Are the so-called pundits finally accepting how good Arsenal are these days?
It has come as a bit of a surprise to wake up the day after we reclaim North London bragging rights and move into third place in the Premier League to find the so-called pundits actually saying something positive about us.
Lets be honest, the pundits are rather negative about Arsenal, we have become their whipping boys down the years and to be fair, on occasions it has been deserved but only on occasions, when Tottenham finish top four it is great, when we do we get ripped to be pieces for not winning the title and so on, you all know what it has been like.
But today, two of the well known Arsenal haters Jamie Carragher and Chris Sutton have had no choice but to say something positive through gritted teeth.
“I think I said on first show of the season that at times they’re going to have to adapt, do different things,” Carragher said. “We’ve seen that change of system, change of players, personnel a lot.
“You’re never quite sure what the Arsenal team will be.
“But, I’ve said before, I think the squad he was left with was probably No 6 in the Premier League.
“And if he can go on to get this team in the top four this season, I think that’s a hell of a job that he’s done.
“If he can go into third position and above Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea, all these other teams around there, with the squad that he’s got, and the injuries he’s got don’t forget, I think he’s done a great job.”
That must have really hurt Carragher to say that, he did, of course, have a dig at our away record and conceding goals in every away game but even so, it does make a change for him to not actually criticise our manager and instead say something positive.
Then we have the failed former England international Chris Sutton, always a man that likes to say something to provoke but even he could not help himself.
“Arsenal were really, really impressive,” Sutton said on BBC 5Live.
“They have been flying at the Emirates all season.
“When you think about it, the top four looked too far away at the start of the season but it’s in their hands now.
“Five (wins) out of the last seven are away now for them.
“They limited Newcastle to very few chances.
“You feel Arsenal fans are right behind Emery. In some ways they are overachieving this season.”
As to be expected he caveats his positive words with the overachieving line but as with Carragher, he had no choice but to admit how impressive we were and what we have achieved this season against the odds.
You never know, even Paul Merson may have something good to say next.
Martin
But we are bordering on terrible when it comes to our away form. And we have five Away games left.
Let’s see if he can improve on our Away form. I am a bit nervous to be honest.
Luckily Tottenham and Man United just lost one of their away games
But Chelsea become better in their away performance now, therefore I predict they would be Arsenal’s strongest rival in getting the top four trophy
The Everton game will show whether the players have fully grasp Emery’s concept or not
FINALLY…some praise for Emery from the media!
I think he’s doing a fantastic job! When you compare with the other 5 teams in the top 6, he inherited the 6th worst squad, with the 5th worst budget, and has been crippled all season with injuries. He’s massively improved us against the big teams, and improved our overall fitness levels. In fact, he’s improved us in every area.
I now go into the Napoli game with genuine belief we can win it, compared to last season when I knew we out once we drew Atletico. No longer do I fear humiliation in these big games. If we do lose, it’ll be close. Unlike under Wenger, where we’d be more often waving the white flag after about 10 mins!
I cannot wait for next season to see what Emery can do with more of his type of players. Clear out the deadwood, hopefully the injuries ease up, and watch us fly!
I’m glad that we get Napoli first
Rather than spending energy facing weaker teams in EL, then get kicked out in the later stage by a stronger opponent
The Napoli games will show whether Arsenal is a strong contender or not in Europe
Well, I would say Carraghers words also include a dig at our players, when saying “… with the squad he has got”.
real praise would have been to say, the players also have improved individually and as a team under Emery. Because that is how it is.
Spot on bro, I’ll also remind you Jaime ain’t the only one, lots of fans on here, it’s their trademark, when some of us on here criticized Emery’s selection and tactics when things were going wrong, over half users of this forum dished out excuses and always made sure to add that he inherited bad players, and the punchline is always “With the squad we’ve got?”.
Eddie,it was bad enough listening to the pundit’s negativity, let alone the rubbish criticism of Emery by so called fans on this site. Emery has so far exceeded all expectations at the beginning of the seaon.
I won’t say he has done a hell of a good job, but I will admit we are improving. Not there yet but on the right part. We still have issues with our away form and I think that might be down to inexperienced of the manger because this is his first season (same goes for Sari) in the premier league. I am hopeful though. On a different topic I wonder why all the pundits (Owen Hagreaves) is still saying we will miss out on top 4. Man U lost a vital game yesterday, Tottenham lost on Sunday, we won, and they are still playing each other, yet these stupid pundits are saying we are going to miss out. The media is full of biases.
isn’t ‘improving’ a hell of a job? does it hurt to be proved wrong
Goona I don’t get you? What part of my comment is not right? Emery has not prove me wrong because there is nothing to be proven here. I never said he is a bad manager, I never said he will not succeed, I have celebrated him when we do well and I have complained when he gets it wrong. I did criticised him a lot for picking fights with Ozil and that is because it basically affected our performances, and sometimes his methods in the case of West Ham, and we all can see what the results of including every player can bring. So please enlighten me about been proven wrong or right. Except you want to say we are worse now that we have all players firing in the same direction.
