Let’s start with the obvious. The words “Title-run,” “Championship contender,” “Major silverware,” “Potential EPL Champions,” and Arsenal Football Club do not belong in the same sentence. This team isn’t going to win anything this year and quite frankly, it doesn’t deserve to. Fortune favours the bold. Wasting time on throw-ins and dead balls while trying to run out the clock for 75 minutes with a 1-0 lead vs Brighton is the opposite of bold.
It’s also a scathing indictment of the people responsible for assembling this squad and devising its matchday tactics. How on Earth does Arsenal Football Club go on the road, get a 1-0 lead, and not put their foot on the accelerator? Why is a 17-year-old playing out of position taking on more offensive responsibility than long-serving club veterans who are 10 years older and earning 10 times his wages?
How does a football club that became globally known for stylish, attacking football and lethal strikers like Ian Wright and Thierry Henry find itself getting outshot by Brighton and Hove Albion? Why is £38 million Joao Pedro better than either member of Arsenal’s £100 million striker tandem?
How does anyone justify paying a manager £15 million per year, when his biggest “win” is an FA Cup and two community shields? Even in these inflationary times, £750 million should buy you more than that. Because honestly, Tony Pulis could try to time-waste his way to a 1-0 victory for 1/10th of what Arteta and Edu have spent in the last five years.
Edu’s “surprise exit” makes more and more sense every day. He knew this team wasn’t good enough and bailed because he didn’t want to be around when the inquest started. Who can blame him? I certainly wouldn’t want to explain how I authorised £100 million in transfer fees plus £500k/per week in wages for two forwards that strike less fear into defences than a miniature French Poodle.
Edu failed this team in the transfer window and now Arteta is failing them from the manager’s box. Commiserating about the referees? Stop it. Just stop it. Arsenal should have been up 2-0 by that point (at least). Instead, they grabbed a one-goal lead and played a scared, cynical brand of time-wasting football that is completely foreign to anyone who can remember what used to make this club special.
Watching us waste time like we were down to ten men trying to see out a 1-0 lead in stoppage time at the Bernabeu only gave Brighton more life. There can be no doubt which team spent the second half trying to win and which one spent the second half trying to sneak out of the building with an undeserved result.
Anyone who has ever played a game of craps knows the old saying, “Scared money don’t make none.” Make no mistake about why this debacle happened. Arsenal was sent out with a gutless game plan of “trying not to lose.” That’s exactly what happened. They didn’t lose the game. They lost something even more valuable.
Arsenal has completely abandoned its attacking ethos on the pitch and in the transfer market. It’s going to cost us the title.
Arsenal’s failure to go all in and find a proper centre forward is haunting this team like King Tut’s curse. Instead, we’re trying to time waste and bully our way to a championship by scoring on set pieces. The old Arsenal used to complain about those tactics. Now it embraces them. Arsenal doesn’t deserve to win like that. Winners don’t back their way into championships. They sprint to them.
The time for “title talk” is over. Anyone who thinks Arsenal can go to a European capital and win KO stage Champions League games is delusional. So, forget that trophy too. Mikel Arteta has a lot of good qualities but spending £750 million to mimic Stoke City is unacceptable. It’s time to ask if he’s hit his ceiling at Arsenal. Because this is not what anyone thought phase 5 of his rebuild would look like.
By EE MC
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This is one of the most baseless and infuriating articles I have read for a long time. Arsenal were not time wasting for 70 minutes. We had arguably our three best attackers out in BS, MO and KH and a sickness bug in the team. Arsenal are sitting in the top 8 of the champions League and are still in both cup competitions. I agree the league is unlikely, but if Liverpool lose MS, DJ and LD they won’t be winning many games.
I completely agree with you. It is sad that some people vent their rage in baseless writings! No one has a right to write such a sweeping headline. Where does he base his assertions? I have always wondered why some people mistakenly think that their subjective opinions are shared by everyone. No individual should claim to be an authority on what will happen in the future unless he is a self-confessed prophet or seer.
They just know writing rubbish brings lots of response from their target audience.
The writers are cashing out on idiotish compositions – as they should.
That is the money market, unfortunately.
Kill the cattle to get beef!
🙂
Istead of doing business to bolster a much needed forward and right winger, they resorted to buy a slow paced Merino.. What is thier priority? What is their vision?
