Hello, and welcome to a VERY special edition of the Fans’ View!!
This is a special segment in which we have 5 football fans from outside the Premier League to discuss a set of pertinent topics relating to their club, the Premier League as well as Arsenal.
For this week, I have with me Kaustubh, who is a Fiorentina supporter, Nima Tavallaey Roodsari, who supports (Inter Milan), John (Bayern Munich), Kylian (Real Madrid), and finally Arjun Pradeep, who supports Juventus.
We speak about a wide range of topics – from the European Super League to talented youth players, to Mikel Arteta’s management, Bukayo Saka’s brilliance, and lots more.
The Twitter accounts of the panelists are linked to their names in case you want to check them out. So, let’s get started without further adieu!
Q1) Who is the first player you remember playing for the club you support?
Kaustubh(Fiorentina):- For Fiorentina in Serie A, a host of players caught my eye. I was really appealed by Stefan Jovetic because he had this likable vibe about him and being a fan of strikers who are mavericks, his traits hit home for me. I also liked Ante Rebic later and being an Alberto Aquilani fanboy, I remember watching him too. Juan Cuadrado and Giuseppe Rossi used to be key players then and Josip Ilicic grew into being a very good footballer at Fiorentina too.
Nima(Inter):- Lothar Matthäus. The first game I ever saw on tv with Inter was just before my 8th birthday when Inter hosted reigning champions Napoli with Maradona at a packed San Siro during 88/89 season. Lothar scored the winner & Inter won the Serie A title in record-breaking fashion.
John(Bayern Munich):- The first memory that strikes me right now is of Philipp Lahm, a splendid right back, Who was truly eye-catching back in 2000s as a promising young prospect. The man could play multiple positions, RB, LB, DM and even a CB on a few occasions all this while maintaining the quality which radiated off of him. Always liked whatever I saw of him throughout his career.
Kylian(Real Madrid):- The first player I remember playing for the club I support is David Beckham, he was one of my first favourite players growing up.
Arjun(Juventus):– Zinédine Zidane. Though I must be honest, I was not a Juventus fan when Zidane played for Juventus but rather a Zidane fan. I supported Zidane’s teams wherever he went until Buffon changed it in 2003.
Q2) Who is your favourite/best U23 player in your squad/youth team. What do you like about him? When do you see him start regularly for the first team?
Kaustubh:- Tofol Montiel is really good and I was desperate to see him play last season but he played very limited minutes. He’s got a small size and while that can be a disadvantage at times, it makes him tough to catch and a very tricky player to deal with. He did contribute to goals in a limited time last season and even though it was brief, he showed enough to be a potential star. With the club now approaching a transition period and set to play a more attacking brand of football in a 4-3-3 shape under Vincenzo Italiano, he should fit right in for next season.
Nima:- It has to be 23 year old Federico Dimarco, who came up through the ranks at the club, is an Inter fan through & through, and who has been sensational out on loan with Hellas Verona as a left wing-back.
His left foot is a cheat code regardless of if he’s taking direct freekicks, corners, crossing from open play or just taking a shot from open play resulting in scoring screamers, which he already has done a few times in the Serie A, once against Inter whilst out on loan with Parma.
John:- A certain individual named Chris Richards would be my preference and with a reason. He’s a 21 old lad and mostly plays a Centre Back and has shown over the past season that how valuable he can be to the squad. A CB with a knack for ball progression whilst not trying to distort the structural play of the team and the ball progressing/rotating patterns. A good sense of positional awareness I see in him which is quite a rarity in Defenders these days.
Also with Flick at the helm his overall development was sort of hindered here at the club due to Flick’s failure to overruling certain individuals for the sake of his system which is why he was loaned out to Hoffenheim after making mere 4 appearances with most of them being from the bench for Bayern and mostly playing as RB. He should be an important asset now that Nagelsman is taking over the reign and would definitely be getting more game time.
Kylian:- My favourite U23 player has to be Antonio Blanco. He played in midfield for the youth team last season but also made 2 starts for us last season in La Liga. His ideal role seems to be CDM or in a double pivot, as he’s very defensively aware but also great at retaining possession and controlling tempo without many unnecessary touches. Very simple style but a very nice player to watch, he reminds me of a Xabi Alonso type.
Arjun:- I really like Fagioli, Hans Nicolussi and Félix Correia a lot. If I had to pick between them, then I’d say Fagioli is my favorite. Fagioli has great body balance and the capacity to dribble an opponent. He’s a very creative player. I am hoping he can establish himself as a regular starter over the next 2 seasons but it’s difficult in Italy and especially at Juventus because experience is preferred over youth.
