Our Arsenal’s title hopes gone?
Arsenal fans are known to be a bit dramatic and reactionary, but this all feels like a really bad case of DeJa’Vu and I’m already having flashbacks to last season. We started off the season in great form and after bringing in some top level players, I personally started to believe this could be our season. I know it’s a bit reactionary to straight up say we are now out of the title race, but if we continue to keep playing like we have recently, I feel like the title is just another pipe dream and we are all going to be left disappointed again.
Ending the year with a loss really hurt and because we don’t play for a while, it feels like were going to be stuck mulling over this result for too long, and when Arsenal fans begin to overthink, our confidence goes down and we seem to lose our way.
Now, things could be much worse and honestly when you look at the big picture we’ve had a positive start to the season, we’ve played 20 games in the Premier League, winning 12, drawing 4 and losing 4. When you look at those stats it doesn’t seem too bad, but then again there’s a lot more competition around us this season than there was last season. With several teams playing well and competing for the top spot, it makes our job all the more difficult.
Personally, I think that if we don’t have a good January and bounce back, we could be set for a battle to get into the top four, never mind the title. Liverpool, Aston Villa, Spurs and Manchester City all look good this season and with such a tight group of teams competing, Arsenal need every single point they can get. If we have another run of games like the last two then silverware becomes less likely and the fight for a spot in the top 4 will become the goal.
Obviously, Arsenal fans don’t want that, we want to be challenging for the title, but our squad seems depleted and lost, opponents have begun to figure Arteta’s systems out and our frontline are finding it hard to link up and score goals, the teams around us don’t seem to be having that problem, and maybe it’s time for Arteta to shake things up and try adapting to the situation.
We face Liverpool in the FA Cup next, then we have a game against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest to round off January and those two Premier League games are must-wins, dropping anymore unneeded points at this stage could send us down a bad path and lead us back to where we ended last season, with a great side, but nothing to show for it.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Daisy Mae
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Its good that title dream is crushed earlier rather than last few matches of the season, having low expectations is best for our health.
Things are fairly tight at the top of the PL and we may not win it. However, it is far too early to state categorically that we won’t.
It is really rather ridiculous to suggest that winning the PL is a ‘pipe dream’ at this stage.
Mathematically, we could still win EPL. Unfortunately, we’ve missed many great chances to collect more points from the supposedly-highly-winnable games, so we’d better focus on UCL
From what I’ve seen so far Arteta will never win us an Epl title. Just forget.
You’re kidding right? Have you already forgotten last season?
Almost everyone thought we may struggle for top 4, yet MA pushed City (one of greatest teams we’ve ever seen last season) almost all the way, with big injuries all season, and the youngest team in the league.
MA also has an excellent record against the top 6, which is even more impressive when you consider he rarely gets to use his best XI, very inexperienced players, transitional phase for around the first 2/2.5 years, and he’s been up against very established managers who’ve had better players at their disposal.
I’m not saying MA doesn’t have any flaws, but it’s amazing that fans ignore all context and some of the great work he’s done.
Also, he’s up against a team that cheats, and has been for well over a decade. Making it almost impossible to win the league.
Jen, still waiting for your list of 50 attacking midfielders that Wenger had when he bought Ozil.
While you make such ridiculous claims, how can you be taken seriously?
I note that you have suddenly realised that a certain team have been cheating for. “well over a decade” but I suggest there are two clubs who fit that scenario (city and chelsea).
Strangely, you have never mentioned this ONCE when criticising AW, but it has suddenly become a talking point when MA is involved… any reason for that?
Would also love to hear the reason for that. Funnily enough in his elaboration he ends up agreeing with what Cliff has said.
So you take everything literally ken? Do understand what something like tongue in cheek means, or do you actually need it explained to you?
I have noticed you hate it when people tell the truth about the negatives about Wenger.
In the 13/14 season the least of our transfer priorities was another attacking midfielder. Why? Because we already had a world class playmaker called Santi, who had just had a wonderful season, and we already had many other attacking midfielders on our books such as: Ramsey, Wilshere, Oxlade, Rosicky, Iwobi, Walcott, Gnarby, and Podolski. Attacking midfield was easily our most stacked position.
We desperately needed a DM more than anything, but also a CB, a striker and an out-an-out winger, which Ozil was not.
If you honestly think yet another attacking midfielder was more of a priority than those positions, ESPECIALLY the DM role, then I honestly cannot help you.
Facts are facts I’m afraid!
No, the FACTS are that Wenger DIDN’T have 50 attacking midfielders as you said.
Secondly, all the players you named, were signed by AW, including the wonderfully gifted Santi Cazorla…. however, as you have pointed out many times, we still hadn’t won anything… that was until Ozil was signed and we then won the fa cup three times and that was WITHOUT the DM, CB, winger and striker that you wanted.
