I’m really surprised the level of criticism that Gabriel Jesus has received this week.
Due to his work rate and winning mentality, I thought he would be protected from any backlash from our fan base, especially with it his first season in North London.
The Brazilian has gone 7 fixtures without finding the back of the net, leaving some Gooners to scratch their head and conclude he’s not a striker who is going to score 20-25 League goals a season.
When the likes of myself pointed this out when we were winning games, I was called negative, now it is an issue when dropping points, you are accused of being fickle.
He’s a great subject matter to study how the modern fan works.
They don’t want to hear any critique on their club unless it happens to be their opinion.
In reality, go back to pre-season and most supporters said we needed to recruit at least two senior forwards.
Since January we had lost Aubameyang and Lacazette, two experienced players.
We all welcomed Jesus (and still do) because of the many attributes he offers to make us better.
Simply though, being prolific is not one of them and never has been.
In the space of 12 months our attacking options had gone between Auba and Laca to Jesus and Eddie Nketiah.
That’s the same Eddie who managed to score in just three League games last campaign, who the manager watches in training and deems good enough only for the cups, and bizarrely has a portion of the fan base who don’t think someone on 100,000 pound a week should be expected to ever make an impact off the bench.
These same people will wait for him to sold to a midtable side, then admit he’s not good enough, it will be too late!
The likes of Saka and Martinelli found the pressure of being our creative output during a top 4 race, too much to handle.
That’s not being harsh. We had the youngest squad in the division (now the 2nd) so logically there will be moments of inexperience.
They needed help.
Edu has corrected that, but we needed more – and only our great start to the season let him get away with that.
He knew all year Laca was leaving as a free agent, he knew we hadn’t replaced Auba, he knew we needed two players for that position …….he got one!
So common sense would say if the pressure of a top 4 race was too big for our youngsters, so would the pressure of a title race now?
What you can’t do is defend our owners, technical director, etc, then be shocked when the squad is lacking.
Because it’s not Jesus’ fault.
He’s never been an out and out striker.
Yes, he wanted to play in the middle more at Manchester City, but look where Pep Guardiola mostly trusted him.
On the wings, due to his energy and immense tactical understanding.
On Champions League nights he would trusted to do specific jobs on opposition players.
Never post-Aguero did one of the greatest coaches to ever live trust Jesus to be his main reliance on goals.
We know what we were getting when bought him, so it seems harsh 4 months later to be judging him on being anything different.
It would be like a company interviewing for two candidates, one needing to be a driver.
You hire one candidate due to so many strengths, but you see on their CV they can’t drive.
If you only employ him/her, you can’t be angry with them months later because they haven’t got their driving license.
It would be the company’s fault for only hiring one individual when the criteria was two.
So, I’m sticking by Jesus because to me he’s brought what he promised.
He will chip with goals, but finishing is his weak part of his game.
He brings so many other qualities.
The only thing wrong with him at the moment is looking jaded.
When the Saints equalised last Sunday, he didn’t have the freshness to go to another level.
I wouldn’t have taken him to Holland, I would have given him a week off to be fresh for Forest.
Jesus needs an alternative striker to link up with.
It’s not his fault Arsenal didn’t have the ambition to go and get it.
Dan
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True Dan. People forget that Auba was a goal machine, albeit not when he left. We need a big burly CF who’ll complement Jesus, either starting or off the bench or together. Some would say Nkeitiah is a like-for-like with Jesus, but I don’t see it. Apart from being small fast forwards, they are nothing alike. One has technique out the wazoo, one looks like he could trip over himself. Nketiah was never the answer but he’s not going to go anywhere as he’s signed a contract. In January we should be looking for forward options or recall Balogun as he’s been doing great in France
Told y’all several times before he came, that he was going to be one of our tireless high pressers
His extra effort alone as our first defender had made our defense more consistent, thanks to his constant high press that forced the oppositions to make long goal kicks. I’d rather have a hardworking CF like him than an old world-class goal-scorer like Ronaldo, who no longer have the energy to press frequently
I just wished we’d signed another CF type in the mold of Giroud as plan B, to help our attackers when they’re in their barren periods. Now we just need to trust Jesus/ Nketiah and I’m sure they’ll make at least a pre-assist against Nottingham Forest
Strongly agree
Nkethia is simply inconsistent considering his potentuals. He should be having high goal returns in EL to challenge G.Jesus in EPL but he has not been clinical. We need a striker in the Old of Kane, Mitrovic, Halaand Etc..
