Ask The Opposition 2019/20: Arsenal (Premier League - Home)

Damien

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Back by very popular demand is the return of Ask The Opposition. Our segment where we ask fans of opposing teams forums some questions and post a selection of the responses back on here.

This week, I asked 14 resident Arsenal fans some questions. Thanks to the following seven for responding: @Eboue, @Mogget, @Grinner, @Wiltord02, @oneniltothearsenal, @Archie Leach, @JSArsenal (and thanks to @Oxeki for adding a response in the comments)

Our next game after this is against Newcastle United and the newbies are tough to get questions from, so if any of you have any questions you'd like to be asked, please contribute. Would be much appreciated.

Q01: How do you feel Unai Emery has done for you so far in his time in charge and how does he compare to Arsene Wenger?
Eboue: He's okay.

Mogget: I think he's done poorly, and he's had a better team than Wenger did in his final two seasons. I was optimistic when he first joined because I thought he would improve our defensive structure but if anything we're just as bad defensively as we were under Wenger but worse going forward.

Grinner: Not good enough. He hasn't sorted out the defence and can't seem to settle on a particular style of play. He makes too many changes and is often slow with substitutions. I fecking hate his sideline gurning too.

Wiltord02: He has done ok, but the end of last season exposed our old frailties yet again. The ability to bottle away games is something which happened far too often at the end of the Wenger years. I thought Emery would be able made us more defensively sound but this hasn't happened. When teams go at us, we fold like a pack of cards. We now seem to now play worse football and still can't defend. That said, I still prefer Emery over later years Wenger. Atleast with Emery, we know he has to get the Champions League this season or hes gone. With Wenger, it had to turn ugly and he had to be forced out of the club.

oneniltothearsenal: Better than Wenger post-2011.

Archie Leach: A significant drop off post-Wenger wouldn’t have surprised anyone and so the relative stability he has brought shouldn’t be sniffed at. That said, the team is inconsistent and lacks character and he hasn’t improved our defence. A mixed bag.

JSArsenal: I think Emery's been mediocre and not a patch on Wenger. We need the next Wenger to take us forward but I'm afraid we've ended up with a Spanish Brendan Rodgers
Q02: Emery has a policy of having five players in the squad share responsibility of being the captain, and Rob Holding has confirmed it is happening again this season, with the players already having voted. What do you feel about this policy, rather than just one recognised captain and vice-captain, and which five players from your current squad do you think should share the armband?
Eboue: Doesn't matter, captains don't matter, nothing matters.

Mogget: I don't see any issue with it really. It's important having leaders in the team but I think it's irrelevant who actually wears the armband. From the current squad I'd definitely have Auba, Bellerin, and Holding. Not sure about the remaining two.

Grinner: Crap. One captain and I suppose it has to be Xhaka since he'll play the most. He's a brainless twat though.

Wiltord02: The problem is we still don't have a leader. Sokratis/Luiz are clowns. Xhaka is a clown and the other midfielders are too lightweight/young. This means there is no natural leader is can be named captained straight off the bat. This is why I think Emery continues with this multiple captains nonsense. I honestly don't know who I would make captain.

oneniltothearsenal: Doesn't matter. Arsenal haven't had a meaningful captain since 2006 so it really doesn't have much effect. Probably better than appointing bench warmer Mertesacker like Wenger did.

Oxeki: I don't think Emery has done much better than wenger. Yes he's come in and steadied the ship. But our play still seem predictable. We look clueless when we face a parked bus. Emery's insistence on using our full back as our main attacking weapon has lead to his ostracism of Ozil.

Overall, I'd say he's done average. If we didn't have Auba bailing us out, I reckon we'd be midtable

Archie Leach: I don’t put a lot of stock in captains or vice captains specifically. A team needs leaders and a cheap piece of material around the arm doesn’t make any difference, as long as someone is herding the cats. I think Xhaka is actually captain now, so I hope I’m right about this.

JSArsenal: I hate the policy. In all honesty I would have Leno, Holding, Chambers, Lacazette and Torreira as the five.

Q03: David Luiz from Chelsea. Thoughts on this transfer and how it came about?
Eboue: The guy from Arsenal called up the guy from Chelsea and they haggled (like at a farmers market) and then they shook hands.

Mogget: I think Luiz was only signed purely in response to Koscielny forcing a move through and us needing a quick, cheap replacement. I'd say I'm ambivalent towards his transfer, he's a decent enough stopgap signing.

Grinner: Fecking shite. A disaster. Unless he's in a system where he can pass more and defend less. But not if that means Mustafi gets a game.

