Whatever the result on Sunday, it is too early to write Arsenal out of the title race purely based on the league table. Yet factoring in our starting line-up and first-half performance at the Emirates, there was further evidence that Mikel Arteta might simply be too negative to lift the Premiership with the Gunners.
Not because he is not a good manager. Defensively he is a very good coach, but is he brave enough to get over the line? The only hope is that this was the weekend the Spaniard finally realised he cannot become a champion in North London with his current tactics. The very best have the ability to self-reflect and learn from their mistakes.
Same old caution in the big games
The reason so many Gooners were despondent about our loss to Liverpool was that it was the first test where the 43-year-old gave evidence that, no, in the summer he had not changed his ethos. He played into Arne Slot’s hands, being led into a false sense of security thinking our opponents would accept a 0-0 draw. In reality, in front of the Kop, the home side were always going to have a period of control.
Therefore, it was almost depressing when our eleven was announced to face Man City. It will have even the biggest defenders of our boss doubting if he will ever be prepared to gamble to get over the line. In another big game our approach was not to lose and not to win. Our principles were reactionary.
That is why the stadium was so quiet in the first half, because they simply did not believe the men on the pitch were going to create anything. The majority of our creativity was on the bench. It is not like those who started even acted like they believed they could do anything in the final third. Forget corners being our only source of a goal, we were resorting to a long throw.
Just remember how much it is for a ticket for this fixture, and entertainment was restricted to trying to pick up scraps from set pieces. 60,000 were silent in the stands because they were bored.
Time is running out for Arteta to adapt
So did Arteta finally put his ego to one side at the interval and accept this was another big game he was letting pass him by? Did one of his staff speak up? Did he realise that the crowd would be lifted just by the sight of Saka and Eze?
I hope it is a turning point. The only issue in this sport is that success and failure are separated by the smallest details. You cannot let 45 minutes pass you by, just like you cannot let a trip to the red half of Merseyside pass you by.
Arteta taking so long to change his outlook could have already left us with too much to do. We might have to go to St James’ Park next week eight points away from the top. Newcastle will do exactly the same as Pep Guardiola. Eddie Howe will park the bus, confident that if his men defend well, the visitors might not be able to break them down.
Tyneside will tell us if Arteta has seen the light and will now be on the offensive, or if he will go back to being cautious. This is it now. If he does not learn from this, it is title over.
How do you feel after our injury-time goal at least earned us one point?
Dan Smith
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So Dan I am confused, let me get this right. Why write this article if you think the team/squad isn’t good enough. Or the manager? Its a waste of time. If it suits you black is white and white is black. Just to make an argument?
👍
Roy Keane got it right, you have to sometimes gamble to win. We have a quality squad now with every position covered so no more excuses. Liverpool will soon run out of injury time winners so we need to take advantage when they do.
Roy Keane is simply point scoring. He is a rubbish analyst but he is simply being credited because he is being negative about MU.
No club at the level of Arsenal should have a player like Merino in the squad. I can’t even believe he can get 20 minutes on the pitch. There’s no way you can convince me that Arsenal didn’t have a squad good enough to win at least one PL tittle in the last three seasons. If you doubted, you’re now learning that it wasn’t about the squad, but the coach himself. If he doesn’t put his arrogance aside and decide to change, still Arsenal with the best squad in the world won’t win anything under Mikel Arteta.
Merino is a good player playing in wrong position.
Agreed. He should be rotating with Rice in central midfield, not playing an AM role.
I think things are more realistic for this season. It is now Mr. Arteta’s eighth season as a coach in our team. He rightly took a long time in my opinion.The club. However, I believe that it is obvious that this year, without many words and comments, is the year that will decide whether he will remain or whether he will go his way. The fact that he plays constantly either with a starting eleven Value or with two equals, exactly with the same mentality, and therefore results, is not something that will help him. In conclusion, with a good placement from second place and back and a relatively good course in the Champions League, at the end of the season he will say goodbye to us. In such a case I think it would be fair and that’s how it will be. Now if he changes something and finds something to add to it What’s missing and he manages to flip the switch, having secured the championship at least then everything changes.
Mikel Arteta have a squad every premier League teams are afraid to come out and play against. But, Mikel Arteta is making those teams believe there no squad to be afraid in Arsenal. Mikel Arteta is not playing the players according to their strengths in the attacking midfield. Lack of creativity is a big problem for Mikel Arteta. He is so confused man.
Arteta is the problem. He over thinks his decision instead of keeping things simple and he is so stubborn and defends his wrong decisions with pride.
