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 Goat is Gone who supports Barcelona, Parmeshwar Srivastava, who supports Inter Milan, Jon (Bayern Munich), Total Cristiano (Real Madrid) and finally Ajay Ravi Menon, who supports Roma..
We speak about a wide range of topics – from the Players whom they like in the PL, to Mikel Arteta’s management, Arsenal’s crucial player to Arsenal’s Transfer Window 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) Which player in your current team would you like to take a photograph with?
TC(Real Madrid):- Toni Kroos.
Ajay Menon(Roma):- Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Parmeshwar(Inter Milan):- Milan Škriniar.
GoatisGone(Barca):- Gerard Pique.
Jon(Bayern Munich):- I guess my pick would be Alphonso Davies. Not that he is particularly my favourite player of the club, but he seems like a funny bloke, who would take himself some time to do a photo and chat for a couple of minutes.
Q2) Your favourite player in the current team. What do you like about him?
TC:- Toni Kroos, I love the way he’s able to control the game. The team plays at the tempo he sets. As Casemiro said: “If Kroos wants the team to slow down, we do. If he wants us to speed up, we do. He decides everything.” He’s the best passer of the ball in the world. It’s become common to say ‘he passes sideways’ due to how absurd his passing success rate is (long passing % included) but his progressive passes are constantly at the top of the leader-boards.
Ajay Menon:- Nicolo Zaniolo. I consider him to be a generational talent
Parmeshwar:- Milan Škriniar. Love his personality to begin with. Sacked his agent to extend his contract a few years ago. Always wanted to stay at Inter & loves the club to the core. One of the names in line for future captaincy. New signing, Hakan Calhanoglu praised him for his “character” only a few days ago, seconding my aforementioned thoughts in the process. Also, his rapid growth into a world-class defender, adapting from a 4 man defensive system to a 3 man system. There was a point when Conte benched him in the 19-20 season & Škriniar may have left for Spurs. Škriniar never gave up, stayed put & now, for quite some time, he’s back to operating at a top-level.
GoatisGone:- Ansu Fati, an incredible young talent in the hands of Barcelona in which they also have many young talents. The future indeed looks promising.
Jon:- My favourite player on the current team however is Leroy Sane. Already loved him when he played for City in the Premier League and really wanted him at Bayern. He had a tough first year after his ACL but he looked great recently now that he is finally playing as a left-winger again.
Just like Arjen Robben in 2012 as well, Leroy got booed and heavily criticized by parts of our fanbase just weeks ago, which would make his redemption even more heart-warming.
Q3) Your legendary football player of all time?
TC:- Cristiano Ronaldo, my favourite Real Madrid player of all time he grew on me more and more with every year he spent with us.
Ajay Menon:- Totti and/or De Rossi
Parmeshwar:- Tough to pick one here, having watched multiple leagues & a lot of football for over a decade now. Being an Interista, I’ll keep it simple though, it has to be Javier Zanetti for me.
GoatisGone:- Lionel Messi
Jon:- In my childhood, everyone wanted to be like Ronaldinho or R9. They were a pleasure to watch and my favourite players back then. It just felt truly special watching these two ballers or playing with them on FIFA Street.
But over the years with Messi being around, I have to say, he is the best player there is, was and ever will be. But not quite comparable anymore to being a small kid watching Ronaldinho running the show.
Q4) Coming to the PL who is your favourite player and which team do you like to watch?
TC:- Cristiano Ronaldo, not surprisingly. I enjoy watching a lot of clubs in the Premier League, I try to catch all the big games I can.
Ajay Menon:- Stuart Dallas. My favourite team to watch is Leeds United. I loved to watch them play and the tactics from Bielsa is extremely good as well.
