Arsenal were embarrassed by a resilient Brentford side last night in the first Premier League match of the season, but the manager Mikel Arteta insists that the performance will not change their transfer plans.
There is still just over two weeks left of the summer transfer window, with the club having brought in just three players thus far, while we continue to be linked with a number of others.
A back-up or rival for goalkeeper Bernd Leno has to be high on the wishlist, with 19 year-old youth Karl Hein sat on the bench during yesterday’s loss.
While our selection was forced by the withdrawal of both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to illness, you could be forgiven for believing there was so much lacking in the team yesterday that the manager would be forced to push for further transfer activity, but Arteta insists that isn’t the case.
MA said in his post-match press conference(via Arsenal.com): “We are very clear of what we wanted to do, what our strengths are and where we can improve. I don’t think today’s performance shows anything different to what we’ve already seen.
“I don’t think that tonight’s game is one to analyse [overly] given the circumstances we had on the day.”
Arteta certainly sounds as if he is confirming that further transfers are needed this summer, and that they are on the case, but you have to wonder why extra work wasn’t done to have all this in place before the start of the season, and before we would have had to endure yesterday’s result…
Patrick
He should just resign and keep some of his dignity!
you actually think he’s got some left…wait until you see his smarmy face when he’s trying to explain away the whole “illness” situation, especially as more rumours emerge about getting both players off the books in the same window, in the 11th hour no less…this guy acts like a deceptive little weasel far too often for my liking
“I don’t think today’s performance shows anything different to what we’ve already seen”. Arteta said that. We the supporters know that. If Arteta is just going to carry on the same, regardless, then what can I say. To do the same over and over again, with the same drastic results, is the sign of a big time loser. Gamblers do that.
With an owner who will not even hold the manager responsible, this club is being sunk by an iceberg and Arsenal are sinking quicker than the Titanic.
Perfect talk
This Coach has started again,we may end up fighting relegation.God help U
He”s right. It just highlighted that the already intended transfers (Striker, midfielder, 2nd keeper) need to be done, and excess players need to be sold.
Yes, but it begs the question: why did we spend 50m on white? We could have recalled Saliba and used that 50m on the areas that needed attention.
Last season we were bad, but at least we were hard to score against; with this setup we have a giant weak spot that will be targeted by every side with a physical striker (so basically every side). So we’ve thrown away the one slightly positive aspect of the side from last season – that the defence was reasonably solid – for no significant gain. Feels like 8th again would be a big stretch unless something changes very quickly.
👍
If he cared about the club in any way he would walk now… 1 game in and he’s already under massive pressure but I suspect his ego is much too big for him to do the right thing! What’s very worrying is that how the majority of fans know he’s out of his depth but the club have total faith in him.. how far do we have to fall before the club realise Arteta is an experiment gone wrong!
I have watched Arsenal since 1958 and I have never, not once, seen BOTH MAIN STRIKERS out togther, for “illness” not injury, and so late in the day too. Covid would be, I suppose, one innocent reason and, in a way, I hope that IS the reason. I think that unlikely though!
So it is a hell of a coincidence ! OR IS IT, is my suspicion!
I just do not believe things are as straightforward as we are supposed to believe!
When you consider Aubas unwillingness to work as hard as he ought and then add in their “bromance”, you are bound to be, at the very least, suspicious THAT WE ARE BEING TOLD PORKIES, I’d suggest!
Absolutely true, u can deceive one or two arsenal fans but u can’t decieve millions of arsenal fans. What are the odds two of them not injury not covid. I hav had it with arteta this year is how far I can go with him and am done supporting him.
jon, if players are affected by Covid (ie positive test results), the Club must announce it to the League.
Let’s start with a keeper who is not shit scared of crosses and a right back who can play and is actually a right back and then continue from there. I’m sorry but Calum Chambers would not get in any other prem side
it should alter handing out a contract to xhaka who showed how woeful and useless he is as a midfielder. As he has consistently shown since the day he arrived here, yet this hierarchy is rewarding him. Please get out the club. And please find a way to buy out Kroenke, Ek. Cant stand this dreadful regime.
But he’s or CAPITAN EXTRAORDINAIRE!
Arsenal is good at identifying the problems,but they board and Management are not ready to solve the problems.These problems are perennial problems.A lot of mediocre at arsenal and the English fans like it like that.If the English fans want it change it will change because if they stop going to the stadium, stop buying their wears until Kronke do the needful, Arsenal will once more become a better but they are ok with the mediocre Kronke and board are giving them
Of course, He can say whatever he likes..the board gat his back so fans can moan for all he cares…..if Wenger can be forced out then arteta is too small ….
we fans just need to see the reality,man up and demand he leaves before we lose too many matches….
Chelsea , Everton, Leicester,man utd comfortably winning with managers that have won leagues before…we are stuck with an assistant coach…
I can’t stand his arrogance anymore
#ArtetaOut
What’s his arrogance? Playing back 5?
Let me say am expecting an article from GAI about Arteta style of play, maybe from Eddie, or those guys that have more tactical knowledge.
I think this is one of the biggest controversies we currently have, that’s why people are saying we have misplaced our priority in the transfer we did so far but I think otherwise, some even say we don’t need Ben White. So let’s have an article to try and pry into our manager thought maybe we will get a good guess
please don’t encourage that lightweight to propagate more nonsense, and I don’t mean Eddie
😂 that’s funny.
But I feel it will be interesting to have a debate on what kind of patterns we are playing because it seems majority are clueless
Many still thinking we are in Wenger tikitaka time that’s why we are so much attached to fancy creative midfielders
Adajim, what pattern of play; can you honestly see one?