I see that you didn’t address the point about city (2008) and chelsea (2005)arriving on the PL scene and affecting our club, so let me ask you again, why do you see these two clubs as a reason to defend Mikel, but not Arsene?
When someone says “facts are facts” and they are quite obviously NOT, one has to question the reason behind stating such an obvious untruth.
Of course, the same question could be asked as to why MA didn’t buy a CF, DM and winger, yet he brought in a goalkeeper and loaned out one of the best DEFENDERS we had at the club in Tierney and rewarded two average strikers in Nketiah and Nelson new contracts reportedly worth £100k a week for the next four years.
As for Wenger’s negatives, I wrote an article for JA, in which I listed ten negative points that I felt he had got wrong.
Strangely enough, I note how you spring to Arteta’s defence, by deflecting everything back to Wenger, no matter what happens.
I REALLY don’t need your help when discussing either AW or MA, as our views are obviously polar opposites regarding the former and your wearing of rose tinted glasses regarding the latter.
Let’s just agree not to say “facts are facts” when they simply are not, as you proved with your list of nine when claiming fifty.
So going on you’re opening sentence, you DO take words literally! Wow! You must be a nightmare at a comedy gig :)!
No, it was a fact that season, attacking midfield was our most stacked position. I suggest you go and check the squad for that season, and you’ll see I am correct. Facts are facts, and they are there for everyone online to see.
I take words or a sentence literally, when they are said to be “FACTS” as you quite clearly stated.
Once again, you fail to answer any questions put to you from your statements, such as Ozil arriving and our trophy less run ends, chelsea and city affecting MA but not AW, why we didn’t buy a top class CF, but re-signed two moderate strikers at £200k a week.
Of course, I could blatantly lie and say we already had 50 forwards and facts are facts, but I know for certain that anyone with a knowledge of our club who laugh me out of Just Arsenal.
Let’s try again:
1. Did chelsea and city affect The Arsenal when their new found wealth was introduced into the PL?
2. Was AW under spending restraints due to the Emirates being built at the same time?
3. Has MA been more affected by the city and chelsea money than AW?
4. Has MA been under any spending restraints since he became our manager?
Let the FACTS speak for themselves shall we?
By the way, the 2014 season handbook gives every players position – when I get back home, I’ll check what your claiming as FACTS and give them out for all to see…. unless you have them yourself, which I assume you have, so why not just print them out?
Man, it’s the last of the AKBs haha!
There we have it in black and white for all to see.
Such a grown up and sensible answer!!!
You’ve just lost the argument completely with such a stupid reply and not answering one single point.
I WILL produce the 2014 /2015 stats regarding the players we had and their positions at the time, as you obviously haven’t got them, despite saying you
had.
Just to answer the questions you couldn’t :
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. No
If any intelligent fan wants to debate my opinion, please do so.
It’s the 13/14 stats, not the season after. Can you not read? And you never answer questions yourself when I’ve unfortunately had to engage with you in the past, debunking your nonsense, especially around Wenger’s latter years.
I think it’s best we don’t talk anymore because I feel I’m losing brain cells by the minute! Why don’t we give MA 14 straight years of zero league challenges, or no trophy for 9 straight years before we start calling him out hahaha!
My mistake, so it will be the 13/14 season when we had 50 attacking midfield players that I will check on.
Meanwhile Jen / TMJW it’s your silly “haha” tag that gives you away and I’m sure AdminPat will, once again, find you out.
Keep reading though as I will debunk this claim as I did every other one of your “facts are facts” claims.
I’ll post results mid February, so it will give you plenty of time to check it out for yourself.
Lol, like I care what your “twisted” results will be!
I don’t know who these other users you’re referring to, but clearly you love your conspiracy theories. So you keep banging that drum.
You accuse me and others of not answering your questions, yet you do exactly the same. So that makes you a hypocrite.
Finally, you’re a fake fan. The worst kind, that doesn’t care about the club, because you always put Wenger before the club’s best interests from what you say about him. Shame on you!
Fake fan?
Haha – 70 years of following this club and witnessing true ups and downs.
I don’t make up “facts” – answer questions at all times – loved the Wenger years – enjoying the Arteta time – call out people who twist the club’s history to fit their own opinions – respect other fans on JA but ask relevant questions (50 attacking midfield players in the 2013 – 14 season – 😂😂😂) when I believe statements are wrong.
Never mind that you didn’t even acknowledge that you were clueless as to the Sanchez transfer saga, but you then accuse another fan of not knowing anything about our club.
You are a complete clown and it will give me great pleasure to prove it come February.
