Honestly, if Arteta is sacked, i will understand. But I will tell you this for free, Arteta is not the problem and it doesn’t matter the manager we bring in. With these crop of players, EVERY SINGLE MANAGER THAT COMES IN WILL STRUGGLE. Why? Because the players are sooo used to mediocrity. They know there are no consequences for mediocrity and this started from Wenger’s last years at Arsenal.
Players got too comfortable with losing games in Wenger’s last years and what we are seeing today is an accumulation of years and years of neglect of this fact.
Also, it does not matter how much we spend or how many players we bring in. More than anything, WE NEED A MASIVE OVERHAUL. If your cup of water is contaminated, you dont fix the problem by pouring in more water, you fix the problem by emptying your cup and pouring in fresh water. EVERYONE THAT PLAYED UNDER WENGER NEEDS TO GO. IF NOT THEIR NON-COMPETITIVE ENERGY WILL RUB OFF ON THE PROMISING PLAYERS WE HAVE.
Auba, Laca, Xhaka, Leno, Bellerin, Chambers, Holding, Nelson, Nketiah, AMN, Willock all need to go. This is actually more important than buying new players. Your work environment influences how you work in ways you cannot imagine. You can be the most talented person around, but if your working environment tolerates mediocrity, sooner or later, you will be mediocre without even realizing it (although in very rare cases, there are a few exceptional people that stand out).
It is exactly what will happen if we leave the above players I’ve mentioned and bring in new players. I can never forget the Bellerin interview where he said Sanchez’s competitive nature was “a little too much”. That just summarizes the mentality at Arsenal when Wenger was there. Mark my words, If we do not clear these players out in good time, the mediocrity will begin to rub off on your favorite players. Then you will begin to turn on them. After that you will want new players to replace them. Then these new players come in, without the club getting rid of the “contaminated players”, and so they get “contaminated”. And the cycle continues…
We are in dire need of a massive clear out. Much more than buying new players. I like what we did with Ozil, Mustafi and the remaining contracts we terminated. It doesnt stop there. We need more of that. Arteta is not the problem. Emery made some mistakes, but I am now inclined to believe he was not the problem either. The players are. They failed the previous manager, they are failing the current manager and they will continue to fail any manager that comes in because they are so comfortable with failure.
And even the Board, to an extent, are to blame. Players cannot play badly at Man City because they know Guardiola has the full backing of the board, and can simply decide to buy better players that will replace them. Arteta does not have that backing. Emery didn’t have that backing either. While I agree that Arteta has made some very questionable decisions (as a result of his inexperience), I still do not believe he is the problem.
If he is sacked, as I said, I will understand. But if we do not get rid of these “contaminated elements”, the problem will still persist.
Ben Ogaraku
He’s had enough time in my opinion. I don’t want to see us go any lower than we already are
I concur with your views Ben.A clear out is essential regardless of who is appointed to replace Arteta if indeed be is sacked.Basically a lack of quality and the unbalanced nature of our squad are why we are a mix table side.
Grandad he doesn’t know what we need lack of experience of a manager of a club like Arsenal he should be cutting his teeth in a lower league
True agood example is Chelsea tuchel replaced lampard and proved him wrong
Let’s continue with Arteta because some people who said they are fans think changing managers makes no different and have already concluded that the players have been so comfortable with losing and having losers mentality. Doesn’t make sense to keep changing coaches/mangers. lampard could have still been In the champions league final, without Tunchel it’s has nothing to do with the manager
I don’t agree with you Pepe.
We’ve seen massive improvement from Chelsea’s side after saying goodbye to Frank.
MA has had enough time to learn and up till date the guy doesn’t have his first 11 its a shame.
I respect your opinion Ben but you can’t tell me all of those players are mediocres if MA had been good enough to establish his first 11. He also doesn’t have a vision that the players can buy so he just need to go before hell meet us the Emerate
I understand your point, JSS. But you have to note, nowhere in the article stated the players are mediocre. They are infact really good players. But more than talent, you need RESILIENCE in anything you do. These guys simply do not have it. And it is as a result of years and years of mediocrity. The manager(whoever he is) will have his hands tied because these players cannot just be shipped out.
Lol tuchel inherited a 250 milion squad and arteta came in and was given 80mil to spend in two years plus he was restricted to loan deals.
