Patrick Vieira - from Midfielder to Manager

PaperClipFMer said:
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After doing brilliantly and equalising with pretty much the final kick of the game, our backs were up and couldn't wait for extra time. However, after throwing on 3 strikers, we now had a seriously unbalanced team with too many forwards on and all subs used.

We join Bt Sport ready for the final 30 minutes and possibly even penalties ...
​

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Jake Humphrey – Wow! I don’t think many people saw that second half coming. Whilst the players are having a couple of minute rest, what did we think to that?

David James – That was brilliant, a brilliant fight back from Arsenal. They’re still second best but you’ve got to give them credit for drawing level.

Steve McManaman – I still don’t think they really deserve to be in the game but you saw how deflated the SPG players were there, Arsenal have to believe they can go on and win it now.

Michael Owen – Arsenal scored 2 goals which means we now play 30 more minutes.

Jake Humphrey – Who do you see going on to win this?

David James – I still think the quality of PSG will show through but I wouldn’t rule out penalties.

Steve McManaman – That second half really took it out of Arsenal, they look exhausted. I think if PSG can stay mentally tough then they’ll go and win still.

Michael Owen – The team who score more usually win.

Jake Humphrey – anyway, lets join the action after the players have all had a brief break.

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92”
PSG look just as good here in extra time as Lucas Moura surges past Willems and fires into the side netting. There were parts of the Aviva stadium which thought that was in.

96”
Andre Silva managed to find half a yard of space to find a shot which was low and hard but no trouble for Cech.

99”
Arsenal now on a rare attack as Theo Walcott managed to get to the byline and into a crossing position. He stands the cross up towards the far post for Danny Welbeck to run onto and head home with power.
Arsenal take a 3-2 lead in extra time.

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103”
PSG come forward yet again as Arsenal seem to be dropping deeper and deeper as they allow Veratti to run into their half and take an optimistic shot which drifts wide.



HALF TIME within extra time



108”
PSG on the front foot again but a great defensive display from Arsenal stop them getting a shot away.

109”
Arsenal looking seriously tired now as Walcott remains the only player forward.

114”
Arsenal try and launch a counter attack as a long ball tried to find Walcott as he looks to have the beating of David Luiz. Walcott wins the battle but scuffs his effort horribly wide.

119”
Desperate time now for PSG who already look beaten and lost for ideas.

120”
The fourth official announces 4 minutes of injury time to be played.

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124”
The designated 4 minutes are now up but still PSG attack. A cross comes in from Lucas Moura which is aimed towards David Luiz … Petr Cech rises to collect the ball though and hangs onto it for as long as possible.

125”
Chech kicks the ball long upfield as far as he can with no one even chasing … and there it is, the final whistle.


ARSENAL WIN THE 2019 EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL.

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Jake Humphrey – I’m struggling to believe what we’ve all witnessed there! Did anyone see that coming?

David James – Absolutely not! I thought Arsenal were done for in the first half. Even when they equalised I thought they’d used all their energy in trying to get the second goal.

Steve McManaman – I thought they’d really struggle in extra time with the attacking team they had out. They were playing 4 strikers as well as Sanchez and Oxlade-Chamberlain, I never thought I’d see Robert Lewandowski playing center half like he did in the last 10 minutes or so.

Michael Owen – I told you the team who scored more would win!

Jake Humphrey – Well after that, we can now speak with the match winner, Danny Welbeck.

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Reporter – So Danny, what does that feel like?

Danny Welbeck – It feels amazing, I never even dreamt of anything like this. The lads are buzzing.

Reporter – Some are calling this the best comeback ever, what do you think?

Danny Welbeck – It has to be up there. We were so bad early on that PSG could have won it in the first half, I’m just pleased to be able to get the winning goal.

Reporter – You’re out of contract in the summer, is this a fitting send of? Or are you in talks to stay at the club?
Danny Welbeck – I don’t know. I haven’t played much football recently which needs to change. If I get this here then great, if not, then I guess I’ll have to move on.

Reporter – Thanks Danny, I’ll let you celebrate with the rest of the lads now.

​


Jake Humphrey – An honest view from Welbeck there, do any of you see a place for him in this Arsenal set up?

David James – I don’t if I’m honest. He’s a decent option off the bench but is never going to start in front of Lewandowski.

Steve McManaman – I agree with David, however if Arsenal do let him go then they’ll defiantly need a replacement for him as they’re already short on numbers upfront.

Michael Owen – The way Danny Welbeck spoke there, he’s either going to stay or leave.

Jake Humphrey – I’m hearing we can now talk with Arsenal manager, Patrick Vieira:

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Reporter – Patrick, an amazing comeback there. What do you put it down to?

Patrick Vieira – We have an amazing team spirit which certainly helped. We also played some good stuff towards the end of normal time.

