In Dan Smith’s last Just Arsenal Show, he made it clear that he didn’t expect to see any difference from our annual destruction by Liverpool at Anfield, and sadly he was proved right.
Dan, like all of us, were hoping to see a glimpse of some progress at Anfield, but as usual we collapsed like a pack of cards, and we were nervous and lacked confidence and belief.
Anyway, Dan is building up a little bit of a following now, so you are better off listening to him describe his feelings after the game.
And please subscribe to JustArsenalVids on Youtube and help spread the Gooner Family love…
Lost to the best 11 in the league. Good day to lose with everyone else loosing and us looking unlikely to drop points against lesser opposition. We take this one on the chin. Would we have gotten a better result if they had played 3 games in a week like against West ham and Brighton? Maybe but let’s not dwell on the past. I still feel we are a cm and a cf from becoming genuine contenders. Bissouma and one of Vlahovic/Luca/Mitrovic would be a good step forward.
Lol, wonder what you learnt from the west ham and Brighton games. Arsenal has better players than these 2 clubs who put “The best 11 in the league” to the sword. Mind you they were without robertson, firminho(who loves to score against us) and Henderson. All 3 were present against west ham and Brighton and compare the performance of the supposed lesser clubs to ours and tell me you’re still happy to lose 4 nill to the “best 11 in the league”
kstyx by your logic, Westham and Brighton should not have lost a single game till now.
Liam, Some sensible perspective and in sharp contrast to the depressing merchants of doom and gloom who inhabit this site.
I remain optimistic for our future under what I see as a fine and hungry manager, again in stark contrst to some of the, frankly speaking, idiots who post nonsense and some who do so daily!
Context and perspective might as well be Chinese words – for all the lack of thought thought that goes into to some of that irritating kind.
OGS a goner, just in time for our visit!
Unfortunate timing again for us Sue, Just as it was unfortunate we visited Anfield right after Liverpool were spanked by west ham. we all knew they were not going to lose that game yesterday but we expected some fight from our team, All we got was a headless chicken rout from all the players.
Most Likely now Zidane goes to United and then they’re a proper team again. More misery for us and our top 4 bid unfortunately as more teams are passing us by. The latest west ham. We have a long way to go but not with Arteta as manager obviously.
Don’t worry about Ollie leaving before our game, he’s got three more months, an award ceremony and thousands of mancs to turn up at his final home game before his “sacking” becomes a reality… Oh wait, he’s gone already?!?!?
United never do anything right!!!!
1 step forward and 3 back.. sigh! Good to see you, kstyx 👍
Liam.. we need wingers even more than midfielders there’s no elements of threat from the wings.. Emile is not a winger
Auba is far from it
Pepe just not at the level
Saka isn’t ready.. also inconsistent
We need two world class wingers at both flanks, that are actually strong, can hold the ball and be direct..
Sambi is okay, but I don’t think he works well with Partey, he is overshadowed, I think he will do well on his own.. there’s alot of fear in his play and distribution.
The back five should remain that way.
@Buddy
It’s not that Saka is inconsistent. It’s the fact that he’s a known threat , so is targeted and marked, neutralising his threat. ESR, when out under real pressure chokes as well.
Arteta did not learn from Brentford on how to counter a high/hard pressing team. All of our losses were to to teams who took it to us in that fashion.
Our forwards are too focused on going forward. They fall short in the defensive side of their game.
I do agree we need a winger however a tall powerful cf would be a game changer for us. Even Pepe would be useful if we had a cf who could score with his head . The threat from Laca and Abameyang is virtually non existent as they have both declined immensely.
Secondly a new cm to partner Partey. No top 4 club would have Sambi, Elneny and AMN vying for a starting position . Xhaka should be the 3rd choice with a top class cm like Bissouma/Tielemans brought in.
Partey/Xhaka Bissouma/Tielemans
Saka/pepe Odegard/ESR ESR/Martinelli
Vlahovic/Balogun
2 players brought in 2 moved and enough to bring in maybe 1 or 2 more players.
If we are honest Auba is far from the player he was and has become quite ordinary. Maybe he has been affected by Covid. He has been a great player, but something is clearly wrong now.