Yes arteta has some issues but sincerely even pep guardiola will struggle with this current set of players
How a fan can defend the sh!t we have been served by Arteta is mind blowing.
Sack everyone but Arteta who is even more guilty than kroenke
The type of fans we have is the reason we are where we are today not even kroenke.
Any decent club would have sacked this guy by now and any decent fan base wouldn’t put up with this rubb!sh we have been served for years now. Now been out of Europe is becoming a norm and accepted by fans slowly.
Arsenal fans are more less ambitious than kroenke himself
Idea of hiring a new manager and letting him time to rebuild was good. Simply arteta had no CV and proved nowhere before. His project is failing we all see signs. It still was good to try. That’s what we should do but with proven people. Arteta was novice and edu was too. We need two proven persons in that place and give them time. Overmars has proven a good one. Then a Diego someone or allegri as coach has also proven. Arsenal could definitely find a new tandem to do great, not to learn through the club
Arent you a Man U fan??? or did just ManU go down..
Hahahaha..i sense your sarcasm pepe😂
Please look at chelsea they are in two finals FA, champions after sacking lampard what did tuchel add in Chelsea we lost to Villarreal because of poor tactics of the manager how can you match without a stricker
So who would you bring in? All the decent candidates for the Spurs job have melted away, and they are looking at people like Graham Potter now. That is precisely where we would be. Arteta has made mistakes, especially with team selection and formation, but he deserves a summer, clearing out the dead wood and cock-up merchants, plus bringing in decent replacements. I’d give him ten games, and if there has been no progress, he would have to go.
But he brought bug new dead wood with Willian… His wages are not ozil ones but not that far….
Arteta out, most of his decision has been mistake Willian, Leno, Ceballos, partey, and most players are loosing form under him, Auba, willock etc. He has got two transfer market but couldn’t improve the team. Since he came our style of play has been boring, too much and unnecessary sideway and back pass, he set up the team defensively now scoring goals has become problem. He needs to go. Most of the team ahead of us don’t have the quality we have, I can’t imagine arsenal has players that receive 200k and 300k a week.
Looks like he getting a another year great championship here we come
With all due respect this your article us baseless managers come and go.its on the next manger to mold the team in his image with his tactics and selection watch chelsea for Christ sakes
There is a saying, which i strongly agree with. When something happens once, its probably a mistake. Twice? A coincidence. Three times?? Its a pattern. These guys have failed 3 different managers. And i can bet anything, if we sack Arteta and bring in a new manager, it will be the same thing unless we get rid of certain players.
Yes , if things occur again and again and you don’t learn from it making the same mistakes over and over then you are borderline crazy…
For example; failing to implement a recognisable system of play with players in their best and natural positions.
Tinkering unnecessarily and introducing new ideas when silverware is in your grasp.
Like, failing to motivate professional footballers to have the desire, drive and appetite to win big honours ..
I could go on…
Chelsea with their on field investment and a strategy to win and therefore not suffer failure gladly over the last decade have seen them surpass AFC in European honours.
So you give Arteta time and Kroenke too for that matter but the same pattern will keep repeating.
A strong and experienced world class manager is what has been required (and Satan Kroenke selling) for a decade now..
Could have moved heaven and earth to get Pep or entice Allegri if we had the ambition and Will to be top of the game again but of course, penny pinching and just being a passive income for Stan with his moneyball not in it to win it strategy is where we have been and will remain until A. Kroenke goes and B. REAL concentrated and continuous Investment to succeed on the field is made.
Sure people said the same thing about Ozil and Co things were supposed to magically improved after their departures did they ?no!what people did?they found new scapegoats you just wrote about patterns well it looks like one to me how many players has MA got rid of so far? so in the same way we can’t keep changing managers we can’t keep changing selling players every window.
siamois, true words of wisdom my friend :
I’ve just read “years and years of mediocrity”… don’t these so called fans ever learn?
Ken, siamois and Ben, I have been saying for at least 12 months the same conclusion that Ben has now arrived at. Many of these players have now failed Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta. The player quality is there, as far as ability is concerned; however the problem is their weak mentality. They are in their comfort zone and don’t appear to fight for their personal or professional pride or pride in playing for a famous club like The Arsenal. When you look at the comparative wage structures at Arsenal and it’s competitors, Arsenal has a significant number of players on £100,000 per week and above and the average wage is high. It is difficult, if not impossible to move these players on, because of their high wages.