Thats how Arsenal operates, next season, they will sign a left sided defender and a defensive midfielder.
Arteta is taking this team down the wrong path. The constant complaining about refs, time wasting, negative tactics are not the right way to win a title. Unfortunately I dont see us getting past Newcastle and that’ll end any trophy chance. Is this team ready for the European elite? I dont see how. Is this team going to make up a 6-9 point deficit? Even if everyone was fit, if we keep playing as negative as we have been all season I’d say unlikely. Questions need to be asked about this manager and it can’t just al be down to referees and injuries. Especially when Mikel has played such a crucial hand in creating the squad he’s wanted. So many of these positions should have adequate cover by now… but they dont.
No reason why we can’t win one of the cups
its hard to win if you only play not to lose
The owners are to blame for everything bad. And of course for Arteta who completely identifies with them. This is the explanation. The fixtures and transfers are a result of this duo.
If Arsenal do not figure more prominently in the title race , it will be the mistakes as the one made against us by the officials awarding a rare penalty.
Not even the incompetent VAR officials were able to resolve.
The legendary Frank Lampard once said, his three year old daughter at home would have done better.
Am once again calling for outside help with the officiating.
It is the insiders who will permit anybody from outside to do anything within.
The government is structured to do whatever gives them money.
I think it is clear if fair officiating is allowed . . .
You might find “worthless” teams winning the league.
The market value of major stocks crashing.
And “big teams” going bankrupt.
So the government of the league have their interests to protect and it obviously isn’t fairness for all, all the time.
I take it MA was not on the writer’s Xmas card list?
I take it MA was on the writer’s Xmas card list as one who will get lots of response if poked.
And it happened.
That way.
So, it is going to happen again.
And when that happens
It is going to happen again.
Through phases and processes
Nwaneri is underage
Harvertz should be sold
Declan Rice isn’t worth £20m
Martinelli isn’t performing
Because
Arteta is a bad coach.
Over one billion pounds spent
Just to get average players
The referee’s decisions wouldn’t have mattered had Arsenal gone all out to win.
Arsenal should sign Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yes!
Sorry
Siu ! ! !
Round of applause for VAR
He is a veteran striker.
Plus he could boost Arsenal followership by hundred million in less than a year
Let’s talk about time wasting.
Arsenal should have been three or four goals up and the red card wouldn’t have mattered.
Signing C Ronaldo is a trophy
🤭
Saka should be sent to left back so Ødegaard can play right winger
Grandad
Just recycling with some more additives.
Some make sense; some interesting; some totally rubbish. But all of those don’t matter to much of the media.
They just need to make money.
And lots of views and reactions does that for them.
Attacking Arteta is one part that does just that.
For now.
Based on followership.
There is a reason gossip sells.
Even when you know it is nonsense.
Talking rubbish is big business like we see here.
Arteta was very much on that Xmas card list.
Send Arteta troubles, GET REWARDS promo is on.
People are cashing out.
Arteta out.
Offer valid while stocks last!
Next they may come up with
– coaches with nice hair don’t win trophies – postulations.
While I think that the title beyond us now, and it’s a stretch to believe that we can win the CL.
If we can perform to a better level in the upcoming two cup games, we do still have a chance of some silverware.
We can live in hope can’t we?.
100%
If we don’t then we might as well give up and became a spud fan
Well said Alanball08
Sue, I will never become a spud fan as long as i have a hole in my arse nal.
@Reggie
😂😂😂😂
Seriously?
Deep down, you know we cant win New Castle. MA continues to play like Diego Simone, this team played good football 2 seasons ago, what happened to that tactics?
@EE MC
Now tell us how you really feel about Artetas managing skills.
🤣🤣tbh, I think he’s a good manager who has hit his ceiling. He simply doesn’t know how to get this team to the next level. It’s plain to see. He is out of ideas. This is, after all, his first job. Overall, I honestly think he’s done a good job restoring some of the club’s standards and stabilizing the team. At the same time, way too much money has been spent for the offense to be so pedestrian and a lot of that falls on Arteta. If you can’t get over the top with £750 million, it’s time for you to move on.
That exactly what i have been saying and it was when we got him. He has proved so far, he isn’t the bext special one. He is just a good coach. Thats it.
This does not make sense. How much money should have been spent to build a PL winning team? Chelsea have spent around a billion in under two years yet the narrative is that they are not ready to win.