Let’s just see how the season unfolds. He needs to be flexible.
I’m losing my belief in him gradually.
This team is good enough to win trophies. He has no excuse this season.
The most annoying thing is that some people are still defending him saying that it’s early yet we are already 5 points behind in a season we cannot afford anymore excuses.
The Kroenkes bought players Arteta demanded Arteta still thinks like a small club. The owners should ask why Arteta doesn’t play a proactive football. Whom does he like to be bought for him to play a proactive positive football? Really baffling and discouraging.
Arteta’s tactics haven’t evolved from last season, but the club and Berta didn’t help much by signing players unfit for those tactics
If they sign players based on their own preferences and marketability, they should’ve replaced Arteta in the summer to accommodate their players
They shouldn’t have forced Arteta to change his system for their players, because his system has made us finish 2nd three times in a row
Why sign another CAM while we have many players of that type and why sign a non-towering CF whose goals in Portugal were inflated by penalties? Arsenal seemed to have not learned from Pepe’s case
Imagine if we used the money to sign Sesko/ Woltemade/ Aghehowa and Rodrygo/ Williams, instead of wasting it on the 27-year-old Gyokeres and Eze!
I knew you’ll pop-up at some point understand the post to defend Arteta. The excuses you listed above doesn’t cut it anymore. Most fans now see how incapable Arteta is at delivering major silverwares for us.
Let just get someone who can do the job.
*under
Please don’t get me wrong. I said Arteta’s tactics haven’t evolved from last season
I also believe he won’t win EPL this season, because of his tactics and the expensive players that are unfit for his system
He’d likely get sacked next year if he doesn’t win EPL or UCL, because he will just have one year left on his contract in the next summer
He would get sacked
He won’t get sacked that was meant to say
Why Dan? His contract will expire in 2027, so Kroenke would just need to pay one year of his salary if he gets the boot in 2026
Because they like him
He gets them CL revenue and they believe he’s not far away
May be you have a point. Looks like the buck stops with the manager and might have been the case all along.
Ignoring obvious pointers only leads to incorrect solutions. Even if given whatever players he thinks he wants, we’ll be continuously given very useless excuses.
Arteta’s system is flawed, but it made us an EPL runner-up in three consecutive seasons
Instead of giving Arteta the players he needs, the club and Berta signed a 27-year-old penalty-taker from Portuguese league and another CAM
The money used to buy those 27-year-old players could’ve been better invested in younger, pacier and more athletic players like Sesko/ Woltemade/ Aghehowa and Rodrygo/ Williams
You are funny…
You cannot provide a service to your strikers if you are set up to play negative, defensive football can you?
And your left winger is Trossard.
And your attacking midfielder is Merino.
It’s not their fault of cause – if you are looking for fault blame Arteta…
Sorry “course” – my terrible grammar
Our CF should’ve done better hold-up play and become pacier Man City’s CBs, not getting overpowered and outpaced by those CBs
Look at how Haaland played against our CBs yesterday and how Gyokeres played against the mighty Kosovo
Even Thierry Henry compared how Martinelli finished his chance and how Gyokeres fumbled his in the last two matches
Please watch Henry’s detailed analysis about Gyokeres
How far has Thierry Henry evolved as a coach?How many trophies has he won as a coach?How many seasons has he coached a top tier club? My point is talking tactics and analysing movements on a tactics board is easier said than done Arteta is doomed being Arsenal coach is a poisoned chalice he was too cautious and rightly so coz had he gone gung-ho and man city overrun us in midfield the same pundits would be vilifying him for being naive Arteta has made Arsenal difficult to beat that’s why many pundits hate him imagine for the first time in history Guardiola’s team was outplayed off the park he had to rely on counter attacks all this is because of Arteta set up his team there is room for improvement and but drawing against top teams isn’t bad last season we had a very good record against the so called big teams but still we didn’t win the league why? because we struggled against low blocks the draws & loses to Fulham,Aston villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Newcastle etc cost us the league it’s the reason why Eze and Gyokeres were brought in to help us deal with the low blocks that Guardiola resorted to defending low with 5 defenders and 4 midfielders inside their own half is a true testament to where we are a team and where we’ve come from Arteta has his flows that he must improve on but we are in a good place
It all falls on the manager.
The purchase of players, selection of tactics and instilling togetherness all falls on the manager.
A detailed analysis resolves nothing.
The only way Arsenal stand a chance is Arteta changing or Arteta leaving..
For some time now, I really couldn’t see an idea you got.
