He may be a former Arsenal player and you could even say he is a fan favourite because of the way he played and for what he achieved in more than 10 years with the Gunners, but Paul Merson has shown little love for the current Arsenal side in his role as TV pundit, although I feel that is largely due to the fact that he and Arsene Wenger are clearly not on each other’s christmas card list.
Some Arsenal fans will agree with the criticism that Merson often levels at the manager or the team in general or even at specific players like Mesut Ozil, but I for one feel that our former midfield star isd always looking for a negative spin about our club, so I was surprised to see a Metro report today in which Merson suggests that we are the right side and have what it takes to defy expectations this week and come away from the clash at high flying Man City with all three points.
Merson explained, ‘I cannot go for anything other than a City win given the way they play. If anyone is going to go there and win, believe it or not, you would go for Arsenal as they play a flamboyant way, they open the game up.
‘And if you are going to beat City, you have to have a go. There is no point sitting back and saying, ‘right, let’s try and nick something on the break,’ as they have too many good players who are going to break you open before the end of the game.’
I am not sure that Merson means these comments as a compliment to be fair, or that Wenger is going to send his players out with the instructions to make it an open game, but I can see his point. In the likes of Ozil, Alexis and Ramsey we do have a team that can create and likes to attack more than defend, but will that see us inflict a first defeat of the season on Guardiola’s league leaders, or will it just play into City hands?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b6hVSCmo7Q
Been with us since 2008 (Two seasons on loan and a broken leg kept him out for a year, not to mention his paper hamstrings).
Whenever you ask yourself why he starts for us watch this video.
Aaron James Ramsey.
Arsenal footballer since age 16.
Scored the winning goal in two of our three FA Cup wins in the last four years.
People say Wenger has favourites. If you’ve got a player that can perform in CAM, LM, LW, RM, RW, CM, and DM would you not play him?
We can beat them all we need do is attack and stay focused
I agree with Merson. If Sanchez, Lacazette and Ozil could play like Mertens, Insigne and Callejon when Napoli faced Manchester City, Arsenal could make Manchester City nervous.
If Arsenal have the guts to play like in Goodison Park, they could prevent Manchester City from building their attack from the back, from Ederson, the defenders and Fernandinho. Sanchez, Lacazette and Ozil do have the skills to penetrate and to keep flowing the ball to the front, it is the matter of bravery and motivation now.
The current Manchester City could break any defense, but there is also an option to play like a Mourinho’s team. If Arsenal has physical monsters with good technical abilities like Pogba, Matic, Rashford, Lukaku, Bailly, Fellaini and Valencia, they could score from set pieces and headers. Arsenal do have some physical monsters, such as Xhaka, Giroud, Kolasinac, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Bellerin, etc.
Excuse me? Bellerin is a physical monster? That short skinny player!
I think Bellerin is the fastest right wingback or fullback in Premier League. He might be faster than Walcott and Chamberlain.
We cant beat them.just try to get 1 point.
or we could borrow the wolves manager for a day …
Anyone watching Hyde v MK Dons in the fa cup?
Chucks Aneke is playing for MK.
Wow he’s been on the weights serious power house 1.91 of sol Campbell esque physique.
Difficult to see how good he is here as the opposition is non league and it’s a 4g pitch
But he’s got the physical attributes to be one hell of cb or dm player.
It’s clear from what I’ve seen he’s got more footballing ability than bfg!
I imagine he wakes up every morning thinking “if only I had a German passport I’d be well on my way to 100 caps”.
Sigh
@trudeau.
A bfg then clearly?
Yes within the German National sqaud surrounded by world class well drilled soldiers he did well.
I don’t doubt his reading of the game or aerial ability.
However his agility, balance, speed of feet and legs!! Is poor. I like my footballers wherever they play to have a bit more about them.
As a defender there will always be a 1 on 1 scenario occasionally mert 1 in 1 my nan could beat him.
Think quality cb think Ramos bursting all the way up the pitch to play a perfect ball in to Moratas feet.
Paul Merson, like a lot of his generation of Arsenal players, look at the performances of the current Arsenal side with despair. The truth be told very few of the current squad would make any of Arsenal’s past good teams based on spirit, toughness or respect for the badge, let alone ability. Ex players like Merson, Keown, Mariner and Henry as pundits are aware, like many of us, of the deficiencies at Arsenal and only want the club to return to the level its comparative financial strength and world wide support base deserve! Not the level of relative mediocrity espoused and accepted by Kroenke and Gazidis.