The international break is currently in full swing, which means there is no club football this weekend. The Gunners’ last fixture was that painful loss away to Liverpool a week ago. Dominik Szoboszlai’s late free-kick gave the Reds an early advantage in the title race, while Arsenal were left to play catch up early in the campaign. All things considered, Arsenal have made a decent start to the new campaign, but you would think it is the complete opposite considering the narrative that followed the loss. All of a sudden, Arsenal have made a poor start to the season and they ‘failed’ to be ‘brave’ against Liverpool at Anfield. The performance away to Manchester United has also played into it, but the truth is, they were really tough fixtures and we should be glad to have them out of the way early in the campaign.
Early tests already behind Arsenal
Despite Manchester United’s recent struggles, they are always a formidable opponent at their home ground and considering our recent record at Old Trafford, Mikel Arteta will be happy to have it out of the way. The fact we secured maximum points made it sweeter. Due to how Manchester City are playing at the moment, the game at Anfield is shaping up to be our biggest and most difficult fixture of the entire campaign. I am not saying we should disregard the loss, but having that type of fixture towards the backend of the season would be a small disadvantage. Think back to how the 2-2 draw away to Liverpool in 2023 derailed our campaign completely, leading to a string of draws that culminated in the big loss to Man City.
Too early for panic over Arteta
Also regarding the one nil defeat, Arsenal were accused of playing negatively, whereas both sides were equally toothless in attack, with Liverpool winning solely via a moment of brilliance. Fan displeasure is already mounting immense pressure on Mikel Arteta, but it is important to look at the bigger picture. The season is still in its infancy while a number of new faces continue to embed themselves into the squad. Our performances have not set the world ablaze, but I think the team will only get better as the season progresses and the new players continue to find their feet. I recognise there are some flaws that need urgent attention but it is way too early to start calling for Mikel Arteta’s head.
Thoughts?
Benjamin Kenneth
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Forget about Anfield we were very unfortunate, winning ways will resume against Forest
Yes, I don’t think any GK could block Szoboszlai’s worldie and Gyokeres was overpowered by Konate/ Van Dijk
I would only be worried about Arteta’s capabilities if we can’t defeat Nottingham Forest and Athletic Club
It is true Arsenal were too passive far too long against the champion, The Big Swede starved of service and was brushed asides by Liverpool captain Van Dijk and Konate when he did get possession
.
Arsenal only had the park brake release when they went behind, too late to make a difference against a Liverpool rearguard that perform with the most resistance it has mustered in this campaign.
So we did not played badly, we played within ourselves against the champion, in my opinion, but it did offered lots of encouragement this season to any brave team willing to take the fight to them.
The history of playing at Anfield is not easy, the legendary Henry said there is no place like it, Petit another Arsenal legend said Anfield is probably the most difficult ground.
Sure it is early days , but the champion have an already ominous look and advantage.
When Arsenal last enjoyed a win at Anfield the gaffer was playing then and it was under the stewardship of the legendary Frenchman.
Yes, we haven’t won at Anfield since 2012
Playing like we did last Sunday, it’s no wonder, GAI! It may well be a tough ground to visit, but we made it hard for ourselves. I believe we got away with one at OT, as it wasn’t a great performance. United played much better than I expected. Have to look ahead to Forest now and hope we released the handbrake 🙏
Arteta would likely instruct his players to be more attacking against Forest, but I think he’ll be very cautious again when we play against Athletic Club and Man City
Hope we release the handbrake against Forest, I like that , one of Arsne Wenger favorite quote.
Have seen in the not too long a past, where we went and attack Man City , resulting in a narrow lost, we were then acuse of being naive.
But tactically the gaffer is a defensive coach as opposed to an attacking one.
But that ain’t so bad as in the end preventing your opponents from scoring is going to be crucial for securing victory and achieving long term success.
It is for those reasons Arsenal should not be too hard on ourselves.
*release
That’s a ridiculous dismissal of the way Arsenal played against Liverpool.
“Release the handbrake” is meaningless and is simply designed to cater to the silly negative mindset that keeps popping up on these sites.