Parmeshwar:- I love Romelu Lukaku, always liked the guy’s personality even before he came to Inter. He got too much stick at times in my opinion at least. But to keep things fresh & not link everything to Inter, I’d go with Saïd Benrahma. Been a fan of his tremendous growth form his OGC Nice days, the constant loan spells to his breakthrough at Brentford & now his form at West Ham. Convinced he can do even better. A team I like to watch are Everton. Might sound strange given their inconsistencies as a club over the last couple of years, but I’ve been following them since 2003. Albeit the 17th placed finish in 2004, always appreciated certain personnel like Tim Cahill, Leon Osman & David Moyes.
GoatisGone:- Kevin De Bruyne is probably my favourite player when it comes to the premier league, his consistency at the top level has been exceptional. I watch nearly all matches in the Premier League, Man city are probably the one I like watching the most as their philosophy of football is reminiscent to Barcelona’s.
Jon:- Have to say I admire the way Foden plays the beautiful game of football at such a young age. Hence why I also like to watch Manchester City playing. Another one would be Thiago, who was my favourite player at Bayern before he left. So its those two and therefor Manchester City and Liverpool who interests me the most.
Q5) List your underrated PL five a team.(5 players)
TC:- Meslier, Evans, Bernardo Silva, Ward Prowse and Jimenez.
Ajay Menon:- Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Silva, Milner and Toney
Parmeshwar:- David Raya, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Pierre-Emile Hojberg, Pablo Fornals and Ivan Toney
GoatisGone:- Ramsdale, Coady, Konsa, Hojbjerg and Toney
Jon:- Ramsdale, Konsa, McGinn, Mbeumo and Ismaila Sarr
Q6) Any player in the league you would like to see play for the club you support ?
TC:- I’ve wanted Paul Pogba to join Real Madrid for some time now, so it would have to be him. Van Dijk and Trent would be perfect addictions too – but impossible, I know.
Ajay Menon:- I would love to see Allison Becker play for us again.
Parmeshwar:- Might not exactly suit our system, but at times our system cries out for consistent high quality chance creation throughout the 90 & I’d love for Kevin De Bruyne to take a largue chunk of that responsibility. Definitely would love to see him at Inter. Not a realistic shout of course, but more in terms of a dream signing.
GoatisGone:- I’d love to see someone like VVD play for Barcelona considering the defensive issues that exist at Barcelona for years he would rectify it.
Jon:- May sound strange, but Livramento. Bayern is desperate for a RB with world-class potential after Kimmich moved into midfield. Livramento got everything and would have been realistic as well. He would be a great fit for Nagelsmanns Bayern and the perfect counterpart to Davies on the other side.
Q7) Coming to Arsenal who do you think is our most Crucial player ? Why do you think so ?
TC:- Partey. He is a world-class player.
Ajay Menon:- The answer might surprise you but it’s your new signing, Tomiyasu. Think he is extremely underrated. Versalite, good with both his feet and very reliable as well as consistent. He will bring stability in your backline.
Parmeshwar:- Ah this is a tough one. But I’ve personally liked Thomas Partey a lot since his Atletico Madrid days. Yes he has missed quite a handful of matches due to injury problems at Arsenal, since 20-21, but in those games, in my opinion, his absence was felt too. I think many people often mistake Partey for a traditional DM or just your regular box to box mid, I kind of disagree with that. I feel he offers something that Arsenal have generally needed, which is being patient off the ball & using his sort of imposing presence to cover the gaps between attack & defence. Arsenal’s defensive record has proven to be leaky over the years & I feel that he’s definitely going to add more solidity in front of the young & solid defence. Especially, I feel he can anchor Ben White & Gabriel very well if Arsenal transitioned to a back 3 in certain matches. Not only covering the spaces, but his ball winning ability coupled with his ability to resist pressure & carry the ball out of tough situations is exactly what Arsenal need to avoid constant turnover of possession, especially vs the bigger teams. He is known to efficiently recover the ball & as mentioned before, the calm with which he does it is of utmost important, especially when players like Xhaka tend to be rash at times & lose their cool. Partey definitely can take a lot of burden off of him right there. I also believe that since Partey has started playing in 21-22, from his cameo vs Norwich to the shoutout vs Burnley & the exceptional 3-1 thrashing of Spurs, Arsenal have been smoother on the transition thanks to his ability to switch play efficiently or even carry the ball with the right drive, after having won it. That’s my take on Partey & why I believe he’s the most important player at Arsenal. I’m genuinely excited to see him in front of that backline of Tierney, Gabriel, Ben White & Takehiro Tomiyasu, if these 5 players(including Partey of course), can remain fit, Arsenal can work towards building their defensive stability in the right direction.