By the way, Arsene Wenger doesn’t feature in my thoughts now, just as Bertie Mee and George Graham don’t, but I will ensure that their part in the history of The Arsenal is told factually and not tarnished by false “FACTS”.
Thanks ken1945 for your comments and efforts on JA and more importantly being a dedicated Arsenal supporter for so long.
BB I have loved every minute of following this great club and feel honoured that, for whatever reason, at the age of 7 I defied my spud following family and went to Highbury… never to look back.
JA is a great site for ALL Gooners to give their opinions, debate and become PL managers!!
Thanks for your message and I hope to see our club as champions at least one more time before I hang up my boots!!
Cheers and keep posting YOUR opinions and back them up with actual FACTS wherever possible my fellow Gooner.
@jen/thirdman,,, you are very very immature. That’s a silly comment,,”he’s up against a team that cheats”. Do you have proof??? Mikel Arteta will not take Arsenal anywhere. You seem to shoot your mouth off quite regularly without putting much thought into what you are saying. My late father used to say to me when I was a young teenager, ” Your mouth functions before your brain does. Think before opening your mouth “. A bit like you Jen/Thirdman
Now there’s an interesting thought pj – tmjw?
The comments regarding AW certainly ring a bell and where’s Dan kit when you need him to sniff tmjw out?
As for city or chelsea cheating, the latter has been established and 105(?) charges to be explained away by the former does tempt one to say no smoke without fire.
Of course, it was the amount of money that Abramovitch and the sheik brought into the game that completely changed the PL and, for some reason known only to Jen, this only affected MA, but facts are facts and chelsea in 2005 and city in 2008 saw AW as our manager… yet NO creedance given to said facts, along with the Emirates build.
TMJW had the same kind of illogical thinking when it came to Mr Wenger.
TMJW
@pjennings
So you believe that ALL 115 charges against City are false?
Even without evidence, it was blatantly obvious something dodgy was going, given the crazy amounts they were spending and the fact they were not a club with a large global fanbase.
City WIN
United WIN
Spurs DRAW
Pool DRAW
Chelsea DRAW
Maybe the Spurs and Chelsea matches should’ve been won but overall this season is pretty good against the traditional big 6. Last season our record vs them was 3 defeats, 6 wins, 3 defeats, 1 draw.
But it’s the matches like W Ham, Fulham etc we should’ve won. I mean we’ve lost 5 points vs Fulham alone.
Does he have an excellent record against the top 6 ?
It’s mathematically possible, but Arteta must change tactics and get more from his players.
Man management is his Achilles heel, and very little improvement if any over the years.
He continues to overplay players, and doesn’t rotate enough. And when they do play, the rust is obvious and not sure why he expects them to suddenly be productive.
Arteta built the squad, but doesn’t seem to trust or play his reserves often enough. How can someone be on the bench for weeks or more, and then instantly pick up the slack when a starter drops form?
I think we tend to blame the players too often and don’t question the manager’s decisions and tactics enough.
Accountability rests on Arteta now. Change the tactics and style of play before it’s too late. Rinse and repeat is not the solution to our problems.
I think he is tactically good enough to beat everyone to the title but his handicap is he can’t do it if a single player from his trusted eleven is missing.
Somehow with 7 years in the job he hasn’t learned how to rotate or use substitution effectively.
It’s not crushed at all.
Vamos, why not read what Durand has written and give your answers to his points, instead of just writing a slogan?
His points are well made and structured and it would be interesting to read your responses as a MA supporter.
Don’t forget, my friend Jon Fox follows your views with interest and, as he is wavering a little regarding Mikel, you need to boost him up as well.
In Arsene’s voice “Its still possible mathematically”. Notably, title winning sides of the past have only lost 3-5games per winner season. Arsenal have lost 4 games with 18 games remaining. To stand a chance, they would have to win atleast 15-16 of those games to accumulate at least 85pts or more. Given our current form, that is “practically impossible”. Besides, it would require both Liverpool and ManCity to falter while Arsenal ascends at the same time. So yes, the title is odds less than 10% at this point in time.
DM. It’s a bit early to talk of pipe dreams, we’re only just over halfway through our PL games.
Lets get past the ACON & Asian Cup and then see how the situation looks before losing hope. We’re going to be involved in lots of football soon, and unless we take an early exit in one or both cups ( FA & CL) we might have problems.
We are just 5 points behind Liverpool. We are still in the title race. We should be positive. Other teams struggle as well. We can will the league.
I do believe Arteta has become too predictable with his tactics ! Most teams have worked out that if they block the wide areas up front we dont have any real alternatives to offer. Both Saka and Martinelli have become less effective in the past few months. I would like to see him try a 3/4/3 combination. My team would be as follows : Ramsdale, White,Saliba,Gabrial, : Odegaard,Rice,Havertz,Smith-Rowe, :Saka,Jesus/Trossard,Martinelli. Also still believe we need a top goal scoring centre forward.