@Sean Williams
We should have never got him, in my opinion. What we’ve missed since Giroud is a tall target man who holds up and links up well with our attack. We also need to stop using Auba and ESR on the left and start using Martinelli there. He’s more of a threat.
Yep I agree, we should be using Martinelli. Sadly Arteta needs a little more courage and creativity in his team selection.
While the result was hugely disappointing and we gave the ball away so cheaply time and time again, lets take stock and ask ourselves the following question: ”if after the first 12 games and having played City, L’pool, Chelski and the spuds, would you take being 5 points behind L’pool and 9 points behind the leaders, 3 points behind Top 4 and in 5th place?”
What’s your answer?
I think what worries me the most is that Dan speaks about humility, yet he downplays our wins against other teams like Watford, who just beat Man U, Aston Villa who once defeated Liverpool by 7 goals!
Shouldn’t we understand that there are no weaklings any longer in the EPL. Isn’t Dan living in the past when he fails to understand that the gulf between the top four teams and others has shrunk drastically. Shouldn’t we start to understand and respect every team in the EPL? Wolves defeated the high-flying Westham, shouldnt we respect this league a little more than we are doing presently!
Humility says we should respect all the teams that Arsenal has defeated, and not mention them as not good enough to rate our performances.
We lost to Liverpool, yet Van Diyk showed some respect to the Arsenal team, thats humility. Yet when we defeated Aston Villa, shouldn’t we also respect them, yet some people would say, “who are Aston Villa that we should celebrate?”… That statement shows no respect at all…
I feel its high time we respect all teams, and when Arsenal defeats any of these teams, let’s show some respect and atleast praise the Arsenal team for a good job well done.
I guess in Dan’s next prediction against Newcastle, he will go for an Arsenal win. If so, the key question should be, why go for an Arsenal win? The inate answer is that he also believes we have made progress.
Respect, humility, and the appreciation of progress are all members of the same class!
I don’t down play our wins and of course be happy mate
Its when I hear arrogant statements like Sterling wouldn’t get in our team , etc , that’s why I ask for humility
DAN it is plain to all that you DO downplay our wins AND you make far too much fuss over our defeats . I wish you no harm buty you are verty difficult to,like as Ifind you a confirmed pessimist by nature and you alwats look on the black side.
I totally reject your fan philosophy that being even 5th is never good enough. Sometimes in the lifetime of a fan- I realise you are still only around 34 (as youhave said you were only nine when Wenger started) so have never known a league position less than 8th in your young fan life , as we oldies have easily known.
I think you are spoiled by WENGERS FIRST DECADE as are many others of your age and generation and younger too.
Changing the subject, I almost always enjoy and value your articles even though I sometimes disagree with them(esp your ones that diss Arteta).
But they show fine writing ability and honest opinions, which are always to be respected, even though I do at times challenge your views.
I appreciate that
As the rest of my article was censored by Ad PAT, I now repeat it, as best I can recall it.
DAN, your videos are not a patch on your generally fine writing. They are too slow, drawn out , tedious and you speak far too slowly and lack all spark, which anyone on a video of themself needs.
I hope you stick to your many fine articles and ditch videos. They need planning in advance, IF you are intent on keeping them going, as it seems you are undecided what to say, so have to think(and painfully slowly too) as you are speaking, ,instead of sensibly preparing what you wish to say, before filming begins.
(This is simply my opinion – though I am willing to bet many others will think the same, and there is nothing in my post that needs censoring).
I merely mean to help a fine young wrtiter who has no real aptitude for videos to stick to what suits him best.
IF YOU intend to persevere with them , then at least, speed up, prepare them first and show some spark, DAN!
Thanks for watching
And I kind of gathered the bit about you not liking me lol
Yes we were well beaten in the end after holding our own in the first 40 minutes but Liverpool and Mane in particular are really masters of the dark arts and in fact he is a total dirty git!