When you get young Academy graduates like Saka and Smith Rowe showing up experienced international players, something is wrong. The senior players are in their comfort zone and in the EPL lack of commitment and intensity on matchday leads to mid table mediocrity for a Club like Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta has shown that he is unable to address these problems. He has unlike Emery, been supported in discipline, in being able to move on recalcitrant players. However the senior management team and the Board have shown total mismanagement over a number of seasons, dating back to Wenger’s final years, of Arsenal’s financial and player assets. This has not helped manager/head coaches from Arsene Wenger on.
The style of manager Arsenal requires is an experienced manager, who has shown he can win in the major leagues of Europe, is a disciplinarian, can mentor and develop the young players coming from Arsenal’s Academy and finally a good communicator in English (or if not competent in using an interpreter like Bielsa or Ponchettino in his early years).
My choices of those available would be Lucien Favre ex Borussia Dortmund or Rafa Benitez (both multi linguil and fluent in English).
If the Board is really serious they could try to prize Diego Simeone from Atletico Madrid or Antonio Conte from Juventus, but given past experience they are tight with money.
Max Allegri has shown a reticence to manage outside Italy due to language. All these managers have the ability to instill discipline, fix the rot, implement a winning mentality and playing style, develop youth and take Arsenal forward to a successful future, provided they are supported by the Board (a big proviso!)
Desperate times require desperate action.
Doesn’t look like it Ken!
The greatest deadwood at arsenal is Arteta he is worse than those on the pitch
True talk bro
hes 11th place with Lacazette, Partey, Saka, Tierney, Aubameyang in a squad. Chelsea would’ve sacked him months ago. Surely would’ve sacked him following day after losing to Villarreal. With these useless owners they may give him another season to fail truthfully…
You mean to drag us into a relegation tussle?
But Arteta has shown he can not motivate these under performing players. And how do we sell any of them when no club will pay anything approaching the clubs valuation.
Add to that other returning loan players Torreira Saliba Guendouzi Kolasinac Mavropanos Niles and Willock. Arteta has managed to spin so many gold players into straw these past 17 months what do we lose by trying someone more experienced?
What about the manager of that Spanish team who beat us Thursday night?
Loved your description of “spin so many gold players into straw.” So appropriate as to what has been happening to players under his watch.
Not surprising we see players like Saliba and Willock showing their talents; something Arteta either did not see or was unable to utilize.
No. I don’t think he has “spun so many gold players into straws”. Auba has been played up front(where we all thought he would bang in goals) and also on the left(where he scored lots of goals that got him his new contract). Whether he is off form or just not pushing as hard as he should is up for debate.
For your question on how we can sell the players when no club will pay anything approaching the clubs valuation, the club should accept the fact that they made bad investments, cut their losses and take whatever they can for these players. They did it with Ozil and Mustafi. They should do it for others. That in itself is an investment that will pay off in the long run.
Years of complacency?
After what we witnessed last night, under the stewardship of MA, complacency is the least of our worries.
What about a style of playing?
A game plan that means more than one shot at goal in a semi final?
A settled team?
It seems that you are under the impression that MA needs to get rid of players who have been used to complacency from AW ‘s time, players who AT LEAST delivered top four finishes etc etc.
We have signed over 13 players since then, so where is the improvement level from these players and why were we so inept last night?
MA has said that the players are doing what he asks of them… and as he didn’t substitute Aubameyang until the 80th minute, logic tells me that said player was carrying out the instructions of the manager wouldn’t you say.
We have a rookie manager, who cannot get any kind of consistency in his team selections, his style of play and who doesn’t seem capable of motivating his players.
These players beat City and Chelsea to win the fa cup just last season, yet your ready to let the majority of them go for nothing and not ask why there is such a down turn in performance?
A golden boot winner doesn’t become a has been in just 12 months, so ask the question why has that happened, along with the rest of the team?
It’s purely down to the manager and no matter how many ways /times one tries to find excuses for MA, that is the cold facts.
If UE could get us to a final and fifth place without the seven new players Arteta has bought in, how can being set for our worst position in years, no european football for the first time in 25 years (all achieved with players who are “complacent”) not be down to their manager and his tactics?
Forget AW and UE for a minute and answer me this – what player has CONSISTENTLY improved under MA’s management this season, because I can’t think of one.
