I heard many Gooners question the atmosphere on Sunday, not quite being able to put their fingers on what didn’t feel quite right?
The sense of a lack of awareness from a section of our fanbase makes me cringe.
I know the very same supporters who complain about a strange mood in the NLD, who in the next sentence say randomly; Arteta has Revolutionised Arsenal; we can win the Champions League; Odegaard is better than Jude Bellingham; Nketiah and Nelson deserve contract extensions, etc.
When your positive for the sake of positivity your opinion becomes disingenuous.
What reason to hear your point of view if I already know you can’t have a balanced discussion?
By making out what we have is better than our reality, it impacts the team. Players suddenly think they are special having achieved nothing.
A manager over-complicates decisions because he believes he’s smarter than the facts prove he is.
It leads to thousands rocking up at the Emirates taking three points for granted, being complacent, acting like we have a divine right to win.
I heard some of my peers mock Man United for celebrating lifting the Carabao Cup, like we, with our 4 FA Cups in 20 years are somehow above that trophy?
If a rival fan had that attitude with that record, wouldn’t you call that arrogance?
That’s what causes those showing up at our stadium not as vocal and then not knowing how to respond the moment they view adversity.
It’s such a shame as one of the things dramatically improved in the last couple of years has been the noise at our home ground.
At the weekend, the mood reminded me of how it used to be.
Let’s be clear, since moving to the building, our win/loss record has always been impressive, yet it’s been played to a backdrop of anxiety.
Customers crippled by the fear of failure, educated to think the worse due to the number of times they have been burnt by disappointment.
Unless you had been in attendance it’s hard to describe the feeling, yet you sense it in the air.
Opposition would include it in their team talks, the longer you stay in the contest, the quicker home fans will turn on their own, often youngsters not with the mentality to deal with the grief.
In that era, the expectation was such that we felt we were superior to being a team who ‘only’ finished top 4.
So, it’s no coincidence that the arena was at its loudest in a period where we accepted our limitations.
Whether it be trying to qualify for the Champions League or being involved in title races, we were the underdogs.
Against Man United, Liverpool, etc, we had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Spectators realised it was counterproductive to criticise their own.
It led to late winners, a connection between those on and off the pitch, and even visitors commenting on the improvement of the decibel levels.
It can’t be a coincidence that the moment we face our rivals with fans getting carried away those same individuals go quiet the moment something goes wrong.
Compare that to this fixture over the years where fans put emotions to one side, unbiasedly accepted Spurs have improved in the last decades, and therefore there was a collective will not to lose this game.
12 months ago, when Spurs equalised, home fans composed themselves and went again.
This time last year, with the score line equally at 1-1, make comparisons to then and now.
Both times Spurs got level, instead of acting like there were still at least 40 mins remaining, there was an act of panic like we were losing with seconds left.
Those in the stands lacked composure and it seemed to translate to the player. Hence, Gary Neville’s argument we ‘play with too much emotion’.
It’s why there’s been such an overreaction over a draw at the weekend, you would think we had lost given how some have been talking.
It’s like some needed that result to make them snap out of this malaise they have been in.
You didn’t need this weekend to know that Eddie Nketiah, our lack of leaders and our manager are not good enough to be champions.
If your humble enough, the evidence has always been there.
If the past few days leads to fans showing up at games with a bit more humbleness, then it’s worth the dropped two points.
Dan
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Arteta is smart and he has revolutionized Arsenal’s tactics, but this season has exposed some players who’re still unfit to be starters
Under Arteta’s management, Arsenal are strangely stronger in away games. This is the opposite of Wenger’s Arsenal
If he wasn’t a good tactician, we could’ve lost against Man United/ Spuds and wouldn’t have an unbeatable run
His biggest mistake was relying on our diminutive CFs to lead our front-line instead of signing a stronger CF, which would likely be done to maintain the squad’s harmony
Sky Sports said Arsenal were approaching Brentford for Toney, so Arteta might’ve realized about his CFs’ weaknesses after the NLD
Yet Arteta has never done what Wenger has done ?