“I won’t say he has done a hell of a good job, but I will admit we are improving”
i was responding to that sir. ignore the rest
Nothing new there!
Only after our win against Newcastle both of them said we wouldn’t finish in the top 4,3 days later manure lost to wolves suddenly they changed their tune,ole stil not being criticised,now if chelsea& spurs could lose against palace& brighton ok I won,t be greedy but if they could drop 2 pts each that,ll do alrightCOYG!!!
“But, I’ve said before, I think the squad he was left with was probably No 6 in the Premier League.
If he can go into third position and above Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea, all these other teams around there, with the squad that he’s got…..”
Now see that right up there that I quote, that’s bûllshit, before the beginning of the season some of us constantly pointed out that this squad isn’t as bad as the media and us the fans point it out to be.
The crazy part is a lot of Arsenal fans took this team for granted too much, compared this squad to Everton and others, totally rubbished the players.
I’ll count myself, Kev, Ken and a few others on here who saw us finishing top four before the season even began.
It’s fair enough to say the players got rubbished because of how the past seasons were, but still it’s some kind of cowardly shít…
Someone on here asked me in an article yesterday if I really expected us to be in this position at this point of the season. Yes I did, and as crazy as it seems it’s turning out all the way I saw it, even if it was disturbing halfway thru.
These players got relaxed under Wenger, they ain’t all that bad, we’re losing Ramsey at the wrong time, he was seen as Wenger’s favorite son, he became too relaxed and played poorly for seasons. The same with the rest of players.
I only hope we get a proper replacement for him and we get defensive reinforcements
@ Eddie Hoyte,I am the one who asked you that question,especially when you said you had written about it at the start oyff the season,if that,s the case congratulations fir you knowledge and optimism COYG!!
Kudos Unai!
Could someone tell me why most pundits hate Arsenal Football Club? Owen Hargreaves is also one of the pundits that are only happy when they say bad things about Arsenal. Where are former Arsenal players who could directly assist in enhancing the image of AFC?
Oh well the former arsenal players also turned on us,Paul Merson,Thierry Henry
Not thierry Henry,he only said what he thought what arsenal should do do to improve while Wenger was in charge,don,t you remember him being reprimanded for saying “us” instead of arsenal all he wanted was for arsenal to improve and win,he must have been sad and hurt what arsenal,!!
He did not defend us either,Man United,Spurs,Liverpool have the whole media and former players defending then even when they are shaat,
we need defenders (excuse the pun)
I don’t think our image needs enhancing Jean, but I do think some of the negative comments are due to the fact the pundits remember the trophies we won when also playing scintillating quick passing football under Wenger, albeit what seems like light years ago. Until Emery wins something or manages a top four finish and the team is consistently playing attractive football, the comments won’t change. Anyway, I don’t think that we as Arsenal supporters should take any notice of them. We support our team and Emery will prove them wrong, if not this season, most certainly next season.
What abiut the spuds,ooc called hi plsyerse heroes after 5 straight losses,they have their best team ever,great manager who had won nothing in 5 seasons even past his best Wenger got us 3 FA cups,we have a new manager not being offered as much time thst poch to restore arsenal….so many more things even though the great hib he,been doing!!
Where does this crap about this being Spur’s best team ever come from? I would think the members of the 1960/61 double winners may argue against this assessment.
Thank you very much indeed, Declan. I really appreciate your comforting words and wisdom.
If we finish 3rd, that would be fricken amazing, considering on paper we have less top players than Spurs, Chelsea and United
It would mean Emery has got the very best out of our players and got them to play well as a team unit.
It’s a long road ahead but finishing 3rd would mean we could sign better players and improve even more so. We are still far away from Liverpool and Manchester city and need more top players
I don’t think I accept that man u, spuds and Chelsea do not have our 2 strike force combined laca Nd auba wud work into any team u jst mentioned same as xhaka or Ramsey Koscienly wud also make it arsenal have got a really good squad dat just needed fitness Nd a little tweaking concerning our budget we signed laca Nd auba fr a combined 150 million pounds in successive Windows
I don’t think carragher is a hater unlike other so called experts but rather state what he thinks. The squad isn’t as bad as some say but it is still the 5th or 6th best squad overall in the league. We have conceded in EVERY SINGLE AWAY MATCH so far and there is definite contrast between the way we approach a home match which has become a fortress the last 2 years and our lack of confidence in away games which is due to the nightmare away form of 2018.
The next 2 games will go a long way in securing a top 4 spot, win both away matches accumulating more confidence against 2 good teams and we will only need to win 3 games out of the last 5. 5 wins out of 7 gets us 78 pts which should be enough
Emery hasn’t failed me… Bring home the Europa cup
what is currently working for Emery is every player is playing to his natural ability and position. Just like Kolasinac having rapport with Monreal at his back and Iwobi in front is amazing. Player off the ball movement allows Ozil to enjoy play. Then essentially everyone taking responsibility to win back lost balls make the central midfielders enjoy play. And for now the best weapon the team possesses is the low touts and the unassuming nature. It should give Everton, Watford and Wolves falls confidence. We need them underestimating us.
