Before Palace. It has all worked out
Still can't believe it!
As with many (if not all) of you, I have been happily watching content all over social media. Due to limited Internet and time availability, I wasn’t able to watch the interviews fully, and I think there are some important emotional details that might have slipped out after the relief of winning the title.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that he is leaving Manchester City. I think everyone following the club felt this was coming, partly due to the leaks, but also because of his attitude on the pitch and in interviews. He hasn’t been as aggressive or stressed, which is probably due to the fact that he had already taken the decision. I don’t know whether it’s a sign of an impending punishment for the charges, but he has been there for 10 years, so it’s only natural to step away after winning so much. Despite all the banter, winning two domestic cups is still a serious achievement for a club and a manager who don’t have to prove their abilities anymore. All the other “Big” clubs—except us and them—are going completely trophyless this year.
In my opinion, his departure is a serious hit for Manchester City. There are many managers with tactical awareness and the ability to build great teams, but there are very few individuals who can motivate their team year after year the way Pep did. In my era of watching English football, only him and Sir Alex Ferguson have achieved that exceptional level.
Manchester City will most likely become weaker, especially if they go for Maresca. Unless they sign Luis Enrique, God forbid. Luckily for us, Carrick is staying to run the United ship for next season. Alonso at Chelsea is a bigger concern, but I feel that Chelsea has not been built in a way that allows a manager to hit the ground running. He would need to shake up the squad and bring in the types of players he needs.
The one I am more concerned about is Andoni Iraola. Given how he has been able to build a decent team year after year out of a rotating pool of players (who, to be fair, belong in the bottom half of the table because the likes of Villa, Newcastle, and even Forest are better equipped), there is no doubt he could build an even more powerful team with access to better players. The fact that they haven’t lost a single game since the one against us in January —and even managed to beat us at the Emirates—is highly impressive. They drew many games, but that looks exactly like the low-margin, high-intensity football that Arteta has employed at our club.
Iraola has already announced that he’s leaving Bournemouth, despite potentially guaranteeing them a historic Champions League spot for next season (because, let’s be honest, Villa might not even turn up at the Etihad—or if they do, they’ll fall out of the bus door). I think that’s because he knows multiple higher-profile teams are interested in his services.
If he comes to Liverpool (or God forbid, City), I would be genuinely concerned. The only two aspects I’m still not sure about are whether he can work with high-ego players and whether he can sustain the pressure of winning every single week in every competition. Alonso has definitely proven he’s capable of that by delivering an unbeaten run for Leverkusen, but his ability to handle egos is also not yet clear. In his recent interviews, Iraola talks and behaves much more confidently than he did early in his Bournemouth career. He went from a tactical geek who knows what’s needed to build a great football team to a manager who knows he’s simply very good at his job. That development is the main thing to keep an eye on.
Speaking of Bournemouth, I really like the prospect of Eli Junior Kroupi. The striker, whose brilliant goal practically delivered us the league title, is only 19 years old and has progressed immensely this season. There is no question about his mentality, because he scored against both us and City recently.
I know we are interested in Julián Álvarez, and he is definitely a highly skilled striker, but his performances this year haven’t convinced me that the immense amount of money required to sign him is a good investment for Arsenal Football Club. He will probably cost at least £100m in fees and £250k in salary, and I am not sure he can be the stable number 9 we dream of. In comparison, Kroupi might be available for around £70 million and will definitely require at least half the salary.
The brilliance of coming in as a “nine” to Arsenal is that we don’t have a nailed-on starter in that position. Havertz has lacked clinical finishing and fitness recently, and Gyökeres is not great at link-up play, so there is definitely space for a youngster to get game time and show his skills. He could be our future “all-in-one” package, and he can definitely be resold in a few years if it doesn’t work out.
After Tuesday night, as Champions, we have the power to persuade promising players to come to us, even if we don’t offer them the best financial conditions. The only question about Kroupi is whether he can deliver as a sole striker. At Bournemouth, he played most of his games alongside Evanilson, who occupies defenders and frees up space for the youngster to operate. At Arsenal, the number 9 is more isolated and usually doesn’t have a teammate nearby.
Our last game of the season is Palace away, after which we will be presented with the title. The big question is: what squad will Arteta select for this game? With a week-long break ahead of the Champions League final, match fitness won’t be the primary concern. On one hand, it is an opportunity to give minutes to everyone who hasn’t featured often recently, or generally this season. On the other hand, it is the first occasion for most of our players where an opponent will form a guard of honor and applaud the newly crowned champions.
I think Arteta will want to give the players who have served this club and contributed the most to its success the opportunity to feel that kind of respect. I would classify Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Ødegaard, and Saka in this category. Potentially also Havertz, Trossard (for whom it might be the last season at this level), and Martinelli (who has been at the club longer than Arteta). There is also an argument for Norgaard, Dowman, and Myles, who didn’t feature much this season.
The final question one can’t avoid is Eberechi Eze’s return to his former home, and the opportunity to receive an ovation from his teammates and former supporters for this achievement. Somehow, I feel that the starting lineup will mostly consist of the first-team players mentioned above, and at halftime, Arteta might make a triple substitution to let the likes of Dowman and Norgaard feature as well.
There has been a rumour circling the internet that it was Eze who asked Arteta to dial down the intensity of training and give the players some rest and time away so they wouldn’t burn out. It was a big risk for our number 10, but now that it has all worked out, Eze has definitely gained more influence over his teammates and the manager.
If it’s true, I truly respect Eze for having the courage to say it, and Arteta for accepting the feedback. After seeing him for one season in our squad, I can definitely say that he’s not a typical footballer. He has a different mindset, different behaviour and a different approach to talking to people. He looks like a man with strong opinions who doesn’t believe he should blindly listen to others, even if they have power over him.
If you remember, there was an interview where Arteta shared that he knows how to use him better, and it might have been Eze who expressed his preferences to the coach. Those six weeks of sitting on the bench in December and January were probably caused by the fact that Eze didn’t silently accept being scolded for a defensive error against Villa and talked back.
However, that’s the exact kind of character you get if you want to sign exceptional players who can shine in the moments most other players struggle to handle. If we look ahead to the Champions League final, Eze would be my biggest hope if we are down on the scoreboard.
But that’s a topic for next week. On Sunday, it’s time to celebrate our well-deserved accolades without any second thoughts!