This was a tight game against one of the most dangerous teams Arsenal will play this season. Arsenal set up conservatively but still had sufficient attacking players to win this game. However, Liverpool also set up conservatively and so both teams mostly cancelled each other out till the free kick.
Having said that, handbrake releasing could be part of the solution to a more open and penetrative forward game from Arsenal.
What does it actually mean in a practical sense? Are you suggesting a setup similar to Ange-ball? Are you happy to accept the risks that come with such approaches against top level opposition? Are you aware that there is no guarantee of success?
We have a team that’s as good as any and better than most, but which appears determined not to lose, rather than using the players superior skills with more attacking intent. Yes, there’s risk, but the phrase “atack is the best form of defense” is quite often very appropriate when against even some of the best opponents.
…attack is the best…My spleling🤣
Jax,
Am I right in assuming that your spelling of the word spelling is meant to highlight your bad spelling. 😂👍
Without duobt Derek🤣🤣🤣
Jax,
We could keep this up all day. Bit I duobt that would be a good idea. OOPS! you’ve got me at it now.😂
Good teams always find a way to win. We had plenty of set pieces – they only needed one.
One shot on target and you’re talking complete nonsense
Not sure if you’ve had the pleasure of having a conversation with David before Sue ?
If not you have now 😂
He’s an Arteta simp boy , talks complete trash to put other posters down ,it’s his way or the highway regarding Arteta.
Oh yes, I’ve had the pleasure before, Dan, once when I commented after a heavy defeat (that a capitulation was never too far away).
Agreed – Arteta can do no wrong in his eyes!
Arsenal lost so you are frustrated. That’s understandable. However, here you are just trying hard to drive a narrative that does not make sense. Liverpool are the PL champions but even they did not win every game last season. Would you say that they are not a good team?
In fact they actually lost some games. They have also sometimes played cautiously against other top teams including Arsenal.
As I have pointed out to you before this was a tight game with little between the two teams. You have cherry-picked one stat rather than assess the game as a whole. This shows that you are not interested in being fair or reasonable but just want to be negative about the team.
I haven’t cherry-picked anything, I’ve stated a fact. We only mustered one shot on target with all the firepower we had. Had we played to our strengths I believe we’d have won the game.
Sue,
Your wasting your time regards David. Dan Kit gave you the heads up, and I to will join in. I’ve had my run ins with him to.
If you’ve got nothing positive to say, then say nothing seems to be his motto regards Arteta or Arsenal.
I get the impression that if we were relegated, he would still try to find a way of spinning it to something positive and try to make Arteta out to be blameless.
As I said, don’t waste your time.
Hi Derek, yes he’d probably want to give him MOTS 😆
I don’t understand why Arteta is blameless to some, I really don’t 🤷♀️ Cheers Derek 👍
Hard to argue with that fact David.
Forget what each of us think should have happened – one shot on target, while they only managed three of course!!!
At home, with nearly as much spent on new players as us and yet, they couldn’t score from open play.
It took a brilliant strike, akin to Rice versus RM, to beat us, so there was not a lot of difference between the two teams.
Slot thought a draw was the fair result and I agree with him.
But it’s that one shot on target that can’t be ignored David.
Yes, you have cherrypicked. There are other stats which show how close the game was. xG similar, field tilt similar; both close on possession, total shots etc. Although Liverpool scored their total xG was no greater than Arsenal’s.
You have not assessed the game as a whole and that’s probably because you don’t know how so you limit any discourse to narratives and personal bias.
You can carry on about the stats until the cows come home, David, but it won’t change the fact that we lost and got what we deserved for going all defensive and playing for a draw
Field tilt 🤣 modern football is sounding more like American football! David it’s not our job to assess a game, that is a job for your 15 mil a season manager who has mastered the cure for insomnia so he gets credit for that. Out of curiosity, what was the field tilt against united ? Asking for a friend of a friend honestly 🤥
We should be assessing the games properly if we are to provide good judgments. The game against MU was one of those where Arsenal would just have been happy to get away with the points as many stats were very much in MU’s favour; including field tilt.
The eye test is the best judgment buddy not field tilts and XG! If that entertains you then fair play but I’m old school I prefer back and forth 2 teams having a go, not interested in metrics, this is football not chess after all. Yes and that last statement just sums up your manager because make no mistake about it, that is a bang average man utd team who played Arsenal off the park.