GoatisGone:- Arsenals most crucial player. Tough but i would have to say Bukayo Saka.
Jon:- Thomas Partey. It relies on his fitness what Arsenal will be capable of this season. A truly special player and a great partner for Xhaka to perform better. If those two can play the majority of the season, Arsenal will be going places.
Q8) What do you make of Arsenal’s transfer window? We signed a lot of U23 players this window, do you think it was a good approach? (Signed White, Tomiyasu, Ramsdale, Ødegaard, Tavares and Lokonga)
TC:- Arsenal’s approach during the summer window made a lot of sense. I’ve seen Tomiyasu in Serie A as I watch that league on a regular basis and picked up on his versatility. Ramsdale, so far, has suprised a lot of people, including Arsenal fans with his performances. Ødegaard was a fan favourite at Real Madrid due to his loan at Sociedad, everyone looked forward to having him back. In the past I raves about his talent and ability but he hasn’t shown that on a consistent basis since his knee injury at Sociedad. But his technical ability is instantly visible.
Ajay Menon:- Yes. I particularly like Odegaard’s signing. He has a very high ceiling and has it in him to become a generational talent.
Parmeshwar:- I think this definitely is a good approach because for starters it shows that Arsenal want a younger squad with that young talent being of good quality & high potential for the future. As I mentioned before, I’m a big fan of Tomiyasu. I think purchasing Ødegaard was of utmost importance. I haven’t personally been a big fan of Ramsdale, since his Bournemouth & Sheffield United days, but to be fair, he’s still young. To his credit as well, in the last 3 matches, he definitely stepped up & did a good job, showing he has room to grow & he can certainly do so. I don’t think I need to say much about Ben White, he’s solid & shows the right kind of composure in difficult situations, good buy. I think in terms of outgoing players, the market could have been better, I definitely feel Arsenal could have done more to offload the likes of Kolasinac, be it to Fenerbahce or any other club as he was linked. I think the same could be said for Elneny & his links with Galatasaray. Coming back to the new signings, I’ve only watched a bit of Nuno Tavares in general, throughout his career, definitely has a long way to go, but watching him kinda makes me feel that, if his development goes in the right direction, he can become a more complete full-back in both phases of the game. I do feel though, in the long run he could do with a loan spell. This is where I feel Arsenal should have rather brought in an experienced LB as backup to Tierney, just my personal opinion. It’s not that I think Tavares is bad, not at all, I just feel he has a long way to develop. Big fan of Lokonga, I think he shows the right composure on the ball, noticed that in his Anderlecht days, especially his final season. I think what Arsenal in general needed are players with right kind of spatial awareness, I think Lokonga is already proving to be good at that aspect of his game. He can definitely improve when it comes to the manner in which he presses I feel, but overall, when characteristics of players in the Arsenal squad are considered, I definitely feel he’s the right profile for this squad & adds the right kind of depth. I liked Arsenal’s window personally, I’ve seen some unhappy people out there, but this market clearly showed Arsenal want to build for the long run. As mentioned, I would have tried to balance it with certain experienced personnel, but that’s just my opinion, maybe Arsenal add experience in some way or the other, remains to be seen. I just hope the younger players are given the right kind of tine to grow, because they definitely need it. Albeit, a kind of frustrating start to the season for Arsenal, these younger players are just getting started & I do feel they can grow into even better players.
