Arsenal appear content with playing the longest waiting game as they continually to build their team for the future, and I’m beginning to buy into it.
We’ve all heard the ‘trust the process‘ motto, and many comments about how we are building up to something, and while the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are getting such levels out of their playing squads, it would take something out of this world to be able to match them.
Chelsea earned the tag of Champions League winners last season, becoming World Club Cup champions and European Super Cup winners since, and while they flirted with the top of the table earlier in the campaign, even they could only come within 19 points of top this term.
We simply cannot compete with the finances of City, and have to be more stringent with how and when we do splurge out in the transfer market, and thankfully our recent signings have all proved to be shrewd, while our outgoings have arguably been even better.
Timing is important in most things in life, and right now we probably have the most competitive division in world football, highlighted by the fact that we have three of the last four and six of the last eight finalists of the Champions League.
Klopp and Pep definitely have a stronghold on the top places at present, and their sides are unlikely to roll over lightly, but naturally time will take it’s course, and the motivations will get skewed or their luck will simply run out.
Of those building themselves up to be ready to take over from the pair, I pray that we are there, ready and waiting when that time comes, while I also imagine that Chelsea could also be there given the amount of talent that has been coming out of their academy in recent seasons. Their project could well take time to gel after a change in ownership and overhaul of those higher ups are likely to have an adverse affect on their immediate future, while the rest of the sides have massive question marks on their long-term planning.
On the whole, I see that our owners and backroom staff all appear to be on the same page, working together as a strong unit and appearing to be both cautious and patient in their project, and I can see how that could well prove to be the best way to come close to success at present, as going gung-ho in the transfer market every summer clearly has it’s downfalls (word to Man United).
Do you think Arsenal FC are happy to continue to build their team around young players over the coming years and waiting for Liverpool and City to loosen their grip on the top spots? Or will our target really be to earn a regular top-four spot? Do you agree that playing the long game could be the cleverest approach?
Patrick
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Sigh, I really hope we can trust the process.
I really would like to beleive that we are in a process to get to the top.
I think this transfer window will be very telling. We clearly need alot of improvement. In order to go for 3rd place. Next season we need to be hot OK 3rd. Not fighting for 4th or 5th but we’ll up there on the mix. Let’s see if we get real talent or average players. If arsenal spend the money we can improve. But the jury is still out
We haven’t really challenged for the title in 10 years or more. Chelsea weren’t challenging this year either, despite being 3’rd.
What we need to see, is us getting closer to the title next season. Maybe within 10-12 points. Then it would clearly be an upward trend.
I said it before, evolution is the only thing longer than our rebuild.
We have no choice to be patient ..in hope…waiting .. but be aware the process never actually has an end!
what a kick in the nuts for anyone who’s ever been called clever
Yes, see what happened to Man United for being impatient. They won EL, but they became highly unstable with six managers in the last nine years
Man United seemed to have learned their lesson and try to follow our method by giving Ten Hag several years to rebuild
Yes, but most of the people on here want success NOW, they don’t settle for less. And if the manager doesnt bring instant success with a far less squad than the competition, they just yell whatever manager is in charge out, and so on
Luckily, Arsenal usually don’t listen to the keyboard warriors. They just sacked Wenger after the supporters protested heavily at the Emirates
Maybe Arsenal should listen to the keyboard warriors me and probably everyone on here know more about football than the Kroenkes just because they are fitted out in savile row suits don’t mean they know what they’re doing.
I disagree.
What you have suggested is much more likely to lead to chaos IMO.
I doubt that many of the KWs understand what it takes to build a team.
Well everyone has their own opinions I respect that.
Maybe Kev, but I think they only pay attention to the banners from the supporters at the Emirates
GAI I’m not sure they pay attention to anything other than the matchday funding.. these people said for every shirt sold £5 would go to the Arsenal foundation and whilst this is true to cover any losses they put the price of the shirt up £5 so it’s the people who are donating to the cause while the club takes credit for they’re charitable donations, Arsenal have always been a club of integrity and class but that’s long gone now under the ownership of the Kroenkes.