Wiltord02: I see Luiz as a like for like swap for Koscielny. If that bastard hasn't thrown his toys out the pram and refused to play, then we wouldn't have gone for Luiz. Luiz was the best we could get for the money. I see him as a stop gap until we get Saliba next summer. There are also strong rumours we will go for one of the Leipzig centrebacks which would be huge for us.

oneniltothearsenal: Wasn't my first choice but with as messy as Arsenal boardroom is, it was a decent move.

Archie Leach: Looks disastrous at this stage. No money lost but that doesn’t really help our defence.

Oxeki: I don't really think David Luiz was really a player we needed. we had chambers and we had holding(admittedly was coming back from a long term injury), who I believe is the better defender. Luiz has already given away 2 penalties this season. Although, I see the reason behind his transfer. We needed a quick fix for that position. That's probably why he's on a 2 year contract

JSArsenal: Awful transfer, we needed a calm old head back there, not Luiz.

Q04: Did you honestly foresee Sanchez’ steep decline, and how do you feel Mkhitaryan did for you?
Eboue: This is two questions.

Mogget: Didn't expect it but I definitely felt schadenfreude watching some of his performances :lol:. Like a lot of other people I assumed Sanchez was poor in his last season with us only because he was in the final year of his contract and putting less effort in. Mkhitaryan was poor for us imo and very frustrating to watch. Every now and again you'd see glimpses of his obvious talent and technique but for the majority of his time here he was below average.

Grinner: I think he would have been less shite if he had continued playing for Wenger. Mkhi did poorly although way better than Sanchez for you....but was still a terrible deal.

Wiltord02: Sanchez did get worse towards the end of his time at Arsenal. However, he was still capable of brilliance and still a very dangerous player. He should have been sold to City in the summer for huge money if he wanted to leave that badly. The swap deal was terrible. Mkhitaryan was shcoking for United and i didn't want him at Arsenal. His effort levels and desire are terrible and I'm glad we shipped finally shipped him out. His last game in the NLD summed up his time with us.

oneniltothearsenal: Yes. The second Chile got knocked out of the world cup I thought that was Sanchez' career finished. He's only ever been motivated by international IMO and hasn't given two shits for any club he's been wiht.

Archie Leach: No one did. Very similar decline to Torres. Already forgotten Mkhitaryan played for us.

JSArsenal: I did. Sanchez played far too much football over the years and with his playing style it was bound to catch up to him. Mkhi was an awful buy.

Q05: In his time at the club, Sven Mislintat helped bring in players like Aubameyang, Torreira and Guendouzi before leaving and apparently wanted Saka, Smith-Rowe and Willock to be granted more game time, only for his advice to be overruled in favour of signing Suarez (some comments from an interview about his time here). Would you have preferred for him to be backed more and have stayed at the club, or are you happier that he’s gone and now have a different strategy to transfers?
Eboue: Too long, didn't read.

Mogget: At the time he left I felt it was the wrong move by the club to let him leave, but with Raul Sanllehi and Edu now at the club I'm optimistic we've got a good structure in place.

Grinner: Internal power struggle at the club and it came out badly. Sven was a great get and I'm not sure that Edu can do better than him.

Wiltord02: Not really too fussed who is in charge of transfers.

oneniltothearsenal: Misinlat should have been kept. Renting Suarez was a monumentally stupid decision.

Archie Leach: I don’t care about who is doing the recruiting if the right players are coming in. If Emery is ignoring good advice then it will manifest in his performance and I’ll judge that. There’s so much for football fans to focus on without worrying about backroom staff as well.

JSArsenal: I don't have a problem with anyone leaving the club per se. They all have to leave eventually. He was good for us but how upset I am, will depend on how his replacement does. So far to me it feels like we're bringing in a mix of starlets and players who Emery is familiar with. Every manager does the latter but Emery's boys haven't really worked out so far, the two being Luiz and Suarez.
Q06: Overall, how do you feel the summer transfer window had gone for you? Any signing you’re particularly pleased about and is there an area you would have liked to see more investment in?
Mogget: I thought we did very well in the transfer window considering at the beginning of the window we were hearing reports of a £40m transfer budget and were being linked with the likes of Fraser and Carrasco. I'm most excited about Pepe, even if I think we did overpay for him, but I also think Tierney looks very promising. I would obviously have wanted us to spend more on a CB but there seemed to be very few CBs available this summer.

Grinner: All good apart from the chav clown. Needed another good CB as always. The Kos mess was a farce too. Badly handled affair.

