It’s the weekend, baby… and I’m not having fun. Christmas, impact, stressful these days. My word. How do you stay on top of your tasks while consuming a party boat full of booze every night? No idea. Certainly the most first world problems.
You know what else is a first world problem? Arsenal play Wolves this weekend with two choices:
- Run and save
Batting and progress
Am I the biggest ‘tempting fate’ sicko on the internet right now? Damn good. Wolves have two points from fifteen games, conceding 33 goals and scoring just eight. I told you Vítor Pereira was a terrible manager when it happened and the name was suggested as a link when Emery left… he’s a super agent Patsy. Well, look at them now.
It’s an incredible collapse for a club that truly won hearts with their ‘against the odds’ rise to the Premier League. They’ve had some great players there. Rúben Neves, Pedro Neto, Raúl Jiménez, Diogo Jota, Rayan Aït-Nouri… now they’ve taken their eye off the ball, made some bad signings, hired some bad managers… and it seems increasingly likely that the season is over and we’re only in December.
I can’t think of too many sides of history that had to do with so few points. I mean, I could just Google it to confirm my feelings.
…ok, I did Google and Sheffield United had two points at this stage.
Rob Edwards, the ex-Luton manager, has taken over the club. I wasn’t sure why until a member told me he is a Wolves fan (and ex-player). I think he probably knows it’s good, and he’s thinking about how he can rebuild the club in his vision.
Arteta has the absolute luxury this week of just one game today, and then the game against Everton on Saturday… which means he can pretty much do whatever he wants, and then give the boys a few days off to do some Christmas shopping and rest those battered bones.
The manager has a big problem… his rotation team from earlier this week did a VERY decent job at Club Brugge. There are players he cannot drop. I don’t think Saka needs to come for this, Madueke was masterful. If Trossard has any doubts, let him rest. Saliba? Don’t risk him. Keep him on the couch instead of letting him start.
The rush hour? I’m stuck here in two minds. Gabriel Jesus brings more to the starting XI, but Big Vik is on code red for confidence, and Wolves really should be the kind of team he steamrolls. I can’t stop thinking about how bleak the next three months will be for him, with all these players coming back into the starting XI and who can do nine things at a higher level than him.
I want him to find his niche. If the average is beating teams, this really should be its bread and butter. If he does it, I’ll be happy, without any warning. If he doesn’t, the questions will come from the norms… you know, people who don’t have predictive powers like mine.
Shut up, I never said Fábio Vieira was the one.
What we really want is this: no drama.
If we can get through this match unscathed, we will be pretty close to a full team. At some point, Kai will be placed on a team unannounced, and we’ll start working on attack options. Matt Kandela said earlier on the pod that it felt like we were two weeks away from a full roster all season. Can it happen for us? Has Arteta softened up on the boys this week? Can we make the gap count?
I hope so.
Last point of the day. Juliet Slot has secured another major dog deal for the club. The struggling Rwanda sponsor was removed this season after much negative press and we have brought in an HR platform to provide some much-needed fluff. These guys are focused on compliance, contracts, scale, and multilingual dominance of the “you’re fired” process. The added bonus is that Chelsea were apparently close to getting them on the front of the shirt, but Juliet showed them a slide about our globalization and they went on to Arsenal.
Are we massive? Yes. But credit to the Arsenal partnership team for finally taking us to a new level with these deals. The days of stagnation are far behind us. I have to say it’s probably a lot easier to sell this Arsenal than the Arsenal that knocked Vinai back when he was in a similar role for the club.
Can you imagine the HR-related brand content? I can’t wait to see Martin Odegaard take the Part-Worker Classification Quiz in the new year (it’s a thing).
Okay, I’m done. The On The Whistle will be with four people. Then there are four of us, live, in Finsbury Park. I’m looking forward to going to London and getting used to my wild friends who drink real pints, never rehydrate and punch you in the face if you say water with a D. I can’t wait. BIG WEEK. Stay safe, my friends. xxx
PS Apologies for the slow responses this week. A lot is happening. Will speak on the plane on Tuesday! X
Podcast
BEFORE THE WHISTLE | WOLVES (H) | MEMBERS
Fresh from a confidence-boosting win against Club Brugge in midweek, the boys are back for a “Before the Whistle” preview of the upcoming Premier League match against Wolves. With the fixture list finally easing, Matt and the host discuss whether Arsenal have finally survived their early-season injury crisis and what to expect from the bottom of the league.
#ARTETA #PROBLEMS #WORLD