@Gotanidea can you please stop being hypocritical you can’t be making excuses for Arteta and still be denying it. What is pacey players, what have we gotten from the young pacey Noni Madueke that Arteta was allowed to buy, neither a goal nor assists in 5 Epl so far didn’t he see Semenyo or Kudus?. The CAM you said is not needed accounts for 2 assists within the lesser minutes given to him compared to your Arteta’s approved young and pacey player. Your condemned 27 years old Gyokeres already accounts for 3 Epl goals how many does Sesko have? Take Arteta to real Madrid now he definitely flop, give him PSG or Bayern Munich he will still not win. If Arsenal fc can do what Bayer Leverkusen did in not wasting time to sack Eric Ten-hag before it’s too late they should sack Arteta now. Thanks for agreeing that the club is neither going to win Epl nor UCL this season, but it’s not a function of the club not signing Arteta’s players rather he lacks what it takes to deliver as a manager, after all he spent over £700m buying his players. Besides never won a league title all through his playing years.
He definitely will flop. Thanks for agreeing that the club is neither going to win Epl nor UCL this season with Arteta, but it’s not a function of the club not signing players of his choice rather he lacks what it takes to deliver as a manager, after all he spent over £700m buying his players. Besides never won a league title all through his playing years.
So you think £700m over 5 years should guarantee a CL or PL?
Okey Joseph, Mikel has won a League Title. He won it when he was playing for Glasgow Rangers. As for Bayer Leverkusen, they got rid of Ten Hag due to them not winning a Bundesliga game, especially after drawing at Werder Bremen after being 3-1 up. There was also problems between him and the players.
Btw, our most successful manager never won a League Title when he was a player.
Surprised with this your analysis. So Eze and Gyokeres are useless to you and Sesko us ok for you! What has Sesko done so far if I may ask you?
Be realistic, Arteta tactics will not win Arsenal anything!
Look at how Gyokeres played against the mighty Kosovo and how Morgan Rogers played CAM against Serbia ahead of Eze
Sesko’s strength and aerial ability would likely fitter into Arteta’s tactics than Gyokeres’
@Gai it’s not a sign of a witty coaching not to evolve your tactics after 5 seasons of winning nothing.
There isn’t any excuse for Arteta.
He can win yesterday match if he gets his selection right.
PepG adapted his tactics by using five defenders at the back because he needed to win.
Arteta has power in Arsenal and you can’t conclusively blame Berta for all the signings. Besides they were good signings. Havertz can always do what Sesko does with headers. And besides, Sesko is yet to click for ManU. Gyokeres work rate is better than Sesko so far.
There is no excuse for Arteta Pls.
Arteta’s tactics have evolved over the time he has been at Arsenal. So, what you are writing is not true.
@gotanidea: Sesko never wanted Arsenal. You can’t force a player to come where he doesn’t want. Arteta is an employee. And as much as an employee can suggest the tools he needs; he ultimately has to work with the tools the employer can afford or provide. Arsenal is bigger than Arteta. If he cannot manage those good players, then he can go where there are players he needs. No more excuses. Titles or Arteta out!
How many goals has Sesko scored so far in 5 EPL games? Gyokeres 5 games 3 goals that’s good for a player considered a flop already and that’s what matters
What about a ” Title or Arteta out flag ” right away now
Interestingly, Sesko is playing in the EPL and is yet to register a goal! You seem infatuated with Arteta type of signings, so much so that you cannot see any good in anyone else not brought in through Arteta recommendation.
Do you remember that Arteta never liked William Saliba, that he sent him on loan twice, giving his jersey number (4) to White? He was probably thinking that he should go back on loan, when he – Arteta – was ‘forced’ to play him.
none of the players you mention are better than Gyokeres.
Arteta has no system aside from playing with the ball in front of the opposition which never wins anything.
“WHO DARES WINS”. With the squad Mikel Arteta has at his disposal this season, how does he select a midfield of Merino, Zubermendi and Rice to start at home against Manchester City in its current condition? One can make excuses for the game against Liverpool at Anfield, but against any team at home this is unconscionable. As the pundits said “45 minutes wasted”.
Last season Arsenal was impacted in their search for the EPL title by too many draws, many of which came from winning positions.
Is Mikel Arteta too negative/conservative to take Arsenal to titles. Please take off the handbrake and play positive attacking football. The deficit is now 5 points.
The pundits are silly and so is anyone who simply agrees with their talking points. None of those pundits that you are bigging up have proven to be a great manager.
There may be a debate about the starting line-up but to declare it as unconscionable is over the top nonsense.