That’s an interesting info, Kev. I’m sure Arsenal really use it for charity and I’d still prefer Kroenke than the oligarchic EPL club owners
About the fans’ messages to the Kroenkes, they will surely pay attention if we fly a banner using a plane, as some fans did to Wenger 😜
Yeah but we have an owner who fired the tea lady and the club mascot, this coming from a billionaire he probably uses coupons for his weekly groceries 😆 FSG run Liverpool way better than the Kroenkes run Arsenal, they have a fantastic structure, scouting network, and an unbelievable management system and also have increased Anfields capacity as well as building a complete new training facility.. and have you noticed how fit Liverpool players are compared to our players? We’ve basically been playing 1 game a week for months, Liverpool have been in every single competition until the end and our players look exhausted 😂 even under Wenger they could barely play 2 games a week 😆
I suspect FSG owners came from the future, hence their immaculate transfer decisions 😁
You’re right about the stamina of Liverpool’s players. Salah and Mane play like Duracell bunnies, whereas our players seem to have party before the tough away games 😂
The problem is, that you cannot build up a squad slowly. First sign of an exceptional player, and the big clubs winning the trophies lure him away through a greedy agent. So saying we have a young squad doesn’t wash. The minute they show any potential, they are gone. Then we start again. That’s where the once great AJAX of Amsterdam is for the past few decades. Never ends.
Ok so they won a premier league (major title and honour) and we won an fa cup and were unstable/mediocre.
The method btw isn’t ours..many a football team buys young (read cheaper) through necessity or as a product of their youth system (most big clubs have them).
Man Utd did it with youth as have Ajax.
No, Man United just won EL after Fergie left. I mean they tried to be more patient like us, by giving Ten Hag a long term contract
GAI but unlike us they hired a man with managerial experience we hired a novice and no sooner will they pull the plug on ten hag the moment it falls apart unlike us.
Yes Kev, Arteta is a rookie and I was also surprised Kroenke extended his contract before the season ended. We can’t change anything, so let’s hope Tuchel or Nagelsmann will be available if Arteta’s ship crashes in 2023
GAI it does make one question how seriously ambitious the club is though, are they happy with just the odd top 4 place ? They are entrusting 2 inexperienced men to build a team who have no past experience of doing so, what makes everyone so confident Edu/Arteta can build a successful team? Not only are these two very inexperienced, they are filling the squad with inexperience as well, the PL is a cut throat league, certainly not one for experiments.
I think the Kroenkes are happy enough with the progress Kev, but I’m sure they only accept an EL trophy or a top four finish next season
Or maybe they’re waiting for Guardiola, Klopp, Nagelsmann or Tuchel to become available, which might only happen in 2023 or 2024. I don’t think Pochettino, Zidane, Rodgers, Potter and Vieira can compete with those fellas
Mikel has to make champions league somehow next season or that’s it for him. It’s now step up or step aside for all club staff top to bottom or step aside.
We blew an almighty chance, by our own doings, in the top4 race to really crack on with better players, Champions League Football back at the club & all with a young improving team.
Man Utd will strengthen & play differently, Spurs are investing £150m to the squad by the looks of it, Haaland is already for City & Liverpool will add to there fantastic squad. Plus Chelsea are about to be took over and a guaranteed spending spree!
That leaves us battling with Utd, West Ham, Newcastle, Leicster etc… challenging for 5th while trying to catch up to the Top4 who are going be alot stronger come next sesson. Don’t forget we lost to Brighton, Palace, Newcastle, Spurs in the run in.
This major fail will hurt us more than you think now Spurs will sign the big targets with an experienced winner as their coach. We have Mikel & Edu with Stan Kronke as Owner, sorry Josh!