Field tilt !
😂😂
Gets better and better .
@kev
Field tilt was a new one on me and I’ve now read the blurb and it’s a bit like a much younger version of me getting to grips with offside
I’m sure it has its place but I’m with you that the eye test has as well.
@SueP I’ve heard it mentioned once before and I thought it was some sort of joke, but apparently it’s a real thing in the modern game, although it’s not something I’ll be taking the time to learn. I guess it helps people cope when their team loses. It seems in order to assess a game now, you must be an analytical expert lol
Kev,
No wonder our team is struggling, it can’t be easy playing with that tilt on the pitch. 😂👍
Well can’t be easy Derek especially with that new puma ball 😆
Field tilt?!
We used to call it a slope!!
I’m to old for this world now – Jeez, what will it be next?
I’m with you there Kev. It wasn’t until reading some of the explanations here that I realised “pitch tilt” wasn’t a euphemistic way of saying the game was unfairly loaded against us. Seriously, I’m sure that there used to be something similar years ago regarding the funding of Chelsea & City.
@Gai I am on the same side with you, I am really looking forward to how Arteta would setup against those two teams.
Madueke provided an assist for England, Merino Scored hat-trick for Spain. The quality is there in the squad to hurt any team if the coach gets his selection and tactics right. I was so impressed how Zubimendi and Merino was used in Spain match.
I bet to defer a bit regarding Gyokeres been subdued in Liverpool game, there was simple no through ball to him because Arsenal lacked creativity.Van Dyke and Konate man marked Gyokeres based Slot instruction.
It’s our play and the negative approach taken against some opponents that concerns me.
Liverpool at Anfield was always going to be a tough match, but 1 shot on goal in the match shows Arteta didn’t plan to attack or be direct, but rather sit back and defend.
Against the weakest Utd. squad I have sen in a decade, they register more shots on goal than we do.
There were moments against Leeds, but seem to struggle with direct, fluid play.
I hope to see more fluid play and sharpness when going at opponents. For now though, we have been very conservative, risk averse, and too much handbrake and robotic play, imo.
👍
Some very good points from the author. When the schedule came out I was quite happy to see these two difficult away fixtures early in the season especially with all the anticipated transfer activity.
Six years in, the weekly ups and downs are noise. We’ll lose a frustrating one, then turn around and smash one or two.
After six years, it’s simple: what did we win? Without a trophy, this project is just a luxury shopping, considering under the empty handed one we can’t sell to save our life.
Arsenal style of play and especially under the gaffer requires heavy and proper integration and fluidity.
Similar to the Citizens, this style emphasizes patient build up play, coordinate movements and positional discipline, strong understanding of roles and responsibilities across the team.
The team is drill to control position by building from deep, using fluid passing to create numerical advantages and exploit space, which requires constant communication and synchronized player movements.
Arsenal doesn’t have a crisis
You just said a hell of a lot without saying anything!
Are you a politician??
I hear you PJ
In a nut shell, Arsenal have sign eight new players, our style of play demands proper integration, had the Anfield game came a little later , the Narrative could be completely different
A don’t feel the fire in my belly for the political stuff PJ 😯
Imo we tactically played a great 60 minutes but after that when pool were there for the taking MA got it wrong
Really poor subs and was only reactive once we went behind
Never turned there back 4 a d tried to play through them which they loved. There LB was in bit every time we went at them down that side but RB thought he was on holiday down that side GM should have been swapped half time
We have the squad, we know we can beat the teams but some times I do wonder if the team believes or if the manager believes
This is with saliba going off, sake not playing, MO on the bench and our striker starved of any chances
Imagine what we can achieve if we start believing
I do still thenl prem is in our hands to lose. We have the squad, we have the desire but not sure we belief
Onwards and upwards
So because Liverpool were toothless, Arsenal should also feel proud of being toothless?😤 Isn’t this why we came second to Leicester and last season to Liverpool? By not taking advantage of our opponents loss of form?!! If Liverpool played poorly, then we should have won the game easily. They have the advantage of having just won the EPL and can allow some complacency. WE CANT🥺🥺 We haven’t won anything in 5years!!
