Arsenal failed to take advantage of Liverpool dropping points, but that wasn’t the reason thousands left the Emirates frustrated on Saturday.
If you wanted to, you could rationalize 6 points. The gap between us and the league leaders would have been the gap between us and the league leaders if both teams had won their home fixtures. Yet, this disappointment was more than just the implications of a title race. Most Gooners are smart enough to understand this squad has too many days where they don’t show up to be considered Champions.
Believe it or not most of our fan base debated Mr. Wenger’s future, or now Arteta’s, or indeed when I question if the Kroenke Family don’t look at the sport as Black and White, as we have to be lifting trophies to be content.
All any supporter wants to witness their club try and be the best version of themselves possible.
Under our current ownership for too long, on and off the pitch, that’s not what we strive to do.
Our 0-0 draw with Everton has little evidence of many of our players giving everything to lift the Premiership despite us constantly being told that in training their desire to win is incredible.
At half time, the entire ground would have been aware that Fulham were leading at Anfield with a man advantage. Yet that didn’t seem to change the lack of urgency. If anything, the ball seemed to be moved around slower.
There is a world where Sean Dyche parks the bus, and we can debate poor finishing or bemoan bad luck. I would love to write that it’s as simple as us not having a natural goalscorer. I would cherish it if it were as simple as being able to mock those who predicted Havertz would outscore Haaland, or if we could question why Sterling was loaned just to sit on our bench.
Yet the reality is how many great saves did Jordan Pickford truly have to make this weekend?
Yes, he observed lots of crosses into the box, but did he ever face the kitchen sink?
Our stadium’s atmosphere improved over the years, but it’s gone back to getting apprehensive very quickly. That’s because spectators can no longer guarantee that they will see lots of chances. That’s something you could mostly be sure of since the venue was built, even in the dark days of Mr. Wenger’s last few years.
We had a reputation around the world for being a side which, if nothing else, would always create opportunities.
Now we are not close to being the most entertaining side in the UK and that’s been the case for a while. Worse, tactically, our manager has made that choice.
Remember when the Spaniard went on that rant last season at Newcastle and how I accused him of trying to deflect from our lack of efforts on target?
Go through each campaign under Arteta and count how many times we failed to get on the score sheet compared to Mr. Wenger.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s helped us to be able to dig out results like we hadn’t been able to do in a while, but we have become too conservative, like our boss is being too clever and over complicating things.
Mr. Wenger would have brought off a defender for an attacker if he needed a goal, the current regime was making like for like changes including a DM for a DM.
Despite being held by the Toffees, Arteta was actually fairly positive afterwards. He felt we deserved to win, we dominated, that we generated the highest winning percentages, and he couldn’t ask for more.
He could of course be choosing to stay upbeat to protect our confidence.
My fear is …. he actually believes this was okay?
Dan
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Our Manager is deluding himself if he believes we created “numerous chances” as this was simply not the case.Control and possession are meaningless unless real chances are created and the fact that we have, to a large extent,become dependent on set pieces for goals, speaks volumes.I’m afraid Arteta has become blinkered when it comes to tactics.He has latched on to the “inverted” tactics used by his mentor Pep, and seems convinced that this is the only way to bring us success.He is sadly mistaken , but is highly unlikely to contemplate changing his philosophy which has made us so predictable and relatively easy to defend against.Liverpool, currently play a conventional 4-3-3 system which is based on high energy and athleticism throughout the team and less so in creativity from their 3 midfielders.Their full backs bomb forward and cross on the run whenever possible, but such conventional tactics are shunned by Arteta in the belief that his slow, inverted build up will prevail and create the chances needed to win games.I shall refrain from delving into the players he has signed other than to highlight my personal preference to recruit a natural ,left footed, energetic attacking left back like Robinson of Fulham who was excellent against Liverpool yesterday.Our performance yesterday, and indeed against Fulham was very disappointing and quite frankly I cannot see us putting together a run of wins which are essential if we are to stay in the race from the Premier League title.
