Winning mentality bears no excuses. by Konstantin Mitov
Well lovely Arsenal people, I barely slept after that horrendous performance, but maybe I shouldn’t care that much, as a lot of the comments suggest that loving your football club and being angry when it’s not the best is a crime these days.
First it was just the FA cup, then it was the new manager bounce, then VAR, now it’s “at least we have a game in hand”. A winning mentality doesn’t bear excuses. Look at all the great champions across different sports and how they approach their games.
For example, when world chess champion Magnus Carlsen loses a game, he doesn’t just want revenge. He’s out to crush the guy. Killer instinct is a must if you want to win titles. Bobby Fischer was one asked what was his best moment in a game of chess and he said it’s when you break the opponents spirit. When he knows he’s lost and there’s nothing he can do.
Physcology in football is not that different. I remember United teams winning titles with the likes of Anderson, Ashley Young, Valencia and so on. They weren’t great, but when they needed a result, they’d get it. When they played us they knew we were the better footballing team so they changed it up to still beat us.
That is a trait a manager of ours hasn’t had since George Graham probably. Arteta is so obsessed with this one style of play and we’ve been found out. When will we look at ourselves and admit the mistakes made with the squad?
The players have burned out. We make very few change before the game or in fact it is as well. We don’t do subs because our manager doesn’t trust the bench and we didn’t recruit good enough players to help is win the title. I no longer think we’re winning it. Even Arteta keeps banging on about how short the team is, but it’s his squad in his 4th season.
Tierney and Martinelli are two players suffering from the managers played favorism. One can’t get in the team despite being a better defender, and the other is the automatic first sub, because our system isolates him, because there are no overlaps. Jesus was great catalyst for the game of Martinelli, but he’s out as well.
We could try Trossard through the middle, but we’re stuck with Eddie even though he missed 2 sitters against City. What did their players do? They took their chances. We’ve become shaky at defense and bleak in attack. Vieira barely plays in the team even though Odegaard has been poor in 3 consecutive games. You see how Pep had De Bruyne dropped for some games and what does he do, when he came back in? Brought his A game to earn a spot back in the team.
Winning the title these days requires sometimes a run of 10+ wins in a row. This team and manager cannot do it. And we’re crumbling under the pressure. Same thing as last year.
I just want to finish on this. People should be a little more careful when calling others “true” or “fake” fans. A football fan goes through the entire emontonal spectre and it’s part of what makes it so great. It’s the agendas that are the problem.
Being overly positive when it’s clearly going wrong is just as bad as being toxic when things are alright. I’ve given the team enough praise when it was deserved and I will criticize it when it’s throwing away a golden chance of a league title.
Expectations change with circumstances. A race driver wouldn’t suddenly hit the breaks if he’s leading the race, just because he wasn’t expected to be in the lead. Nor should we accept top 4, which might be a problem if we play like we do on the last 3 weeks. I’ve seen us for years live to make top 4 only to not have any chance in the CL afterwards.
The ambition should be to sit on the very top. If not, there’s another club in North London. They settle for whatever. We shouldn’t.
Konstantin
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Well, if you take some time to think and analyze, you might find out, we are on a very ambitious plan, and we have come a long way.
Hopefully those in charge have the composure to stay on track and not run around like headless chickens searching for explanations in a fantasy world.
Well said…thank you…
Come on, man. The writer is the best manager Arsenal has never had. He definitely knows what he is talking about.
Spot on! the epl title is a marathon not a sprint. Case in point we sprinted the first have of the season now the team is worn out. Man city were cruising and pacing themselves for the second half of the season
I agree on martineli and tierney mikel has to hand tierney starter at villa we have to. Activate martineli by tierneys overlap and Tierney’s cross is very vital for eddy, if not bench eddy use marti upfront also leo deserves more time
how can a new team with the younger manager and the youngest roster on the league have that killer instinct to win the title of the best league in the world.Stop the nonsense and enjoy this beautiful Journey. We are the winners here,CAPICE?
Fair question, and I think learning especially after a hurtful loss is how you find that killer instinct.