Wenger managed Arsenal for 22 years with a greater influence at the club, whereas Arteta has only been managing the squad for four years
Yeah so he hasnt revolutionised anything has he ?
Compare his first 4 years to Wenger
He hasn’t revolutionised us
The difference between last year’s start and this year is stark.
I’m not just referring to results, but to the play and performances we see on the pitch.
Gone is the sharpness, slick passing, and directness that excited us and wowed the viewers.
We seem a pale copy, a shadow, a team that just can’t find traction. Gone from dominating games to hanging in there, from the envy of other clubs to lost in the crowd.
Rather than building on the strengths of last year, we seem to be trying to create something new.
Most thought a Partey, Rice, Odegaard midfield was a sure thing right? Unfortunately Arteta has thought otherwise.
Even only 7 games in, it’s obvious we need a true B2B midfielder and a top striker.
Neither Havertz nor Vieira are the B2B answer; more games will only reinforce this.
Neither Jesus nor Nketiah can be the striker to lead us. Sure they run and defend, but how many goals did they deliver? Both missed their chances, and that lack of clinical finishing is why they are not the answer.
I believe we are a good team, but still not great enough to be Champs, to be among the elite.
I agree with you Durand.
Also, Arsenal need to stop buying other teams misfits. I think we are the only top team that goes for the under performing or aging players from the other top teams. To name the few, the likes of Hervertz, willian, Luiz, Jorginho, silvester, banayoun will not/ didn’t improve our current or previous squad. We never go for their top players even if there is an opportunity to do so i. e Suarez saga. On top of that, we rarely address the need but keep on going for square pegs. we could have had a decent B2B with the money spent on KH but here we are now with a lumbering strolling around doing nothing. This team is in a serious trouble if one of Rice or Partey is out for long term
I got as far as DANS line on ” What reason to hear your view if I already knew you cant have a balanced d discussion” and then snorted (metaphorically) with derision!
What the hell does DAN of all people know about” BALANCE” when it comes to writing about our club!! He is a legendary negative writer, VERY RARELY saying anything at all positive and finding negative comments galore.
I then read the rest of his piece, as I always do.
Somewhat surprisingly, I then read DAN trying, incorrectly btw, to put the blame for his own “perceived anxiety”, born out of his OWN perennial natural negativity ,on those fine and dedicated fans who attend regularly.
All in all, though as ever, craftily written to give a false narrative- even though DAN PERSONALlY DOES BELIEVE the nonsense he writes- plainly , as he is the archetype negative writer on JA, for sheer amount
of negativity, DAN deserves the prize for “fantasy writer of the year on JA” for this depressingly untrue piece.
Finally, Its one thing to blame the team , manager, tactics, etc. But quite another to blame those fans WHO ATTEND for causing “problems.”
I think DAN owes any on JA who regularly attend, a humble apology!
Sorry Jon so you didn’t stop , you read the whole thing
Unlike me who did stop when you contradicted yourself lol
One uncharacteristic mistake by the normally excellent Gorginho cost us the win & now after 7 games (still unbeaten) there’s meltdown….get a grip!
“Normally excellent” in seeing out games where we’re already on top. That’s how you should have put it.
He’s past his prime mate. Lacks the physicality, can’t play under pressure.
Just not the proper DM anymore, if he ever was.
Sitting this one out.
Peace.
What reason to hear your point of view if I already know you can’t have a balanced discussion?
Everyone is a little biased but some are so biased, a discussion is pretty worthless.
Unfortunately that’s what has happened here on Justarsenal with Arteta lovers and haters, i’ve been called both a arteta worshipper and hater by both groups lol
About the atmosphere at the stadium and among fans, Fans have been burned so many times, they hesitate to believe and are easy to frustrate. This lingering doubt and fear will only be purged when we finally do win the league or CL. Thats when fan will believe we can do it and its not the usual heartbreak at the end of the season.