Billy’s BBQ: End of beginning — Before the Etihad, a piece on growing up, tactical updates, how this team has changed, and the welcome weight of critical moments like this
Billy’s BBQ: End of beginning — Before the Etihad, a piece on growing up, tactical updates, how this team has changed, and the welcome weight of critical moments like this
I hope this e-mail finds you well. Been working on this one for a couple of weeks now. Perfect timing 🙃
Some topics explored in this long-read:
* How the squad has changed
* The last 6-7 games broken down, and how much of it comes down to who’s been on the pitch
* Zooming out on some of this year’s tactical shifts, like the second-order effects of Zubi and Rice as a true double-pivot
* What the advanced metrics say about how we’re actually building up, and some culprits behind the field tilt drop
* The Gyökeres question, the front-three, what’s working, what isn’t, etc
* Why I loved the Everton lineup
* Quick thoughts on attacking City, where they’re vulnerable on diagonals, and my predicted XI
* The weight of moments like this
* Bunch of other stuff
*Arsenal play backwards at the third-lowest rate in the league (15.7%); City do it more than anyone.*
*hah*
oKhonsu on
Billy I apologize, I’ll be reading this after the game
0neTwoTree on
My takeaway is that Gyokeres is an extremely limited player and doesn’t fit Arteta’s style. He needs to run at defenses (preferably tired ones) and run in over the top. We can’t play to him the way we would to Havertz because he can’t win any aerial duels.
With that said, I do think that we have to make do with the tools we’ve got and trying to force fit him into a system that doesn’t suit him results in him looking shit and the system failing
etang77 on
I love Billy’s analysis is basically the opposite of what people like to complain about.
6 Comments
Hey all,
I hope this e-mail finds you well. Been working on this one for a couple of weeks now. Perfect timing 🙃
Some topics explored in this long-read:
* How the squad has changed
* The last 6-7 games broken down, and how much of it comes down to who’s been on the pitch
* Zooming out on some of this year’s tactical shifts, like the second-order effects of Zubi and Rice as a true double-pivot
* What the advanced metrics say about how we’re actually building up, and some culprits behind the field tilt drop
* The Gyökeres question, the front-three, what’s working, what isn’t, etc
* Why I loved the Everton lineup
* Quick thoughts on attacking City, where they’re vulnerable on diagonals, and my predicted XI
* The weight of moments like this
* Bunch of other stuff
Enjoy. This is what it’s all about. ❤️
[https://billycarpenter.substack.com/p/end-of-beginning](https://billycarpenter.substack.com/p/end-of-beginning)
-B
*Arsenal play backwards at the third-lowest rate in the league (15.7%); City do it more than anyone.*
*hah*
Billy I apologize, I’ll be reading this after the game
My takeaway is that Gyokeres is an extremely limited player and doesn’t fit Arteta’s style. He needs to run at defenses (preferably tired ones) and run in over the top. We can’t play to him the way we would to Havertz because he can’t win any aerial duels.
With that said, I do think that we have to make do with the tools we’ve got and trying to force fit him into a system that doesn’t suit him results in him looking shit and the system failing
I love Billy’s analysis is basically the opposite of what people like to complain about.
As excellent as ever. 100% agree on the line up.