👍
so did these gold players win us the EL under Wenger or Emery?
Did Klopp or Ole win anything in their first season?
Zidane and Keoman may not win the UCL or La Liga so they need to be sacked?
A merry go round of managers will achieve nothing till these players are kicked out. Just ask Wenger or Emery why they failed in Europe.
A very sensible article which underlines what is wrong with the team
Of the players you mentioned, only Saliba, definately, Mavropanos probably, and Willock, possibly, look good enough to be retained. We also need a new first-choice goalkeeper as a priority.
Tired of the excuses for his failure. Who decided on the false 9 nonsense? Who decides on the negative, cowardly tactics where we hide like turtles in a shell?
Who decided to keep brining on useless Willian?
Martinelli MOTM and then benched for the most important game of the season?
Fire him now; under him we have regressed in the table, no European football (first time in 26 years), no philosophy or style of play, not to mention some of the worst football I have ever seen. Even Pulis would be shocked at how unsightly it is.
And Arteta’s new excuse is some “mysterious internal issue” that he is unable to discuss. How convenient, an unidentifiable issue he can trot out to justify his sheer incompetence when things get hot for him.
Saliba “wasn’t ready” yet man of the month his first month at Nice, how many games has he been a standout player for them?
Willock at Newcastle has found new life away from Arteta.
Plainly, Arteta has no idea how to incorporate player’s strengths into his lineups. We set up based on his inexperienced ideas rather than the strengths of our team.
TRUE
SOMEONE BENEFITTED FROM PURCHASE OF WILLIAN
THIS SMELLS FISHY
WHY THEY BOUGHT WILLIAN GOD ONLY KNOWS
WILLIAN IS USELESS BUT STILL BEING PLAYED ABOVE OTHER MORE DESERVING PLAYERS
MA IS CLUELESS AND BEREFT OF ANY MAN MAGT SKILLS
PLAYERS NOT PLAYING FOR HIM ANYMORE
SACK HIM AND THE YANKEE CAN GO TOO
Drop Pepe for Martinelli? You make it sound obvious but Pepe has been one of our stand-out perfomers, especially in the EL.
Saliba has been very hot and cold in France. He plays a blinder, then follows the next game with some really silly mistakes. Check out his stats or, better yet, watch some games before typing.
Willock hasn’t started the last 3 games (that he was eligible for) despite his heroic. He offers very little defensively. He may well come good but he has been no better for Newcastle than he has us.
I don’t disagree that MA has overseen some real depreciation of talent – Auba and Partey most notably – but let’s at least premise the debate on reality.
Point being Willock is now being used properly, albeit coming off the bench. Saliba is no better or worse than say Holding and Mari or Gabriel or Luiz with their inconsistency.
Martinelli I believe offers more than Pepe, especially when it comes to tracking back and defending.
Arteta’s team selections have been a problem all season. Why has there been a reluctance to start with Martinell: and when goals have been such a problem, what is it that prevents him from even including Flo Balogun in match day squads. He’s obviously been promised more playing time next season, but if you look at Balogun”s goal stats, not to mention his technical ability, you cannot help but think that just as Saka and Smith Rowe, came good through playing for the first team so would this guy.
Martinelli.
The reality is describing Pepe as a stand out player is bizarre bordering on delusion … the man has been consistently hopeless I can’t think of any footballer in the epl with as little footballing common sense … he has no idea what to do when off the ball and has one idea when on it … any halfway decent defender works him out in 5 minutes and neutralizes him … possibly the worst buy in recent epl history given we probably paid 3 times his current market value
Wilock can’t get in Newcastle 11
Willock is gonna be contender for player of the season at Newcastle. And by the way he has scored again…
Well spoken. On point
Your concerns and points are very valid. Arteta is still has a lot to learn and its obvious. Also, given our performance this season, i will understand if he is fired.
But what i am telling everyone reading this is that Arteta is not the root cause of Arsenals problem. The players are. And if we do not get rid of this root cause, it does not matter the manager we bring in. Guardiola will struggle with this squad. He will not even take the job without an assurance that he will be backed. People say we should bring in brendan rodgers and the likes. I am all for that. But if that happens, it will solve nothing and i think the board knows this. I hope i am wrong.