Q3) Were you happy with the last season(20/21). What changes would you like to see before the season starts?
Kaustubh:- It’s weird because if I look back on last season and look at the managerial instability (which isn’t new for the club), I was satisfied with it. But the quality in the Fiorentina squad has been capable of challenging for Europe over the last two seasons and they haven’t done that and it is a disappointment.
For next season, I want to see Italiano get backed with the sort of technical players that he needs. He’s the right manager to take the club forward, give it a new identity and improve a set of talented players. The board failed to deal with Rino Gattuso and let him leave, which does make me question whether Italiano can be fully backed with what he needs.
Nima:- It’s impossible to not be happy with how Inter played in the Serie A, winning the league title in record-breaking fashion destroying all competition scoring a lot, creating even more chances whilst barely conceding becoming the only team in Italy who conceded less goals than matches played overall.
However, improvements are inevitable in terms of Champions League football where Inter have failed to qualify from the group ever since returning to the competition.
I expect Inter to win the Supercoppa, the Coppa Italia, finish top 4 in the Serie A & qualify from the group stage of the UCL.
John:- A season that was a successor to the clubs most successful season ( in terms of trophies ), obviously I had huge expectations from the team and the manager in terms of signings, gameplay and youth development.
However, I believe that I’m quite dissatisfied with what I’ve overseen this particular season. Having won the champions league after a long run of dismay and tough luck, I had hoped the club would use that as an opportunity to build a project in the long run and establish themselves as a competent force to the entirety of Europe but to my bitter disappointment, this has not been the case as Bayern failed every objective I had set for them throughout the season.
In terms of signings, we signed a Post ACL Leroy Sane and bar him every other signing were essentially negligible or not of any significant relevance. In terms of youth Development, Jamal Musiala a quality youngster did come through our ranks but he was either not used properly or he had to adapt accordingly to our stubborn manager’s system which would then proceed to limit his actual identity. Other than him none of the other academy players could actually imprint a significant impact which is particularly to go down as our manager’s fault.
The biggest change I’d want to see is that the club recognizes the evolution of the sport, acknowledge it, and adapt to it. They’d better start being bold and competent I’d they’re to maintain their stature.
Kylian:- Last season I was happy with our defensive solidity even with the absence of some key players over long stretches of the year because of COVID and injuries. Ramos and Carvajal in particular each missing about half of the season means that less used players like Nacho/Militao had to step up to keep us in contention for trophies, unfortunately, as close as we got with Zidane’s robust system, the injuries proved too much of a hindrance in the end.
Before the season starts I’d like us to address our attack so that we’re not as reliant on our backline as the last 2 seasons, especially considering Ramos and Varane will no longer be with us. Bale coming back in good form could prove crucial. And we’ll see what happens with Mbappe before deadline day.
Arjun:- 20/21 was a failure for Juventus. After 9 years of dominance, the club’s Serie-A reign finally ended. The knockout to Porto is what really frustrates me, though because one season in 10 years of the league can be an anomaly but getting knocked out back to back against Lyon and Porto in the Round of 16 is unacceptable.
However, the club won 2 trophies and qualified for the UCL in its worst season since 2010/11. Perhaps the fans’ expectations are really high at Juventus, which is normal considering the club’s magnificent historic past.
Q4) Speaking of PL, which PL team would you say is your favourite(or one which you like to watch)? Why do you like the said club?
Kaustubh:- I’m a Manchester United fan as well, so that’s the club I support in the Premier League. I’ve supported them for a while now and a lot of the charm is because of it being a ‘cultural club’ that has an identity that it is known for. It’s got this story of bouncing back from tragedy, dealing with setbacks, and proving people wrong. It’s essentially a movie in itself which should inspire people.
Nima:- I support two clubs: Inter & my hometown club IFK Göteborg. However, there are clubs I am weak for or can sympathize with from afar due to their history or a specific player or players. West Ham is one of these clubs, Liverpool another mainly for John Barnes.
John:- I do tend to have a soft spot for Arsenal, one could even say that they’re my favorite club in the PL and there’s no particular reasoning to my attachment to the club. Perhaps, it might be so because I’ve a feeling of admiration towards their former players and managers, the likes of Wenger and Henry for instance.
Kylian:- I am more of a “casual” PL viewer, so my favorite team changes depending on the personnel. This season I think United will be my go-to, as I’ve been a fan of Sancho for a few years now and as a Madrid fan I’d love to see Varane succeed there in particular.