GoatisGone:- People think the window arsenal had was poor but i really think the opposite. Its not a compulsory to spend huge amounts of money on star players to be successful, some of the youngsters arsenal bought are promising but again its down to the manager to get out the most out of them, and play them in a suitable system. (Odegaard is class watching him from La Liga)
Jon:- I honestly think it was a good transfer window for Arsenal. A lot of young players with big potential like White and Odegaard. Question will be if they can deliver immediately. Arsenal are in a position where they have to get back on track quickly. Therefor it’s a risky approach but also a sensible one that can deliver in the long run. Nonetheless, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Q9) What are your unbiased thoughts on Arteta?
TC:- When Arteta first became the Arsenal manager, I was a fan, I would say quite a big fan from a neutral point of view. I was disappointed with some of the performances I saw the season after. I think he should continue and be judged on this season, considering he has had a big transfer window and acquired the targets he wanted.
Ajay Menon:- I think he deserves time after the FaCup win. Atleast another 2-3 years. Modern football you aren’t given enough time and yo have to perform from the get go but sometimes fell that’s a very bad approach as the managers need time to fix the team and get players play in his preferred system.
Parmeshwar:- Interesting question for sure. I’ve definitely seen Arsenal fans torn over this decision. This December, Arteta would complete 2 years as Arsenal head coach. Looking at the window for Arsenal since he took over, one could say he has been sufficiently backed. From Partey to Ødegaard to Gabriel. Questionable signings in the form of Willian & Cedric, but I guess that comes down to the hierarchy and a bit on Arteta on the basis of planning for that particular season. I think on Arteta’s part, to begin with, the management of Maitland-Niles could have been better. Maitland-Niles is a versatile player & recently made his displeasure known publicly, I definitely feel that if Arsenal want to use younger players, they can definitely start using AMN as a backup to Tomiyasu, that way there’s sort of enough competition for both, pushing them do better. I definitely feel Saliba can slot into this Arsenal defence & I can’t help but think of the quality depth Arsenal could have had if he was here right now. Saliba had a pretty decent run at OGC Nice in his bare minimum games & he’s already showing at Marseille as to why he’s earned Sampaoli’s trust, adapting to a very high intensity system. He can definitely do better than Pablo Mari or Holding any day.
Coming back to Arteta, I think, he did a fantastic job in the very first season itself, post Emery & Ljunberg, I don’t think it’s that easy to win the FA Cup by the end of the season. With the squad he had, really did do well in my opinion. I do believe that a lot of pressure falls on Arteta early on because he was under Pep, so fans expect him to show Pep-esque glimpses early on. I think people need to remember that coaches in general have a long way to learn and grow & thus implement various situations. I do appreciate how Arteta has enabled the growth of Emile Smith Rowe & Bukayo Saka, exceptional talents. I’ve seen Arteta use a 4-2-3-1 mainly & a 3-4-2-1/3-4-3 at times. I do feel that Arteta for a bit was finding his way initially like any other coach & in terms of a formation a 4 man defence was his main identity. I mean, yes, one could blame Arteta for certain tactical decisions, for instance in the 0-3 home loss to Aston Villa last season, but then he’s also gone on to beat Tuchel at the Bridge. I get both sides of the argument, those who want Arteta to be kept & those who want him sacked, I fully understand em. After a quite a lot of thought & having watched Arsenal, I do believe that they should continue with him. Arsenal signed younger players based on certain profile & that is exactly what Arteta seeked in them. On top of that, once you give a coach these kind of high potential players, you also have to give him time to build around them. Sacking him at this point, would make no sense, it’s basically hitting the restart button all over. A new coach will have different demands & may have different player preferences. Some Arsenal fans may think I’ve lost my mind & I get why they would say that, Arsenal’s struggles have always been a mixed bag in my opinion, from the owners to the management to the coaching at times, no one can be blamed solely, largely maybe yes, Kroenke’s mismanagement over the years comes into play over there, but it’s time to now look past that. Yes, Arsenal had a horrendous start to 21-22, but they’re gathering momentum slowly. The squad has the right kind of depth, not depth just for the sake of it. While I don’t believe Arsenal will yet finish in top 4, but this is exactly what I alluded to before, they’re building towards it. Arteta deserves time to work with these players who can gradually perfect his controlled & structured press accompanied with bursts of quick transition. After all, he has a contract until 2023 & it only makes sense to continue until at least the end of 2022. If by then, things are bad, I mean really bad, Arsenal can start looking around at alternative. Conte was linked earlier, I love Conte for the work be did with us at Inter. But, as he did at any other club like Inter, he will definitely be very demanding from the get go if he does come at Arsenal. Hence it made sense to not get him mid-way, or even currently as I say this, Conte mid-way, makes no sense. He prefers starting from scratch & is currently on a break. Let Arteta handle this season, then assessments about potential continuity into his final year of contract can be made. Conte would only be a great addition if Arteta doesn’t manage do a good job & also if Arsenal can potentially meet Conte’s high expectations in the future. For now, it definitely is wise to stick to Mikel Arteta. These players will be shaped as per his tactical approach and to take that away from him, would just further hamper Arsenal’s development in the right direction.