@Grandad, I concur with you absolutely 👌.
I said it on this platform yesterday that without been pessimistic but realistic I can’t see how Arteta would win Arsenal Epl. If at this stage a coach doesn’t acknowledge how bad his players were in front of goals in our recent Epl games, then how does he motivate and get them to be on their toes to perform.
I watched PEPG training sessions/dressing room video how he pushes and lashes in certain players who weren’t performing.
Grandad,
I’m one of the biggest Arteta critics on this forum as you probably know if you read a lot of the pages. And I make no apologies for it either.
But one of the problems for me with Arteta is exactly what you say.
You can look back at numerous games where we clearly haven’t performed, and Arteta will come out with its the small margins in both boxes, we controlled the game, they never had a shot at goal. The list of his drivel is endless.
People have a go at me on this forum, especially one of the Admin people who shall remain nameless, for having a go at Arteta.
But like every one has the right to an opinion, so do I. And the fact I call Arteta out where certain fans won’t isn’t my problem.
As far as I’m concerned, when Arsenal perform badly and then you hear the manager come out after the game with what to be honest, is complete waffle, for me he’s just treating the fans like idiots.
Doe’s he think that we can’t see what just went on in the game. It’s an insult to the fans intelligence.
And whether certain people don’t like it or not, I’ll call him out on it all the time.
And where do you hide when Arsenal play brilliantly and win with excellent football, like against Sporting and Monaco? Crying into your pillow?
Admin Pat,
I don’t hide when they win and play well. I write in congratulating them on their performance.
I want Arsenal to be successful like the next person.
But if there’s something I don’t like, I’m not shy to let my feelings be known.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
Okay right. Well okay everyone on here knows you don’t like Arteta so can you stop spouting your one line continually. If it is boring me then I’m not the only one.
Your mind is obviously not open to tolerant exchange of opinions and you are quickly becoming a nuisance.
You really need to read the rules about commenting
Performed brilliantly as in how ? I don’t understand…you don’t have to be bias because you love Arteta as a coach ,,these are some of the reasons Arsenal are not moving forward as a club,not bothered whether they win something big at end of the season or not,,or do you think Arsenal will catch up with Liverpool this season?As poor as mancity this season the gap is just 2 or 3 points Arteta should be ashame..being a Chelsea coach you know what it means if you don’t deliver but here in Arsenal we are still believing in Arteta to win something big that’s illusion ,,Arteta is a baby coach and merek is always right to criticize him until he proves his critics wrong,,stop defending Arteta
Thank you Mikki,
At last a person appears to see what I see, and am not afraid to say it.
Although it’s every fans right to back the manager if that’s what they want to do, then fine.
But also on the flip side of that is, me and every other fan who chooses to, can call out Arteta with their own opinions without fear of getting castigated for it.
It seems to me, that unless you’ve got something positive to say about him, your opinion isn’t valid.
I really can’t understand why some fans just brush over the blatant untruths that come out of Arteta’s mouth, after bad performances.
It’s there choice I know, but it does leave me baffled at times.
All intelligent and experienced Arsenal fans are very aware that no top coach would ever tell the media what he is really thinking. He must be seen publicly to back his players.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE DRESSING ROOM STAYS IN THE DRESSING ROOM!
But you CONTINUE to malign Arteta for doing what every manager in the world does. Try and find a line a little more believable to attack Arteta, repetition is borning….
Haha Derek, you have the cheek to say “It seems to me, that unless you’ve got something positive to say about him, your opinion isn’t valid.”
The exact OPPOSITE is true mate, if anyone does say anything positive about Arteta, YOU say their opinion is invalid.
Look stop spouting rubbish and actually counter arguments with valid and factual reasons why you disagree, not your continual boring platitudes.
You DO NOT decide what everyone else must think. Every Arsenal fan has their own opinion and they are ALL valid
Admin Pat,
Mine Isn’t according to you.