As for the players you mentioned, willock is decent but no where near the standard that is required of Arsenal. Also, have you tried to look at his overall play? Will you honestly compare him to an ESR or Martin Odegaard?
You make very good points Ben but many fans want a simplistic answer to what is a multifaceted issue. So they focus on Arteta. He’s an easy scapegoat.
Some of the suggestions are just weird. For example, that Willock and/or Saliba are the answers to some of Arsenal’s problems over the last 4-5 months. Really??
You forget playing partey alone as a pivot to accommodate odegaard and ESR together. Should have put much iron in midfield possibly with elneny and keep one of ESr / odegaard as replacement. And keep an organisation players know . But that is the problem with arteta. We can say that partey is bad, odegaard bad etc… That’s more how they look now under arteta. getting rid of willock one of the solution ? Maybe he is not super talented enough to be consistently starting for us, but look at the heart and persistence he showed at Newcastle with these 3 late goals. We need people that works hard and defend. People with character. Some said that arteta won the Fa Cup. Yes, but he won with ultra defensive counterattacking tactic.A
stellar Auba, a stellar Martinez and don’t forget a focused and tenacious AMN. Arteta got basically rid of the last two even if we could still get AMN back. Look at Cedric played LB. Then he switched to xhaka. Ballerina, chambers same. Arteta change and change again it seems. Same in defence. Then we saw necesserally mistakes happening.
Plz, while Mikel Arteta seem to have coaching potentials, He is performing Abysmally n addressing him as a Manager is like a Joke diz days!!
Arteta should be sacked ASAP!! He has Failed Arsenal fc!!
Though Our players re unproductive n weak-arsed individuals..Auba, Laca, Xhaka, Pepe, Ceballos, etc..
But Arteta should have put things right by Fielding d right players!!
Loan out AMN!
Loan out Willock!
Refuse to play Balogun!
Refuse to play Nelson!
Barely plays Martinelli!!
Always tries to please Xhaka, Pepe, Willian n David Luiz due to Cowardice!!
Always wants to please d Board!! A Weakman coach!!
Enuf said, He should be sacked!!
We have a good squad but no manager. Give this Squad to BRodgers and you will realise how good they are. If Brendan is not available, try Potter. Of course, according to the English people Arsene is to blame, after all he showed them the football they were playing was crap
Great article and your first paragraph explains everything very well. We’ve had three managers and different players, yet we’re still unable to improve our league position nor can we get a major trophy
There’s obviously a lack of control/ supervision from Kroenke and his complacency/ slacking attitude transmits quickly, from his CEO to the players. We’ll never win EPL, CL and EL if this continues
Getting a new manager might make some quick little improvement, like what Emery and Arteta had in their honeymoon periods. But the new guy will likely lose the dressing room in his second season, after the players get infected with Arsenal’s complacency culture
If we really have to replace Arteta, we need to find a manager whose playing style is suited for our players. Or sell the senior attackers and buy the ones that fit into the manager’s system
Please who are the 3 managers we have had
Wenger, Emery, Ljungberg, Arteta
Funny Wenger and ljungberg
Are you people not tired of calling Wenger and blaming him for everything after this many years
Ljungberg was barely our manager
And including him looks like just trying to make the list look longer order than making sense
Just wanna point out that there’s something really wrong inside the club, since we’ve had three managers and different players without improvement
Emery and Tuchel has not done anything that is unexpected they have huge credibility and credentials…
What ever Arteta has done is a surprise because he has no track record after everything he will been remembered as a failure and worst arsenal manager in a foreseeable future that will be his cv
I think that Arteta has proven himself inadequate to coach a Premier League side. Any coach in the Prem would have done better with this squad, let’s be real.
But worst of all, the man is arrogant and incapable of owning up to his mistakes.
The first game against Emery is the best evidence.
He should restart his coaching career in League 1.
I will say league 2 or under 14 coach
I guess that was what Emery’s detractors thought about him, yet he kicked us out of EL and might get his fourth EL trophy. I also read some nasty comments about Tuchel from PSG fans on YouTube, but he proves that he wasn’t the problem
Emery and Tuchel has not done anything that is unexpected they have huge credibility and credentials…
What ever Arteta has done is a surprise because he has no track record after everything he will been remembered as a failure and worst arsenal manager in a foreseeable future that will be his cv
👍
Yes no European football in 26 years and lowest league finish, that’s all I’ll remember him for!
