Dan’s Full Month by Month Review of year 2023
January 2023
A day after City lost the Manchester Derby, Arsenal win in the League at the Lane for the first time since 2014 to go 8 points clear at the top of the table.
Off the pitch, Shakhtar Donetsk have suggested that Edu was in constant dialogue with Mudryk, our sporting director believing we were his first choice, to the point he could haggle over the asking price.
Meanwhile Moises Caicedo released a statement online pleading with Brighton not to price him out of a move to the Emirates.
Some Gooners therefore felt it was an anti-climax when we ended up with Trossard and Jorginho.
The Italian though offered much needed leadership to a young dressing room, with it noticeable how he would instruct his peers.
Trossard meanwhile would record 11 assists that season compared to Mudryk’s 2 at Chelsea.
February 2023
The Gunners drop serious points this month, but even more concerning are the performances. We don’t show up in Sean Dyche’s first game as Everton boss, are out of sorts in a 1-1 draw at Brentford (although we get an apology from those at Stockley Park forgetting to draw lines to see that Toney was offside for his equaliser. They forgot simply because …. they just forgot to do their job. And then we let the second half at home to Man City pass us by.
Anything we psychologically lost during this spell we got back with the nature of our win at Villa Park. We were seconds away from more dropped points and a chance for Man City to overtake us when Jorginho’s long range strike in added time bounced off the bar, into Martinez’s head and into the back of the net.
March 2023
Arsenal win their much talked about game in hand to go five points clear of Man City with both having played 25 games.
Similar to our win at Villa Park, Reiss Nelson’s winner against Bournemouth, in a game we were trailing 2-0, was seen as a moment where titles are won and lost.
The likes of Gary Neville accused Arsenal of playing with too much emotion, saying it’s a worrying sign with the months to come. The pundit also predicts that Man City are capable of putting a huge winning sequence together and that Arsenal will drop silly points.
Trossard gets a hat trick of assists at Craven Cottage.
Ramsdale is beaten from the halfway line leading to Sporting Lisbon to win the first ever penalty shoot-out at the Emirates. Tomiyasu and Saliba are injured that evening and don’t play again that season.
Some Gooners feel with now just the league to focus on this could give us an advantage over Man City who are still fighting on three fronts.
April 2023
Arsenal start the month going 8 points clear at the top of the table, they end it only two points above Man City, having played two more games than the Champions and our destiny no longer in our own hands.
In the first half at Anfield and the London Stadium we play some of our best football of the season, racing into 2 goal leads. Both times we almost find it too easy and therefore can’t respond when the opposition pull a goal back.
Saka misses a spot kick against the Hammers, Partey gives the ball away on the edge of his area to Rice, Ramsdale passes the ball to Alvarez for Southampton’s opener, Zinchenko doesn’t follow Walcott’s run. All these mistakes were clear evidence that mentally the title run in was too big a step.
May 2023
Odegaard is sensational in wins over Chelsea and Newcastle. Victory over the Toon in particular a sign of maturity.
We fail to put Man City under any pressure though when we lose 3-0 at home to Brighton, a performance Arteta apologises for.
Our shell-shocked manager then tries an experimental back 4 at the City Ground. A 1-0 defeat means Man City are champions and leaves question marks over the team’s mentality and leadership qualities.
A 5-0 win over Wolves gives us our highest points total since we last won the Championship and puts us back into the Champions League for the first time in 6 years.
June 2023
In perhaps a final chance to rescue his Gunner’s career Smith Rowe attempts to prove his fitness by joining England’s Under 21’s in the European Championships. That’s despite having been capped by the senior squad.
Our midfielder scores twice, gets an assist and brings a winners medal home with him.
He’s still only started once in the League since and has the likes of Reiss Nelson ahead of him in the pecking order.
Most Gooners are baffled when 65 million is spent on Kai Havertz, with the Chelsea flop one of our biggest earners.
A lot of money on someone you can’t rely on when things are not going well.
July 2023
Our manager admits the nature of how we didn’t win the title left him spending the summer reconsidering his abilities.
He’s more then backed by the Kroenke Family. Timber signs as does Rice despite a late offer from Man City.
It’s undermined though by a youthful squad losing one of the few leaders we had, Xhaka. The midfielder is yet to lose in the League for Leverkusen.
August 2023
Like Eddie Nketiah a year before Reiss Nelson is paid 100,000 a week to play the odd cup tie and not make an impact off the bench in the League.
Yet Tierney is loaned out and Pepe is paid to rip up his contract. Arteta mostly gets away with the number of talents he washed his hands of due to an unbeaten start to the campaign (including winning the Community Shield).
In a sign he’s overthinking things though, he starts Partey at right back asking him to plan when to step into midfield. This experiment only ends due to injury.