DEREK, as I said, every Arsenal fan’s opinion is valid, but when you BATTER my timeline (44 times yeaterday, 30 the day before) with your same anti-Arteta platitudes it becomes a nuisance.
Can I advise you to wait until you have a VALID objection to something Arteta has said or done and the give your opinion ONCE, you actually be considered a serious commenter.
Right now you are coming across as a troll (I presume you have been called that before). Have you been kicked off your usual Arsenal site and decided to terrorize us instead?
“excellent football, like against Sporting and Monaco”
Are you saying Arsenal were NOT brilliant in those games? What games were you watching?
Admin Pat,
To tell me not to insult people, which I haven’t been anyway.
And then you call me a Troll.
Double standards or what!
No, a troll is not an insult, it’s a label for people who bombard websites with negative comments. If you think it’s an insult then stop doing it. Simple.
Never saw your congratulatory message after the Monaco win, meanwhile you were whining about the team selection before the match. I hate the way we play and lack of urgency but truth be told, nothing Would ever make you like Arteta. It’s obvious.
I just want the success of my team, I don’t care who is the manager, I need my old counter-attacking Arsenal back, whining trophies too.
Spot on as usual grandad. Robinson was also excellent against us last season which only irritated me into trying to understand the warped logic as to why we kept persisting on using Kiwior or the lumbering Tomiyasu in that role or why we continue to buy this type of player.
How many people are buying what Arteta is selling?
Everton happily conceded possession, so I don’t take much from that percentage.
Didn’t Arteta say he wanted to create more from open play? Certainly wasn’t that match, that’s for sure.
Same slow build up, same predictable play down the right hand side, same tactic of “get the ball to Saka and hope he does something.”
Seems tactics may be the problem more than players. This risk averse obsession with inverted fullbacks and possession with endless side to side passing is getting us nowhere.
Even with players coming fit we are lesser this year than last.
Has Merino even moved the needle? Can’t rate Calafiori because he can’t stay fit for 3 matches in a row. Why did we loan Sterling?
Lastly, the left side has been dead for years, and remains lifeless even now. All the LB brought in, all the combinations tried with wingers has not worked.
Tactics are the problem on the left, not the players. Disappointing performance from the team; poor mentality and lacking the spirit of Champions. Seems every time opportunities arise to gain on the leader we bottle it.
The left wing has been dead since the Tierney/ESR/Xhaka trio was dispensed with. Ironic that the introduction of ESR on the left helped save Arteta’s job but, despite being fit again, he’s been allowed to move on and Martinelli (his replacement) has gone backwards.
I think you’re rewriting history a bit there – ESR imo *did* help save arteta’s job when we dropped Ozil and started lacking creativity in attack (to put it mildly), but ESR played mostly through the centre, and this was before xhaka really started playing well (which was the season before he left). It started with the 3-1 win against Chelsea where ESR played CAM and martinelli played LW. I think he actually struggled to play so well at LW for the most part
Arteta’s high-ball-possession tactics are great, but he lacks the courage to use the more adventurous ones when we’re struggling to score
He’s had enough time and resources to win a major trophy for Arsenal. If he can’t win UCL, I hope Kroenke will have the guts to replace him
We moved the ball very slowly and predictably yesterday, if we played another 30 minutes we wouldn’t have scored. We had early chances that Odegaard didn’t take but all considered we played without energy and creativity. Martinelli had more of the ball to show what he could do, but he was so average, Jesus and Havertz were like cardboard cutouts, so poor.
Said it before and I’ll say it again, this Arsenal side and Arteta remind me of 90’s Newcastle and Keegan, loads of promise and potential and ultimately nothing to show for it, “I’m telling ya, I’d luv it if we beat them, luv it!”
