AD-Free Episode 466 - Just To Be Vindictive

It is 100% criminally stupid. No question.

I disagree with Paul. I understand that playing maybe someone like Chambers in the midfield might not be a good alternative, but surely we can put someone else there, azeez, or literally anyone so that we can actually learn and give a future to players at the club who are staying.

Agree with elliot.. Its criminally stupid... Got to the point I had to skip when paul was talking...

I might be in the minority here but I actually think that Pepe has improved a lot over this past year. I was really worried that the Leeds incident would have spelled the end for him, but he's fought back and I've generally been impressed with his improved work rate. Yes, he is inconsistent and there are times where you really don't know what you're getting with him (e.g., the golazo goal or just being careless in possession). But I do think the price tag - regardless of how he performs while he's with Arsenal - will be marker that will be placed on him even if it's not really his fault. Having said this, if we were offered 40 million for him, I would probably take it but it really depends (as they say on the pod) how it's being spent and allocated.

So no one's asking Elliot what the last line of the Manscaped script was????

Jasper McElrath

I have watched Arteta's post match comments, and I don't think he was being critical of ESR at all. He was critiquing where Arsenal were at the moment and what we need to do to improve. He was very clear saying that ESR has had a phenomenal season and that he believes he can achieve even more as long as we are patient and give him the right support.

Ahhh I think it’s criminally stupid…..

javaughan clarke

Breaking news 😂😂 Could literally hear Clive thinking "what kind of shit has happened now" Elliot your thriving great under this Arsenal misery 😂👏

I just have to forward through Paul’s non negotiables

Out: bellerin, AMN, Chambers, Kola, Luiz, Mavropanus Leno, torreirra, guendouzi, Nketiah, Lacazette = 150m. In: Bissouma, Buendia, Max Aarons, Backup LB, Raya, air dominant, hold up & link up play Striker; Right sided leader type CB, = 160m. Two 8: Willock, Azeez

Of course Arteta has to go for winning games but surely for the remaining fixtures, it has to be Partey and Elneny as the midfield options with Xhaka coming in when fit and bring Azeez in for the PL experience. Ceballos is done at this club, whereas it would be good to get a look at Azeez in PL situations.

Playing ceballos is absolutely criminally stupid. Season is over, he's not our player, welcome to the bench. Play any of our players.

Players who have been frozen out Cedric Guendouzi Ozil Torreira Nelson Holding Ceballos All have been for different reasons since arteta has been at the club...... Ceballos has done enough to be frozen out after those first europa mistakes. But Paul was right we really didn't have any other options. And ceballos has always been fine against smaller teams tbh.

I agree with Elliot 100%. Literally play chambers in midfield and Cedric at right back.

For once I agreed with Paul 100% here over Elliot in that first section on his team choices yesterday! As unlikely as it is, we weren't (and still aren't) mathematically eliminated from 7th place, and Arteta owes it to the fans and the team to try and win each remaining match -- beyond the psychological value Paul mentions. As frustrating as Willian has been, us not making Europe makes it even more likely will keep trying him next year because it will be harder to get a replacement. Ceballos is aggravating but with Xhaka out and Partey also being weak recently, it's pretty defensible that he started despite the fact that he's definitely leaving the team. And it's not like he played Bellerin or Nketiah again -- he ran out two experiments -- Saka at LB and Martinelli upfront. How much experimentation do you want in a game we still need to try to win?

Would you trade Pepe for Chukwueze?

Again Paul creating an argument where none should exist. "We needed a midfielder, why are we going to freeze him out"? Refusing to play someone who is leaving in a couple of weeks is not freezing them out, its just using common sense. There is precisely zero benefits to be gained for Arsenal in playing Ceballos for any of the remaining fixtures, a player who hasn't been a good fit for us and who we know with absolute certainty is going. Unless we don't have any fit midfielders for the match day squad which wasn't the case, he should no longer be playing. If Arteta is going to get away with murder and be given next season, the least I'd expect is that he starts preparing for it now...

I agree with Paul on this one.

Geez Paul 🤦🏽‍♂️ Ceballos is trash and will be gone. A point I was waiting for Elliot to make is Saka. We have Cedric, why not play Cedric as LB and move Saka to Midfield to see how he performs as an 8 or 10. This is exactly what Elliot means by trying things that could pan out in the future. But for Paul, nope, a LB is a LB only, NOTHING ELSE. cmon Paul.

I don’t think playing Ceballos is criminally stupid. Auba off Nketiah on in semi final IS criminally stupid. Ceballos playing is frustrating but understandable

Deedash Redd

I don't have a problem with Elneny and Willian, but agree that Ceballos shouldn't see any time for the rest of the year. Elneny and Willian might still be back next year. I do think seeing what you have with some other players, but to be fair, Nelson and Eddie have had all season to show something and the staff isn't seeing it.