Arsenal should treat EVERY game like we are playing Man United!

We need to change our behaviour. The Arsenal fans, players, and the manager. By Galen

I know everyone is still super excited about yesterday’s demolition of Manchester United. I also understand that Arsenal fans will be disappointed with me writing such an article after a very impressive performance. But our culture as a football club is shocking and it annoys me.

The fans are meant to be the 12th man. But at Arsenal it’s a completely different story. The fans come to the Emirates hoping to see a spectacle and forget about their duty to support the team. We just cannot choose what games to support our boys. We cannot only wait for Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern to visit the Emirates before we actually support the team.

West Ham was the perfect example. The fans acted as if they came to watch Romeo and Juliet at the Cinema. We need to change such a culture going forward. Against Manchester United the fans could smell blood. The atmosphere was incredible. The Manchester United players must have been asking themselves at the tunnel,’What is going on at the Emirates today?’ But should it just be when we play Manchester United? How about when we Sunderland and Newcastle at home for example. At the end of the day its 3 points. We need to carry this spirit of supporting our team regardless of the opponents we are facing. We cannot hand pick what games to support and what games to chill. Its very embarrassing.

The players are the next group of people to take huge responsibility as well. Arsene Wenger said: “We lost on Tuesday night, the performance was not disciplined enough. We acknowledged that and responded today,

“It’s about focus. Subconsciously we think we can just turn up in the Champions League… while in the Premier League we are on our toes and know it will be difficult.

“Maybe that’s where we have to make a step up, but it will not be the same against Bayern of course!”

That for me is a very serious problem. When professional footballers look at fixtures and see Zagreb and Olympiakos and subconsciously think it is going to be a very easy game… I understand the honesty of the manager, but at the same time I am disappointed that the manager has let complacency settle into the team. The players – just like the fans – are capable of picking what game they need to turn up for.

I think going forward we need to take every fixture seriously, and fans need to support the team regardless of the opponent we are facing. We need to make the Emirates our home fortress. Every team in Europe need to be scared of the Emirates.

Have a great week.

By Galen Sona

Tags Emirates Man United Wenger

15 Comments

  1. Finally an article that doesn’t look just at the last game. This was one good performance in a season full of ups and downs and making general conclusions from it is exactly what we want to avoid. We’ve seen this before. Making a good run before spectacularly failing short. I’ll reserve my opinion for the end of the season, but i still believe Wenger will not lead us to the lead title and thus should lead if he fails to with the resources he was given and the status of the other top teams.

    1. Precisely. All depends on whether we carry Sunday’s approach and form into future matches. It means little to press and harry all over the pitch against United in order to defend the manager’s reputation (and your own) if going forward you revert to your former lax approach and turn in performances a la West Ham, Zagreb and Olympiakos.

      Yes we’re second at moment, but being second on October 6th does not for one moment negate the mediocrity and failure of the past 10 years. Not even close. We’ve been first as of January 1 only to be irrelevant by March. That could easily happen again. Not to mention this is the same team that lost to West Ham on opening day and struggled to beat a 10-man Newcastle. Further, we’re bottom of our CL group, with extremely poor results against Zagreb and Olympiakos, so the fact many fans think the AKB has been vindicated shows only how low their standards and expectations are.

      Let’s see if Wenger can make Sunday’s approach our modus operandi going forward. Let’s see if we’re within 2-3 points of City in March-April, when it really matters. The last ten years tells us he won’t and can’t. That’s the reality when you step outside of looking solely at the last game as a barometer.

  2. I used to say the same thing like “We should treat every match like Cup Final” but its easier said than done. Fact is teams don’t and won’t play EVERY match like that

    All I hope for is for all players to play with as much passion, concentration and work rare as possible

    1. Couldn’t agree with you more. The article is okay though the title is misleading.

      We cannot have the same game plan each game, each team has its own weaknesses and strengths and should be assessed individually. Though in terms of desire to win, the work rate, killer instinct and the fast and furious attitude showed in the united game should continue and even more.

  3. The title “…. play every game like we are playing Man United”. Which team is Man united? The best? No. We play every game as the last 3 pts to give us the title.

  4. lets play like that all through and win the league so that I stop bashing Wenger 😀 😀 :D..he isn’t that bad..just that he is the only I can blame 🙁 🙁
    But till then..Wenger can’t inject that zeal into the team..he should leave 🙁 🙂 😀 😀 🙁 🙁

  5. No we should every game like we are playing Barcelona. If we play every game like we are playing man utd, we won’t beat city, Chelsea, Barcelona, real Madrid, bayern Munich.

  6. You end up doing wonders if your A** is under pressure. Arsenal had to win and we did win. Thats the main problem at Arsenal. Its that to many are to comfortable in the club.

  7. Budd. The problem with you is that you have an immense biased view. If the manager thinks he has a team good enough to win the epl then he should go out and prove it. If he fails to archieve the goals he made before then what are consequences? Are there even any? No person should be bulletproof from critisem. You think that fans cant do anything besides paying money and watch the show? but i say is that you are wrong.

    Wenger alone is holding the board together. Without him there will be no one to cover for the board anymore. Wenger is riding his legacy to much on luck. He should give up in the Cl and try his all by winning the Epl. Right now is the best time to do so. Not bec we look like a nice champion side of a team, but bec others are all going through crises, where we never are in a such a place to beginn with.

    Arsenal are the almost champions, and i hope that this year with much luck we can win the title. If not, Wenger will never win it again.

    1. I am not sure why are you replying to me here because I did not said anything. But to your point : correct. No person should be bulletproof of criticism but criticism is to be done where due. I think you misunderstand what I say about the fans. A fan/supporter is that person supporting his/her favorite team/club. Through bad and worse. Constantly beating the same dead horse when the team is doing very good (I am not saying brilliant because that’s Citeh, Chavs territory usually these days) is not making you any better than an opposition fan.
      Finally you come to what I have said before : sacking only Wenger but keeping the rest of the board intact will make things even worse. However, how many of us are prepared to take few more years of rebuilding and, why not, anarchy? Team begins to click, it will be suicide to take anyone out of it. I am not sure if we aim for UCL presence this year will mean inevitably to compete for the title. Just as you say it today I have said it after City lost their game against Juventus : every team can lose to every other team. TV rights made sure of it and all EPL teams can buy fairly easy a 15 mil player. And I wouldn’t be very sure that Wenger won’t win a title again. As for UCL you really, really need luck to play the final. That’s the only game where nothing is certain before the start.

      1. Totalitarianism is bad for the club. Through bad and worse, but not blind and stupid. Problems are there to be fixed and not to be ignored. Does the 3:0 win against manure somehow errase the Cl failuare now?

        Something like Sacking in Wengers case is impossible. Sooner or later he must go. And no, there is no need to panic about him leaving, bec this team is decent and needs only fixing in some key poz to become great again. Even Wenger success is due of him inheriting a good core of players from past manager, which was a big factor of Wenger success in the team to begin with.

  8. I have to admitt, I was pleasantly surprised of How well Mertsacker and Gabriel did without Koscielny.
    Mert is experienced and good in most areas but slow and Gabs is faster but not as experienced. I didn’t expect such a solid performance. They completly owned Martial and others

    Gabriel Maybe the best January transfer in over a decade. He has a bright future

  9. Galen, Arsenal will be relevant and remain relevant in COC, EPl title, FA Cup & Ucl as the win the fifthruple this season, having won the Charity Shield already. Right? And let’s acknowledge the fact that the Boss is shock & bullet resistant.

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