Reporter – PSG had more efforts on goal and more possession, do you think you were lucky to lift the trophy tonight?

Patrick Vieira – There's obviously an element of luck as PSG missed a couple of really good chances but I have to be delighted with the way we dug in and got the result.

Reporter – Congratulations Patrick, I'll let you get off and celebrate with the players now.​
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Amazing comeback !! Well done !!
 
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We were still on cloud 9 after the Europe League win but we had to get back to business

With that in mind, I immediately went about spending the enormous budget I was given when I noticed this lad available ...

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Marc Bartra!

One of the best young center backs in the world and even better, he was interested in a move to the Emirates.

He looks absolute quality but is currently on £235k per week and would probably demand a similar amount.

He's also valued at over £30 million so the deal will depend on how much we can negotiate Barcelona down.

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Well, this is the best deal we could agree with Barcelona.

Its a huge deal but we've decided to go with it.

We maybe paying slightly over the odds but I feel it's worth it given the budget we've got the spend and the quality and experience he can bring to the squad.

​


The deal was agreed with the player joining on the 1st July when the transfer window re-opens and the lads are back training after their summer jollies. ​
 
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I wasn't done with signing Bartra as the cheque book came straight back out ...

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He wanted out of Bayern Munich after a couple of really poor seasons with the club failing to make the Champions League.

He looks absolute quality and has still been a mainstay in the Bayern side. He's 32 but with that brings shed loads of experience and a serious winning mentality.

Even better than all out that though was his buy out clause ...

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£32 million would trigger a deal which Bayern would have to accept.

We immediately met the clause and offered him a decent contract on £200k per week.


Just as with Bartra, the deal was confirmed with Vidal joining on the 1st of July along with the Barcelona player.

​


We also had one more player joining us once the window opens ...

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We had an offer of £12 million Youri Tielemans accepted, with £9 million being paid up-front.

For some reason I thought Tielemans had moved to Madrid a couple of season ago but the deal must have fallen through without me knowing.

He looks a really good prospect Tielemans who will battle it out with Ramsey and Wilshere for the final central midfield slot.

​



That's now 3 players joining on the 1st of July with Bartra, Vidal and Tielemans all joining the club as soon as the window opens.

​
 
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Our next transfer target didn't quite go as well as the others ...

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Ross Barkley choosing Man City instead of us.

We had an offer accepted for Barkley and offered him a contract but sadly he's chose Man City

I can't really blame him as City have just won the Champions League and probably represent the best chance for him to win silverware.

He'd have been brilliant for us and another English player which we're a bit short on at the minute.

​

It was also time to say goodbye to the released players ...


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The 2 names from the first team being released are Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck.

Theo made 282 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 67 goals. He only started 1 league game last season though as he was way down the pecking order. He'd been at the club since 2006 though so I'm disappointed to lose his experience but when it came down to it, he just wasn't good enough anymore.

Danny Welbeck on the other hand looked to be leaving as I came in but I wanted him to stay for one more season. He only made 53 games for Arsenal, scoring 7 goals. He leaves the club on a high though after scoring the winning goal in the Europa League final.

I did offer Welbeck a new contract after a decent end to the season but his mind was already made up to leave.

Both of these lads would be awesome free transfers for anyone in the top half of the Premier League.

​


Just as they were leaving the club, the 3 new recruits joined us for the first day of training ...

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3 Really top signing there!

Bartra and Vidal will also give the side some real experience and hopefully a winning mentality after both have won pretty much everything the game has to offer.

Tielemans on the other hand is still a youngster in comparison. His stats look great and hopefully the other lads can help him become one of the best over the next few years.
​
 
After walcott and Welbeck have left how is your home grown quota looking?
 
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The first day back after the summer break and with the 3 new lads joining us everything seemed to be going quite nicely. However it turned into a stream of transfer negotiations ... sadly they were all outgoing transfers rather than bringing anyone else in ...

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First up Southampton offered for out of favour midfielder, Francis Coquelin.

After bargaining Southampton up slightly we eventually agreed to accept this offer.

Similar to Walcott and Welbeck who also left in the summer, Coquelin is a decent player and has been at the club for a long time but he just isn't good enough anymore.

He's already way down the pecking order and Vidal and Tielemans have also jumped infront him.

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The deal was done pretty quickly and I'm sure he'll be a decent player for Southampton.

​


Soon after that we had an approach for one of our star players ...

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French Champions, and our opponents in the recent Europa League final, PSG sent an enquiry for center back, Aymeric Laporte.

We turned this down as I'm looking forward to see Laporte partner Bartra at center back.

It's a big transfer with his value already at £35 million but I just don't think I'd be able to replace him. Also, I wouldn't like to have 2 brand new center backs for the new season, I want at least one who's been here a while.

​


The next transfer received was a similar story ...