@David
But it’s true that Arteta is proving to be too cautious. Very risk averse.
He needs to snap out of this very rigid mentality. We have the players to be able to do both attacking and defending in a balanced manner. But we just seem to drain the energy out of the game with the way Arteta sets up in many games.
I have been pointing this out for the last few seasons. It does not matter how many attacking players you have at your disposal, what matters is the way you set the team up. To me Arteta is not taking risks, and you need to take risks if you want to win the big trophies (EPL / CL).
🙏🤞
I disagree.
In the season Arsenal did not make the CL and the following season when competing for the title Arsenal took quite significant risks against certain top level teams and lost some games quite badly. Go back and look at Arsenal’s games against Spurs and MC in those years.
@David
Come on now. You can’t be comparing first two seasons of Arteta to now. Let’s be honest here. Those first two seasons were when we were shiit. Just compare the players he had at his disposal to the players he has had in the last two or so seasons. Compare the squad quality to the squad he had in 2019 -2022.
This season he has such a deep quality squad and he is still playing a paranoid style of football.
The 2022/23 season was the best football I have witnessed under Arteta. We would blitz team in the first 30-45 minutes. I know it was not sustainable because the squad was really really thin. But that’s when the likes of Saliba, Jesus, Partey etc got injured at the business end of the season and we had no replacements. The likes of Saka, Xhaka etc were running on empty by the time we went Liverpool and Man City.
But that’s the season that we surprised everyone because we came out swinging. Our thin and inexperienced squad , Inexperienced manager (Arteta) at that time showed. Hence why we tanked at the end.
But this season’s squad is absolutely amazing. Two quality players for each position etc. We shouldn’t be playing the inferiority complex style of football we are accustomed too. Let’s take some risks as the “No Risk” style of football has proven to be not good enough for winning big trophies so far. It’s only good for 2nd place at best due to the evidence of the last 3 or so seasons.
Arteta has to adapt. If you keep repeating the same thing over and over again without the desired results then you surely have got to assess approach.
Isn’t it? 👍🤞
I was referring to the season 2021-2022 when Arsenal went to Spurs and got hammered, and the following season 2022-2023. During the latter Arsenal lost home and away to MC trying to take them on.
Since then Arteta has been more conservative in approach against top level sides and Arsenal have only lost games by the odd goal.
It also important to consider the injuries. Arteta has rarely had a fully fit side when playing these games. Whilst Arsenal have a good side they haven’t generally had a side that is decidedly better than the opposition. Players like Salah and Haaland are amongst the best the PL have ever seen so it is understandable that they are afforded some respect. In my view, understandable caution should not be equated with an inferiority complex.
It is also not true that Arteta hasn’t adapted his approaches. There were a lot of adjustments that Arteta had to make last season due to injuries and he has had to make new ones this season.
Arteta’s approach is by no means “no risk”. The fact is that most teams set up in a low or mid block right from the start. Even the likes of MC are now doing that with Arsenal. These are inherently difficult to break down.
David, I am not basing my assessment on the performance of Arsenal against Manchester City at the Emirates (a home game for Arsenal) on the opinions of “pundits”, but what I saw with my own eyes on the televised match.
As for the selected lineup, please assess the attacking potential of the Arsenal midfield in a home game, when Arteta is trying to push to win the EPL.
It appears to me that when someone posts comments on JA, that you consider critical of Mikel Arteta, you resort to snide personal attack. I hope Arsenal achieves under Arteta, what the Club achieved in trophies under George Grahamin his shorter tenure, or if he survives, the achievements of Arsene Wenger. In my opininion (and many others) the jury is stll out.
He picked that midfield because he thinks he’s being really clever. And so badly wants to prove everybody wrong but all he is doing is proving every right. Like a lot of supporters on this forum I had an epiphany yesterday and I always gave Arteta the benefit of the doubt but yesterday proved, this man cannot take us that one step further to win a trophy.
Isak – Ekitike
Gakpo – Ngomoha
Wirtz – Szoboslai
Salah – Chiesa
Macallister – Jones
Gravenbach – Endo
Kirkez – Robertson
VanDijk – Leoni
Konate – Gomez
Frimpong – Bradley
Allison – Mamardashvili
Haaland – Marmoush
Doku – Oscar Bobb
Foden – Cherki
Silva – Savinho
Reijnders – Kovacic
Rodri – Nico
Aiit-Nouri – Ake
Gvardiol – Akanji
Dias – Stones
Khusanov – Lewis
Donarruma – Trafford
Gyokeres – Havertz
Eze – Martinelli
Odegaard – Nwaneri
Saka – Madueke
Rice – Merino
Zubimendi – Norgaard
Calafiori – Skelly
Gabriel – Hincapie
Saliba – Mosquera
Timber – White
Raya – Kepa
Pedro – Delap
Gittens – Garnacho
Palmer – Santos
Estevao – Neto
Enzo – Essugo
Caicedo – Lavia
Cucurella – Hato
Chalobah – Badiashile
Fofana – Adarabioye
James – Gusto
Sanchez – Jorgensen
Once again we lose points because of our championship keeper. A slightly above average goalkeeper would have saved that Haaland goal.