Wiltord02: Ideally we needed another CB, like Upamecano to sure up the defence. We also needed to ship out Xhaka. He is a total liability. I see no other team playing such an immobile player at the heart of their team. I think we needed reinforcement in midfield. I would have gone for Doucoure and Tielemans and shipped out Ozil. I like Pepe but I just hope he can adapt to the Premier League. Love the signing of Tierney

oneniltothearsenal: Honestly don't care about transfer windows anymore and don't pay any attention

Archie Leach: Too early to really say. I think our transfer output was optimistic. Obviously I’d love for Pepe to be the player he was in France, and for Tierney to be a new Robinson. More investment in defence would have been nice but we seem shy about splurging in that department.

JSArsenal: I would have liked to see some investment in the defence, I felt it was a 6/10 window at best. Signing I like the most is probably Pepe by process of elimination and future potential
Q07: Which three Arsenal players do you think will be ones to watch this season?
Mogget: Tierney, Pepe, and Guendouzi.

Grinner: Will be a big season for Guendouzi, I expect Holding to cement his place and be a major player for us, interested to see how Willock does too.

Wiltord02: Aubameyang, Lacazette and Tierney.

Archie Leach: Aubameyang and Lacazette are a great partnership. Guendouzi looks like he could be in for a breakout season too.

JSArsenal: Saka, Nelson and Holding
Q08: Are there any young players you feel are on the verge of breaking into the first team set-up?
Eboue: Probably.

Mogget: We have quite a few promising youngsters. Saka, Nelson, Willock, Martinelli, Smith-Rowe should all get plenty of game time this year.

Grinner: There will be lots of shuffling and places available, particularly in the Europa and domestic cups.

Wiltord02: Willock and Saka look like fantastic prospects. The more game time they get the better. Martinelli also seems to have that something special.

Archie Leach: Willock has impressed me and Nelson showed quality in Germany. The inconsistency of even obviously talented young players makes it hard to know.

JSArsenal: Probably only Nelson but tbh, none of them, Emery favors experience over youth. He'll give the kids chances but I can't see any of them becoming full fledged starters.
Q09: How do you expect both Manchester United and Arsenal to do in the league this season?
Eboue: I hope both teams try their best and have fun.

Mogget: Before the season I thought both clubs would be fighting for the top 4 but thought it was too close to call who would finish higher. 6 games in and I still think we could both finish anywhere between 3-6.

Grinner: Frustratingly bad but enough for top six for us...for you maybe not.

Wiltord02: 4th/5th/6th. Neither team can defend and will have plenty of horrific results this season. Also, I don't see the motivation in either team to really grab games by the scruff of the neck and tear the opposition apart. Everything is a struggle.

oneniltothearsenal: Don't care atm, I watch more classic matches than current ones, a bit down on football in general with the Qatar world cup, PSG and all the focus on "super clubs" - oh and Liverpool and Tottenham both overtaking a poorly managed Arsenal probably has something to do with it as well. I don't think I have actually enjoyed watching Arsenal in maybe 7-8 years. Its like work now more than fun

Archie Leach: I think we’ll finish fourth and the supporters will continue to be ambivalent about Emery, due to the reasons listed in the first answer.

I think United are in a bad place but the lack of consistency above you means you could turn it around at any point. Your transfer strategy seems even more haphazard than ours.

Oxeki: For Utd, anywhere between 4th and 6th. For us, I have no clue. If we do make top 4, it will be because of other teams struggle, not because we're particularly good. I'll bite your hand for 4th right now

JSArsenal: United 5th, Arsenal 6th
Q10: What made you join here, what made you stick around and what do you like and dislike about the caf?
Eboue: The football forum is an unreadable wasteland.

Mogget: I initially joined to WUM :lol: I was surprised at the number and variety of opposition posters and that's probably the main reason I stuck around. I'd say the general discussion section is my favourite thing about the forum but I can't say there's anything that sticks out that I dislike.

Grinner: I remember when it was all fields. Your young fans are mostly cnuts, but then so are all young fans.

Wiltord02: The forums are very well populated. The best selling point is that they are constantly up and running. I would love to post more on our fans site Arsenal Mania, however it encounters so many technical issues and crashes, it just isn't worth the hassle. I dislike the Messi/Ronaldo fanboys but atleast they have their own containment thread! Also seeing posters spell Vieira as Viera is infuriating. :D

oneniltothearsenal: Joined because there is no even decent Arsenal forum and I got bored of Big Soccer and Reddit. Stayed because the drafts and nostalgia posts are well informed and awesome posters in every section of the general forum. Actually, I only stay because of the Drafts, Entertainment, General, Other Sports and Current Events. I am completely bored of current football

Archie Leach: I joined because the huge membership and the strong moderation allowed for better discussion than the smaller forums. I stick around for the general and entertainment and to keep an eye on the wider world of football. In the post-SAF-era the football forums have become less interesting and less friendly.

