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Are most pundits and commentators actually RIGHT about Arsenal’s title chances?

Are most pundits and commentators right about Arsenal? by Anders

Through the years, I have often been almost infuriated by certain pundits’ and other commentators’ criticism of Arsenal, and I certainly believe we get more negative scrutiny than most clubs.

Jamie Redknapp, Souness and Neville are some of the persons, I usually think are full of biased bull…, and there are several others, where I really can’t accept most of their comments to be worthy to be called expertise.

However, I also have to admit, that the last 5-6 years or more, it seems to having been a general consensus from almost all pundits and commentators before the season, that Arsenal wouldn’t be serious title contenders. Apart from the season before last, it also was the general consensus mid-season, even when we were leading the league or close to leading. Arsenal weren’t considered to be strong enough to go all the way. Only in the season before last, when Leicester were leading, did quite a few believe we would win the league in the end.

As mentioned, I would get really upset listening to pundits and commentators writing us off beforehand or during season, where we seemed to be going along nicely, and when it didn’t happen for us, I would naturally put it down to bad luck with injuries, schedule or maybe bad refereeing.

But could it be, that all the people writing Arsenal off beforehand, actually were right?
Were we simply not good enough?
Were we lacking in mentality as predicted?
Were we lacking defensively and being easy to play against, as often claimed?

It really worries me, that the general consensus among almost everybody, except some fans, is that again this season we don’t look like having improved in the right areas to be among the top favorites for the title. And personally, I tend to agree.

Last season the big difference between the 2 title contenders, Chelsea and Tottenham, and us, was the number of goals we let in. You just can’t win the league without being strong defensively. So one would naturally think, that our defensive areas, maybe especially the defensive midfield, would see changes and improvement. But I really haven’t seen much yet that indicates it.

So will the pundits and other “so called neutrals” be right once again?

I certainly hope it turns out differently, but if not, then what?

Anders

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41 Comments

  1. It’s a given that Arsenal cannot be considered title contenders until we resolve our frailties at the back as well as the mental weakness that rears it’s Ugly head when the going gets tough . I’m hoping our players will step up this season to prove everyone wrong, by going the distance in winning the league. If they all give their 110% , work as a team and not let anything distract them from achieving their goal , we can be champions. We must not underestimate the smaller teams and be more brave against the bigger ones .

  2. Its incredible how many so call fans go into a season with cannon badge and tails between their legs as soon as our rivals make the odd purchase compared to ours. I imagine many have only YT to go by – many cannot recall having ever experience the elation of an arsenal premiership win.

    *well to all the purveyors of doom and gloom – arsenal do win premierships, it does happen and it is going to happen again – get behind the manager, get behind your team. #COYG

  3. Formation and tactics (instructions ) play a huge role in how the defensive part of the team works, sometimes it is not all about individuals but team’s effort in general. with our new 343 formation i believe we will click more as a team. Though we need at least one CM signature. beside never underestimate the impact of a lethal strikers. If laca is on fire then we stand a chance.

  4. I think we will play well this season. Our players can improve lots, the issue being mentality. But I have faith in our guys. the shock of finishing out of top 4 will serve as a reminder I feel.

    Off Topic:
    Can anyone create a Fantasy Football league, and share it on this site, so that all of us can have a bit of fun. An article to create awareness on the same can also be nice.

    Since most of us are tactically aware, know the best players in each position etc. this is the closest we can test ourselves against each other ? what say guys, its gonna be fun. Plus we can have a weekly article to see the positions of all involved.So there wont be a dull moment, even if a result is not good for Arsenal….

    PS – All this with the permission and blessings of the admin of the site.