September 2023
Declan Rice scores his first goal as a Gunner in our win over Man United after which he’s serenaded by 60,000 Gooners at the Emirates.
Champions League football returns to the Emirates for the first time in 6 years.
Despite starting our first 5 fixtures of the campaign, Ramsdale is dropped in favour of Raya. According to Ramsdale senior his son is not given a reason or an area to work on.
Our manager though insists he doesn’t have a number 1 and will select his keeper 1 based on form. He says he’s even considered subbing his goalies as a tactical switch.
This Is a lie!
October 2023
Having made an error in the NLD, Raya made mistakes at the Bridge and in France. Arteta bizarrely praises Raya’s performance against Man City when he keeps passing the ball to the opposition. That comes across more of a manager not wanting to admit he’s wrong than doing what’s best for the team. A first win over Man City could be mentally huge.
November 2023
Did big decisions go against us at Newcastle? Yes
Did it warrant Arteta’s reaction? No.
Was it a sign of a manager out of his depth?
You could argue we have yet to recover from a performance where we managed just one shot on target. Too many Gooners don’t focus on that stat.
We comfortably win our CL group.
December 2023
We end the year in 4th, Liverpool and City both have games in hands after we win only one of our final 5 league games of the year.
To put that in perspective, we didn’t lose our second league game last season till February.
More concerning are the performances, with the Gunners struggling in the final third against Villa and West Ham and Arteta describing our defeat at Fulham as our worst display of the season.
He’s been told constantly you’re not winning a title with Raya in goal or Nketiah up front!
In 2024 I’ll be told I’m negative yet will still be proven correct.
Dan
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
And no doubt Dan you will be happy if proved correct! As being able to claim you were right, seems far more important to you- as I constantly notice from by your regular replies to this many posts that call you a negative writer; something I MUCH AGREE WITH – than being GLAD to be proved wrong would be to almost ALL fairminded fans who put the clubs success before their own opinion being proved correct.
To be fair to you, I applaud the constant hard work you have put in for years gone by and continue to do in running your time consuming prediction league.
Though that praise does NOT alter my considered oipinion of you as a relentlessly NEGATIVE WRITER ARTICLE ONLY.
I like and far prefer realistic pieces that show well considered balance, but you always write only NEGATIVE pieces.
I find that constant stance surprising , given your undoubted intellect and your way with words
But then again, I suppose that as an advanced age fan, nothing much, where humans are concerned, OUGHT to surprise me.
Jon I loved to be proven wrong but it’s not happening under this manager is it ?
Can I ask what month you disagree with
DAN its not a matter of disagreeing with any particular month. What you fail to grasp is its your constantly negative articles are what I and many others object to
Most sensible balanced fans well understand that MA is no genious (as another recent article writer today, rather ludicrously describes him.
Although Dan, I clalm to speak ONLY for myself, being a very regular reader and poster onJA for many years , I and many others are well aware that MA has made and continues to make mistakes.
THAT IS not the point though. IF you simply restricted yourself to pointing out his mistakes, along with his many positive qualities too, which are VERY RARELY EVER MENTIOND by you, then we would have no beef, as then your articles would possess balance.
It is the complete or almost complete LACKOF ANY PROPER BALANCE which upsets us, as most normal folk prize fairness and do no like obvious agendas, as we see you possessing. Care to now reply to THAT “lack of balance” point SPECIFICALLY please DAN?.
Of course if you see NO POSITIVE qualities in him at all, as you never mention them, THAT would explain your negativity,
I feel sure many of us would TRULY like to know what lies behind your obvious agenda, as many have said you show. And which I AGREE WITH TOO.
He did an amazing job last season which I have always said
If he left tomorrow I would say he did an okay job , nothing special
I remember Jon what you used to write about Mr Wenger when he was ‘only’ finishing top 4
Out of interest can you name me these qualities you see ?
Dan
I wasn’t involved in JA then, but you are referring to the opposite ends of the spectrum. In Wenger, Arsenal had a much more successful manager who wasn’t as successful as time went on. Arteta is still very much an inexperienced manager by comparison and has no record to compare to.
We went backwards since he left Sue
What we praise Arteta for Wenger got criticised for
Gladly I will DAN. Unbending will to win; harmonising a one time non together dressing room; getting rid of OZIL(admittedly far too late for my liking, but WENGER NEVER GOT RID OF HIM AND BOUGHT THAT FRAUD HERE). Getting that other fraud slacker, Auba out. Ridding us of Guendouzi. For the first time in countless years we have a proper top quality CB partnership, something WENGER HAD ONLY WITH The Invincibles, other than the George Graham inherited famous back four/ five.
Uniting the team again with the fans. Achieving second place behind ONLY the worlds greatest team, bar none, in many decades past. All this in his first job in charge. I call that very good achievements , even though he has lots still to learn.