JSArsenal: Aren't many Arsenal fan forums around, I'm not sure why I'm still here although I post less nowadays. The forum layout is good and I can't think of anything I dislike.
Q11: Which XI would you like to see your team field against us?
Eboue: One with lots of tall players.

Mogget: Leno, Chambers, Holding, Luiz, Tierney, Guendouzi, Torreira, Ceballos, Pepe, Auba, Saka

Grinner: We should go for it. I like Ozil since he creates but haul him off when it gets tough. Do not play Mustafi, and stop fannying around playing out from the back.

Wiltord02: I don't think Bellerin will play but I would start both if they were match fit.

Leno, Tierney, Luiz, Holding, Mustafi, Torreira, Ceballos, Chambers, Pepe, Auba, Saka, - 4-3-3. Chambers as a DM with Torreira.

JS-Arsenal: --------Leno

Osei-Tutu-Sokratis-Chambers-Kolasinac

------Torreira-Guendouzi-Ceballos

-------------Ozil----

-Pepe--------Aubameyang----------

Wait can AMN play in this? If so I would put him at RB
Q12: Finally, your predictions for the match?
Eboue: Predictions are for arrogant fools.

Mogget: 2-1 to United. If we're as open as we were against Watford or Villa you'll rip us apart on the counter.

Grinner: I think we can win but probably won't. There will be goals though and I'll be there to cheer on the lads.

Wiltord02: As usual, United are in crisis and your fans presume we are going to steamroller you.

It never happens. Our record at Old Trafford is utter garbage. It's so bad, you can remember the premier league wins :D. Overmars in 98, Wiltord in 02 and Adebayor in 06.

We usually shoot ourselves in the foot at Old Trafford and our previous away showing at Watford doesn't inspire confidence.

I will go for either a 1-1 both sides are terrible draw or a comfortable 3-0 United win.

oneniltothearsenal: Probably something disappointing so 1-1

JSArsenal: Man Utd 2-8 Arsenal
 
Last edited:

Kush

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Glad I did given the response rate.
I applaud your effort for doing this but these responses from our resident gooners are so half-arsed.

You might've been better off asking these questions at Arse Mania.
 

Damien

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I applaud your effort for doing this but these responses from our resident gooners are so half-arsed.

You might've been better off asking these questions at Arse Mania.
Yeah, I thought given the number of Arsenal fans we've got here it would have been good - like with the Chelsea one at the start of the season. Once I realised there weren't going to be any more responses it was too late.
 

Kush

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Yeah, I thought given the number of Arsenal fans we've got here it would have been good - like with the Chelsea one at the start of the season. Once I realised there weren't going to be any more responses it was too late.
Well lesson learned for the next one, I've really enjoyed reading these so thanks for doing it every week.

Btw we already knew resident Gooners on here are just pricks compared to Chelsea fans :)
 

Oxeki

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Q02

I don't think Emery has done much better than wenger. Yes he's come in and steadied the ship. But our play still seem predictable. We look clueless when we face a parked bus. Emery's insistence on using our full back as our main attacking weapon has lead to his ostracism of Ozil.

Overall, I'd say he's done average. If we didn't have Auba bailing us out, I reckon we'd be midtable
 
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Oxeki

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Q03

I don't really think David Luiz was really a player we needed. we had chambers and we had holding(admittedly was coming back from a long term injury), who I believe is the better defender. Luiz has already given away 2 penalties this season. Although, I see the reason behind his transfer. We needed a quick fix for that position. That's probably why he's on a 2 year contract
 

iHicksy

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Who is Eboue and why does he answer questions like an angsty 14 year old trying to appear cool?
 

Oxeki

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Q09

For Utd, anywhere between 4th and 6th. For us, I have no clue. If we do make top 4, it will be because of other teams struggle, not because we're particularly good. I'll bite your hand for 4th right now
 

Damien

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Added some responses from @Archie Leach to the OP, thanks for answering.

Who is Eboue and why does he answer questions like an angsty 14 year old trying to appear cool?
Response to one of Eboue's posts two years ago:

Because choosing a time like this to make a point of not doing so makes you look like a 13 year old edgelord.
 

oneniltothearsenal

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I applaud your effort for doing this but these responses from our resident gooners are so half-arsed.
Its what happens when the club has done everything it can over the last 10 years to make fans not give two shits what happens to the club by treating them solely as consumers and not supporters.