Also Merino had no business starting over Eze.
Arteta sticking to his two favourite cousins Raya and Merino will cost him his job.
Are you kidding?
Raya is a fantastic keeper.
What cost Arsenal is Arteta playing not to lose.
No one wins anything without taking a risk and the manager does not want to do that clearly…
So Raya is championship level all of a sudden?
Talk about sensationalism.
🤦♂️
All pundits have common viewpoints about Arteta and that is Arteta is playing primarily to not lose and get a draw. Last season’s many draws didn’t bring the title to Arsenal. Now 5 pts difference with Liverpool and with this negative mentality if next week lose at Newcastle the gap widens to 8 pts just in September.
My point exactly!
Let us hope Arteta has now learnt his lesson. For all intents and purposes, Arsenal could have lost the game if it weren’t for the extended stoppage time! Why? Because of Arteta’s timidity! He hasn’t yet realised that he has an all round squad which can take on any team in the world. He is still behaving as if his team is inferior to the likes of Man City, Man U, Liverpool etc. Perhaps those around him should remind him about the options at his disposal! If he played positive football, Arsenal could have inflicted heavy damage on Man city. If the current Arsenal players had been at the disposal of Arsene Wenger, he would have been a world beater! Since we all learn through mistakes, I hope Arteta has seen his shortcomings and will correct them.
Be to late by then the league is already virtually over. How can you spend 250 million and end up playing not to get beat football had opportunities to go to anfield and make a real statement when they was there for the taking same yesterday and yet Arteta starts with 3 defensive midfield players absolute joke will win nothing under this clown time for him to be sacked!
It’s really getting frustrating that Arteta still seems to have this very cautious, inferiority attitude in the big games.
We have the players / squad and should be causing mayhem to our opponents. But he just seems to be very scared to lose or concede.
He is doing the opposite of Wenger. Wenger was all attack and defense negligent.
Arteta is more Defense and Attack negligent.
We have the players to do both right now but Arteta seems to be stuck in his cautiousness.
It’s frustrating. 😩
Unfortunately, you have constructed a narrative based on personal bias and the outcome of the game. We have no idea how the game would have played out with a more attacking lineup from the start.
The narrative that you have laid out fails to consider other “what if” scenarios. We could have set up with a more attacking lineup and be two goals behind before half time.
For years Wenger sent out his team with much the same type of attacking approach only to get caught out on several occasions against top level opposition. I am not sure if he got the same level of reproach for some of the beatings Arsenal took as Arteta now seems to be getting for a narrow loss and a draw against two of the best teams in world football. We’ve seen Wenger’s teams and I don’t agree that we can assume he would do better with this team.
Might be that he’s playing not to lose, but what if that is the manager at his best?
This happened too many times and we have a huge a huge but worthless dominant possession.
It’s bad to be champions and Liverpool and City can brag over us🤦♂️‼️
MA is doing with Merino exactly like he did with Willian, Havertz, White, vieria ect….playing them to prove he made the right choice
He got lucky with Havertz and White that they could be used in other positions(and did really well) but the fact is they were bought primarily for other positions and when played there were poor and he kept trying to force it.
His ego and refusal to change what needs to be changed was clear from day 1, for some fans anyway. We have been slowly regressing for almost 2.5 years now with the odd good run in-between, MA did well to stabilise the clubs but he’s just not a winner (could be if he put his ego aside)
Same old Arteta, Eze on the bench at Anfield and at home to City, why buy him if you won’t play him in the big games? I predicted a 0-0 draw, I just couldn’t see Arteta having the guts to go for it, we got lucky.
Point lost on this one ,city were there for the taking playing at home and setting up they way we did ,we didn’t deserve to win ,same old same old .
They also had 2 days less rest than us having played on Thursday night .
