I have been surprised by how negative some Gooners have been regarding our performance at Brighton. Not because they were wrong to suggest that it wasn’t pretty to watch, but why should any Gooner this far into a campaign be surprised by our tactics?
Arteta More Like Mourinho Than Wenger
Pragmatic Arteta
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The winners are always right, and if Arsenal win the title, they have done the right thing. We know that we can play better, in fact dazzling football at times. But it demands energy and we are in in all tournaments at the moment. It requires rotation of the players like never before. IMO Arteta has the slight weakness that he prefers to play with his ideal line-up all the time. You just can’t do that, because it will mean unsustainable wear and tear for the regulars. Arteta is not good at rotation. It is only the circumstances with many injuries that have forced him to do so. It just worries many of us fans that we find it difficult to withstand the pressure when it counts, because then we suddenly lose momentum and leave our familiar style of football. The last 8 games will be crucial, and after all I agree that collecting as many points as possible here is the highest priority. We must win The Premier League Title this year. The way we get there, we let Arteta decide. We all have the same goal, and the criticism here is in most cases only well-intentioned, because we all want the best for our club. Come on, Arsenal.
In english:
The winners are always right, and if Arsenal win the title, they have done the right thing. We know that we can play better, in fact dazzling football at times. But it demands energy and we are in in all tournaments at the moment. It requires rotation of the players like never before. IMO Arteta has the slight weakness that he prefers to play with his ideal line-up all the time. You just can’t do that, because it will mean unsustainable wear and tear for the regulars. Arteta is not good at rotation. It is only the circumstances with many injuries that have forced him to do so. It just worries many of us fans that we find it difficult to withstand the pressure when it counts, because then we suddenly lose momentum and leave our familiar style of football. The last 8 games will be crucial, and after all I agree that collecting as many points as possible here is the highest priority. We must win The Premier League Title this year. The way we get there, we let Arteta decide. We all have the same goal, and the criticism here is in most cases only well-intentioned, because we all want the best for our club. Come on, Arsenal.
We should not mind people criticizing, the way that Gooners play football. What matters now is 3 point. Till the end of the season then we will crown the champions. Thanks .
Arteta has a big pragmatic streak as a manager, and nothing wrong with that. He will win or lose managing his way; can’t expect him to manage like Wenger or Pep and have that level of success.
I hope that as he gains experience and hopefully wins trophies, he will be less pragmatic in the future and play more open and direct. If not, that is fine too, as long as he is competitive.
I also think there is a huge mental obstacle to conquer. Think of us fans how nervous we are of wanting to win titles so you can imagine the players!
I think if we can power through to silverware this season, we will improve next season even further and our players will become more relaxed to play when they wont have the expections of firdt title since 2004 or first Champions League ever.
Durand,
While I agree to a certain extent with you’re post, on this occasion I’m not totally on board regards Arteta not being able to manage like Wenger.
Maybe not manage so much, but the football can be better. The 2022/2023 season shows he can do it. I just hope that sooner rather than later he reverts back to that kind of style of play.
Another good post from you though.
Is anyone else experiencing the posts not showing on the right hand side of the JA page.
We have seen the team open up and play good attacking football. Score lots of goals but failed to see it through come the end of the season
2nd, 2nd, 2nd
You don’t win prizes for just playing beatiful football
Most of the noise is coming from the media or a few other fans.
Most AFC fans don’t care a hoot as long as we lift the big jugs, which we are firmly on our way too.
This is what all fans dream off. Being in with a shout of all cups in March
City also have a shout on this as well but imo and not being biased but we have a far better squad then city to go deeper and even win a few along the way in to these competitions
Will need luck, will need to dig deep, will need goals and clean sheets and might even need to have the stars to be aligned but we are in it and regardless of how we win the game we just need it won. That brings joy to us in it self
Onwards and upwards
OT
At this point its not inconceivable that Arteta may already be having serious words with the Professional Game Match Official Ltd (PGMOL) ie responsible for refereeing games in English professional association football. Particularly as opposition will try their uttermost to derail our promising season, our players need protecting NOW more than ever from players dishing out reckless tackles: I trust MA will be on point and warn of such mischief. Failure to act by referees can also put a spanner in the works.
If we win the league and it is a means to an end, we should all accept that the job is done. I hope and pray, we play better next season because it is not a great watch. Happy at the moment for 3 points and kudos to Arteta, if we win the league. But for obvious reasons its not sustainable. Plus, we lose the ball far too often for it to be actually controlling. But 🤞 we have the luck and guille to hold out.
A reply to Derek
Yes
And I can’t reply to you directly below your post
As long as we win trophies, I’m happy. It’s March and we are still in all 4 competitions.
For MA, winning the League is vital for him staying. Over 6 years is enough. He’s built a really good squad but he needs to go to the next level or get someone who can take us there.
This!
100%
In as much as it’s Arteta’s tactics to be slow and pragmatic, I still believe we don’t really have the players to execute that fast, line breaking, forward, one-two, beautiful passes of the ball.
Especially our current midfielders. The central midfield is actually instrumental to such play but our current central midfielders don’t have such passes as their top skill attribute.
Rice is more of a tackler, marker, destroyer and a bit of driving forward with the ball type of player.
He is not a fast, straight forward, line breaking passer.
Zubimendi, as we have all seen prefers sideways and backward passes instead of facing front and threading more forward passes.
Odegaard who I believe has the ability to play the forward, fast and positive passes has suddenly lost that skill and prefers to pass sideways to Saka most of the time, maybe because of the influence of his current central midfielders behind him.