We bottled CL last season sitting in 4th up points and 4 games to play.
Finishing 5th hurt I’m sure, especially how we lost; getting dominated and outplayed by Newcastle comes to mind.
Use that fuel to find your edge, remember how it slipped away, and how not to let history repeat itself.
Durand, it still hurts doesn’t it?!
But I don’t think it will happen this season and MA, I believe, is learning quicker than I expected.
Of course, the kronkie backing has been instrumental and I think the consistency, up and until the Everton game has definitely swayed me over to the dark side!!
Tomorrow is so important, if for no other reason than to keep the fans on board.
In reply to your last couple of statements, yes you did manage a happier article in the not too distant past. The trouble is that the minute it’s not going tickety boo you go into melt down. Thank heavens I don’t have your nerves which must be very difficult to control.
It’s honestly not worth all the stress to be so distraught by being 2nd on goals scored to ManC.
What is wrong with our supporters? We are still in a fantastic position to win the title! Even if we don’t, we are clearly among the 2 best teams in the league! Wow….16 matches left….we have a game in hand…Jesus and Smith Rowe and Reiss returning…am I among the sensible fan base here?
I’ve no idea why you posted that to me
Robinson said if Arsenal dont win the epl this season they may not win it for another 20 years.Correct to a certain extent
How many points have lost thr var howlers?
Arsenal are playing against var,2 linesme n ,ref and 11 players ie 11 vs 15.
Spurs havent won a title in 60 years.
It could soon be a hundred yrs soonl
How much “winning mentality” had Leicester City in 2016?
A few months back we doubled if we could make “top 4” with our young and inexperienced team. Now they have surpassed our expectations we start calling them names.
“How much “winning mentality” had Leicester City in 2016?”
A lot – why would you think otherwise. They raised it almost every single time they faced a real challenge. Even when we beat them, they gave us a proper game.
Just because it was a one off for many of their players doesn’t mean they didn’t have the winning mentality that year – they wouldn’t have won the title without it..
Should love to know the instrument used to measure “winning mentality”!
When the boys went to Spurs and beat them for the first time, they had a “winning mentality”. So they did when they beat Liverpool and United at home. Suddenly they have lost it because they just lost a few games. Sighs….
Like I said, on almost every occasion Leicester faced a tough challenge in that season, they rose to it (that’s the measure). I won’t act like I knew they’d win the title early on (I wish I did!), but the first time I saw them go up against a big side like utd or whoever and take it to them the entire game, I honestly thought they had a chance. The fact they kept that up for the duration of the season, in every big game (even if they didn’t actually win them all) shows they had the winning mentality that season – they didn’t have the best players, didn’t have amazing tactics.. What possible advantage did they have over the other teams?
Maybe we do have it, and this is just a blip – I’m not sure either way right now – but generally the team that ends up champions either doesn’t lose these games, or makes it very very close. I don’t think it was that close this time.
I agree with you that we’ve shown the right stuff several times this season, but something seems to have changed recently and maybe we’ve reached our breaking point – this “winning mentality” thing could be equated to psychological resilience, really (I’m sure you agree that exists as a concept?!).. We need to get back on track.
Too much positivity makes people not to see the obvious…
we always have excuses for about three years now, that’s it’s a young team but if this so called young team doesn’t perform now, is it when they are old?
if others complain of an Ageing team, and others also complain of a young team.. then what is actually needed then?
We can still compete and end in second place if the manager recognizes that certain players are underperforming.
l think our biggest mistake is not signing somebody like Joa Felix, he would have replaced both Nketiah and the out of form Martineli at the same time.
we should Prioritize the Europa league, we need a trophy to show for our much improved season even if we finish third
Martinellis not out of form. There’s no one there to overlap or help him. Saka has White & Odegaard to provide give & goes & overlaps. Martinelli has Xhaxa & Zinchenko. Not the same at all. Zinchenko inverted full back. Xhaxa box 2 box or CAM. Put Trossard out wide. Tierney in for Zinchenko & Martinelli in the middle.