MA is a very arrogant personality, and this will cost Arsenal EPL. No one does what he does and wins any major trophy. Merino, for me has place in Arsenal squad. EPL isn’t Spanish Natl team for God sake. MA sentiments with Spanish players isn’t helping his project at the Emirates. He keeps repeating the same erros by the game and really, catching Liv won’t be an easy thing. Slot goes for a killer and it has been working for him. Ars has a great chance to have an exceptional season as Liv hasn’t impressed so far, most of their wins are by narrow margins. Creativity is almost flat with the kind of play he opts for. Throughout the squad, there is no player that has the ability to break defense or create moment of magic, except for Martineli from the bench on last 2 occasions. Odegaard, as I have always felt, isn’t the 10 Ars require to supply the passes to someone like Gyokeres. Exe should have started that match and that was a no brainer decision. City should have been beaten flat as the next game is another tough side, New Castle. MA needs to bring his head down and get it right this season.
My observation is that this squad of players is more than good enough to win trophies.
The manager sadly is not good enough and the fact that he chose a completely defensive approach when a bit more faith in his players could have reaped much better rewards proves that.
I never believed Arsenal could win anything under him and when the season is done and dusted and once again we are empty handed I hope he does the decent thing and leaves.
£1 billion wasted and countless opportunities to deliver the chance should be given to someone with more ambition.
That’s a lot of rubbish. That was not a completely defensive setup.
It’s a good squad but it is not hugely better than several other sides. It should be a competitive side. So let’s see how the season plays out.
A back four with Merino, Rice and Zubimendi none of whom are attacking midfielders.
Looks defensive to me…
👍
If you feel that the system and players were defensive then you clearly do not know what you are talking about.
What would you call MC’s setup against Arsenal? Would you say that was attacking?
Why has a billion pounds been wasted?
The cautiousness from Arteta is has been my big criticism of him.
Again, he needs to be more braver and let the team take risks. He is very risk averse and it stopping him from getting us over the line.
This season is going to be the season that many fans are going to start getting on his back. He has been given all the tools and no excuses this season.
He needs to relax and let the team be more expansive if he wants to win the league or CL.
It’s starting to get frustrating and irritating.
I disagree. The cautious approach has made Arsenal one of the best sides in Europe.
Taking risks is not a guarantee of success. Balance is required but the assumption that taking more risks would bring more trophies is misguided.
One of the best sides without winning trophies means nothing.
The best sides win trophies at least every 3 years.
@David
But you have got to move on from just being hard to beat onto winning big trophies.
We just can’t keep going on about how we are a very hard team to beat when we are not winning titles / CL.
Something has got to give.
The players are now in their prime or coming into their prime. Some are already in their mid to late 20’s. This is our opportunity to make the best of their prime. Just waxing lyrical about how difficult we are to beat is not going to do it.
We have been hard to beat in the last 3 seasons but we have not won the Title or CL.
And on average more attacking teams are more likely to win more trophies.
Arteta needs to balance out and try to be a bit more attacking even if we will concede a bit more. We have tried the cautious approach for a few seasons now, and it only got us nearly there.
I say, Let’s try the 202/23 approach once again as we now have the sqaud and experience to play that attacking style of football once again.
🤞🙏😊
Has anybody suggested that Arteta should have instructed the players to throw caution to the wind? I do agree that taking risks is no guarantee of success, but at some point flair and intent have to go hand in hand with pragmatism
In my view the criticism is over the top. There is a balance to get right. Arsenal have a good but not great side. The attack is not made up of the likes of prime Ronaldo, Messi or Henry.
Even with Eze on the field and a lot of attacking players on the field it took till late in the second half for Arsenal to get the equalizer. Surely, if it was as simple as people were making out Arsenal should have got the equaliser early in the second half and gone on to win the game.
MC may not be at the level they once were but are still a dangerous team as we saw so I can understand the initial pragmatic approach.
David,
Yesterday in a post which is on the 11 to play City page, you said this.
If we don’t win Arteta will get a lot of stick for this starting line-up.
I responded to you with this question: David, Just curious, would he deserve stick for this line-up if we don’t win. I think I know the answer, but I’ll ask anyway.
And you responded, Of course he will. When was the last time a team won the league with such a negative mentality?. Especially at home.
And yet here you are a day later with this post, and I quote.
I disagree, the cautious approach has made Arsenal one of the best sides in Europe. Taking risks is nota guarantee of success. Balance is required but the assumption that taking more risks would bring more trophies is misguided.
All this bare in mind is what you say after what you posted yesterday. As usual not a single word calling out Arteta for his negative approach.
Just as I said in my post about knowing the answer to my question before even asking. 🙄🤦♂️
Think that’s a different David .
