After the Forest game, which is the first of the season I truly enjoyed, tonight we make a trip to our old enemy. But questions remain as to our, or more specifically, are coach\u2019s approach. Will we live up to our name and ethos as the Arsenal, or will we allow ourselves to become outgunned by the Ol\u2019 Gunnar of Manchester?<\/p>\n
One significant development is our general has finally decided to name the captain on the field. To no one\u2019s, yet somehow everyone\u2019s surprise, it is Granit Xhaka. Captain at every club he\u2019s been at, and with his national team, people will still try to tell us he\u2019s no leader. But apparently this time it wasn\u2019t just the coach, but also the players who voted for who they wanted as their captain. Two months into the season, this has certainly been a lot of unnecessary drama, but maybe this will prove to be just the spark the players needed. Not just to overcome the opposition, but also, overcome the coach\u2019s eccentricities.<\/p>\n
In the previous couple of matches, it has seemed like players have taken matters into their own hands. Emery even said this was the case with Calum Chambers in the League Cup. So far, it\u2019s worked, and I guess our brave hope\u00a0 it will again. (There\u2019s that hope word again!) But like Emery\u2019s tactical alphabet soup, this too is an unsustainable plan.<\/p>\n
Spectacular decline of Manchester United<\/strong><\/p>\n Manchester United of course have their own problems. Their fall from their self appointed perch of the greatest club in the world has been even more spectacular than ours. Probably even more painful as both their traditional rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City, are running high. Even little old Arsenal, frequently under the manager-who-must-not-be-named, have outperformed them in the league for most of the past 6 years as well. Surely they\u2019re not happy with that, nor with the brand of football being put out. But at least they have shiny new toys every once in a while. Woodward may be a bad dad but he always buys very expensive presents. Discerning Arsenal fans may have detected a similar type of “parenting” creeping into our club.<\/p>\n