Arsenal failed to beat Fulham once again – in a match that on paper they should have won – but the Cottagers denied our Gunners all three points. Currently, some are blaming Coach Mikel Arteta for the two points dropped.
Even so, you can’t deny Arsenal was unlucky to draw that game instead of winning, and Arteta did his best with what he had to guide the team to victory.
One could argue that the absence of Gabriel, Oleksander Zinchenko, and Riccardo Calafiori compelled Arteta to adjust his back four. He had to start Kiwior, who cost us the goal; otherwise, we would have kept a clean sheet.
One would argue It’s not his fault that Partey misses a free header.
One could argue that it’s not his fault that Martinelli veers offside when he should have been wise enough to avoid it.
One would argue it’s not his fault that Jesus is not brave enough to go out of a 50/50 battle thinking the keeper is coming.
Even so, we can hold him accountable for his lack of boldness in making certain decisions.
We need to see some bravery in his team selections. The other day, Paul Merson asked Arteta to try to always field his strongest eleven. You can only get close to doing that if you field your key available players in their best positions. The RHS desperately missed Jurrien Timber; Saka and Odegaard missed the Dutchman, and Arteta was solely to blame for that.
In the end, we don’t have to agree with and defend everything Arteta does. This season was one Mikel Arteta needed to prove he has the minerals to get Arsenal a major trophy. Arsenal’s failure to secure two points against Fulham in a 1-1 draw, despite having the opportunity to win and close the gap with Liverpool at the top of the table, further complicates their quest for league glory.
Darren N
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No, it was not his fault. The butler did it!
One could argue, whatever one wanted, one could say one didn’t pick the team, that was balanced, one could say, why move your best midfielder to RB, one could argue why move your best RB to LB, one could argue, why we scored one goal and none from open play. One could always lie and blame 🤔 the ref!!!!!
@Reggie
Or, one could simply say”Hey, you’ve made some very good points there My Gooner” Just sayin, of course…
🤭🤣
It’s still points to Arteta; he was the one that drafted Partey to RB when he could have left him in DM where he exerts greater influence on our game play.
He was the one that played Timber at LB when there were other options like Tierney or Lewis-Kelly. Timber at RB
would have added more flair and power to our attacking play on the right hand side, he was sorely missed!
Arteta is the one that is yet to solve our lack of potency at the left hand side of our game play and we have gone over a third of the EPL season.
In summary, Arteta calls the shots on Arsenal FC men team, so when things don’t go as expected, he is the one to be held responsible.
If you pick your available best players in their best positions but you are then significantly weakened in other areas of the pitch what happens then?
Have you seen Tierney play this season? How do you know that he is ready? Are you really sure that he or MLS alongside Kiwior would be a better combination than the manager’s setup?
David,
No you don’t know if he’s ready, but there’s only one way to find out. And regardless of how long Tierney has been out, if he’s on the bench he’s fit to play.
If not, then what is he doing on the bench in. the first place.
Like I’ve said before, if Slot or Maresca wins the League this season, what Arteta will be asked will be more than mere questions.
One could argue a lot of things, but the decisions rest with the manager. He picks the team, he decides the tactics, he decides to substitute or not, and who replaces who.
At this point, we can’t continue to just fault the players on the left hand side; we have to look at the tactics used after all the combos and new players brought in on that side.
The reason why the left side is not as effective is because Arteta instructs Odergaard to stay with Saka. If he doesn’t Odergaard is ignoring instructions. If he is ignoring instructions, Why?
Agree with all the above.
But it’s only a matter of time, before were slated for daring to speak negatively of Arteta.
DEREK
Can you stop with the paranoid behaviour please. You can say your honest opinion about Arteta on here without any need to be “slated”
As long as you say it politely of course….
I have been polite, no where in my comments have I been anything else.
And as for the slated comment, I read on here all the time people slating any negative talk concerning Arteta.
I’m not making it up, it’s clear for all to see.
One could say ‘hey we didn’t lose to them like last year!!!’
Good luck Gunners
Dave NZ
Fulham fan
You win and lose as a team. His players let him down for sure, but Arteta is getting into this unhealthy habit of being so obsessed with versatility, that he’d prefer to upset the balance of the team, than just play players in their best positions.
Lucy78,
I totally agree with you.
While it’s good to have versatility in the squad, playing players in their preferred positions, surely gives them a better chance of playing to the level required more consistently.
Why make changes when it’s not necessary just doesn’t make sense.
But Hayhow, this is Arteta were talking about.
One could argue Fulham are a very good team and Arteta got it wrong tactically.
A bad manager always blames his players. Arteta hasn’t done that, to his credit but some of the Arteta heads on this site seem to be heading in that direction. But let’s be real. In no particular order, Jesus, Jorghino, Kiwior, Merlo, Zivchenko, Harvetz, Stirling, Tomiyasu, Partey bla, bla are not going to carry Arsenal football club into the future . It was a one season gamble by Edu and Arteta and it’s not looking promising. What happens next season with all these players having reached their peak.