    2. My team is ready, you just make a league and give the code here for us and see what a real tactician means! And give me sime pundits as well to show them that we, the fans, know football better than them! They only speak about football but they never show are there any flaws in practice about them or not. I bet they all have many! So, waiting for the league code and we can all give them a lesson, I mean to the pundits out there! 😛

      1. And we can win all the trophies next season in England and abroad, not just the title but we need to make a quality signing until the window closes. Virgil Van Dijk could be that man. We don’t need a defensive miedfielder any more, guys – Xhaka & Elneny are perfectly suited in the team, they will both make miracles in that area as they did with Chelsea! They almost tore them apart and I think they can do the same with the others! 🙂

  5. Wenger states Sanchez is out for around 2 weeks due to a stomach strain? Hmmmmm

    I love him but if he’s not committed to Arsenal long term let’s sell him, we may not get a direct replacement but a couple of quality signings could replace him

    1. Why everyone is slating Alexis? He wanted to moved end of last season after seeing the lack of investment and quality in the team to compete. What have you got so far? Laca for 50 millions and the beast for free. what else? 3 weeks and no more signings in the horizon. the lamar saga will go to the end and will not be finalised because of penny pinching. While the big ones have done 3-4 buys we seems content with what we got and to be honest it is good enough for 4-5 place fight unless the likes of Shity- chelski and UTD had a horror as it happened 2015-16 season. Arsene and the Board have been very good pretending they are reluctant to let him go but 50-60 millions will be amazing to miss.Why any player with winning mentality wants to stay? Community and Emirates gups/ Not even messi..sell him and go and get draxler who’s available after Neymar arrival. we missed him 3 years ago cos he was not good enough for Wenger. lucas Moura too..Go and get 2 more players needed to compete for GOD SAKE, carvalho/ Seri or Lamar NOW.. this team is not good enough to WIN EPL.

  6. Sanchez will be sold this window!
    I’ve believed it all along that city, mu, Chelsea, psg will come in for him at the end of the window and we’ll sell. The board are divided and Wenger is digging in to keep him.

    A bidding war will start between 2 clubs and we’ll sell I reckon for around 45m to 55m.

    The fact is out now could be the start of it.
    If he goes we will have secured lemar or another first.

    Hope I wrong but but my gut tells me otherwise.

  7. If we sold sanchez I’d like to see a versatile attacking player,(lemar) and someone with creative visipn and set piece skills. Gilfi Sidgurdson would be ideal as a mod quality sqaud player,(wed obviously have to sell some players to balance)

  8. This has always been the problem with Arsenal FC, we put so much trust in average players every season and tend to believe they will improve as the season progresses but sadly from experience this has not been the case. Yet we never learn from experiexperience. No magic can get you a different result using thesame methods over and over again. We need atleast a CM and a left winger that are better than Ramsey and Walcott and may be a tough defender

  9. I digress: Remember Cesc Fabregas before his move to Barcelona, how he kept getting injured and wasn’t able to play for us? He soon was in the Barca team as soon as he signed. Is history about to repeat itself with Sanchez? Wenger=Useless!

    1. exactly seems awfully a lot like fab did before leaving. damn it fab was my fav player and it sucked and so is alexis.

    1. Wow, Wenger has been lying through his teeth all summer long.

      Sanchez is never injured, now he got an abdominal strain at the training? Pfffft.

  11. I’m infuriated by pundits especially carragher that twat ex Liverpool player talking crappie about arsenal hasn’t got leaders on the field, we won 7,8 games on the trot before season end unfortunately it’s down to arsenal coaching staff to snuff that mentality from the players, we beat Chelsea, man city, man u, it’s all down to bad blood from all those pundits sometimes I watch match of the day revisited the likes of sourness, carragher all making elementary mistakes, they are all jealous idiots anyway

    1. Lol like liverpool got plenty of leaders, more like plenty of divas.
      i dont hate liverpool, never have, kind of supported them sometimes when arsenal was not involved but their fans, pundit and even that dumbass owner piss me off.

  13. We will do well this season. Maybe not league title, but better than last year. I just think we have a balanced team with decent squad depth.

    Other teams have a lot of new additions and questionable management.

    City are one of the best teams on paper but never live up to expectations. Not sure that will change, but they are most likely to do better.

    I’m saying 3rd place and Europa league title..