That one as more sense .
Dan Kit,
If true thanks for the heads up. But if it turns out to be the same David, my point still stands.
Although if I do Have the wrong David, my apologies.
It was a different David that made the comments you were referring to. I am not surprised at the ridiculous opprobrium. Whatever the team selection once Arsenal dropped points the idiots would be out in force. “Deserve” has nothing to do with any of it. When Arsenal won in Bilbao with a similar set up most of you said nothing.
The setup against MC was cautious and it seems clear that the aim was to control possession. It wasn’t necessarily negative but it was ineffective. So changes were made at half time. Even the greatest managers in history have had to do this i.e. make changes when things aren’t going well.
There are several new players in this team and with such squad depth the team is likely to evolve over the course of the season. It is still early in the season so the tantrums are unnecessary.
But the “idiots” as you call them were out in force before points were dropped. Playing AB is not even remotely the same as playing MC yet the case could have been made that it wasn’t the most optimal lineup against AB either. Yes, even the greatest managers in history have to make changes; but, it is for the same reason MA did yesterday – they didn’t get it right enough to begin with as the idiots were predicting would be the case. I agree fully with your last paragraph and I’m expecting/hoping for us to be virtually unbeatable later in the season.
There are several fans that are unduly negative before many Arsenal games. Most of them say nothing when Arsenal win games. But they rush to suggest that they are all knowing they are when points are dropped. That’s just cheap point scoring.
Changing personnel and tactics is part of game management. There is an inherent unpredictability which a manager has to deal with. It does not necessarily mean that the original setup was wrong. The game state can mean that a change is needed.
David,
Putting out a positive creative side from the start would be useful.
But as usual your narrative is BLAH, BLAH,BLAH.
He’s crippling a potentially powerful team, capable of winning trophies.
It’s been clear that Rice/Zubimendi/Merino MF stiles forward movent and service to the attacking trio. Eze, Nwaneri and Martinelli brought some life into the Arsenal game. Merino must just be a stand in for Rice, period.
5 points behind Liverpool who are yet to hit the form. I think Arsenal needed another goal scoring wide player who could play regularly.
Both Trosand & Martinelli are becoming very good substitutes but not starters. Noni is yet to deliver. He has to score goals or provide assists. It is already looking tough for Arsenal
Before Changing any player we should change Manager. Arteta is most stubborn and clueless manager. 7 seasons, 700M+ investments , all his players and he is still playing sideways boring football.
Most people are not happy with Arteta’s cautious approach to ‘big matches’.
I wonder whether it is caution or Arteta’s high handedness, in PROVING that the midfield of Rice, Zubimendi and Merino is the best for the club! The trio are a slow combination that cannot feed the striking force that the team has.
Where will the goals come from, IF the ball DOES NOT pass the midfield to the frontline?
Madueke ACL I’m hearing. Here We Go Again. Ermmm! He ain’t learing. Arteta out
Here come the excuses
Watch certain fans twist this
Been confirmed that it’s not an ACL injury. Tests are ongoing to determine the injury. Will be out for a while.
How on earth is the boss to blame ?
I’m just glad that someone gave Arteta a wake up slap at half time. Next time perhaps slap him before the game starts!
The signup would no doubt be lengthy if placed in the JA comment sections.
1 win gets you more points than 2 draws. But Mikel plays for draws in all these big matches and rarely ever goes for an outright win. For all his obsession with stats he doesn’t see how awful his approach towards big games are. Will never win a title if you are too afraid to risk anything.
One win is equivalent to three draws points wise, so the odds in Arsenal’s case makes sense. The FA changed the points system to encourage attacking football, raising points for a win from two to three points, because of the preponderance of draws.