The six points dropped in the last two games, and in particular the performance against Fulham, has all but extinguished any hope of Arsenal winning the league this season as far as I’m concerned. The competition is too fierce for Arsenal to close a five-point gap and three teams ahead of us.
I think the fight is now between City and Liverpool. We will now only be scrapping for a top-four finish with the likes of Villa and Spurs
FA Cup is our hope of a trophy.
And if Arteta fields a weakened team against Liverpool that hope will have gone as well.
Because we aren’t winning anything else.
We are not winning any title. Our style is not good enough. We have far to many problems in the team set up and our forwards dont score because there is very little link up play. Jesus, isn’t a no9, Martinelli hasn’t an end product. They dont attack as a unit and Haverz is like a ghost. Our defence can be got at, especially down the wings and we are in a run of form at the moment that is relegation form.
4 points from 15 is disastrous.
Could be worse, cheer up.
Just saying as it is.
It’s just midway of the season. There’s still lots of football to play and lots of twists and turns, as long as Arsenal are close to the top, don’t rule them out of winning the title.
Just as it’s too early to concede the title to City or Liverpool, it is also too early to rule Arsenal out of contention.
It’s far to early to right-off us from wining the PL. Although at this point it looks like it will be very difficult. However,football is a funny game and one of the most unpredictable to forcast results. I think most understand that things like injuries, the loss of players to the ACON and Asia cup and the fixtures over the next months will play a big part. Of course this applies to all PL teams and obviously the ones that handle it best have the best chance of wining something. Also some clubs have more resourses than others which will enable them to strengthen in the transfer window. I do not know who will win the PL but we have as good a chance, at this point, as anyone else.
Am devastated by the lost to Fulham, hadn’t I known better, I would inclined to think the team wasn’t playing for the manager,
Its the worst have seen a set of players in an Arsenal shirt perform, hope the gaffer does something about the Ramsdale situation this month, immediately send the Englishman on loan or sell the lad.
Arsenal has to get the one or two players we will be trying to bring in right.
Maybe have been spoiled by the gaffer and just like to see Arsenal win.
Last season was a fluke. But it was ours for the taking and we bottled it. For a good part of the season we had 1(one) match a week, yet we petered out midway through the second half of it. Arteta has neither the tactical know how or man management skills to take us any further than he already has.
Jus sayin…
I love this comment. People are finally starting to see what I was saying all last season, even when it was going well. Arteta is too limited as a manager. I think he’s a great coach but he’s too restricted in his tactics and appears to be a dreadful man manager.
No matter what it is. It’s too early to give up. Our priority should still be the Premier League and CL
I see city starting to pick up again just like last season. I do think they’ll win it. I think Liverpool have been overachieving (picking up slightly more points than their play deserves) – that might continue, in which case they’ll win the league, but i think it’s more likely it will catch up with them and they’ll be overtaken.
I think we’re massive outsiders right now because of how we’re playing. If we can pick it up and start playing well again, we have to position ourselves to be in with a chance at the end of the season and just hope things go our way. It’s not impossible, but we really need something to change, fast, just to be in with a chance. The way things are going, we could be out of the race in a couple of weeks (without looking at the fixture list).
This team will not win the league, and definitely not with Arteta in charge. Last season was an aberration, and the inverted fullback caught everyone off guard. Had we had Rice last year then we probably would’ve won the league, but we didn’t, and we didn’t and now we won’t.
The tactics are so predictable, with no Plan B. It’s just the same sideways, mundane passing for 90 minutes. And it looks like the players aren’t enjoying it, which is a real concern, and why would they? Arteta’s ridiculous stubbornness is exactly what Wenger’s failing was but he at least had the pedigree to back his up.
What would be so bad about keeping Tierney on the bench to offer an alternative overlapping fullback? The lack of variation makes it easy to defend and has drastically limited Saka’s and Martinelli’s effectiveness this season, and it makes Odegaard look ordinary because he has no one to pass to!
If we must play 3 at the back can we not just do that and let Rice and Partey/Zinchenko sit in front and just give the other 5 outfield players some freedom to just play?
Personally, I think this team has real potential to play and good old fashioned (sort of) 442. Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney, Martinelli, Rice, Odegaard/Zinchenko, Saka, Havertz, Nketiah. Play Martinelli on the right as a proper winger and Saka on the left as the same. Let Havertz come short as a false 9 and let Eddie stay in the box and poach just like Wrighty used to.
But this won’t happen. Ever. Not in this team and not with this manager.