Gai, Nkethia is simply inconsistent considering his potentials. He should be having high goal returns in EL to challenge G.Jesus in EPL but he has not been clinical. We need a striker in the mold of Kane, Mitrovic, Halaand Etc..
Sylva, Nketiah’s stamina and enthusiasm seemed to have dropped, but I’m sure he’ll be pumped up to play in Stamford Bridge
I agree we need a tall CF type as you mentioned
How Nketiah is still at the club is simply ludicrous
How can you blame Jesus for not buying a backup striker, he’s not the club financer for transfers ,omg dumb as……
Not sure why we are bringing this subject up.
Gj Is a total upgrade on lacca and aubes.
Works hard for the team
Never stops pressing
Defends
Leads by example
And will chip in with 15 plus goals
Nothing is guaranteed in bringing in a 2nd striker
As mentioned previously
Pool spent 80m on Nunez.
Believe the jury is still out on him and will need a season or 2 to settle in to the prem.
The boys are doing just fine
Plus 14 goals
9 wins
1 draw
1 lose
Any one want to argue with that record
Saying Gabriel Jesus is an upgrade on Auba is a huge disrespect to Auba. GJ can’t lace Auba’s boots. Emotional fans everywhere
Imagine someone saying that lol. Auba was a beast for us. Best forward we had since RVP. Were talking about a golden boot winner. Not that Jesus is bad, he has other things he does better like his dribbling. But Auba was a goal machine period
Just to point out too Chapo and TruGoon
Aubes in the last 2 season for us was absolutely atrocious
A beast he may of been but not in the last 2 seasons for us. Once he signed his contract he stopped caring a d trying.
He forgot his shooting boots and couldn’t hit a barn door.
If the pair of you were happy with his input, his leader ship, his goal return In the last season then fair play to you for staying loyal but for me he was a prime example of why we were not moving forward as a team.
Lacca .. loved his passion for the club and team but lost that yard or 10 pace and couldn’t do it for us anymore but him I wish all the best for the future as he showed his true colours in times of need.
As for aubes I have totally forgotten the good stuff he gave us and only remember how he left us flat so good riddance.
👍
Seconded
Jesus certainly is a huge upgrade on the Auba, we saw last season. Not only was Auba useless on the field, he was also an obvious troublemaker.
In fact, we did better after he was left out and later let go.
He still won the Golden Boot with us (with others)
Dan, I believe you make up headlines (sometimes) just to be provocative.
I’ve not read one single post on JA, or anywhere else come to that, where any Arsenal fan has blamed Jesus for the club not signing another forward.
Where do you get these weird ideas from?
I’m beginning to think it’s purely clickbait – sad really, as I always read your posts with enthusiasm, if not with a little trepidation as of late.
@ken1945
Oops, It was me that wrote the headline, but I thought it described the gist of Dan’s article clearly.
Was I wrong?
I believe so Pat, as I couldn’t then be really bothered to read and digest the article as thoroughly as I should / could have done.
My impression from last season is that Jesus *was* trusted by city to be their centre forward. From my recollection, he started most, if not all, of their important games up front, through the centre. He has a lot of qualities that make him suitable, not least his ability to deal with high balls by using his body strength to get underneath and shield it from the head of the usually taller defender.
I don’t think he’s going to be a big goalscorer, but he can get plenty. I see him as being similar to Drogba (oddly enough!) in his role in the side, or at least that’s his potential. This was one of the best cfs we’ve seen in the pl, but contrary to popular opinion, he wasn’t a big goalscorer either (1 or 2 seasons aside). He nonetheless contributed massively to very successful sides – what he had, and what we need, is plenty of goals coming from those around him. Saka, martinelli, odegaard (and apparently xhaka!) are capable of getting 10-15 each in the league this season, and must deliver. Arguably Nketiah is as well if used correctly. If they’re not capable of doing that, then we must find an additional source of goals, which might be a second striker, or a goalscoring winger.
Before we bought Jesus, you demanded we should buy him to prove ambition.
Now you want something else as proof.