Explain Liverpool’s loss of form?
They had won their first two games and, like us, were into grating new players.
Those fans who are saying we have not played well in our first two games, then say liverpool
were there for the taking!!
How can the two thoughts make sense and when has Liverpool, playing at Anfield, ever been “there for the taking?”
Though Liverpool were not at their best, to say they “there for the taking” is over the top in my opinion.
With both right backs injured, they had to play a top midfielder, Szoboszlai, at right back and sacrificed some dominance in midfield.
My gut feel is that our usual midfield set up of an attacking midfielder backed by two defensive ones should have been able to match theirs without Szoboszlai, so it’s understandable why some fans are upset with our defensive setup of Merino in place of a creative midfielder. I do see where they are coming from, but it’s not like we went there to park the bus. We just took a cautious approach that unfortunately did not pay off due to a brilliant freekick
No, it’s time to call for Arteta to be sacked.
Arsenal should be about brave, attacking, creative soccer where players take
more risks, and creates the double amount of chances as than we are right now.
Arsenal has become so boring to watch.
You don’t get sacked for playing “boring football”, unless it’s also losing football.
We ARE capable of playing the way you wish, and I think we’ll soon open up a lot more. Give it a chance.
Yes, I was disappointed with the way we played and the result, but I’d rather have that than playing open , expansive football and end up battered 4 or 5-1.
Why can’t Arsenal play open football against Liverpool HD? And why were they abysmal against a very average united team ? These aren’t one off games under this manager. We are one of the hardest watches in the PL the football is sleep Inducing.
The PL champions, yeah let’s play like Bournemouth did, nice open football. What was the result Kev ?
As for the game against the Mancs, opening game of the season, crowd right behind them, we always struggle up there.
We’re not Bournemouth HD, we are Arsenal and some say we have the most expensive squad in the PL or Europe or whatever it is. So why can’t we go toe to toe with Liverpool? Doesn’t everyone say Arsenal have the best defence in Europe? Then maybe the manager should trust his defenders to do what defenders do. And as for always struggling at Old Trafford why is that ? This is a new era of football, if teams like Tottenham and crystal palace can go smack united up there is no reason we can’t do the same.
I know exactly who we are Kev. Being The Arsenal has never stopped us getting battered at places like Anfield, Old Trafford etc. Pretty sure Palace and that lot from N17th haven’t played up there this season.
Tell me Kev, when was the last time we battered Utd up there in the PL ?
Not this season but I remember they (Tottenham) won 3-0 last season and also beat them 6-1 in 2020. We score a goal and defend for our lives like this is prime united which you and I know very well aren’t. We’ve never battered united in the premier league era but and this is a big but Alex Ferguson was the manager in most of those seasons so that’s understandable, since hes left HD united have been pretty average to extremely poor yet our performances have not changed against them and tbh that showing on the opening day was pathetic we looked scared and this is a team and manager who finished 15th last season the same team who got played off the park against league 2 Grimsby town. Just saying.
They weren’t prime Utd after Fergie left and it took us about 7 years to beat them up there, and we were playing attacking football in those days.
Could it be that Arsenal are just not as good as some people would have you believe they are.🤔
Now while I’ll say that it would have been footballing suicide to go to Anfield and go all out attack, don’t tell me that we shouldn’t have offered more of a threat going forward.
While it’s important to remain strong defensively, you’ve got to be able to offer a real threat going the other way. Something this manager is suffocating the life out.
For me if my team are going to lose, and we will of course. I’d far rather we lost showing the opposition the real threat we have
But no it would appear, that we now have a manager who in the season 2022/2023 allowed the team to play a more progressive style. To now being completely risk averse.
I know which of the two I prefer. And yet you get poster’s coming on talking about tilts. 🤦♂️
Exactly, Derek. Zero creativity leaving our new striker isolated once again. Eze or Nwaneri could’ve replaced Odegaard (don’t tell me Eze wasn’t match fit). Saying that, why didn’t Odegaard start? Fit enough for the bench and with Saliba starting, after picking up an injury in the warm-up, I don’t see why he couldn’t have. This was definitely one to forget and it’s all on Arteta 🤷♀️
Sue,
What gets me is the fact that poster’s who won’t have a word said against Arteta. While I think he’s got the team competing again and the connection back with the fans. Some of the things he does are highly questionable.