Arjun:- For a period between 2000-2007, until Henry was there, Arsenal was actually my most favorite English team. Wenger was an incredible Coach and I was a huge Henry fan. Even though Arsenal eliminated Juventus in 2006, I was hoping Arsenal would go on to win the UCL but unfortunately, the club lost in the final.
Apart from Arsenal, I’m a huge admirer of Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams because they were the closest to Juventus in England. Right now, Pep is one of my most favorite Coaches in the world and his teams are always fun to watch. However, I also enjoy watching Klopp’s Liverpool and Tuchel’s Chelsea.
Q5) Who is your favourite player from the PL, current and past? What did you like about him/them?
Kaustubh:- Eric Cantona, without a doubt. That’s not just because he was a revolutionary footballer for English football but because he was larger than life and he stood out because of his uniqueness as a person too. People called him ‘crazy’ because he was different from the mainstream but the way he lifted Manchester United from the failure of the 91/92 season is a mark of his authority and aura.
I generally prefer footballers who aren’t just good players but unique individuals and their personality shine through. You can’t have a player better than Cantona, in that regard.
Nima:- Of all current EPL players, it’s Chelsea’s Jorginho who is a midfield master. There are so many from the past 20-30 years like Dennis Bergkamp who was a joy to watch after unfortunately not succeeding at Inter. But it’s hard to look past Eric Cantona for everything he did & is. Eric is Eric.
John:- There are a lot of good players which makes this such an unanswerable question. If I’m to go with one player though then I’d have to say Wayne Rooney, a phenomenal forward he was and his gameplay was too tempting at times. A modern-day Second striker or a class creator at times, he was just sensational throughout.
Kylian:- My favourite player in the past in the PL is Ronaldo, as a Madrid fan this is probably no surprise. Only considering his time in England though, it’s incredible how quickly he built a long lasting legacy in only 6 seasons, even more impressive considering he was only 18-24 years old in this period.
Arjun:- Would Cristiano Ronaldo count? If we consider all the players to have never played for Juventus, my most favorite Premier League player is Rooney. What I loved about Rooney was his power. His explosiveness and power was incredible. He was phenomenal at his peak. Right now, my most favorite Premier League player is Pogba. But if you exclude him due to his Juventus past, I’d say it’s Rashford.
Q6) What is the one thing your club is doing very well and you would like to see being implemented at Arsenal and would be beneficial to them.
Kaustubh:- I think Arteta is already trying to do what Solskjaer has done at United. Solskjaer hasn’t just made United a better team, he has changed the club from top to bottom and has made sure that it revolves around him. And he’s done that silently to help the club get an identity again. He’s built a structure around him that will benefit him, make for sustainable progress and as a result, everything at the club has improved.
Arteta, by the looks of it, is trying the same. He’s tried to implement a style of play and he’s made brave decisions of letting important players leave too. What he needs to do now is make sure that the club revolves around him and works on the basis of what he wants. Arsenal and United have had too much of pointless signings and weird decisions. United are now getting rid of that problem with Ole and Arteta has to do the same for his own long-term success.
Nima:- Inter’s nickname is Pazza Inter which is Italian for Crazy Inter. No Club can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and vice versa like Inter, on and off the pitch so it feels strange to give advice to any other club. However off the pitch that was changing after Beppe Marotta became CEO after Suning took over, until the pandemic that is which changed everything financially for an Italian Club run by a Chinese owner. Having said that one thing Suning have done well prior to the financial post-pandemic meltdown, was this ability to find the right people to be in charge & trust them to do their jobs. Come up with A coherent plan & strategy and stick to it by bringing in coaches & players that suit that plan. Stability in short.
John:- I’d say Bayern do tend to stick to their original identity and I believe Arsenal as a club must tend to implement their identity and philosophy if they’re to emerge as a club with loads of success.
Kylian:- One thing our club tends to do well is keep high standards for each season and also aim high in recruitment, traditionally we’ve never limited ourselves in terms of our transfer targets, and that continues now with our pursuit of Mbappe.
Arsenal may not be in the position they used to be but I feel like they still have the status and resources to approach more marquee signings. Another trait of Madrid that could also be considered detrimental sometimes, but I believe Arsenal should take some inspiration from, is our ruthlessness once a player/manager is no longer meeting expectations. I think Arsenal could benefit from being slightly more cutthroat than they are at the moment.
Arjun:- I think every club has its identity. Juve’s identity is to win and the club will do anything needed to win. It doesn’t care about the aesthetic appeal if it doesn’t translate to trophies. I believe Arsenal’s philosophy is the mirror opposite and the Arsenal fans want to see an attractive brand of football. However, it would be nice to see Arsenal get that winning mentality and that grit that’s needed to succeed.
