Arsenal has played just nine competitive games this season and Mikel Arteta is already blaming fatigue as a reason why his team struggled in their match against Leicester City this weekend.
The Gunners played Rapid Wien last Thursday in the Europa League before Sunday’s Premier League game against Leicester City.
The Foxes also played a game on Thursday in the same competition, but they travelled to north London and they were able to beat Arsenal by a lone goal.
After Sunday’s match, Arteta said as quoted by The Sun: “I think fatigue had a say there as well.
“We didn’t look as sharp on the ball. We didn’t have much purpose on the ball. David [Luiz] gave us something different when we wanted to do something with the low blocks.
“Credit to them, they are really organised and it’s difficult to create chances.
“We created one with Hector Bellerin and we didn’t convert. It’s an aspect we have to improve on.
Arteta’s excuse of fatigue already affecting his players is a cause for concern because the season has just started and there could be another 40-50 games to play this season.
If the Gunners are already getting tired, then, in the long run, the club will be unable to compete in the various competitions.
Thomas Partey made his first start for the club against the Foxes and fans will be hoping that the Ghanaian will be able to pull his teammates through when they hit a rough patch.
Excuses already. Everyone is in the same boat but we seem to be standing still, I dont see improvements since we won the cups.
Lost last 2 games in the league, struggled against a rapid Vienna side and have played badly to be fair since the start. The Mesut situation isnt good and is affecting people as we still dont know the truth about any of it.
The club hierarchy look like chimps the way everything has been handled from the job losses, to Mesut and poor Gunnersouras! Partey was a panic buy but a good buy none the less.
As much as I hate to say it but Auba has looked off and I think he needs to played up the middle to score goals not track back and do the defending. Laca misses too many so give it to Auba and let Saka take LW and Pepe or Willian for RW and fight for it.
We havnt looked up to it bar a few flashes but we are in a better position imo on the field with the players and management though I dont trust the board one bit.
👍
Dear Gooners, please brace yourself for another season of groans, and sighs of disappointment for another failed season. All the signs are there
– overpaid footballers playing with no commitment, as if nothing is at stake
– the manager making untenable excuses
– no discernible pattern of play in the team
Nothing has changed, sorry.
👍 Under four different manager/head coaches the majority of this squad have proved to be physically and mentally frail, as so called “professional” footballers. What Arsenal don’t need now is a manager making excuses for them.
Yes, there has been a short turnaround between seasons, but it is the same for all clubs.
Excuses. He needs to use the bench better, and bring in Ozil, with an apology to the German.
Arteta has shown a degree of arrogance and naivete, for team that is far from the top. Only the shaky Manchester teams have prevented us from looking even more stupid.
With Partey and Ozil, and the new CD there is a change to fire up Auba and Pepe. Laca too, though I think we should have moved him and used a player more capable in the air, to really make use of Ozil.
What a sad season this is turning out to be.
Mezut Ozil was systematic of the physical and mental frailty at Arsenal FC.
Ozil has not played this season, and they are 11th with no decent attack. Besides, you show your ignorance! Only a mentally resilient person can be winner from a World Cup down the FA Cup.
Mental frailty is with Arsenal ‘fans’ both the young and clueless playing video games and the older anti-foreigner types, who did not like Wenger.
Meanwhile Spurs are slowly gathering momentum…
I don’t call you ignorant, for disagreeing with my opinion. Grow up until you are man enough to face people one on one in person, instead of the safety of the internet.
I look forward to you following Ozil, where ever he ends up.
I don’t see how fatigue could not be a contributing factor Playing EL on Thursdays doesn’t give the body a lot of time to recover.
I think it is either going to take a little time for the team to switch to a preferred 4-3-3 which we now can thanks to Thomas or Arteta is a tinker coach who will change formation all the time in which case we will not get better.
But ven if w are switching to a 4-3-3 I still don’t understand why hee didn’t play Auba on thee left where h has scored most his goals from and play Pepe on the right.
But give the guy some time. I think he believes 4-3-3 is the best system and he only now has the pieces to play that system. This will take the lads time to adapt to.
In fairness the Foxes are a good team and most of the game we were better and under “normal” circumstances would have been up 1-0 early on. We were unlucky with the bad call on our loan and we were unlucky with Luiz going of and the error prone Mustafi coming on.
To early to panic IMO
Any ways neither arteta nor emery could show as the flowing beautiful football of Arsene wenger. That man knows!
sorry for all thee typos. We didn’t take out a loan 🙂 It should have said we were unlucky with the bad call on the goal we scored being disallowed.
9 and they’re knackered already? I ain’t buying that crapola!!
Everyone else has played the same.. if anyone should be knackered, it should be Leeds, as they don’t bloody stop for the whole 90 minutes, as well as in training! But I don’t see them complaining! What I’d give for a team of duracell bunnies right now!!
Come on, pull your fingers out and entertain us…
😂😂Good one Sue. It’s ridiculous that Arteta is making excuses for these over paid over pampered players. Do we even have a pattern of play? This is reminiscent of how we played under Emery in his second season. 9 games of back passing and low block football and they’re tired. Leicester played in the Europa league too the same night we did, won by 3 goals, travelled to our home and still beat us. If anyone should be knackered, it should be the Leicester players. Arteta is filling me with less and less believe especially after saying this. At this rate, we lose next Sunday to man utd and then it goes downhill from there
Oh jeez, not the Emery days, Kstix. Those few months before he was sacked were awful… I absolutely hated it.. 90 minutes of complete boredom, wondering how many goals we’d concede. I don’t want to see that again, for sure!!
There have been comparisons online .. after same number of games played, how many points won, how many goals scored etc…🙈
I just hope to god we get something on Sunday, otherwise it’ll be in freefall – The pitchforks will be out! Which so soon into Arteta’s tenure seems unfair, but it’s result based… and if we ain’t getting results after the money we’ve spent and the players we have, everyone will want answers and it all comes down to one person I’m afraid.
Even though the players should be held accountable also!!
PS.. I agree with what you said about the Leicester players 👍
Spot on Sue, I’d hate to see it too but getting result against Leicester would have at least given him leeway if we lost next weekend. Right now, I fear the worst though I like Arteta very much
Arteta should take responsibility and stop the lame excuses. How can you have fatigue after playing 9 games? Arsenal made a mistake by appointing Arteta
Bellerin and Tierney didn’t look fatigued bombing down flanks all match. Partey looked like manager had handbrake on him, not fatigue.
Xhaka wasn’t fatigued, he’s just naturally that slow. Gabriel looked fine, and Luiz’s leg probably seized up due to creating opportunities by playing 75 50 yard passes in the first half.
“He’s just naturally that slow” 😆
And as for Luiz and his leg – spot on! Love it, Durand!!