Martin Keown has described how shocking Arsenal was in their 5-0 loss to Manchester City yesterday.
The Gunners were hoping to build on their 6-0 win over West Brom in the Carabao Cup last week.
That win was the first time they scored a goal or won a match in this campaign, having previously lost their matches against Brentford and Chelsea.
They started the match against City very well, but as soon as the Premier League champions scored the opening goal, it went from bad to worse for them.
They would eventually concede four more goals and it was a mess to watch and perhaps too much to take in for former Arsenal star, Keown.
He said he felt numb and insisted that there was never a time that Arsenal was truly in that game.
‘I feel numb’, said Keown as quoted by The Daily Mail.
‘I don’t think at any point it was really a game today.’
‘It is becoming a little bit embarrassing,’ the 55-year-old added.
‘Tactically the way we set up is very naive.
‘What are the tactics? I’m left scratching my head at times. It should be simplistic, if it’s difficult for me to understand it, how are the players going to react to all the changes that are taking place?
‘He seems to be flip-flopping between a four and a five. At the moment Arteta isn’t sure and nor are the players.
‘It feels like we have a manager who is conducting an experiment within games. It’s too complex. The goals were comical. This is a really sad day for Arsenal Football Club.’
The Gunners will release some of their players for the next international matches and they will hope they return in better shape.
I think most fans share Keown’s frustrations and there is no doubt that Arteta must revert to a more conventional approach tactically if we are going to have any chance with the group of players available to him.He has got to realize that our defenders are lacking in quality and should not expect them to cope like more talented individuals at Man City.He needs to go back to basics and if he does not be will not be the Arsenal Manager for much longer.
Let’s just remember these are Arteta’s choices as defenders
He may not have nought them but he is the one that coaches and picks them.
Kolasinac????????
FFS- he wants him out yet plays him. What the F*** is that about
Clueless manager and clueless fans still attempting to defend this complete novice
Agree Phil – all very well to say this was a bad game from the players but who picked them and who is the reason we have Kola not Saliba or Mavro, or even Mari, who at least had an incententive to try? A back 5 of Tierney Kola Chambers Holding Cedric is everyone’s worst nightmare. Did you know that after Xhaka was sent off Arteta changed NOTHING for 10 minutes. Everyone stayed where they were with no CM. Arteta either forgot or was in shock.
And to not even try second half – 11 around the box? Humiliation.
Arteta cannot motivate players = evident
He is obsessively over cautious
He has not been able to coach the team to press in over 18 months
His selections are alternating between bizarre and totally unexplainable
He switches tactics formations teams every game. No familiarity, no confidence
He holds grudges for irrelevant reasons and alienates too many players
He is incapable of thinking during a game
He is inflexible and intolerant of other’s ideas
He does not learn from mistakes
He should not be managing in the EPL
Guy- you see it. We all see it. The players must feel it. Just what had Arteta done that even warrants him not being sacked. Your point about Kolasinac is spot on. Mari will not be the only defender torn apart by Lukaku this season yet seems to have been singled out by Arteta as being solely to blame for the Chelsea result. What about Tierney in that game. Dreadful defending yer kept his place. And the fact Arteta , rightly wants Kola out but selects him for the most difficult away fixture of the season is mind blowing.
Saliba must also we wondering what’s going on. Just what more must this boy do to prove himself. A natural defender yet never considered.
With Tottenham being top and us being bottom alone should be enough for the board to pull the trigger, our humiliation is complete but we know nothing will happen we just have to accept the phantom process. Anyway deadline day fast approaching what will the club do ?
That’s the last thing we needed,I guess things can’t really get any worse now or can they?
We could always be relegated siamois 😳
Unfortunately Siam, I am pretty sure it can, and will. I am pretty sure we will escape relagation but the malaise that is Arsenal will get worse, as will our pain as supporters. We will start to hear the player discontent stories coming out soon. We can still become even more of a laughing stock than we are already. We could have no funds to buy in New Year or next summer. Perhaps our offloads of Kola and Willian etc will fail, so we have some more Ozils. Arteta/Edu may not be fired. Sakha and ESR could get longterm injuries. Auba may continue to fire blanks. White may be a dud after all.
Believe me – lots of ways it can still get worse!
Or of course we could wake up tomorrow, see the sun shining and Bambi playing in the field, open the sports page to see we are top by 4 at Easter, playing champagne football with MA having won Mgr of the month (3rd mth in a row) and Martinelli sitting on 30 goals. Or not
Leaving Lokonga on the bench and playing Kolasinac over Mari are just the latest examples of strange and extremely poor decisions linked to the chaotic reign of Arteta. These, unfortunately, are part of a worrying trend, going all the way back to the Willian and Saliba decisions. We need to bite the bullet and finally accept that he’s not going to change.
Arteta, it seems, is incapable of using basic logic and common sense to reach good decisions. (To be clear, I’m not saying he is arrogant, stubborn nor incompetent). And even worse, there is no one at the club to either help or hold him accountable. We run the risk of long term harm to the club, including the individual players, if he is not removed. Just calling a spade, a spade.
This is current view of someone who used to be a staunch Arteta supporter.
Ditto RF – had identical thoughts.
I suspect that while previously he just seemed incompetant, he is totally losing it now and there is nobody there to help him or in a senior enough position close enough to spot it, take responsibilty and act. If what we both see is correct, every day it’s left is more damaging.
Worrying, huh
@RFrancis- I will say it for you then.
Arteta is Arrogant, Stubborn AND Incompetent. And if he believes he is untouchable he is mistaken. Anything other than 5 wins in our next 5 games and he should be out.
And with Norwich at The Emirates next up he will have plenty of supporters to answer to
Up to 5 games – that’s very generous! At least we can agree that, if we lose to Norwich, he’s gone.
I agree with RF Phil. The man could make things a lot worse in 5 games. Do you think we would beat Norwich if we played them tomorrow btw? Tough one, that.