Freddie admits Arsenal only played for 20 minutes against Brighton

Poor old Freddie. He gets his dream of coming out of the dugout as Arsenal manager for the very first time ever, and the players don’t even bother to turn up to support him! This was supposed to be one of the proudest moments of his life but it ended up as one of the ultimate low points, not just for him but for the players who he chose, the poor fans who actually paid to watch this farce, and every single Arsenal supporter around the world.

Freddie was the one that then had to try and explain what happened, and the best that he could come up with was that the players did actually try to play football for about 20 minutes! Anyway here is what he said on Arsenal.com after the match….

“We’re disappointed to lose at home. The main thing is we didn’t show up in the first half. We were very passive and we had a chat at half-time, made a tactical change and all of a sudden we looked like a team. For 20 minutes or so we really pushed them, scored goals and thought we could win the game, but VAR was correct. That’s how we have to play the whole game. I said to the players that you can’t give away a whole half to any team in the Premier League. That’s what we need to learn from.”

Then he was asked how he coulddo anything to change things for the better. “That’s the tough part.” he replied. “They look very short on confidence. In the first half they were scared to get the ball and a bit scared to move, they were just standing still. That’s something we need to talk about. They need to have a win, we need to dig out a win and get them some confidence. They can do it because they showed it in the beginning of the second half and they did it really well for 20 minutes. It’s hard to say that when you lose at home, but they were very good in that little spell.

“It’s obvious that nervousness from a crowd can affect footballers, it doesn’t matter what quality you have. They’re human beings like everyone else, they want to do well and they feel the pressure. That’s something we need to work on and I feel like if we just dig out a win, we can get there. They showed it in the second half.

“Like I said against Norwich, if you score the first goal you don’t have to chase the game, you don’t have to open up as much because you can control the game so that’s something that, in my opinion, we need to change that a little bit. We won the balls but you’re right, when they ran at us it often ends with a shot on target. We’ve had one training session but we’ll keep on working.

“It’s never easy when you sack a manager and you’re low on confidence. We started really well at Norwich. We started the second half really well and I was sure we were going to win the game and get going again. We get a sucker punch on a counter or as they play down one side. It’s hard to take but we keep plugging away.”

So this is the question, how do you pick up a team that is on a streak of 9 games in a row without winning one of them? But it would appear that the whole club is in freefall and has no belief whatsoever.

Freddie must be in utter despair after this performance from his team, and he must be wondering what on earth he can do give him and the players their pride back.

Good luck with that Freddie….

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35 Comments

  1. Aubameyang is better in the air than Lacazette, so just use Aubameyang centrally and bench Lacazette

    Arsenal have to win the ball possession at the upcoming away game, therefore they need to make the formation more compact and start with more ball winning midfielders:

    ……………… Leno
    Bellerin . Mustafi . Luiz . Tierney
    ……………. Chambers
    Pepe . Torreira . Xhaka . Martinelli
    …………… Aubameyang

    1. I wish we have an alternative Rb, Bellerin is so overrated, I will use Guendouzi instead of Toriera. However, there’s no creativity in the line up but poor Arsenal, there’s no creative midfielder and Ozil is crap as well as Joe. I can’t wait for January transfer window to come.

      1. Bellerin has declined badly, so buying a better RB should be the priority in the summer. Torreira and Xhaka played their hearts out last night, hence we need their energy in London Stadium

        The same can’t be said about the four clueless attackers who couldn’t hold the ball properly. If I were Ljungberg, I’d only keep Aubameyang due to his leaping ability and his pace

        I believe Ljungberg started Lacazette and Ozil to win the ball possession, but we lost penetration because of those two players’ tendency to play safe. Their bad forms in the last two EPL matches should be a good reason to drop them

        1. @ Gotanidea what has Ozil done to you??? You love to criticize him even if he had a good game for us. Always criticize Ozil on merit but not on a sentiment…

    2. We are predicting something good for the so called manager but it seems they have no head leaving Pepe out makes it true that the manager has no interest in moving the club he was with Emery, birds of the same fesses flies together

  2. Y play our best striker as winger
    Y play our best playmaker as winger
    Y play our only pure (torreora) dm as cm
    Y use logging wood xhaka as dm
    Y left our best cm (goundouzi) at the bench

    Freddie is emery in disguise

    1. Sorry.. Emery was Freddie in disguise.. we sacked the wrong person. The whole mess started after Freddie associating with Emery. Open your eyes and see the exact problem. Just game plan and selection. So dont expect miracles from Freddie….