Q7) Where do you think Arsenal should improve after Ben White signing?
Kaustubh:- They desperately need an attacking midfielder. They had one of the slowest attacks in the league last season and there were times when there was no one who was positioned between the lines; someone who could receive between the lines and set others through. Odegaard did a decent job but now that he’s gone, there’s no one of a high level in that role. It helps Arsenal quicken attacks and improves them in possession and in transition.
Nima:- Aside from maybe the strikers Aubameyang & Lacazette I’m not at all impressed by the central line, from Goalkeeper to Central defence to central midfield. It’s not a coherently built squad despite having players in, for example, central midfield who did great elsewhere and are talented in my opinion like Partey & Torreira. Sure, you can say in Torreira’s case he’s just not suited to the premier league, but anyone who watched him in the Serie A could have told you beforehand that he’s not a high-intensity midfielder in terms of dynamism in the middle of the park.
In my opinion, this is the issue: wasting money on players that aren’t adapted to the EPL or how the coach wants to play whoever that is. Which is very frustrating for Arsenal’s fans who given the history of the club frankly deserve much better.
John:- A decent RB, a creative Central midfielder and perhaps a pivot alongside Partey if Xhaka ends up leaving.
Kylian:- After Ben White, if I were an Arsenal fan I would look to the RB position and consider if it’s time to cash in on someone like Bellerin soon, in other areas I think the squad is better than the results indicate and some of the promising youngsters have much more to still offer.
Arjun:- I feel that Arsenal are missing that world-class player that can return the club to its winning ways. There will never be another Henry but probably Arsenal need a player of a similar caliber. A player who’s among the 3 best in his position, in the world. Right now, apart from maybe Tierney, Arsenal lack players who are among the best in the league, let alone the world.
It would be nice to see the club make important acquisitions in midfield and attack but it’s difficult as Arsenal aren’t the club they once were and are unable to attract players like they used to.
Q8) What are your views on Arteta. Where does he need to improve
Kaustubh:- I generally believe that Arteta has a lack of a Plan B – a bit like Martinez at Everton or Rodgers at Liverpool. I know that a lot of times Arsenal don’t have the right profile of players to break packed opposition down but when Plan A isn’t working, I haven’t often seen Arteta resort to a different approach to change games. We know Martinez and Rodgers got sacked by their clubs because they were often very one-dimensional. Arteta wouldn’t want that to happen to him.
Nima:- I’m not overly impressed, and my first thought as someone looking in from the outside is that Arsenal last season looked very disjointed & unorganized at times, especially defensively. This is the risk you run when you hire a rookie manager like Juventus did with Pirlo although Arteta had much more experience as an assistant when he was appointed. Regardless you have to give them time, but the question remains: how much more time can Arsenal afford to give?
John:- A manager that I rate very highly and has a great ceiling to his potential. I believe Arteta is the right man to fit a modern-day tactician and he has shown signs of progress throughout his spell at Arsenal although in terms of gameplay but a lack of results is what damages his stint here at Arsenal.
I think he needs to work on his man-management and communicate better with his players so as to they recognize what he actually wants each of them to do while on the pitch and that also leads to a better implementation of his tactics on the team and how they play.
Kylian:- I think Arteta is a very competent football mind, however, even with the clear weaknesses in the squad, I feel he could have done better last season, and going forward I question if he needs more experience to take on such a big job during a transition period.
I’m also concerned with how he’s managing some youngsters, Saliba seems to not be in favor with him although central defence was a weak point last season, and I feel like Saka was overplayed as well.
Arjun:- I am neutral towards Arteta. While it’s true that he emphasizes a lot on the defensive aspect of the game and doesn’t mind sacrificing style in order to achieve results, he has not yet accomplished the job he was brought in to do. He needs to give the club stability in terms of Champions League football. Arsenal had a great chance to achieve that in 20/21. Right now the aim should remain Top 4 and this should be the key deliverable for him. I don’t think it’s an unfair expectation either.
Q9) What advice do you have for Bukayo Saka?
Kaustubh:- He’s easily one of the best young players in Europe right now and his style of play makes him very suited for a wide variety of systems. Wherever he goes, he’ll be a star who will influence games if he plays. He should just keep going like he is and he’ll be a massive player.
Nima:- I don’t think there’s any advice I can give him tbh, he has shown that he is more than capable to handle adversity as well as positivity in an incredibly mature & levelheaded way.