Arteta-ball is not difficult to see for the average fan. For example
1. 11 players behind the ball defending, including wingers & strikers by 18 yd box
2. Midfielders keep possession, side and back passes until wingers & FB’s get forward to create chances. That’s why buildup is so slow and predictable
3. Midfielders don’t attack, just recycle the ball and get it wide to wingers & FB’s
4. That’s why attackers are static, little if any late runs from Midfielders, and we lack through balls.
No wonder Willock struggles under Arteta, and why Xhaka is different than when playing for Switzerland.
Arteta has Xhaka for possession, recycling the ball, and spraying passes to wingers.
With Switzerland Xhaka is more direct and they attack through the middle far more often than with Arteta ball.
Rather than changing tactics of Arteta-ball, Mikel keeps buying new players rather than admit Arteta-ball is failing and changing tactics.
He’s been found out after FA Cup, and without a plan B he’s nullified by other managers. 30 crosses doesn’t count as Plan B.
thank you my friend, Durand, for saving me some considerable time going into tactical specifics…it’s more in line with the little deviations Wenger tried to deploy when he had players like Arteta, who like Xhaka had been known to play further up the pitch, sat in deeper-lying positions for transitional purposes…the main difference being that whereas this left us defensively exposed, as none of those individuals had the requisite defensive skills, and Wenger would likewise dedicate more players to the offensive zone, Arteta sits more players deep and wide, to emphasize our defensive zone coverage, so he can’t possibly attack with the normally required numbers
It’s a simplified version of Arteta-ball from what I’ve seen for about 2 years.
It’s too much detail explaining the switches, like with Xhaka dropping to LB/CB when Tierney bombs forward, or the interchanges between Saka and the 10, and numerous others.
99% of people get what I mean with the simplified version as his overall goal.
Adajim is right about an article needed to describe the positional switches depending whether we are defending or attacking, and the nuances Arteta uses to overload one side, or create mismatches for defenders.
There are subtleties to his tactics, but when defenders don’t defend or mark like Arteta thought they would, that’s when things go pear-shaped.
I’m no expert by any means, but it hardly takes a genius to see what Arteta is trying to do, that’s why a lot of managers are able to get the better of him.
Arteta struggles to adapt during games because he prefers to script and micromanage everything, rather than allowing players more freedom to create based on their reading of the game.
embarrassingly simple for opposing managers…his base formation is so defensive-minded, in that it rarely includes a counter-attacking option, so it allows opposing teams to regain their shape with relative ease, that we’re left with no other viable options than to aimlessly cross from wide positions or require our forwards/wingers to constantly take on multiple defenders…relying on such low percentage plays, while likewise not putting seemingly any emphasis on shooting accurately from distance, makes scoring exceedingly difficult
We are tired of loosing mare teams, promoted team that has unknown players,let koronke suck areteta + Edu they are making arsenal weaker and weaker by using average players like chambers who cost defeat yesterday.
@ Adajim, may be you can explain his pattern of play since you are Arteta fan and you must be ready to backup your claim because I am one of those that said we didn’t need Ben White as we have capable younger, taller and stronger defenders like mavro and saliba, and we didn’t do bad last season when it comes to defence where holding, Mari and Gabriel played most of the tournament after luiz injury……
That’s my claim as a fan that the 50m money wasted on him should go to area where we needed most but your Messiah just ignored that went for a light weight, average height and overhyped by media in England without playing single game in Euro…. What a mystery for Arsenal…….
We are in fact in a backward situation while our rivals are moving forward…..
Wale – I agree with you, but to be clear: our rivals this season are likely to be teams like Wolves, Newcastle (who we just strengthened) and Southampton. We’re so far off the Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Liverpool and even teams like Leicester and (sadly) Spurs, it’s not even funny.
Wale, hopefully we have the chance to debate it thoroughly, I’ll give my opinion then.
Hope you keeping safe
And if you think supporting my club manager and wanting him and the team to do well means am his fan boy , yes , I am Arteta fan boy
I watched man United game and was very impressed. Fernandes scoring 3 goals and Pogba creating 4 assists.
Fans have been clamouring for a good goal scoring creative midfielder but our apprentice decided to pay 50m for and average defender.
I am not a fan of this Arteta guy and will never be… The board should start looking for a replacement as soon as possible.
Arteta will turn arsenal to a mid table club no matter how much he spend. He is an average apprentice at best. He is just fortunate to be here, he can not give what he doesn’t have.
The earlier they replace him the better for arsenal FC.
This one single heading confirms that our rookie manager is arrogant, clueless and totally incapable of assessing the strength and weaknesses of his own squad. He is untethered to reality, it seems.
Should we really trust him now to spend even a single pound in what is left of the transfer market. I certainly would not.
The 2:0 loss at Brentford yesterday has laid bare and exposed – for all to see – the perfect formula for crushing Arteta ball: aggressively press their shaky defense; flood the right sector of the defense with aerial balls and wait patiently for kind rebounds; and lastly, bully the players. Sad to say, it works every time!
Desperate times demand desperate measures. I would recall Saliba from his loan spell to play CB, relieving White from the immense pressure, playing him instead at right back.
Sounds like a sensible move tbh. Holding showed last season he’s good enough anyway – won’t get us top 4 out anything but at least he’s a solid defender
The biggest problem in all of this is the coach and his sterile football and inability to be a coach at premier league level. He is clueless and our football is so easy to work out and stop.
All I know s that 0 points in our first 3 games is a sackable offence…
Agree, it has to be! I thought he had 8 games but i dont think he has 8 games, i think it will be sooner. Losing to Brentford should have every alarm bell ringing at the Emirates, not only for Arteta but Edu as well. What a sorry pair they are.