  3. I think Freddie is breath of fresh air. I thought the players tried yesterday and the booing didn’t help. If we don’t want to be in a relegation battle we better start getting behind the team on game day. These guys need confidence, like it or not, and sheering will help with that whilst booing won’t.

    This squad is not very good. Don’t blame the players for that but the people that put it toghether.

    1. I agree this owners need to have a good look at themselves now. They just make deals to appease the fans with a bunch of useless players. We need to make some serious investments. Get rid of the trouble makers and restore the harmony in the dressing room that is what they should focus on. It is clear there is a problem with the players in this team.

      Out! Sokratis Luiz Mustafi Kolasniac Xhaka Torreira. Get proper defenders and DM’s period. Wholesale changes now send out a strong message.

      The board cannot think about letting another manager walk into this toxic situation. They should sit these players down and give it to them.

  4. Guys, what do you think who would have stayed if we get relegated? Keep in mind, Auba is gone in Jan, maybe even Laca. So, the remaining players, who?

    1. The sooner they leave the better. We can soldier on with our youngsters. This is rubbish. I’m so mad.. I like to grab Stan by the nuts so he can feel our pain.

    2. – Ozil, because no club would want to pay his mega salary
      – The new guys like Tierney, Pepe and Saliba
      – The CBs with low market values, such as Holding, Sokratis and Luiz
      – The young players like Martinelli, Guendouzi, Saka, Smith-Rowe, etc
      – The squad players like Martinez, Chambers and Maitland-Niles

      The rest would move on to greener pastures, such as Xhaka, Torreira, Lacazette, Aubameyang, Leno, Mustafi and Kolasinac. They would be gone along with the plastic fans, which is a good riddance!

      1. Blessing in disguise. Especially WHEN one of the two star strikers leaves in January for around 50 million quid, which is enough to buy an excellent CB and possibly an average striker for injury of the main men purposes. Selling one of them might literally save us feom relegation. But it COULD be that we suck because we don’t have a Ramsey.

  5. I’ve noticed a few stats that need to be rectified – we don’t win many aerial duels and lose the ball too easily. When we don’t have the ball, we are under pressure. Where had our passing skills gone? Individually, they dont move much when off the ball. They look lazy and uninterested. No determination or passion. It’s all gone! The attitude of the squad has changed so much, I don’t see a quick solution, and that worries me.

    1. Our team needs a overhaul. Only a handful of them would I keep, all others should be sold or released. I believe Ten Hag, Pochettino, or Brendan would be able to fix us, with their fresh ideas. They’re young, and they’ll be definitely eager to win trophies and even better their CV while with us. Ten Hag is my favourite though, because his team plays exactly how I wish Arsenal was playing, and he’ll be able to lure some of Ajax’s players here, I really would love Ziyech here.

      1. I hear what you say AY75 and I agree to an extent. But, “an overhaul” is not a quick fix. We could be relegated this season on this performance. It’s a reality now. Just because we are Arsenal does not mean we have the god given right!

        I also don’t see Kronke releasing enough cash to do what is needed. On current form, our players are worth less now than they should be. Selling them at a loss is not going to happen. The cost to do an “overhaul” would need at least £450 million in today’s market to get anyone decent!?

        Let’s face it dude, we’re screwed! 🙁

  6. so Freddie put out a bad lineup two times in succession, I wonder why or how these managers are oblivious to the obvious. all they need do is select the best players available to them; pick a formation that accommodates all of them; employ the right tactics to impose our play, or exploit the opposition’s weaknesses; and make well timed, correct substitutions. yes, one might not get all of these right always, but I don’t think there’s any excuse for not fielding your best players, or consistently playing them out of position, without getting any results, when you can just tweak the formation to suit your best options (in players)…….. call us armchair pundits or whatever, I bet most fans on here would pick a better lineup than Freddie or UE…… why do Luiz, Sokratis, Xhaka, Kolasinac, and now Willock keep starting?, why is Torreira being played as a CM?, and Özil as a winger?…….. the coaches keep shooting themselves in the foot with these poor decisions that clearly evince incompetence, and yet, some would blame the fans, and call us toxic for pointing out an obvious truth. given what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think Freddie would fare any better than Emery (and he might even do worse because of his inexperience). I mean, he’s supposed to have learnt from Emery’s mistakes right, he’s a club legend, one of the invincibles…. he should understand us better, know what kind of performance we expect from our team. he’s supposed to be auditioning for a permanent appointment (here or elsewhere) with this opportunity, but he’s already blowing it. if we’re labelled toxic for demanding better performances from our club, (the board inclusive), then so be it. but I know for sure, no one that truly cares about the club would be happy with how the club is run, talk less of how the team is performing. we’re in a really sorry state right now, and to think the only thing we got to celebrate about this club in a while is a termination of contract. I just hope the board appointments an awesome manager this time, and backs him (or her; I’m thinking Arsenal women’s team coach 😂) with the necessary funds to fix this team.