The central midfielders don’t usually thread forward passes to him so he usually goes back to get the ball by himself and tries to drive forward with it sometimes.
Norgaard is a player that I believe can thread more forward passes during games, but for reasons best known to Arteta, he has chosen to give him less playing time.
So from my observation it is our current central midfielders that are more responsible for our slow and boring football.
Players like Xhaka, Partey and Jorginho all have the ability to come up with the fast paced and forward line-breaking passes more often than not.
In the 22/23 season, these 3 players were very much responsible for our fast paced football, and that is, Xhaka, Partey and Zinchenko at left back who was inverting into the midfield when Xhaka moved forward.
They usually tried more forward passes than not.
Now, it is up to Arteta to coach and instruct them to try to thread more forward and line-breaking passes more often, and that will be risky because it might result to losing the ball sometimes.
So, I believe he should stick to this current style of play that has brought us this far in all competitions and pray that it sustains us till the end of the season and help us win a trophy.
Then next season he can instruct them to freestyle and be more adventurous with their passes forward.
Admin, you must have noticed by now that nobody can use the reply facility, and that the latest comments list on the right is missing.
I am backing any style of play as long as we win big trophies. I have enjoyed long beautiful styles of play that have ended with nothing to show
We should understand that Arteta has decided to copy Wenger, Klopp and Mourinho depending on which match
We have beaten the following teams by playing beautiful football: Spurs home and away, Bayern, Atletico, Inter, Villa, Chelsea, Man United etc.
Yes, Arteta is more like Mourinho now than Eenger or PepG. But no one can really fault him after maintaining a 2nd place twice in Epl playing fluid and beautiful football.
Epl football has emerged and many coaches now play low blocks to survive and compete with other clubs with better players.
Arteta’s last contract is yet to be renewed. I bet he is under immense pressure if not from his employers, but at least fans.. I think he wants to win Epl with best tactics known to him. IMO, as long as Arsenal wins Epl this season fans won’t mind how he did it.
For SueP and Jax,
Like the both of you, I’m experiencing these problems.
Admin Martin or Michelle, any ideas about what’s going on?.
Derek, they sorted the last issue out promptly, so I expect that this will be fixed soon enough.
Derek, one thing that never gets fixed is the notify me buttons. They only work for a while and then quit on you, unless you change your email address, and then they work for a while once more until…
Derek, SueP and Jax, I’m also experiencing the same problems. Hopefully the problems get sorted soon.
SueP, Jax, and Herr Drier,
Thank you for you’re response. Its good to be in this group as we help each other through this worrying time, Smiley faces should have appeared on here.
But even the e-emoji’s page isn’t working, frowning face.
SueP, Jax, and Herr Drier,
The one thing that does surprise me is, that Admin Martin or Michelle haven’t acknowledged the problem.
Which is unusual for them to be fair.
Dan Smith I haven’t seen (or missed) your next World Cup morality article yet. The moral issues you had with 2022 and 2034 don’t hold a candle to what the demon FIFA awarded peace prize to and his admin has done and continue to do. As well as his Cartels run neighboring country.
HH,
Getting political there, this is a football forum in case you’ve forgotten.
That said, I have had my moments to.
Oh no just reminding Dan because he had so much politics and human rights to talk about when it was Qataris and Saudis but havent heard a thing when its the most evil government in history that is hosting. The government of the land of regular mass shootings or the cartels laden which other host country.
So was human rights really the issue or there was something else?
The topic is even more relevant considering FIFA awarded the warmonger and a ped* peace prize.
You really need to shut up with this nonsense. This is a football site and we don’t need people peddling lies and personal agendas.
When there have been so many disastrous historical wars and inhumane acts carried out by various countries and regimes around the world you should not be referring to the current US government as the most evil.
We also don’t need simpy Arteta fans talking love stories about him every 2 minutes.
Would rather hear about corruption at the World Cup than someone spurting in his undergarments over a grown man .
if I’m allowed mate I’ll be covering the World Cup
just thought I get title race out of the way first
Just to remind me can you send me the article or tell me what you disagreed with what I wrote
I did not disagree with you actually I was in agreement with you in both Qatar and Saudi issues except that my position is we should separate evil regimes with the people. They are not one and same.
Please cover the US and Mexico just like you did with Qatar. Also do not spare the evil regime of FIFA under Infantino.
This World Cup should have been hosted in Canada only.
What most people have overlooked is the fact that we have had a spate of injuries to some key players, yet we are challenging in four competitions. Thus, we have to balance between entertainment and victory! Our fans should ask themselves what is primary, winning or playing entertaining football? We have for a long time been playing entertaining football but what do we have to show for it? The purpose of playing is to win games, not.to merely entertain spectators! If we are winning games like we are doing, that is the best. May it continue!
my stance at the time was not political or what is going on in that country
it’s can that nation follow FIFAs rules that they don’t discriminate
Once FIFA went down that road it’s now too late I’m afraid
HH
If you don’t like the country, then don’t go, simple as that. Proof he is a ped? No? Didn’t think you did; the one you are referring to actually was the one who snitched (rightfully so) on Epstein, according to FBI documents.
Yes there are issues with criminals and guns, but about as much as UK has with Knives and criminals themselves, or anywhere else on the planet for that matter; no one is immune from crime.
Better to stick to arsenal football and arsenal players as others have suggested, let’s leave the politics out; everyone is far from perfect last I checked, you know what they say about living in glass houses and throwing stones.
He’s a R5pist and probably a fan of young women .
Named 33000 times in those ped0 files yet all been redacted.
Not sure how anyone would stick up for that draft dodger .
And no I don’t have proof ….
But I’ve got common sense