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Barcelona offering just over £25 million for Juan Mata.

If I'm honest I was quite disappointed with the offer. £25 million wouldn't be a bad deal but I'd want it to be paid all up-front rather than it be dependant on form and milestones he achieves.


We rejected the offer and heard nothing more!

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We then had 2 clubs offering for the same player ...

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Both Bayern Munich and my old club AC Milan offered £16 million for Tiemoué Bakayoko.

Bakayoko is similar to Coquelin in many ways as he's a good player and never really disappointed at Arsenal but the club has overtook him. He's way behind the likes of Vidal and just wouldn't get any game time.

Both offers were accepted so it was now down to the player where he chose ...

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Well, he chose Italy and my old club Milan.

I was hoping he'd join Bayern just because of how badly Milan had treated me but I guess it doesn't really matter.

I'm please to bring in £16 million anyway to try and offset the enormous spending early on in the summer.

​


The final offer of the day was about as straight forward as you get ...

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PSG signing out of favour goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli for £19 million.

I didn't even bother negotiating the offer up as I just want this lad out of the football club. He's been training with the kids for about 6 months which isn't good for anyone.

It now puts huge pressure on me to sign a goalkeeper though with my only Jack Butland in the first team.​



This brought an end to a fraught day but I'm sure there's many more transfers to be done and to miss out on before the season starts in about 3 weeks.​
 
Average Joe said:
After walcott and Welbeck have left how is your home grown quota looking?
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It's still decent, we've got Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Butland, Wilshere, Serge Gnabry, Chris Smalling and Bellerin (I think) and quite a few in the under 21 squad which I can select. We still could do with a couple more though.
 
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Even after all of those outgoings and transfer offers received, we still had teams circling ...


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Bayern Munich offering just over £20 million for young winger, Serge Gnabry.

Gnabry was very much a bit part player last season but never really disappointed when picked. He just couldn't match the performances of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

I was in a real dilemma whether to accept this or not, he's not done enough to be in the starting 11 but he's proved himself as a decent squad player.

But then I saw his successor ...

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Ainsley Maitland-Niles

He's already in the squad after spending last season out on loan at Everton.

He seriously impressed at Everton though, scoring 10 goals in 28 appearances while playing on the wing.

He already looks better than Gnabry to be honest so I've promoted him straight to the first team and look to give him game time this season.

Therefore ...

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There's obviously a major re-building job to be done at Bayern after missing out on the Champions League again but I really don't think signing like this are really going to help.

​

We then got an offer for one player we really didn't want to lose!!

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We told Real where to go with this offer but I fear that they'll come back in for him.

The deal could rise to just over £60 million which is a ridiculous amount for a 30 year old.

He had a good season last year but I still think he can do better!

I've rejected the offer without a second thought. If we want to achieve anything this season then we have to keep players like Sanchez as they're pretty much irreplaceable.​
 
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After dealing with all these outgoings I decided to spent a bit more time on bringing a couple more in. The season starts in less than 2 weeks so we haven't got long left to bring anyone else in and make sure they're bedded into the club.

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We made a rapid signing of Mario Mandžukić from Juventus.

He isn't going to set the world alight and he's near the end of his career, at 33 but I needed another striker after losing both Walcott and Welbeck.

He's cheap enough to take a gamble on and is also happy to play a back-up role.

​


My attentions then turned to the goalkeepers. After search high and low I came to the conclusion that they're stupidly difficult to sign. Eventually I agreed a deal for Himo Horn ...

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It sadly didn't go to plan though.

We met his release clause of £22 million but he decided to stay in Spain with Athletico Madrid and signed a new deal with them.

I'm starting to think that we'll be stuck with Butland for this season at this rate.​
 
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The next week or so passed without any drama as we get within a few days now of the season starting.


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We had a really short pre-season and only played 3 games.

This was because our season last season finished late due to the Europa League Final.

We also have the Super Cup final to play against Man City which we play a few days after the Premier League starts.

We were unbeaten throughout the 3 games but the only meaningful game was the 1-1 draw against fellow Premier League side, Southampton.

Alexis Sanchez was brilliant in the 3 games, scoring 5 goals in the process.

​

In other news, the first bit of silverware went to Chelsea ...

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Premier League champions, Chelsea took on Fa Cup holders, Man Utd in the 2019 Community Shield with Chelsea coming out ontop in a close encounter.

The Premier League champions started this season as they finished last with yet another trophy under the Mourinho era.

It looks like Chelsea will still be the team to beat this season.


We meanwhile prepare for the first game of the season against Leicester.

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We start with a tough trip to Leicester before challenging Man City in the Super Cup final.

Wolves at home follows before the challenging part of the month when we come up against Man Utd (home) and Liverpool (away).

I'd probably take and be pretty happy with 10 points from the first 4 league games here.​
 
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