Liverpool set out to foul us on the fool Klopp’s orders, the ref, as usual, was weak they committed fifteen fouls more, Mane knew what he was doing, that’s why Arteta went mad and the big mouth Klopp spraying his vile mouth everywhere knew Arteta was right.Tierney should have started. Auba and Lacazette are finished as a strike force.Partey was all over the place ESR and Saka were subdued, Tactics were wrong, no plan B, we need a plan B
What in the world’s wrong with these fanatics?! Just one game and suddenly ESR isn’t effective from the wings? These people can be pathetic a times . Ffs it is called the rebuilding process. Remember it took years before klopp was able to have a fix at the scousers team. Time and patience is what we need if not we will keep going back and fort like the man utd team.
Arsenal Women on bbc2
Nice to put a face against the name.
I must add, further to listening to the video the following points.
(I haven’t given any backup notes and just gone in with headers)
1. Liverpool have a strong squad and this showed yesterday. We have a good team.
Leading to point 2…
2. We need more technical midfielder men to deal with breaking the Liverpool press. In hindsight should M.Niles of played? Should Odegaard of played?
Leading to point 3.
3. Management do not yet have a trusted squad to lean on. A season cannot be won by 11 men, merson is right, this 11 can get us into the top European spots, but to progress we need so much more.
Leadership in the performance comes from trust in one another. You can lead in example, but you can lead each other when you trust in each other performances.
This team have played a handful games together, still knowing each other.
Our squad still need so much but our team needs to first be at the point of understanding the level of demand.
We are not yet there with the team. So expecting so much so soon is stupidity.
Focus on the work, the bad also and see how we change it and if we do or don’t…
In a few weeks it’s Dec and if you take a year of Premier league footy from Dec 2020 to Dec 2021 we are 4th in the table with 35 games.
Is this signs of progress?
I can agree with the obvious, we need to improve making better chances, more chances…etc But why oh why are we expecting everything to be acceptable now? We are so new in our current movement we want it to be right now!!
It’s crazy, and it’s born out of longer ache at the clubs situation. That’s not the result of our Manager or current squad, yet they do take on the burden of our history. Both good and bad, both current and old.
I personally know where my club are at. Do I expect next year to show a better resolve at anfield, to performance better against city and Chelsea and also to winner more convincingly against Watford….?
Yes I expect to see improvement, even on the games we are getting results.
We will all debate the quality of what’s at arsenal until the cows come home,
But I know for a fact these mens at arsenal are far from happy with where they are and how things unfolded yesterday, but these lessons, faced for the first time yesterday for this new team, it will make them mature, braver and stronger for it.
Experience is why people, teams, clubs succeed.
Tomorrow, What a refreshingly sensible and mature post, full of clear truths and well done for putting the hasty “I demand all I want and demand it right now” so called supporters in their place.
Wisdom personified and my congrats to you on a fine post full of proper perspective and context!
Demand all ?
No one is demanding we win title.
It’s not unreasonable to want better then what we have had now for years
We finished in our worst position in 25 years !
You used to routinely mock Arsene Wenger and Uni Emery for finishing higher
Another supporter with a good memory Dan…. of course, you will be told that you are taking what was said out of context.
What we wouldn’t give for a top four fa cup and/or European football now, even with the”dross” players who achieved those goals.
Just shows what good managers can get out of “deadwood”
Imagine what a good manager could do with all the young talent in our squad?
I remember people going at Wenger for his poor defense his last few years. Yet rarely does anyone call out Arteta for his 2 year’s worth of anemic offense.
Blaming players instead suits the agenda of excusing Arteta of any standards, at all cost.
Selective memories indeed
Dan – are these “Just Arsenal” or “Just Dan” videos? The first few minutes of both of the videos I have watched have both been concerned purely with you talking about yourself and being very defensive about your opinions of Arsenal (difficult though it is to appear as defensive in a monologue, you manage it!). Isn’t the purpose of the vids to talk about the club rather than you feeling persecuted?
I’m at the stage now where I’m tempted to jump straight to the halfway point to avoid my eyes welling up.
Whilst I have no issue with you having your own POV it would be nice if occasionally the few positive things you throw in were not always followed by “but…”. Imagine that boss we have all had who only ever criticised. Remember how useless we all felt, and how pointless carrying on seemed? That’s how 100% negativity affects people.
Yeah not going to be positive after a 4-0 loss
And yes as these are my opinions so I’m going to talk about … My opinion