I’ve been in debates regarding the handling of the Saliba situation at Liverpool. But apparently Arteta has no blame in this according to certain posts on here.
Of course it doe’s, he has the final say. And I will keep on banging the drum by holding him responsible for Saliba’s forth coming absence.
How a manager who’s going into a game already without 7 players don’t forget, can then decide it worth the gamble regards Saliba is beyond me.
And although I acknowledge the Medical Team and the player himself would have had in put, the final decision rests with Arteta. So to all the people who give him a free pass for that decision, I hope you think the risk and the 4 reported weeks Saliba will be missing was worth it.
Your first paragraph is spot on, Derek. I fear should we end the season without silverware, more excuses will be made and we’ll hear that good old saying again – trust the process!
Arteta was reluctant to play Odegaard, why not the same with Saliba? The injury list is growing and we’re only 4 weeks in (to face Forest with the new manager bounce? 😬)
If you are going to criticise your criticisms need to make sense. Here you are pontificating on things you have little understanding of and insisting you must be right.
The fact that the same bunch of people continue to support this narrative does not make it any more sensible.
To say that you hold Arteta responsible for Saliba’s injury is completely irrational. Once it was clear that Saliba could not continue he was taken off. There is no evidence that he had made the injury any worse by the few minutes he was on the pitch.
Anyone who has played sports at any level knows that decisions in this kind of situation are not an exact science and many players get through matches or events with various knocks here and there. If you were to insist that everyone had to be completely 100% fit you would struggle to put out a competitive team with any kind of regularity.
Also as pointed out by others the player and the medical staff have much greater responsibility in this situation. The player is the one who can express what he feels and the medical staff make an assessment.
David,
We already had 7 players missing, and therefore it would make perfect sense to take the cautious approach regarding Saliba.
And how many times do I have to say this, yes the Medical Team and the player himself has a say. But Arteta has the final say. Whether it can be proved one way or the other regards making the injury worse or not is open to question.
But in this instance, it was just basic common sense to be cautious on this occasion. And no amount of your continual spin regarding Arteta defending is going to change that.
As such an important member of the team, why risk him when there was cover? He probably would’ve only missed that one game, but is now out for a month.
That is my opinion and I’m afraid there is only one on here “insisting you must be right” and it isn’t me. Trust the process, David
No matter how many times the drum is being banged, the fact remains that both the player and the medical staff told Mikel Arteta that he was fit to play.
Of course, if one wants the manager to ignore his highly paid medical team and the player himself (who actually knows the extent of the injury, as it’s his body!!) then one might understand why, once again, said manager is being held responsible.
Saliba was 100% wrong in telling the manager he was fine.
The Medical team were negligent in not taking the cautious decision.
Arteta was completely blameless, as he was told everything was fine by both of the above and carried on preparing his squad for the Liverpool game that was just minutes away from starting.
Yet you’re banging your own drum more than others Ken .
But I guess it’s like the argument we had the other day regarding the petition nonsense,
Vet good at deflecting you have gotten mate ,I’ll give you that .
We didn’t have a argument the other day, as there was no argument to be had.
You got it wrong and no petition was organised or authorised, despite you banging your drum.
Here’s the question for you to answer, how did you place your vote in this imaginary petition that was set up by JA and myself?
I’m annoyed, because I wasn’t given the opportunity to vote myself and I’m sure no one else did either, so how, exactly, did you manage to do it?
Ken, it seems that people think the manager is also a medical expert. As you rightly posted, both the player and the medical team said he was ok to play.
HD, I find it very amusing that the manager they want out at every opportunity, is now being paraded as a medical genius, who shouldn’t take the words of a player and his medical team!!
You couldn’t make this kind of BS up…. unless you have a ulterior motive.
Gyokeres has been rated 87 Overall on FC26 😃
Pace- 90 (faster than Salah)
Shooting- 86 (better than Messi)
Physicality- 91 (stronger than Haaland)
Must be true then QD 😂
🤣 Gyokeres is good even FIFA knows it. I don’t get though why they gave Gabriel Magalhaes 64 pace… I mean, is he really that slow? 🤔
Keep on saying what your saying Ken1945.
