18 Aug 2025 11:24:43
Despite losing yesterday I oddly feel more excited for this season than before.

We were the better team against a side expected to, and for some pundits the favourites, challenge for the title this year.

While the keeper blunder cost us yesterday, I actually think the difference between winning and losing that match is time. If we had a few more weeks with the new signings settled in, training and playing together then I think that would have given us enough to win despite Bayindir flapping the ball into his own net. I also feel if Amorim had been a bit braver and had started Amad at RWB over Dalot then we probably would have scored in the first half where we played better than in the second half when I think a combination of tiredness and the substitutions lowered our performance a little.

Overall a poor result, but a very good and encouraging performance. Yes it's frustrating that we couldn't score, but Arsenal are probably the best defensive side in the league, with White and Calafori stating in the full back positions they effectively have four CB's on the pitch, with Saliba and Gabriel considered to be the best CB pairing in the league.

Looking forward it's obvious that we still need a top class keeper who can command his area. They don't need to be amazing at playing the ball out, or a full blown sweeper keeper. They need to be a top class shot stopper, AND really good at dealing with crosses. The back three and compact team shape when defending means the only place for the opposition to attack is out wide, which means we will have to deal with more crosses than usual. We need an aerially dominant keeper.

1.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 11:36:12
Get de gea back until someone really decent comes up.

2.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 12:07:09
DDG wasn't exactly aerially dominant.

3.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 12:11:50
DDG would have been and always was bullied in the same fashion in the same circumstance. It was ever his weakness. For sure we need a GK but move on from Dave.

4.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 12:15:27
I worry a little that our opening schedule will result in a very poor position after the first 6 games. The players will need to keep their heads up if things go badly, not get demoralized, and stick to the plan. Our problem last year was not scoring. Yesterday felt like a continuation of that phenomenon. I would have swapped Bruno for Baleba without question if that had been a possibility. With that position filled and a top glass goalie, if we don't get jinxed in front of goal, I could have seen us making a run for top 4 based on yesterday's performance.

5.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 12:26:30
We don’t necessarily need a goalkeeper who is really good at dealing with crosses, we just need one who can handle them competently, because currently ours can’t. I’d argue that, collectively, we have one of the weakest goalkeeping units in the league.

The performance was certainly an improvement, but it still feels a bit early to get carried away. I’m trying to work out whether we’ve genuinely turned a corner, or if Arsenal were just bad.

A few more matches should give us a clearer picture. However, without bringing in a new goalkeeper, it’s hard to see us seriously challenging for a top six spot. Too many points will be lost due to errors in that position.

6.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 12:32:03
Singh, while I wouldn't be completely against DDG coming back for a season or two, I don't think he's the right keeper for how Amorim plays.

A lot is made about them needing to be a great shot stopper, yet if we are honest the biggest problem with our current keepers isn't shot stopping necessarily, but actually dealing with crosses and commanding their area.

Which when you look at a lot of the keepers we have been linked with this summer, Martinez, Donnarumma, and Milinkovic-Savic all of them are tall, commanding keepers who do well with high balls. Lammens is another we have been strongly linked with, and while none of us have probably seen him play a significant number of games, he does have a 12.9% crosses handled rate, which if he matched that in the more tougher EPL (which is unlikely, initially at least) would make him the best keeper at dealing with aerial treats in the league (Raya is currently top with 12.6%) .

Under Amorim we play with a back three and a compact shape when defending, which forces teams to attack the only area they can find space, wide down the flanks. Which means teams will focus heavily on crossing and set-pieces to score against us. If you think back to last season that was often our undoing.

We need a commanding keeper who deals with balls crossed into the box. Lammens could be a good option, other lesser known keepers who might suit us under Amorim include Yahia Fofana, and previously linked Zion Suzuki (who I really like and think he'd be a fantastic option) .

7.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 13:14:27
One things for sure, Bayindir will be targeted by every opponent in the same way from now on. He’s a liability now, sadly for him.

8.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 13:36:04
If he knows he is going to be targeted like that then that is what he works on training each week. Not a difficult problem to solve.

9.) 18 Aug 2025
18 Aug 2025 16:01:53
Bayindir was weak but that whole corner routine was based on foul play. Their players just ran into the defenders making no attempt to get the ball. And, on review, Cunha was fouled and we should have had a penalty. There were also a number of fouls we committed which went unpenalized. Refereeing was generally poor and decided the game. The better team lost.