MU have spent north of what Arsenal have spent yet they do not look like a PL winning team at this point.
How many managers have Chelsea and Utd gone through because they didn’t make the money work?
Chelsea do have a slight excuse at tge moment, they are building a very young team but if they dont win the league or CL, the manager will be sacked. Ten Harg won 1 FA cup and 1 league cup and was sacked. They don’t cling on to managers. They want success. They know when to move on.
I totally agree with you, MA has tried the best he can, time to move on. he doesnt seem to know what he wants to do.
Still cannot get over how much this bloke earns a year ,thought the club had learnt a lesson paying silly wages to players .
Obviously not .
Lucky man Arteta, still being allowed to complete his on the job training without having to face the pressure that other managers at big clubs have had to and earning decent money as well.
they havent and wont. do you know how much Havertz is earning per week? with what happened with Ozil, Arsenal still went ahead to give Havertz that kind of pay per week.
Havertz’s contract is high but not close to Ozil’s which was dished out 7 or so years ago
🤣🤣tbh, I think he’s a good manager who has hit his ceiling. He simply doesn’t know how to get this team to the next level. It’s plain to see. He is out of ideas. This is, after all, his first job. Overall, I honestly think he’s done a good job restoring some of the club’s standards and stabilizing the team. At the same time, way too much money has been spent for the offense to be so pedestrian and a lot of that falls on Arteta. If you can’t get over the top with £750 million, it’s time for you to move on.
The players have hit a Cieling and especially the attack.
Well, you do not what you are talking about. The money that you suggest has been spent is no guarantee of winning a major title.
No David but it is usually behind one. Remember Arsenal and Wenger blaming money as an excuse? If you have spent all that money, then rightly, more is expected.
Or the excuses that City “bought” their titles with spending vast sums in the Market.
So City wins titles by spending as some gripe about, but with Arsenal Arteta”s spending should not guarantee titles?
I think it is getting the combination right.
Find a great manager, give him money to build his squad, and titles should follow; isn’t that what makes them great in large part?
We have spent the money, we just have a “good” coach, not a “great” coach. Arteta may be far better a decade from now with more experience and ideas, but I don’t see that in him now. He looks out of ideas, stubborn and unwilling to evolve his ethos, and unable to break through the ceiling he has reached.
Emcc,
No wonder Arteta can’t get the team to the next level, they keep hitting that flipping ceiling.😂🤣😉👍
🤣
If we were top of league with all the decisions against and Injury’s etc against us then most you guys wouldn’t be complaining so much about our football. Liverpool have started very well to this season and if they started like they did last season we would be top. If we won the league playing as we are now then you wouldn’t complain about the football. I like the fact we’re hard to beat, it hasn’t always been this way. Just need a little more spark up top and our team will be awesome. As for the league long way yet, still in cups and a little bit of luck change here and there and we could still be PL winners. Writing us off now completely is premature
The most dire for me is the negative style of football we play. Gone is the direct, attacking, slick passing football that Arsenal was revered for under Wenger.
Now pragmatism has taken over, we play “Not to lose” rather than going for the win, and we see this weekly.
I’m concerned Arteta has taken us as far as he can at this stage in his career. He looks out of answers, stubborn in his tactics, and has not evolved enough to adapt to the changes from other clubs and the league.
Now those last two paragraphs explains it all. It’s all glaring for those who want to see, except those still living in self denial of some sort.
“Play not to lose”, “Stubborn” and “has not evolved”. No matter which side you are on, these are undeniable facts.
mark my word this is our year of wining quadriple
Awida,
I thought Christmas was over. It looks like you’ve found those left-over bottles of wine, and are still having a merry old time by the looks of it🤣😂😉👍.
My God can we just chill out as fans, as it’s becaming so pathetic. I stopped interacting on this platform cos of so much negativity whenever we drop point. We have became so entitle as a fan base that it’s just plain laughable at this moment cos a lot of fans seems to forget where we were a couple of years back. I’m not saying we shouldn’t criticize the manager, the team, and even the board, God knows they all the deserve it sometimes but for people to say we should sack Mikel(the manager) and that we aren’t going to win anything is just plain pathetic. Fans always use the money Mikel has spent as an excuse while forgetting that teams like Chelsea, Man united, even Tottenham have spent more or similar amount of what we’ve spent but are not even close to where we are and would give anything to be in our shoes. What we as fans should do is to be optimistic and support this team cos we aren’t as bad as most people say we are. We are 6 points from first place last season at this point we were five points from first, we are also in 3 cup competition one of them we are in the semi final. I could go on and on but I think I will stop here. We should look at the bigger picture instead of looking for ever opportunity to criticize the manager and the team.