Targets this season;
• League – Top4
• Europa – Win
• FA Cup – semi at least
• League – Win
Realistically Europa League win is a big one but why not! Let’s hope they know what they are doing this summer.
We are in trouble.
Ten hag will shape Man Utd into a better form with an identity nearer to the Man Utd ethos and as you say spurs will get stronger.
City/Liverpool service will resume and Chelsea will build for success. Newcastle will be stronger as they will no doubt invest as may Everton.
Let’s see what EG/MA and SK can do as part of this process and roadmap! A big window approaches..
I think the main issue with some of the disgruntled fanbase is that they simply do not realise how bad things were at Arsenal when Arteta walked through the door, and Emery to be fair! These things take years fix. The squad alone has taken a good 3 years to sort out since 2018, and that was with being very aggressive ending contracts as well.
We had been a sinking ship years before Arteta joined, and it was a case of stopping the rot first, before even thinking of building any foundations.
It’s not just the fact we had an absent owner, Wenger and Gazidis were consistently failing on the day-to-day operational side of things.
James Olley wrote They (Arsenal) chose not to gamble everything on a CL push in January amid concerns it might risk Arteta’s rebuild and some crap about FFP Now to me that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard and Edu himself said the squad couldn’t absorb 1 or 2 players. Some of the statements that come from this club is almost laughable and people are on board with this, they have been playing fans for fools for years and now using PR spins to convince fans the project is real.
FFP really that has been said or was said? I’m sure getting rid of PEA alone would bring us under FFP
Palmer I take anything they say with a pinch of salt, they will say anything to fob off supporters but not to worry if all fails they will bring out a host of training kits for next season.
Arteta is a coach learning to be a manger he cannot stop any rot as that is ingrained deeper into the club.
As for not knowing how bad things can be, I and others on here have supported AFC throughout our lives so are well aware that Arsenal didn’t suddenly appear when MA arrived!;)
I’ve supported since the 70s so kind of up on events that have occurred thanks!;)
What you fail to understand is that the process is never ending (call it goalpost moving). You can sing and dance to the tune of KSE doesn’t mean we all have to:)
I admit that mistakes were made in Jan, but I stand by the fact that it was key injuries at a key point that cost us top 4.
Although some on here do not by that as an excuse. Apparently Tavares, Elneny/Lokonga and Cedric are om the same level as Tierney, Partey, and Tomiyasu!
Arteta brought in Lokonga Cedric and Tavares so they’re his players the same man who tried to give mustafi a new deal that alone is a sackable offence. It amazes me that people have faith in the Kroenkes considering they’re reputation, as long as these people run the club I do not see a successful future.
The club has successfully lowered the standards for many fans. A novice hired as a coach supported by a novice in Edu.
Virtually every player except Partey is young with limited experience that they brought in.
They plead for patience, project, process, as if the last 15 years was not pleading for patience.
They have successfully sold top 6 as the new top 4, have not issued a single goal or standard to be met in 2 1/2 years, and claim nearly anything as progress.
The FA Cup win They mention was won with Wenger and Emery “deadwood” that has since been shipped out.
Time to return to the top 4 standard that was in place for years. Either top 4 finish, FA Cup, or reach finals in Europa league. Anything less should be a stern warning or sacking.
For those that say too harsh, the spuds refuse to settle for less, and we’ve finished behind them how many years now? They show more ambition than Arsenal, sad state indeed.
I as a seasoned Arsenal fan for many years I am very happy the progress being made at Arsenal.Yes the players collapsed over the last couple of games for championship entry but hey it’s football there a young squad who can only get better through strength and maturity.Arteta has brought some great experience with him working with a top manager such as Pep and if Xhaka had not given up so many red cards and we had started well in our first three games we would have been challenging Chelsea.
Give the process time, the squad is looking like a team and with a striker such as Jesus we can challenge for at least 4 th next season and the pundits/ journalists won’t be saying we are getting relegated which was an absolutely stupid statement at the time and please be patient great teams aren’t built in a season.