That and FIFA and UEFA have also shown all they care about is hype and money. I doubt I'll watch much modern football in all of 2022 because of that ridiculous Qatar decision.

Watcing matches from the 70s and 80s has been more fun than watching the current PL
 

tenpoless

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I'm surprised Eboue didn't start his sentences with 'Eboue'. Always thought of him as a pokemon.
 

Beans

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Don't let the Goofy Gooners get you down, these threads have been great. Except for this one.
 

ThierryFabregas

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I'll take the liberty of adding my replies

Q01: How do you feel Unai Emery has done for you so far in his time in charge and how does he compare to Arsene Wenger?

The football is of a lower quality. Wenger allowed more men forward, the interchange of passes, he allowed players like Ozil creative freedom. Emery likes his attacks to be put down the wing. Ozil is tasked with tracking back and progressing it quickly on the wings.

Our defensive strategy appears to be to drop deep and cover while not pressing or trying to win back the ball. We concede loads and loads of shots on goal but most of them aren't that dangerous as we do cover. It's not a tactic any of our fans are enjoying

The team doesn't have belief away from home. That is something he needs to take ownership of.

I like him on a personal level, he seems like a decent bloke and I hope he can turn it around, so a bit ambivilant.

Q02: Emery has a policy of having five players in the squad share responsibility of being the captain, and Rob Holding has confirmed it is happening again this season, with the players already having voted. What do you feel about this policy, rather than just one recognised captain and vice-captain, and which five players from your current squad do you think should share the armband?

Xhaka is now the captain. Many wanted him dropped due to his unintelligent errors and his lack of athleticism, such a slow player.

Q03: David Luiz from Chelsea. Thoughts on this transfer and how it came about?

It supposedly came from the Edu link. He's error prone but physically impressive and his ability going forward is really good.

Q04: Did you honestly foresee Sanchez’ steep decline, and how do you feel Mkhitaryan did for you?

I said he wouldn't get the freedom Wenger gave him under Mourinho and that United fans would be very frustrated about the amount of times he turns the ball over. No I didn't think he'd drop off how he would as I didn't think Ozil would. But it is to Arsene Wenger's strength that he gets so much out of Ozil and Alexis, where as other managers do not. United fans believe they bought a shot player but Wenger got 8 goals and 3 assists off 18 starts that half season on the wing.

Q05: In his time at the club, Sven Mislintat helped bring in players like Aubameyang, Torreira and Guendouzi before leaving and apparently wanted Saka, Smith-Rowe and Willock to be granted more game time, only for his advice to be overruled in favour of signing Suarez (some comments from an interview about his time here). Would you have preferred for him to be backed more and have stayed at the club, or are you happier that he’s gone and now have a different strategy to transfers?

It's hard to say. Raul appears to have signed some very good young talents alongside some established players. Pepe, Saliba and Tierney all appear to have high ceilings.

Q06: Overall, how do you feel the summer transfer window had gone for you? Any signing you’re particularly pleased about and is there an area you would have liked to see more investment in?

Very pleased although like all signings we need to wait a year or 2. I'm only now pleased with Guenduzzi

Q07: Which three Arsenal players do you think will be ones to watch this season?

The obvious Auba/Laca and perhaps Pepe who hasn't really hit the ground running yet but looks to have serious talent

Q08: Are there any young players you feel are on the verge of breaking into the first team set-up?

Saka looked like our best player in the Europa. Emery liking his water carriers likes to make use of Willock and he's a decent squad player

Q09: How do you expect both Manchester United and Arsenal to do in the league this season?

Anywhere from 3rd-6th, both could collapse or go on a run.

Q10: What made you join here, what made you stick around and what do you like and dislike about the caf?

There's allot of football discussion, ie it's busy, and the current events section is a good read

Q11: Which XI would you like to see your team field against us?

I'd like Tierney and Bellerin back but their out I think so:

Chambers....Luiz.....Holding (it'll be Sokratis)....Kolasinac
.......Guenduzi.......Torreira (it'll be Xhaka).....
.............Ozil (it'll be Cellebos or Willock and not as a CAM)
Pepe.....Auba.........Saka (we'll prob play another midfielder to pack the centre instead while doing no pressing)

Q12: Finally, your predictions for the match?

A United win, although a draw is also likely. You just can't pick us away from home right now.
 
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Damien

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Did you ask DT or Robbie or anyone from Arsefam TV?

It would be interesting to hear from them, even though they wouldn't be nearly as insightful as Eboue.
No, I can't see any possibility that they would have responded. We're a minnow on the social media side of things. They'd be more likely to talk with the YouTube channels like FTD.