Looking at the bigger picture isn’t such a bad idea. You could be forgiven for thinking that we were cosying up to Utd and Spurs in the mid table doldrums
Nobody thinks the situation is perfect. Not even the so called Arteta apologists but to go on and on and on droning about every perceived shortcoming makes it nigh on pointless to post another viewpoint. I don’t blame you for giving up. Let them all talk amongst themselves
WOW… I think this opinion is bold. So why did we spend close to 800M over the last five years?
Why did we pay off so many player to leave for free?
It’s safe to assume if we do not get our house in order we could find ourselves in the same position again. History repeats itself.
People still talk about how much was spent every top club spends a lot of money on their players We aren’t special in that way With how much money Che has spent their fans should have been demanding a title this season That’s if you’re one of those that goes by the spend Over a five year period I would expect a large spend it’s normal I would be more worried and absolutely fuming if the opposite was true
Well said. I think the money spent only applies to Mikel and Arsenal, teams like Man united, Chelsea, and Tottenham are immuned to money spent. We have truly been unlucky the season with injuries, suspension(some self inflicted), and bad officiating and still we just 6 points off liverpool, Yes our football could be better but we aren’t as bad as people make it to bad. We are extremely solid and difficult team to beat. I always look at the the bigger picture because it’s the kind of mentality that has made me to to successful in life and when I see our team and managers I see so much potential. I will continue to back my team and the manager until the end as I have for the past 25 years.
You are making it look like we are even bad at all.
Arsenal is totally good in comparison.
Only match officiating beats Arsenal these days – no matter how much rubbish they might appear to be doing.
Against a bigger team:
Saliba could have seen red plus the given penalty that wasn’t even a foul.
And had it been an Arsenal player who went down that way in the box against an opponent . . . That Arsenal player would have been booked for dissent and maybe some others, too, also booked.
Arsenal lost the last two league titles and is losing this one too to the referees and their bosses.
Arsenal is the best team in England, currently.
What about the decisions that go for us and against others ?
Players of a certain American sports league once decided to boycott the league because they thought the officiating was terrible.
England isn’t ready for that!
Kudos to the refs.
More deliberate rubbish to come.
Jorginho could have got a red for his kick at the BHA thug Veltman during the penalty incident, and where would we have been then?
It would have been quite unsurprising to me for Arsenal to have a player sent off for whatever reason.
An Arsenal player could be sent off for kicking the ball too hard when trying to score – as it could be described as endangering the opposing teams’ players health.
Had arsenal players put in the kind of challenges the thug and his associates did . . . You know what happens.
The referee creating a scene that was totally uncalled for, and not quite unusually, against Arsenal.
As for Jorginho’s kick on Veltman.
I’m only disappointed for two reasons:
One: The kick was not strong enough.
Two: He should have kicked the referee instead.
Didn’t Martinelli escape a second yellow against Monoco ?
Wasn’t Jesus clearly offside for his goal against Palace ?
Didn’t we get a dodgy penalty against Dontesk ?
Just casually not mentioning that ?
Dan,
The more dross I read of Thrill’s just makes me roll my eyes and cover them🙄🤦♂️.
His constant rants about the referee, make my rants about Arteta seem friendly😉👍.
Another person with an opinion when he does not know football rules. Sad.
Opposing teams don’t wear the same jersey.
That is the only football rule you know, Reggie.
It is good you know you are ranting.
And ranting just to be unfriendly to Arteta.
Keep it up.
I’m not ranting at Arteta to be unfriendly as you put it.
My rant’s at him is because I ‘m not liking what I see him doing to this club.
And by the end of this season, when we are trophy less yet again, hopefully some other fans will start seeing what I’m seeing.
And finally call this manager out.
Latest rant over🙄🤦♂️😣
😂😂
Thrill,
No there not, Liverpool are.🤦♂️
Gibson and Break on through
Not every club spends 800M to finish in top 4
MC spent money and won 4 titles and a CL title
Same with Chelsea .They spent money on players and managers but won a few tiles and CL also.