I’ve already said that both the Medical Team and the player himself have a say. But highly paid staff or not. It was still a stupid decision to even risk Saliba given that we already had 7 players missing.
And yet still you refuse to even contemplate that on this occasion the common sense thing to do was take no chances. And your only to willing to give Arteta a free pass. I don’t care what you say or how you try to spin it, Arteta had the final word and so the fact that Saliba went off after 4 minutes sits firmly in the managers hands.
Bang on the money big D
Not sure how anyone can say differently .
Strange one for me 🤔
Dan Kit,
In one part of his post he says about Arteta taking note from the highly paid Medical Staff.
Well Arteta is paid a heck of a lot more than them, has the final say. But apparently is not answerable for the decision he made. Remember, this highly paid manager of ours. 🤷♂️
Is he a doctor?
Are the medical staff able to manage a football team?
And please avoid the hilarious notion that they could do a better job than Arteta
The money he earns bears no relation whatsoever to the advice of fully trained doctors and physios and the like
Of course it doesn’t make sense to you DK, simply because it is common sense.
If a player says that he’s ready to play and the medical staff agree with that, then why would a manager have any reason to question them?
Saliba is a professional footballer, who has the knowledge of knowing what his body is capable of doing.
The medical team are just that, a team of professionals, highly trained in their field of expertise and who are with the players every day.
Both of them decided that Saliba was fit to play and Arteta accepted their advice.
Why would he not accept the advice?
Are we now to believe that Mikel Arteta is so good, he can ignore the advice of these two sets of professional opinions?
While sitting behind a keyboard and banging a drum, saying Arteta made a mistake, is complete nonsense, but, of course, it is easy to understand why, when one asks why.
Anything that can be used to paint a negative picture regarding Arteta is seized upon, amplified and twisted to suit this narrative.
Arteta is not paid to disagree with a player who declared himself fit to play, he’s not paid to override his medical team and he’s not responsible for the mistakes of others.
😂
👍
Nobody outside of that dressing room, least of all know-alls on a football blog, is aware of what was said and how a decision was arrived at to play Saliba.
Fortunately, his injury isn’t season-defining, and we have a very capable player standing in for him.
Jax, your absolutely correct that nobody knows what was said in the dressing room.
What we can assume, however, is that Saliba was assessed by the medical team, asked if he was fit to play and the player said he was….. end of!!
In the scenario being presented, Arteta, in the last five minutes of preparing his squad for the biggest game of the season so far, he ignores what the player and his medical team are saying to him and decides that they are both incompetent at their jobs and he knows better.
The buck stopped with Saliba declaring he was fit enough to play – he wasn’t.
The buck stopped with the medical team who also said he was fit enough to play – he wasn’t.
If Arteta had ignored those two facts, what would be the point of having, firstly, a medical team and, secondly, asking a player his opinion?
It’s as clear as day that this is just another attempt to have a go at Arteta and it’s from the same sources.
Let’s debate on the things that only Mikel Arteta is responsible for, rather than making him the scapegoat for, say, Raya admitting he needs to understand the flight of the new ball, being down to what the manager said last season.
That’s what makes me laugh about some posters on here, no matter what, Arteta’s to blame!!
This is what makes me laugh regarding certain posters.
Yes Arteta is not medically trained, and yes he takes the Medics advice and the player himself. But at the end of the day he has the final say, and having decided to play Saliba with there being a question mark over his fitness. The fact he went down in the warm up proves that regardless of what the medics say.
And having just added to the squad and therefore had better cover, there was absolutely no need to take the chance that he did.
And having taken that chance, it now looks like it’ll be 4 weeks out for Saliba. But of course we mustn’t hold Arteta accountable should we. Why do that when certain poster’s on here hide behind the, we’ll he’s got the Medical team to advise him and the player himself. Forgetting that the buck ultimately stops with him.
I hope the risk was worth it. 🤦♂️
These Arteta loveys. really do make me laugh.
These Arteta out dearies do make me laugh.
Ken1945,
Very good. 😂