GoatisGone:- I think Arteta is someone who was brought in to get Arsenal back into top 4 and get into UCL. Atm he has got young players signed up which again need time to adapt to the system Arteta is implementing, the injuries arsenal had was also big reason why he has struggled at the start of the season. But he would need to perform very soon in with the backing provided or pressure will mount on him, atm I don’t see why he should be sacked as its early season.
Jon:- To be honest I don’t really see where Arsenal are going with him just like Solskjaer at United. Maybe a change in the summer would have been the better decision instead of sticking with him. But now he is still there and a change seems unlikely currently.
For me he isn’t the right coach for this important rebuild. He is no Klopp or Tuchel. But those calibres aren’t on the market anyway. Would ship Arteta for Graham Potter any day of the week tho. Still mad Spurs didn’t go for him.
Q10) Do you think (travelling) football fans should be compensated after a bad result ?
TC:- No I don’t think so.
Ajay Menon:- No. In football it’s about loving your team unconditionally. you win some you lose some. Agree with some english traveling fans who have costly tickets but elsewhere you get good tickets for 10-15 euros, so I don’t particularly agree with it
Parmeshwar:- I have mixed thoughts on this. As cliché as it might sound, the unpredictability of a match is part of the game, no matter by what scoreline a team wins or loses. Myself, being an Inter fan, will support my club no matter the circumstances. From winning the treble in 2010, to finishing 9th in the Serie A in the 12-13 season, if I had the opportunity to go for away games in 12-13, I still would have, paying the required amount because I simply love Inter & it’s the team I can relate to. If as a fan, I could support the club when they won the treble, then a fan must always stand by the club in the worst of times in my opinion. Although, I also feel that at times, it’s fine to compensate fans for a few games, because they spend all their hard earned money to travel & they want to enjoy their team, forget other problems in life for those 90 minutes. Not always, but it’s absolutely fine to compensate fans on an occasional basis, which would also given an impression about how much the club cares for their support as well. This dynamic goes hand in hand, I believe it’s a symbiotic relationship wherein the club can do their bit & fans also must understand that their club won’t end up on the winning side all the time, it’s part & parcel of the entire process of supporting a club.
GoatisGone:- I don’t think you can give money back to those due to a poor result it’s not how the football business works.
Jon:- No, that’s not how it should work tbh. But these fans are investing a lot of money and time for their club so they should be treated with respect. Not only by the club but also by the players. Especially on an away trip, the players should come over to thank the fans for their support.
In the Bundesliga we had a case where HSV lost 9:2 in Munich, so the next day the club invited the fans for a barbecue with the fans able to talk to some players. Unthinkable in the Prem and obviously shouldn’t be the norm but things like this can help as some sort of compensation.
That is it for this week. Thanks a lot for your patient reading and support.
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