    1. exactly just challenge for once, the majority of our fans are not gloryseekers they just want to see their fav team challenge up till may. just like liverpool did some years ago with sas.

      if arsenal had properly challenged for the title in the last decade even if we didnt win any league, fans would never have been pissed off. my 2nd team has always been real madrid and there was plenty of years that barca just kept on winning the league but at least real challenged.

      its better to regret missing the title by small margins for 12 years than only getting top 4 every season without really challenging. in the end fans will only remember seasons when we won the title and nearly won it, i still remember that dreaded leeds game when we lost. i wonder how many of you know which game i’m talking about ? thats what being fans is all about.
      you think chelsea fans care about finishing 10th and missing cl, they only remember winning 2 titles and that is what history will remember.

  15. The pundits just tell it how it is, and so do the fans that want Wenger out. Facts don’t lie, and although none of us can predict the future, it’s with some ease that I can say that we’ll struggle yet again with Wenger in charge.

    What annoys me more than anything is why Wenger hates the DM position? He just plain refuses to strengthen that role, and has never replaced Gilberto. To think Ramsey is the answer, and that he’ll stay injury free, is beyond a joke!

  16. We must accept the fact even if it is not in our favor,we are behind other clubs,other clubs are doing all they can to improve their team for the new season and we are busy doing nothing……I am a born gunner I have been a fan almost two decades now arsenal is depreciating,no depth in the squad, lacazed in and Sanchez likely to go and he is irreplaceable cos he work hard for the team,his winning mentality is there too,those days we have ljuberg.pires,witord,KANU,bergamp,henry,Reyes,parlour,virea,Gilberto, Petit,, edu,Sol campell,keown,Lauren, Cole, and kolo toure,…if Sanchez has this quality players around him and arsenal didn’t make top four he will stay with us…this days we have average players in the team….we need those players that can win us trophy not experimenting with the same old players

  18. We cannot go into the new season without a ball playing midfield signing. What we have are squad players. Last season showed us that we needed a clear out but it doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon

  19. What ever the comment of Pundits and neutrals is, we have to do our home work properly for the coming new season and make them to shut up their mouth.

  21. We are winning everything next season , we don’t need Alexis , We have best players in the world likes of debuchy , jenkinson , Wilshere .We don’t need anymore signings

  22. For 3 to 4 years now. pundits had being telling me man city is the favourite and the same number of years they have not won a goblet let alone a tray. All i want is EPL at the end of the season but with kind of money Manchester clubs are spending, the arsenal indecisiveness, with the defeatist attitude of us fans and the media bull….t i will settle for another fa cup and el.

  23. The pundits are just ex-footballers who share their views like anyone else, some of these pundits also share views that gets them ratings. The Mourinho situation at Chelsea followed the team right through the 2015-2016 season, the Wenger, Sanchez saga followed arsenal right through last season and still going. So the Pundits starts the fire then the rest of Media adds gasoline.

    The phrases ” word is wind ” or ” stick or stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you”, both phrases are little sayings told to children to help them combat teasing or bullying, however, both phrases are lies. Words do hurt and it affects the mental processes of all individuals. Our footballers are constantly facing negative news around, which will fester and causes faults in their performances.

    I would hope that our fans and players maintain a positive tone and not get evolve in the media hype, which is emitted by the pundits.

  24. Only 22% of the more than 1000 fans polled on this site believe we will win the PL. The pundits and the other 78% are realists.

    1. Sport is about dreaming big and yet 78% of you want to write off Arsenal even before a ball has been kicked and in fact for the last 2 months since we actually won the FA Cup…
      Just go and watch another team or another sport or Big Brother if you are so disillusioned.. its like you are all Masochists and want ua to be miserable like you !
      There is no guarantee for ANY club in PL to win the title (ask Man City and Utd who spent hundreds of millions last year and could not buy the Title !)… so why not just enjoy the game and support the team !

      1. Neil! So you think a fan has to believe that there club can win the league otherwise they should support another team?? And that they can’t enjoy the games and support the team without knowing the truth about there title expectations?? That’s weird and kind of delusional! If arsenal football club did the right things the fans would believe in the club a lot more but they don’t, contracts, deadwood, transfers etc all we can hope for is this new formation brings out a new arsenal that can last 38 games not the one off fa cup matches! Supporting the team and being realistic is the same support as delusional fans just experienced fans and amateur fans all mixed together

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