But he is still young and I THINK AND EXPECT FURTHER IMPROVEMENT IN HIM AND THE TEAM.
But I see BOTH thepositive and downsides.
Its called “balance” Dan and I RECOMMEND ITS FUTURE USE TO YOU!!
My gift to you for Christmas; sorry its a little late but use it anyway old son , if you are wise , from now on.
PS: I read all your articles and have NEVER read you say he did “an amazing job last season”!
CARE TO SPECIFY WHICH ARTICLE THEN, AS I DONT RECALL READING ANY SUCH PRAISE FROM YOU, EVER.
No I just can’t lie that’s all
An unbending will to win ?
He’s won one FA Cup and finished top 4 once In 4 years
You literally mocked Wenger for doing that
Unbending will to win yet same tatics , keeps picking Raya when it’s not working , picks Eddie when it’s not working
I love this idea that Wenger inherited a good defence ……apart from the Invincibles lol
He got rid of Ozil and Auba …
Then brought in Havertz and gave contracts to Nketiah and Reiss Nelson
Tell you what , you name Arteta best 5buys , I’ll name you Wenger’s best in same time period
Again Dan, you have many years of AW at the helm to choose from.
It serves no purpose to keep recalling what Wenger did versus Arteta who has been in situ for 4 years. An important consideration is what the whole world football set up like then. Most of us had never heard of Vieira or Petit There are too many variables to make a proper comparison. There was also not the number of clubs that could afford to snap up the best or most suitable players.
Yes, he did get rid of Ozil and Auba, but Havertz wasn’t brought in directly afterwards, was he? I don’t know why he was brought in but it’s not the point
I didnt
Jon made the comparisons
Are we only allowed to make comparisons when it suits
Here you go
Literally type In Google
JustArsenal Dan and then quote Arteta did a great job last season
https://www.justarsenal.com/seven-examples-of-how-arteta-has-made-arsenal-into-title-contenders/335435
Unless you meant when I refused to call 8th or 5th progress?
Dan whilst you have mentioned the positives, you have as I would expect, expanded on the negatives and this unfortunately then comes across as a negative piece because it has plenty of interesting points. Also, is it right to use one of your favourite terms, arrogant, to predict that you will be right in 2/1/24.?
I’ve followed Arsenal since I was knee high to a grasshopper- which equates to 55+ years. I’ve pretty much seen it all; the highs, the lows and a lot in between. The highs were seeing Charlie George at Wembley get the winner against Liverpool in the Cup final up to seeing the very best football in the early years of Wenger’s reign. However, I’ve also been treated to spells of bang average football and bang average league positions.
I don’t get ridiculously upset by what we are now. It’s a stutter at present. What cheeses me off is the thought that either Klopp or Guardiola may have been overlooked by the top brass at a time when we hadn’t really challenged for another league title under AW.
Instead, after the Emery fiasco, the club took a punt on Arteta who had zilch in the way of managerial experience. Move on 4 years and it appears that the knives are being sharpened in readiness by a growing number who in some cases expected a miracle.
Arteta may not have that something extra. Not many do, but whenever there is a set back we are thrust into a picture of impending doom. A couple of years ago it was a case of getting in Potter or Brendan Rodgers. Eric Ten Hag was another on the JA wish list. Since then I’ve followed posts on bringing back Emery or trying de Zerbi.
All I feel at the moment is that Pep is the best manager with the best squad and in recent times Klopp has shown his worth. Beyond that, Chelsea and its revolving door of managers have also been major contenders. Who else is there?
Arteta has done better than many expected. Hopefully, he has looked at himself to see what he could have done differently to have improved our current situation. For me, there have been a handful of dodgy signings that haven’t cut it and don’t look as though they will and this means money was wasted. His bench isn’t strong enough which means that our young home grown players aren’t good enough either. Maybe the academy needs some introspection.
This wasn’t a nag at you (apart from a bit in paragraph 1) rather me just putting my take on being a supporter at this moment
Happy new year and I love your predictions
I always thought basically we got a good manager and players but not great
Someone on this site got 100 pound bet that we will will CL / I say we won’t
We have David Raya in goal, Havertz in midfield , Eddie and Nelson play for us lol
DAN IF YOU ARE SAYING THAT WE WILL NOT WIN THE CL THIS SEASON, IRECKON ALL SELF HONEST FANS WOULD AGREE WITH YOU.
But to see you say we have a basically good manager and players, even though not great, as few would in any case claim, IS a start. KEEP IT UP.
Why do you assume wehave an automatic right to having any great manager though, since thre are only TWO of that type in the PREM; KLOPP AND PEP, PLAINLY.?
Correct Jon
Never said we had an automatic right ?
Simply saying you need great players and managers to win the Prem