  7. Thanks to player unions you can’t even dock pay from players for underperforming. It’s now way too easy for overpaid superstars to bring down an entire club all at once

    1. They need to be named and shamed! All of them should he displayed in public for being the shambles they are. Freddie says they are low in confidence. Yes, they are. But, ffs grow up, pull your socks up and act like men!! Scared creatures cower in the corner. This lot are a bunch of gutless windbags. The club, badge and honour means nothing to them. Why would it? Its not like Arsenal are anything more than an employer? They get paid, yes. But in the future they will be seen as the era of losers and bottlers. The worst Arsenal squad in history under the worst management in Arsenal history! Do the fans really matter to them? I doubt it, really do!

    2. You know I’ve always had this idea that all the club’s payment structure should be reviewed. They should make it in such a way that, everyone gets the same basic wages, and then there should be a lot of bonuses that come as performance based incentives. I feel that way, fans wouldn’t feel cheated, as only the top performers would be earning big, and the shirkers would only earn the bare minimum. It’ll be difficult to attract top players, yes, but the ones you have would be highly motivated, and hungry for success. “Money is the motivation”, one can hardly find truly loyal players these days… most of them do what they do, just for the money. Pride, loyalty, badge, history, are all just idiosyncrasies used among fans

  8. Btw the women’s team coach is an Aussie man, not sure how much he knows about the men’s team. How about his team play the men and if they ever come close to winning, that might just give the men that kick up the arse!

    1. I had no idea the women’s team coach is a man 😀…. well, he should perhaps pop up at the guys training ground every now and then, to discuss how he gets the women’s team performing so well, or even take over from Freddie as the caretaker 😀. They won their last game 11-1 right?. At the rate the Men’s team is scoring, we’ll probably need at least eight games to score 11 goals. And we’ll concede maybe 14 in the process 😀

  9. If these players are not willing to play, show them the door. Simple. If you are not good enough OUT!!! STAN SHOULD GO AS WELL! HE has been dodging bullets for too long now. STAN OUT! That’s where our problem started we have the wrong people running this club.

  10. Freddie has to be blamed for playing Ozil, what the hell does he do these days except steal from this club. For playing mistake waiting to happen xhaka, what a poor excuse for a footballer. For playing Soc and Luiz at center back, it just doesn’t work. Why is Bellerin even near this team. Kolasinac is running around like an headless chicken and the front two of lacca and auba have gone off each other on the pitch, they just aren’t connecting. Freddie is doing nothing different and we are getting the same results, what does he expect. Every game he is in charge is a game too long. I really fear for our once great club.

  11. We have to get a new manager in now,no more of this crap .
    If any club would be foolish enough to buy bellerin…mustafi..luiz..kolas..xakai..torrer…ozil…try sell them in January and the summer let the new manager start from scratch
    Only good thing for new manager is we cant possibly get any worse…

    Team next season..
    Leno
    ? Saliba. ? Tierney
    ? ?
    Pepe. Auba. Martinelle

  12. Personally, I think we should stop blaming individuals (Freddie, players, management and owner)! We can do that all day but it won’t change a thing. Yes, it might make us feel better (for a while).

    As fans we need to get behind the team and do our part as “true and loyal” supporters! Don’t boo the team, turn up to games when we can. At least we can then hold our heads up high and say, “we did our part”. The club can never blame the fans for turning its back. Anything else is not in our hands.

    All of us here and around the world can see the club is a shambles and has been for a while. That is on the shoulders of the owner. If Arsenal are to get relegated this year, and yes, it is possible – I’m sure there will be massive change at the club. Maybe a relegation battle is needed for the club. A reality check?

    COYG – Stay true and support the club!!!

  13. You guys are rotating the same type of players in midfield and you expect to see a different result? The only solution in midfield is 2 attacking midfielders and 1 defensive midfielder then, we can start winning again and convincingly most times too.

  14. Freddies part in all this is, its been a seemless transition from Emery to Freddie, nobody knows that there has been a change. Well done Fredd, so far so bad. Well done board for not making any waves and well done players for not being duped into starting fighting for this club. CONYG

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