All this pundits are talking rubish most atimes, bcos they lacked knowlege of modern football,am sure non of them can coach a decend champioship site.
6th worst squad…
Well, I never thought that.
Am I the only gooner who had faith in our players? If so then it is pathetic from the rest of you. I’ve been saying all along that the squad Emery had (along with new signings) and we should fin third, fin third is what we are capable of and have been all along.
People saying that the squad was 5th or 6th best, you are wrong. My proof is the EPL table. Emery went many games where he was playing too defensive and cost us points, we are currently third while I can say we have lost points due to Emery playing too def minded… If the squad was 5th or 6th best then we wouldn’t be where we are. It isn’t a miracle from Emery, he has good players, players capable of finishing third this season and I have believed that all season long. Emery had done well in getting the players fitter, if he can improve some of our players like I think he could then I honestly think this current team can compete for the EPL as outside contenders… couple signings and we are right in that mix.
Midkemma, Emery didn’t cost us points; season ending injuries to three players (Bellerin, Holding and Welbeck, long term injuries to Koscielny and Mavropanos and niggling injuries to Monreal, Ozil, Mhikataryan and others did, particularly with the disruption to defense. Emery rarely had a full squad, particularly in defenders to choose from.
Our away form isn’t as bad as many pundits say but take a closer look at the games played the other 5 top six have actually played either 16 or 17 away games while Arsenal has only played 14. I would say they shouldn’t be comparing arsenal with the rest of the top six yet they have played fewer games.
in addition to that our away games against Man U, Spurs and Brighton were cheaply dropped points. If you look at how we are currently playing and if we continue our current composure at the back by maintaining the 3-4-1-2 formation which seems to work for us both in the attack and defense, I’m sure we’ll finish 3rd.
Let me clear this issue about our squad. No one will like me saying this but Wenger was an extremely poor manager towards his twighlight career at Arsenal. The squad Emery inherited were not that bad, but they were poorly coached, or should i say not coached at all. For instance, Xhaka was captain of his team and the national team before he came to Arsenal. Therefore on papaer we bought a very good 23 year old potential, but the seasons he has been with us has been extremely inconsistent. On the other hand, Liverpool bought both Salah and Mane for around £30m each and turned them into world class players. This is really what pundits should be talking about, but the truth is while they were great footballers they lack skill in analysing the game, and unfortunately tend to be seriously biased. Check our Chelsea loving friend Merson:
1. Despite Arsenal going on a 22 game unbeaten run he says, “Arsenal are waiting to get royally thumped” – By who Merson? only the 2 title challengers for this season!!
2. “Only one Arsenal player will make the Tottenham team” – yet we smashed them 4-2 and proved we are a better team than them by getting into 3rd.
3. “Arsenal can never get 4th, its not possible, they are not good enough” – eat your heart out mate!
4. “Arsenal are by far the worst of the top six clubs” (when we got beaten by ManC – Until the following week when his beloved Chelsea got royally thumped for 6, prompting the other egghead Carragher to remark Chelsea are the new Arsenal
5. Now merson’s big campaign is that “Arsenal can never say at the start of any season that they can challenge for the premiership title, unlike ManU who has the money to challenge” – Remember his fight with (i think it was the radio 5 live team that included Darren Bent) and both Bent and the moderator reminded Merson that all top teams start the season believing they can challenge for the premiership – but Merson was having none of it, where Arsenal was concerned.
Remind me folks – how much has ManU spent since sir Alex, and in that period how many times has Utd beaten Arsenal in the league – I would think it might have been only twice.
The problem with pundits like Merson is that their bleating comes with no consequences or responsibilities because if it did they would decide to be more objective or not be a pundit altogether.
Ok pundits may be biased…
But our away record over the last seasons ain’t that great along with a very flimsy defence as we face 5 out of 7 games away until end of season!
This should make us think about prospect and hope that the players sincerely start to grasp Emery’s defensive tactics or we will lose out on top 4 ? as well as getting kicked out by Napoli…
I see however good signs and believe in good things – but Kosc needs to get fit and replace Mustafi!
It rather saddens me as a mature and older fan, to see how very much SOME of our fans, like MARTIN who wrote this article, get furious at TV and media pundits who do not share their views. Why does it worry and distress you so much, I would ask you? Are they or their opinions THAT important or far more likely to be correct than your own opinion? I say, in a spirit of friendship, please cease worrying yourself over so UNIMPORTANT a matter. You are only hurting yourself, so why do it MARTIN? Honestly, why?
IF YOU WANT EVERYONE TO AGREE WITH YOU, then take my advice and close down ALL your social media accounts this moment. Just imagine what a boring and hellishly dull world it would be if everyone had the same opinion!
Sometimes a manager has to dig deep and put on a defensive team to get a result…am glad emery can do that……am sure emery can silence critics with good tactics and attractive football…..