My patience just about ran out with Arteta…he has hit his ceiling and fixtures like the City and Liverpool one only serve to expose his tentative tendancies ..he repeatedly fails to meet the moment…I will still support him as he is still the manager of my beloved Arsenal but I’m well aware of his limitations now
Let’s do some insights on Arteta’s rigid, stubborn, arrogant and selfish ego driven decisions on his Arsenals managerial job. Is he preparing Spain’s squad to Arsenal’s detriment by his glaring faulty insistence for imposing defense minded midfielders. Benching attack minded ones like Nwaneri and Eze most of the time. Now that Noni with his no productive and service delivery runs is out because he’s yet to give assist or score a single goal, if Saka has not fully recovered it will not really surprise me if I see Arteta sending Mosquera to replace Noni at RW because that’s how stubborn he has become trying to prove what he has never succeeded proving. I have said it before it appears like Arteta is subtly fighting Berta for bringing Gyokeres and Eze to Arsenal fc hence his choice of selections. None of the midfielders is feeding Gyokeres with thorough passes because he wants to be starved and stifled out of the squad check out the goal that Haaland scored yesterday has Gyokeres been receiving such passes. Eze gave him one in Forest’s match and he didn’t waste time nailing it. Why must Arteta play Eze wide just to make room for Merino who cannot work out or send pass to Gyokeres, doesn’t Arteta know Eze’s role at Crystal Palace, is he haunting Berta or the club for hiring Berta? It appears that he’s taking his personal interest above the club looking at what he is serving.Hmm I remember when Arteta doesn’t believe that Saliba deserves first team shirt in Arsenal and wanted to leave if that’s how he sees him. Now the club is jittery over Saliba’s stand on his contract extension, Arteta’s decisions and selections during matches isn’t convincing that he wants the club to win trophies. Ethan Nwaneri wanted to leave because Arteta doesn’t believe in Arsenal’s academy but he persuaded the young man to stay put, yet how well has he featured him in matches even when there’s so much need for that? Cristian Mosquera deputized for Saliba and he did a good job but why is Arteta over using Madueke with his pacey runs that yields to no goals or assists in the final third. Arteta doesn’t believe that Nwaneri is a good deputy to Odegaard when he is out injured yet he can’t substitute Noni with him until it is eighty minutes plus. The only time Madueke can whip in cross to the box is when he plays wide left even though his cross hardly lands in. Arteta should allow Saka, Eze and Nwaneri free roles when they are selected, Liverpool does it with Mo’ Salah . IT’S TIME TO BRING IN CESC FÀBREGAS TO TAKE OVER. HE’S A WINNER.
I dont think he is fighting Berta rather he does not want players who will be on the spotlight on weekly basis instead of him. I predicted he was going to ruin Gyokeres for that reason.
He always want the goals to be spreaded around so there will be not that one player who get the weekly applause. And if there is no such player the applause will automatically go to the manager.
How do you two manage to come up with these kind of ludicrous claims and conclusions?
Does any of this really make any sense to you?
Madueke is another winger with no end product like Martinelli. Neither one of them can provide service and
hence Gyokeres will struggle instead of becoming a source of adding some goals to the group. Look at Saka’s first involvement in the game yesterday and you can see the cross and early service he can provide and this is similar to Eze playing a first touch pass across for Gyokeres to finish on the last game. So if Arteta is buying these players he is either clueless or indifferent because it is very hard for players like Madueke to rehab his habits already . Doable but needs lots of coaching and direction which I think Artata is lacking at.
Reading these comments takes me back to the dark days of Wenger out period and Unai’s time, when the toxic elements of the Arsenal fan base relentlessly hyped each other on a spiral of toxic energy and anger and infected the entire club with negativity, and worst of all this was felt by the players who lost all belief. Its a self-fulfilling prophecy. And the mainstream media and pundits are wanting and willing that to happen again!! I urge you, don’t let that them win. Let’s support the team and manager!! I bet you half of those comments are from undercover Sp*rs fans wanting to get the negativity snowball rolling.
👍Simon. Those Wenger Out days were disgraceful imo.
Whilst I felt that AW should have left after the Cup win, I could never have joined the posse of the Wenger out tribe. Look at his achievements in terms of trophies at the very least! A club legend.
Emery was a different matter. His record in his only full season was going swimmingly until spring time when return to the top4 was almost guaranteed from 2 sources only for a dismal conclusion to occur. That might have been forgiven, but the start to the new season and the league position when he was relieved of his position did not give rise to confidence from a manager who had worked at PSG and won multiple trophies. More was expected.
Unfortunately, the media are more than happy to whip up a negative story and with rolling news and social media, it is always there.
Arteta is under enormous pressure this season. I respect the fact that from a standing start, he was brought far more that is positive than negative – although you could be forgiven for thinking the opposite is the case on reading so much being said and written against him.
As fans we are all impatient for success and I think that Arteta has to deliver something more tangible than a domestic cup and top4. Even if the owners are happy with top4, there will be the toxicity you have referred which would likely end badly for him.
That’s the problem on this platform 😔😔. While there are many constructive criticism that can be said of Arteta decisions majority on here just prefer criticism makes up by bias and personal dislike…
Arterta can change his style of player to 442 these during Wenger Era! Was a lethal weapon combination btwn locazate and aubamayang now we can partner gyokores and martineli or Jesus this will make lethal weapon at-large