So when you say top clubs spend money that is true but the spend for a reason: WINNING A TITLE
Do you really see us winning anything this year ?
Odds are worse than winning the billion $$ lottery ticket. What is even worse is the fact we had 2 years where we could have had a title and MA botched up by overplaying the squad and not rotating enough even in games we were up3-4 goals. Go back and look at his rotation last year.
Unfortunately the signs are not favorable and more likely for MA to bring a title here he will need 200m and a lot more firepower upfront
Mikel didn’t botched up, Liverpool could have won it too. Are we the only big spenders? Bar inflation, Arsenal haven’t spent that much compared to where city and Chelsea were high spenders. It’s okay to criticize the team and manager but it should be constructive criticism. Arteta didn’t meet the team in a good shape , hence the need to invest in the team which he did. If not for Mancity blip, Liverpool won’t be up there. Give this manager some respect, he has been able to achieve with the limited resources at his disposal. We can’t even spend on our targets like other big teams. Do you know how much Man I have spent over that 5 years and still look a miserable team. Grrrrrrrr. I understand the writer wants a reaction by that write up. All this negativity from fans is why pundits pounce on Arsenal.
This is a rubbish narrative. Every team spends money and that spent by Arsenal helps to makes us competitive but cannot guarantee titles.
To say Arteta botched up on the basis you have indicated is just repeated silly nonsense.
CF, Chelsea have spent over £1b the last couple of seasons and what have they won ? Sweet FA is the answer.
You mention lack of rotation over the previous 2 seasons, but in all honesty our squad wasn’t strong enough, mostly due to injuries to the likes of Tomi, Jesus, Timber, Zinchenko, Saliba.
HD it is wrong to say Chelsea have spent 1Bn. They are not allowed to spend that. It is all structured, with players on very long contracts and spread over 6 or 7 years. So, not as simple but it works out as 150 mil a year. But that can go higher or lower depending on sales and transfers. We can not get into Chelsea spending. Its more complicated than we can fathom.
Well Reggie, if we are going on the transfer fees being spread over the term of the contract, then we haven’t spent anywhere near £700m.
Ours is very different, a few of our players we had to pay large chunks for and with shorter contracts, that have and are starting to run out, things will need to be updated. Don’t try to be specific on teams in finance. They all do it slightly different. With the exception of Chelsea, who have done it on long term finance. We can not specifically compare us against them. Theirs is totally different. Yearly and long term.
While some of their players are on contracts that are longer than 5 years, a new regulation was brought in the other year that all transfer fees have to be paid within 5 years. So Chelsea will have to pay £615m over the next 3 years on the players they’ve bought in the last 2 years.
The only fees we paid up front were Tierney and Partey. The fee for Rice will paid up this summer.
On that face of it, Arsenal as a business is doing well. Yes, they’ve spent a lot of money but they are in a good position in the league and coming off the back of 2 runner-up finishes. There is no way the owners are going to sack MA because his football is rubbish.
Unfortunately for us supporters, I expect another decent finish in terms of league position and for this to continue until his luck runs out or our best players get sick of it and ask to leave.
That’s the crux of it. Football is a business and we don’t matter. Ticket prices make up so little of the revenue, yet they charge the highest prices in the league but every week the stadium is full to watch slow, boring dross.
Fans don’t matter, only money. And fans don’t bring in the money, results does and all the time he gets results he will keep his job. Sorry people but that’s the reality we face, so we may as well stop moaning about it now.
Absolutely spot on post ..
But personally I will keep on moaning
The unfortunate truth. It’s why AW only got sacked when he stopped making UCL. Arteta can keep winning no trophies as long as he balances the books right. The unfortunate truth about Kroenke’s as the owners they have no real care to win anything.
Yep. Trophies are a nice bonus, but that and only that. Would you rather finish 2nd every year for a decade or be like Leicester where you somehow get your hands on a title but then yo-yo between the EPL and Championship? It’s not a difficult decision really is it. So MA will keep his job until he fails to deliver. Let’s hope he actually manages to find a balance between pragmatism and adventure because this crap has got to change.
Wenger didn’t get the sack for not qualifying for the CL, he got the sack because he disagreed with the new way the club were heading, ie, he didn’t agree with the club having a Director of Football.
We’re not the highest prices in the league.
Your right about the rest of your post and that’s why Arsene kept his position.