The truth is, you only want to discredit the owners, instead of acknowledging the huge ambition they are showing with their investments and their ability to follow a plan, which has given us hope of becoming title challengers after at least 10 years without a sniff of the title.
I think you’re giving the owners too much credit as everyone in the world knows we needed a central midfielder and a winger. I don’t think they’re as ambitious as you reckon
It is not up to the owners to choose the players. Our owners are clever enogh not to interfere with that.
But despite we haven’t had Champions League football for years, they not only have allowed huge investments in our squad, they have also kept Arsenal as one of the highest salary paying clubs in the league.
That shows their ambition.
Are they not responsible for us declining to the point where we havnt been in CL for years ?
In the end owners with the control are responsible.
But you fail to get our problems started way before Kroenke had control, whereas the recent huge investments to get us back have come under his control.
So your usual digs at Kroenke, are without the most basic facts.
depends if you hold them accountable when they officially brought the club or when they first had serious power on the board .
By 2011 he had over 60 percent of shares, so massive say on what went on .
Look where we were then to where we are now ?
Our decline under him is factual
Our league positions , being not in Europe , our best players leaving and not being replaced …..that’s all factual mate
it’s just you don’t want to hear it
Even recently as January , when we had a great chance of top 4 , he slashed the wage bill.
Saying well done for spending money when he took us to 8th !!!!!! He had zero choice
And I would wait till you start claiming we are back
Not true mate , always said we needed two strikers and 100 percent have been very vocal about Eddie Nketiah being our second choice striker
Are you denying, you wrote an article demanding we should buy Jesus to prove ambition?
Yeah Jesus was fantastic buy but we needed more
If he gets injured , it’s Eddie Nketiah !
But finsihing 5th
Giving away your best striker and letter then other leave on a free
Buying a striker wasn’t ambition , he had to do that as Eddie was our only striker left
I think you’re giving the owners too much credit as everyone in the world knows we needed a central midfielder and a winger. I don’t think they’re as ambitious as you reckon they are
Well then, if your correct, why hasn’t Edu /Arteta gone out, identified the players they want and added to the list of twenty (?) players they have already signed… over £300,000,000 I do believe?
I’m not blaming Jesus for anything
Nketiah isn’t the answer for me and certainly not on the reported £100kpw. I don’t know the inner workings of who Arteta and Edu identify as targets so it might be that their efforts in the summer didn’t come to fruition. Hopefully there will be transfer activity next time around to address the problem
Or Sue we spend the month slashing the wage bill again ?
I’m leaning towards positive thinking Dan. No good thinking the worst before it actually happens
Just going off previous January’s
Last January we were in a strong position to get top 4
Knew Auba was leaving and didn’t replace him
This Jan we will be in strong position to finish top 4 lets hope they have learnt their lesson
👍
I’m not sure than anyone is blaming or turning against Jesus.blips in his form were to be expected,he went from from being a squad player at City for several seasons to an automatic starter.i have nothing against Eddie but keeping was a mistake.had we let him go,we would have received compensations for him and from what I read between 8-10M.his new contract is going to cost Arsenal 31M.i am pretty sure that this money could have got a pretty good backup for Jesus,more importantly a different type of player,as GAI would say a plan B striker in the mould of Giroud!!
I don’t think it’s that easy to conclude about Jesus’s lack of goals. His relentless pressing up front gives our midfield and defence a lot of breather. In turn they combined to score more goals than him. Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard and Xhaka are firing all cylinders. You don’t get that from Aubameyang, Lacazette or even Nketiah. We want our Arsenal to dominate and frightened the opponent and force them to change their tactics to defend us. Then, we can create and score more. Remember the Liverpool game. Eventually Klopp surrendered and his changes made us dominate again. Lack of goals is perfectly legitimate concern but blaming Jesus is a bit naive. I would blame Nketiah for failing to build on his strong performance at the end of last season. He is there to back Jesus and score crucial goals.
Definitely we need a finisher.Jesus will be good when played as a second striker or left winger in form of Sanchez but
fans just want 2 world class strikers to rotate
even if we had sign one last summer…..
Fans would still want another striker in the winter window or the new summer window
its never enough
Jesus is not world class
He’s very good but not one of the best In the world
Eddie wouldn’t get in most Prem 11
So having lost Auab and Lacca I don’t think we were asking for too much , just for our players to be replaced