After Arsenal’s dismal defeat to Crystal Palace last week, which could be partially forgiven as Patrick Vieira’s side are playing brilliant football and were on their home turf, Mikel Arteta was expecting his side to bounce back at home against a Brighton team that had only gained one point in their last 7 games.
Until yesterday, Arsenal had only lost at the Emirates to the top three teams in the country, i.e. Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool, so it can only be considered a shock to lose to the Seagulls in such a crucial game, and Arteta could not hide his anger after the game.
The Boss told Arsenal.com: “The first half was really poor again. The reaction that we wanted to show and everything that we talked about, we didn’t make it happen on the pitch. We were sloppy with the ball, we were second best again in a lot of situations, we didn’t show any purpose or build any momentum in the game, play with the right speed and transform the game that Brighton proposed today and with the first chance that they had, the only chance I think they had, they scored a goal and, again, we created a cold atmosphere, an atmosphere we weren’t comfortable with and when we tried to change it, it was too late. It was great not to give up, but it was too late.”
Arteta didn’t think the players had a bad attitude, but he was extremely unimpressed with the way their game plan never even got going until the end. “It’s not a problem of attitude,” he continued. “for me it was a problem of the approach and the courage that we showed to play and we didn’t have that purpose. I know we didn’t have that intention to attack and step in and provoke the situation that we want to provoke and we’re looking at each other too many times instead of taking ownership and doing what we have to do and you cannot play like that, you have to make yourself count, step in, and today we didn’t do it.”
It is certainly baffling as to how everything has suddenly fallen apart, and losing a game that should have been our easiest one in our run-in, and it will be interesting to see if Arteta can get the boys back on track for Southampton next week. If he doesn’t, I think we can kiss European football goodbye for yet another season…
What does it change! We lost already. Medicine after death. Bye bye top 4!
Some of our players needs to get in the gym and bulk up! Silky plays sometimes just don’t cut it. Lots of one on ones with our players getting muscled out of the way. We need to find whatever it is Cucurella is taking and give it to our players. Or just buy Cucurella who is like a one-man army. We need a towering a sledge-hammer of a striker in the front. 3-points certainly in the bag with a player like Giroud up front: bring in other players, slam the ball hard at a sniff.
At the begininng of the season, we w´d have been happy if we end at the top 10, which to me was realistic wish. Recently we were sniffing the top 4 position which to me was unrealistic….so in between 4 and 10 if we end at 5-6 (europa league), I would admire the club/team for great efforts…
I genuinely thought that the mentality had improved under Arteta. A young team that was showing togetherness and fight. I’m fine with OTT celebrating if the performances and results bring success.
Yesterday was not an easy watch. Slow build up and no bite. I can point a finger at Arteta for his team selection but that squad should have been able to do better than that. People to the left and right of us were leaving and who could blame them? When the goal went in, the dynamic of the game completely changed. How could those players not rouse themselves until that point? We nearly did get a draw so I can’t help but wonder what brought on such complacency for the first 80 odd minutes?
It’s possible that the offside goal deflated them especially as it was so near half time but that is just making excuses
Unrealistic expectations leads to disappointment. In the summer after two consecutive 8th place finishes Arsenal fans expected little from the team this term. After the 0-3 in August 97% of Arsenal fans wrote the season off completely. However by December Arsenal’s rise up the table convinced those same fans top 4 was ours for the taking even 3rd!!! Two losses and entitled and unrealistic fans have already given up and are throwing their toys out of the pram. I never expected any more than top 6 and if we finish 7th and Arteta is sacked I will just reset and go again next season.
I have followed your expectations of the team from the outset of the season Fairfan
I would have taken 6th so you are not the only one. There is also nothing wrong with hoping that the good run could bring a higher finish either. The chance was there to cement a decent season’s end. Instead, it gives West Ham a degree of confidence that they can come back. Spurs are already looking better placed.
Anything below EL will leave Arteta in a parlous position
Arteta made some really poor calls. Not to start Tavares was a big mistake. Xhaka as makeshift LB was a joke. Tavares had some decent games for us and has to be better than Xhaka as Lb. Moving Xhaka to LB further weakened our midfield.
It was just a really puzzling decision and team selection.
There were a few other options as well, I really think simply moving Saka to left back and xhaka into midfield would have made a big difference, but the idea of playing Cedric at LB and white at RB has merit as well.
I think arteta, like his predecessors, has far too much faith in xhaka – he’s not the one who can be relied on to “do a job” in an unfamiliar position. He’s a capable enough midfielder, but he’s not very versatile.
I agree.
“It is certainly baffling as to how everything has suddenly fallen apart”
Nothing baffling about it if you have foresight that goes further than 1 week.
Just saw Madfison score There were at the most 5 defenders spreadout.
Arsenal s attack is too slow and predictable like Wenger.
If this doesnt change they wont be abel to score becau se there will be 8/9/10 defenders blocking the wa
Can someone explain to me why lacazete is still starting ahead of Nketiah?.
We’ve had two poor results with two poor performances, not sure we are in the “falling apart” category just yet
We need to improve in every department for the next game though and bounce back, I have seen enough this season to believe that can happen
I fully understood maintaining the same team selection when we were winning games, no reason to panic after the Palace defeat and radically change things, I would have liked to have seen Tavares keep his place at left back myself and have wanted Eddie in for Laca for a while now but I was OK with the team Arteta selected yesterday
However certain players under performed again and Mikel has a difficult few decisions to make before next weekend, maybe it is time for a few selection changes, not just injury enforced ones
Nobody should be undroppable and shaking it up a bit might inspire other players who escaped being dropped
I remain confident that we can finish the season well
So Arteta launches a scathing attack on the team when he emptied the midfield, put xhaka at left back, kept our most natural and expensive goalscorer on the bench while we pull blanks and puts square pegs in round holes and expects results.
More fool Arteta, blaming his players.