trossard.

...last few years our players know what it's like to miss out of their target (Top 4 in 2022, Title in 2023) good for this group to now know the "winning feeling", will make them hungry for more and also relaxing them more in future possible trophy winning moments since they know they have already done it.

This win can only be good for us.

Martinelli won the FA Cup with us.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

If you think he plays the same way for city as he did for Wolfsburg then there is not much to say, for his first about two seasons for city he was genuinely good. Then he saw didn’t have to do much other than just to attempt killer balls & shoot anytime from anywhere.

City played the best football in their history in a season where he was out for the majority of it for a reason. Both Gundogan & Bernardo Silva had their best patches/season when he was out injured. He holds players that are better than him back by trying to be something that he was never was good enough to be. Media made him a superstar, they try to portray city as a one man team yet that one man is one of the lesser players. His PR is Rashford level of cringe

Has to be one of the most brainless takes I've read anywhere about any player

 

[Farzad Stoned]

I don’t like what he is doing with unethical Barca and City; but Guardiola is a phenomenal strategist. It is so funny the most tactically unpredictable Manager is compared to Tets. That being said i am worried about City. They are stockpiling like every good defender other than our two first choice CBs. Combine that with Haaland, De Bruyne, and Rodri i think they will be as strong as ever. No joke we could get 95 points and finish second.

You can see his mind working. Deep, rock solid defense combined with the most clinical striker out there. He is literally playing a completely different way than what he started at Barca and still as dominant as ever