Finishing in the top four every season until his last two, winning fa cups along the way of course.
As a supporter of the club, if MA continues to bring CL football and the money it generates, I will judge him as I judged AW.
Totally, Dan. That is our right. The style of football is so bad right now. 2 seasons ago when we so narrowly missed out, the football as I remember it was a bit more exciting and adventurous and it’s almost as if MA blamed that style for us missing out. However, last season we were kinda boring and this season even more so. Yes, defence wins you titles, but only if you score goals as well. Ain’t no one drawing their way to any titles.
Yet last season we scored the most goals we’ve scored in the PL. Also with 89 points we were 1 point short of our highest number of points in the PL, achieved in the Invincible season, where we drew 12 games.
It is possible to be boring and efficient.
Yep, like when we won the FA Cup in ’05.
Not boring at all HD.
More that manure didn’t allow us to play our game and yet, unlike the Newcastle game, we came away with the result.
If we had defended the other night like we did then, we wouldn’t have lost 2-0.
Well it was one of the most boring FA Cup finals I’ve ever seen Ken.
Every time they attacked, I thought they would score, but for me that made it excruciatingly exciting and when Patrick scored that penalty and celebrated in front of their fans!!
Made up for them doing it to us at villa Park in the semi final 😉
Ken1945,
We mugged United that year as Liverpool had mugged us in a previous final.
With two Michael Owen goals. We should have been well out of sight in that game.
That was when we had a team.
Who cares …we won
Yeah and went missing when it counted
The biggest problem for Arsenal Football Club is the fans.
We top the league if you count he last two years.
Basically, this means that you are completely deluded in your analysis. Do you remember how we played against Brentford? Do you remember how we played against the best team in Europe over the last two seasons (Sporting)?
I am sorry but you haven’t got a clue. All you are doing is trying to create a disaster where there is nothing but positivity.
I really hope you eat your words at the end of the season. As an Arsenal fan, please try to see that we have been the best team in the premier league for 2 years and if not for those 7 deliberate corrupt PGMOL decisions, we’d have won two titles.
They say it cancels out eventually.
Morons they are.
Thanks referee for writing your opinion.
But
Please, next time, do it on the PGMOL channels.
Thank you.
I couldn’t care less about the money spent at Arsenal. The primary issue is our style of play which many have mentioned here to be horrendous. It has certainly been on a decline.
I appreciate MA for getting us back in the title-chasing mix and getting the squad attitude right so I will give him until the end of the season to improve our play and secure a minor silverware.
Failing to do would mean MA has truly crashed into the ceiling, out of ideas while current players stutter in development.
Too many injuries and suspensions have cost us more than anything this season.
If Salah missed 3 months of the season does anyone honestly think Liverpool would be where they are right now, not to mention tons of other injuries?
And if they had 3 really early red cards, they still would have picked up 9 points in those respective games?
Quite a few IFs in there .
So you don’t think a long-term injury to Salah would have any impact on Liverpool at all?
Or world player of the year Rodri isn’t missed by City in the slightest?
Well I guess you aren’t bothered in the slightest with Saka gone, or Odegaard missing more than 2 months then.
Lucy,
While I agree with your sentiments regarding how important the likes of Salah, Rodri and Saka are to their respective clubs.
If a team is going to be so badly affected by the loss of one player, whoever that player is. Then to me, the manager has not done his job by not getting adequate cover for said player.
Couldn’t agree more Lucy78. Liverpool have been fairly lucky with not having injuries to their star players.
You’re not being an Arteta apologist are you HD?😉
I’ve been told a few times now that Liverpool’s injury problems have been at least as bad as ours and that Slot has managed it perfectly, whereas Arteta can’t. Odegaard, Tomi, White, Zinchenko, with slightly shorter spells out for Calafiori, Merino, Timber, Gabriel, Jesus. More recently it’s Saka & Sterling and now Nwaneri joining Tomi and White.
I know we’re not alone in having injuries. Look what it’s done to City and Spurs.
Half the battle during the season is keeping a settled side – something that hasn’t been afforded Arsenal.
SueP, moi 😉
I wonder how they would cope without Salah, van Dyke, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Alexander-Arnold and Gravenberch. Those players have only missed 5 PL games between them.
I am sensing the return of Thirdman, Jinbo, Jane with a fourth account.