I just hope & think that he has the support mechanisms in place to help him move past the trauma of missing a penalty & the despicable attacks aimed at him. Wish him nothing but the best.
John:- A stellar youngster with gigantic amounts of potential. The only advice I’d give him at the moment would be to keep his game as simple as he can and always keep his team over his individual play.
Kylian:- I think Saka is progressing phenomenally and he’s one of the most versatile youngsters in all of football whilst still remaining well-grounded. I don’t think there’s anything I could tell him that he doesn’t already know, but perhaps to try and find which position to make his own soon so he can really specialise and go up another level.
Arjun:- Nothing much. He just needs to take the advice of professionals that he’s working with and focus on his game. That’s the only thing he can control. He can’t control anything else. He is one of England’s best talents and he has everything it takes to become one of the best players in his position.
Q10) What are your views on the European Super League. What measures should UEFA take to prevent something like this to come out again in the future?
Kaustubh:- Super League was in the making for the last 15 or 20 years ever since clubs saw the opportunity to rake in money from foreign sources. Premier League’s sole purpose was to bring in hegemony and they then allowed foreign owners to pump in all the money to create an even bigger hegemony.
Premier League wanted to globalize its ‘product’ and just when football became a ‘product’, that is where the idea of a Super League was born. So this was always coming and only more capitalism can beat just capitalism. And at some point, it will happen. There are always subtle hints that general football fans just ignore. A big example is the Newcastle takeover saga which continues to hit snags.
As far as UEFA are concerned, they are culprits themselves. The new edition of the Champions League would be very much like a mini Super League too and it will be unfair on many clubs as a whole. Changing how FFP works can stop the idea of a Super League taking shape again.
FFP limits spending from a club’s owners and this only leads to the growth of historic clubs and stops the development of ambitious, lesser clubs. If they can change that, lesser clubs will have more freedom to grow and match the supposed Super League clubs and there will be a more level ground of playing.
Nima:- This is far too a complex issue to address in a few lines like this so I’ll just say I’m neither for nor against the ESL because the path that brought us to the circus we saw unfold this last spring was a path football set off on 3-4 decades ago.
The ESL is just a natural continuation of a process that started a long time ago. And anyone who thinks UEFA & Ceferin together with the PSG owners saved football by stopping the ESL is as deluded as those who think that the ESL was the savior to all of football’s problems. I don’t get excited enough to pick sides when rich corrupt powerful people fight among themselves.
John:- I honestly have no objection against its concept. A Super League is probably inevitable with the way finances and commercialization keeps immersing with the sport.
The idea of a super league is a bold step and could deal with gargantuan consequences be so good or bad which is a matter of differences in opinion.
If UEFA are to avoid it which doesn’t seem like a possibility, they need to become a bit less corrupt by themselves which is quite absurd to be frank.
Kylian:- As far as I’m aware my views on the super league are fairly unpopular at the moment. I like the concept and don’t think that top teams playing against each other more frequently would be as boring as people make out. I also think it would level the financial playing field with more big teams outside of the Premier League.
My biggest issue is the lack of relegation, and a 2nd league needs to be made to replace the Europa League in my opinion. As for the changes they’ve suggested such as microphones on referees, salary caps etc I feel it could be a good thing. I also think UEFA controlling this competition isn’t essential.
I’m always open-minded to change because that’s how all the formats we love now came about. If UEFA wants to prevent the inevitable, however, I think they need to listen to fans and ditch their own format changes coming in a few years.
Arjun:- As a Juventus fan, the European Super League would have certainly bridged the club’s gap with other European elites. Right now, there’s a lack of a structure that protects historic institutions and the legacy of such institutions is at risk.
I understand the perspective of fans in England who feel that the owners betrayed them. But it’s not the same at Juventus. Juventus have been primarily owned by one family since 1923.
Throughout 98 years of success and failure, the Agnelli family never sold the club. The club isn’t as profitable as the other entities owned by the Agnelli family. For the Agnelli family, it’s a connection of the past with the present and the future. It’s heritage.
UEFA needs to protect clubs like Juventus that are at risk. UEFA needs to give a greater incentive for clubs to compete in Champions League football. English clubs can sustain themselves even if they miss out on Champions League football. For Italian clubs, it’s crucial in terms of revenues.
Juventus, for instance, make as much in winning the League as a relegated team in the Premier League. UEFA needs to take this into context and improve revenue streams for non-English clubs because all non-English clubs are in jeopardy.
That is it for this week. Thanks a lot for your patient reading and support.
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