Another point referenced earlier,& is correct in my opinion,is there’s no change in our playing style. 352 4331 343. Also during games there’s never a change. Too predictable.
I have mentioned before that this author is quick out of the gate with his negativity whenever there are setbacks.
No-one would say that players and performances should not be criticised but these types of articles are completely over the top.
There is absolutely no reason to go into complete meltdown because we have lost a game especially one against a team as good as Man City.
This article and the equally preposterous nonsense written by this author are not that of a true fan. They are rantings borne of an undeserved sense of entitlement.
Thank you …couldn’t have said it better!
Did these fans think we wouldn’t have a blip?
” first it was just FA cup, then new manager bounce, then VAR and it’s at least we have a game in hand”
And on a game in hand, they are talking as if we have already beaten Aston villa and Leicester city, so am flummoxed
OK
Let’s say this is a blip
Losing 8point in 3games, yet to win a match second half of the season. city winning first away game against current top 5 teams this season.
My question is At what point will this became a cause for concerns, at what point are the fans supposed to be worried?
I am very disappointed how in space of few weeks we surrendered all we built, I am not annoyed we did but annoyed in the manner it happened, I would accept city going on a crazy run and we meeting few bumbs over a period of time maybe 10games or more and city closing the game, but to surrender it the way we did in space of 3 games is unacceptable. And Arteta has been a major catalyst in why we are struggling with he has been the main person that have let the team down
Nketia should be benched or sold. He only scores obvious goals and misses sitters that could define the end result of a match
What’s an obvious goal? Must strikers in the league don’t have the awareness he’s shown to find the space for some of his goals. He has strengths and weaknesses, of course, but that’s an odd criticism
He is not even an EPL level striker talk more of a top 4 striker
He is not a type of a striker for a team that wants to win the league
Different headline same rambling all through,
If you can’t pickyhe team up when they are down then don’t cheer them when they are up, they have fought for past 22 games to still be on same poit with a team that as won 4 out of the last 5 titles, A team most here never gave chance to make top 4 ad now crying they are not winning the league as if it will end this weekend.
What right do you have to set a target for them?
Can u please tell us what wa ur expectations before the season started?
In space of 2days u have written how u gave up on a team that’s has fought on the front line for 22 weeks,
Wow just wow
Sorry but is that how u give up easily I life after every set back?
A perfect well planed project can be made to look stupid just by the simplest of circumstances like weather , traffic, illness, mechanical faults will you now give up just like that.
THE TEAM NEEDS US MORE NOW THAT THEY ARE DOWN LET’S GIVE THEM THE PUSH THEY NEEDED, THE SYNERGY AND POWER TO FIGHT UNTIL THE END.
ARE YOU IN OR OUT
This is the only chance arsenal have come close to winning the league after a very long time and they is no way they should let this chance slip away from them.. As you have noted, most arsenal fans are impatient and worried when the team begins to have a rough time not because they don’t love the team but because this is a chance no arsenal fan wants to see slipping away
Hila you are right to some extent but what was your prediction for arsenal this season i.e maybe top 4 and I believe the team has made it pass your expectations.
The league it’s still on never give up
#Trusttheprocess
What does our prediction have to do with where we are now? Liverpool fans may have predicted winning the league this season what different have that made to the turn out of events, at the turn of events we have been better in the first half of the season and we have a chance of winning the league. mind you we have already surrendered the cups just to fight for this league because the opportunity is there, the only strong team was city, and late rallying united so the opportunity is there, we can finish second this season that is not a guarantee that we will be fighting for the league next season because there is no guarantee we will be better than Liverpool,United,City or Chelsea. Leicester won it and have since disappeared, when we discuss let’s discuss like adults, looking at the context of the season so far it will be a failure to lose the league and will be a hard pill to swallow if by chance united cling it having left them 11points behind after 19games
Let’s be real
From this position we are in now.
Can any of us confidently beat his chest even put his money that we will be winning the league. It’s past experiences of failing to get over the line many times that is causing this panic…