Think he ,she is already here 😂
😂😂
I don’t know how we became undeserving when we we’re still well-placed in four competitions. I do agree with the criticism of unnecessarily dull time-wasting play and blame our set piece coach Jover, and for Arteta bringing him to the club. Being great at corners is not great football.
Jax, the football we play is dire. Its unimaginative and low level quality. We rely on set plays as our staple diet. It is awful to watch at times. Its great when we win and we have scored a set piece. But what direction are we going in. Is our football progressive? Does it win us games? Or are we reliant on dead balls because our football is so poor? I am flabbergasted that people can not or do not see the lack of quality basic football. Hiw can they be happy thst we need bailing out far too many times with corners. Its sad.
Basically, Arsenal rely on Saka and corners. The rest is dire.
Were we this dire last season Reggie? I know we led on corner goals, but was our football just as crap as now? I seem to remember lots of goal all around the squad, but that could be just selective memories😂
We had a plus goal difference of 89 – ish – same as City. Saka scored 16 with Havertz on about 13 so you were right on both counts
So why are we playing differently this season?
Reggie
We seem more tentative on the offence this season compared to last season
I believe some of the personal at MA has played a big part in that
Unbalanced at times
DC not at his usual best in MF
BW being out has hindered out attack down the right
MO struggles at times but again that’s understandable due to the length of time he has been out
Trossard and martinelli have been in and out of form all season
MA has a not lose at all cost mentally which is frustrating at times as I want us to go out all guns blazing and get the 3 points
Whilst I you and lot of people hate it, he is right
Picking up the point rather then dropping the point as we had in past season is the right thing
And as Bruce use to say
What do points make
Prizes
It is a bit more stale this season and will hold judgement until the end but the good thing is, whilst we are playing safe football right now we are still in for a shout of all 4 competitions which again in bygone years our season was done by November and we were praying for a fa cup win.
Let’s see what the last 18 league games bring us
Onwards and upwards
AB probably down to the fact 75% of the players we bought were defence or defence minded. Plus with the excepf Timber, everyone bought in the last two years is left footed. And people wonder why everything comes down the right. Thats because we have no real creative players and they are left footed, who play a pass naturally to the right.
Reggie, I swear Rice and Raya have been bought in in the last 2 seasons and are right footed.
Raya, Really!!!! Yes Rice is right footed but he falls into the defensive catagory. Haverz, Merino, Calaforini are all left footed. If you look back on more of Artetas purchases, they are generally left footed. Kiwior, Vierra etc. He likes a left footer.
Yep, Raya. Last time I checked he was right footed and signed for us last season on loan, and then permanently beginning of this season. Rice only plays defensively when Partey isn’t available to play in Midfield.
Please keep up.
He is a goalkeeper, keep up. 🤣
I know he’s a goalkeeper, he’s still a signing who is right footed 😁
We are not playing well this season because we are only using one sided system. The truth is we used Saka and Martinelli for too long, tow season we won games playing and scoring with the wingers. Now it’s over
Why are Man City playing the way they are this season? Stuff happens. Different factors might be contributing to the way we are playing.
We played exactly the same last season too hence why by December 2023 many sensationalists were calling for Arteta’s head back then too.
I remember all of us being very frustrated with the so called possession / sideways boring football we start with last season but then we had that Dubai trip and finished the season stronger scoring for fun. The whole team seems to have not clicked. We look lethargic, robotic and overly cautious. It’s not that much different from last season. The difference is that last season everything we touched turned into a goal or decisions went our way defensively.
This season we have had far more injuries and days lost due to other reasons. It has been a lot more difficult to play a settled side. These have been major factors. Currently, the team is playing every few days with little time between games.
We are not playing well this season because we are only using one sided system. The truth is we used Saka and Martinelli for too long, tow season we won games playing and scoring with the wingers. Now it’s over
6 Points behind league leaders who have a game in hand is not well placed
This article is spot on. Sadly Arsenal will never win the league with their current gutless time wasting tactics.
Its also embarressing watching Arsenal cheat. For free kicks we line 4 players at the end of the wall at the edge of the opponents penaly area. Just as the free kick is about to be taken the 4 players jog goalside of the opponents wall before taking one step back towards their own goal to pretend to get onside. At the same time another Arsenal player pushes an opposition player towards their own goal so that if a VAR check is carried out by freezing the photo “quite clearly” all Arsenal players will be seen to be onside.