We don’t play how they played though
I said it before the start of the season that we are going to have a problem. We must buy a striker in order to put pressure on the defenders of other teams, they double marked our wingers because they see no need of not doing that. The other thing is Rice, Party, Jorginho and Merino, if you play those together it means you are defending and if you defend that means you can’t score goals. We will be empty handed again
What a terrible performance.
The lack of creativity, cutting edge and urgency which is becoming a norm this season.
We created nothing. There was slow movement with the ball and absolutely none off the ball. Something that has happened too often this season.
We can’t seems to score from open play in the PL.
Arteta from his press conference is clearly deluded.
Honestly sws, have you EVER known any top flight coach to tell the bmedia what he is really thinking.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE DRESSING ROOM STAYS IN THE DRESSING ROOM
Admin Pat
True what you say, fair point made.
I would just say that managers usually don’t deny reality and describe the match contrary to what people see with their own eyes.
Have not heard a single person say or write a comment agreeing with Arteta’s take on that match.
We barely created anything, Saka was the only threat, and Everton was happy to concede possession.
Better to say “we were off on the day, and could not overcome Everton’s low block, they won the strategic battle today. We will learn from this, adapt, and be better next time.”
Rather that then trying to cover for a poor performance all around; players, subs, and sub decisions by the manager.
It’s not a dig on Arteta, just a more accurate summary and interview. The rest, as you say, stays in the dressing room between Manager and players.
I disagree.
It’s not unusual for managers to give a perspective on a match that differs from that of pundits and fans after a suboptimal result.
To say they won the strategic battle is also misleading. This is a view formed primarily from the outcome. If you consider certain metrics of the game Arsenal actually should have won the game.
Durand,
I couldn’t agree more.
I to hear what Admin Pat says, but to come out after what clearly isn’t the truth after a game is insulting us as fans.
I’d have more respect for him if he told it like it actually was on said game. And all this what’s said in the dressing room stays in the dressing room, while I agree with that to a point.
Player’s should be called out if they’re performing badly on a consistent basis. If their poor little ego’s can’t take it, then they shouldn’t be at a big club like Arsenal, whos expectations are high. And if certain players can’t handle that, then they shouldn’t be wearing the famous red and white shirt of the Arsenal.
OF COURSE Arteta will tell the players exactly how we feels IN THE DRESSING ROOM: He doesn’t need to do it in public as well, that’s your job obviously….
There is this clip released few years ago tagged “All or nothing” , not sure if I got the name, and it shows how animalistic Mikel can be when he loosed. Meanwhile he will still defend his players in public.
Check out pep comments about his team performance post match despite how poor they’re playing
👍 I agree Durand. I just hope he was trying to cover as opposed to believing what he was saying and thus minimizing any improvement needed going forward. You can’t openly criticize individual players because unless they feel their job is in imminent danger, very few will respond by putting extra effort into changing their performance going forward as opposed to internally resenting the criticism.
We’ve seen on many occasions where MA has stated or implied one thing in his interviews and then behaved differently in his actions. I hope this is one of those occasions and the players know not to take his comments to heart.
Arteta needs to mix it up, to inject some bit of directness into our game and make a team a wee bit less predictable.
Trying always to walk the ball into the net through the centre has become too much of an identity of our team that opposing teams, particularly those who set the low block, are able to neutralise our play
Yes, but do we have the personnel to make such an approach work consistently?
It is also the case that some players are playing well below their top levels.
Simple really, CLEAN or bust….
Damn autofill..
CL or bust….
Arsenal are the favorites to win the champions league because they played well against sporting and Monaco right?
Spot on Dan, This is one of your critics articles that is constructive and balanced. Especially regarding how we approach the low block team. No excuses for that Everton performance.
We’re better than that
How is this article constructive? General comments about Wenger throwing on attackers to win games? How often did that lead to Arsenal becoming serious challengers for the PL or CL? What about games where we would get caught out while chasing a result?
As for the most entertaining side, that’s probably Spurs. Would you rather we were in their place?
Sorry, but this article is neither constructive in it’s criticism nor is it balanced.