Don’t get me strarted on the cheateing that takes place at corners too. Its too embarrassing.
Are you an Arsenal fan Simon?
Every game I watch in the PL that doesn’t involve The Arsenal, also has the exact same “cheating” tactics you describe.
Why, even Liverpool are mimicking every move we make at free kicks and corners!!
It’s a pity the referees didn’t “freeze frame” the Rice, Saliba and Trossard incidents and don’t get me started on Mr Oliver and his pathetic decision not to even look at the Kovacic incident with Odegaard.
As I say, are you really an Arsenal fan?!
I personally would prefer watching us play attractive, beautiful football and just be making top 4 like back in the day, than push a close 2nd playing boring, dull football, as either way we achieve nothing. Hypothetically, if we do win something playing the way we have been playing, it will be slightly bitter-sweet.
Nevertheless, I will fully support the Gunners until the end of the season and reserve my comment until then.
Beautiful football is what Spurs fans were asking for. They then got Ange and he has turned them into a joke of an attacking team.
I prefer attractive football myself but if that football turns us into a perennial 4th place or a mid table club then I don’t want it.
Arteta has got to find a balance between his overly cautious style of football and attractive football. This still remains my biggest reservation about Arteta. He needs to relax and let the players attack as well as defend as a team.
I think there’s no reason why we can’t win at least 1 trophy
Realistically, there are plenty of reasons, but let’s look on the plus side.
Yeah no reason we can’t go for the cups
Why not go for the PL and CL Dan??
Because we are not good enough I’m afraid mate
But we’re second in the PL and one win away from the group stages of the CL.
Pool lost to the spuds last night, so what makes you think we can’t catch them?
It’s never over till it’s over.
⌛😎
Again I will say it. Arteta is shooting him self in the foot. He has become so cautiously predictable in his style of play. He needs to relax and stop being terrified of losing all the time. He should take risks and a chance. We just seem to keep doing the bare minimum nearly every season due to his nervous attitude.
We do have the players but can Arteta take us beyond just finsishing 2nd? I think he can but has he got the self belief in himself to go for it? 🤞🙏
The past two seasons we played some of the best football, won nothing, MA doesn’t give the youth a chance so he should go was the opinion. This season riddled with injuries, adapts the side, gives youth a bigger role and still MA out. I’d love for us to win something but how does our fan base think it’s our absolute right to. I’d take 2nd each year over rather than boom and bust. 2nd in the table, in all competitions still, record amount of goals scored in a Calendar year, so I question how a true fan would think yeah let’s change manager. Gets boring with no sensible angle to debate
Whenever results don’t go our way everyone starts diagnosing the team. So we all come up with our own personal opinions as the reason why the team is underperforming. And we all are so convinced that our own diagnosis is the reason as to why the team is performing poorly.
Arsenal fans,one win now and all these narratives will change.why are we so critical when the team have a bad day in office?
Chelsea drop points over the weekend, Liverpool also dropped point over the weekend,why all these scathing criticism.
Arsenal is in 4 major competition,who says arsenal isn’t beating new castle.
If arsenal quality for the final of the caraboa cup, what will these arsenal fans say?
Support your team both in good and bad situation.stay strong and optimistic
Because of how we are playing
A win tonight doesn’t change the narrative at all.
The team hasn’t played the way it had been in the previous two seasons, and a win isn’t going to change that.
The main challenge with arsenal fans right now is that MA raised the expectation 2 seasons ago and the expectations aren’t being met with trophies, style of play etc.
The resources seems available but lack of, poor or poor timing of rotation is letting the team down e.g. Harverts played every minute at the beginning of the season but MA still brought him on in the first two Carabao cup games though we were winning comfortably. Till he wore out
Why are arsenal players getting injured often, is it a coincidence?
Maybe I am too idealistic but I wouldn’t even rule Man city out of the title race yet. Those who have already declared Liverpool title favourites have forgotten that we are just half way the journey and Liverpool has some challenging fixtures ahead: Man city away, Chelsea away, Brentford away, Aston Villa away, Nottingham Forest away and a few challenging games like Arsenal at home. Only a fool would imagine that Liverpool would sail through these games easily. What is my argument? I predict that Arsenal is going to have a big role in the title race when our injured players return to the squad. We only need to keep the faith and be patient. There is all to play for.