Big Sam would sort it out and we would play better football than Arteta
which arteta honeymoon period ? Except the 2 FA cup games and community shield the average of taken points has never really improved. Neither game plans. nothing has really improved. Emery had quite a good first year. Unfortunately getting it wrong in EL finals and missing a point to get to 4th in his first season. Then he lost the dressing room. I had hope for arteta. With his work culture and everything, being under pep. But his coaching is not good. Maybe he is just not good / very average as a coach. Look guys like sarri, Wenger, houllier. All these guys climbed the ladder of coaching proving themselves again and again because they were outstanding coaches. Arteta was given a rare opportunity but has never proven anything. And probably will never prove being an outstanding manager. After one year, a decent part of the squad that he brought, we would have already noticed some improvements if he was the next big thing in coaching. He works probably hard but just not good enough…
I agree, sacking Arteta will not fix everything wrong at Arsenal, but it is a start and a step in the right direction.
If the players are too accepting of mediocrity, then that is the responsibility of the manager.
Arsenal have beaten Chelsea, ManU, Leicester and Tottenham this season, so this squad CAN do it.
Yes, the squad needs improvements, but the biggest improvement Arsenal can make is changing the manager.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not leaving slating them for their inability. I am slating them for their mentality. These are decent players that should be making top 4 at the very least, but they just don’t have the mental resilience of champions. This is as a result of years and years of mediocrity. And they know there is no consequence because the board will not back the manager enough to take those tough decisions.
I’m disappointed by the mere fact that I’m an arsenal fan…I don’t know how to leave this mediocre club after all these years of beautiful football
Frank lampard built a team with no budget(Chelsea had a ban) his team is in the champions League final…he was number 4 and was sacked
Arteta inherited a team that played in Europe for a quarter of a century…the same players that got arsenal into European players are bad? Willian and luiz are winners and suddenly mediocre
Arsenal suddenly can’t have forward passes…it’s sideways and backward and players are wrong? Ozil though on a decline was one of the midfielders who passed forward…he was replaced with cebalos,
Bend recently alluded that arsenal lacks fighters in the midfield… Arteta doesn’t tolerate fighters…ask guendozi,he prefers elneny.. Arsenal please hear us as fans…we are suffering…please take out your Arteta please
Your blaming the players – how many times has MA said that they are playing to his instructions?
If they’re not, then what is MA doing about it?
We can’t keep saying the players have downed tools just because the manager has got it wrong and keeps changing the team around.
How many tomes this season has MA fielded the same line up (when he could have done so)?
By my reckoning, it’s just once, so how do you think the players react to this nonsense?
Taking off Aubemeyang when we needed goals, sums up the stupidity of the whole ethos, thinking wise from MA.
Maybe not top4 guaranteed because city,man U, Liverpool or Chelsea and spurs are probably slightly better squads. But probably 6th yes and 4th or 5th largely reachable
Won’t fix anything and I’m not sure who would be happy to manage a “mid-table” team with no European competition!
How come other managers taking charge midseason of free fall teams turned the things around like the problem was never there?And incompetent Arteta,almost 2 years on the job go from bad to worse with no revival in sight?Any midlevel competent coach will easily achieve top 6 with this squad .How come all the good players,including the new arrivals became mediocre players(Partey as example).How come good,,talented young players got exiled(Saliba,Guendouzi) to make room to catastrophic old players like Willian?How come players considered useless by Arteta(Willock,AMN) rediscoverd their form and desire under new coaches?How come in more than 1 year Arsenal has no style of play and no constant first 11?Who’s starting the games in the 1st gear and stay there for 80 minutes when is already too late?Who’s making changes in the 88th minute,hoping for a miracle?Who’s playing players out of natural position?Who’s starting the games with 7 defenders and ending the same game with 6 attackers?Who’s transfering defensive players one after another,but not a single midfielder?Who’s using loaned players instead of own players?Who’s repeatingbthe same failed mistakes game after game?Who’s scared to play attacking football?Why is our football incredible boring and uninspired?Why everybody is affraid of not making mistakes and not taking any risk?Well,as tou see,there is only ine responsible person in charge of all these things-Arteta.And he failed miserably in achieving anything.He must go,and he must go yesterday.When an army is out of morale and without knowledge or morivation,you don’t just fired all the soldiers-you replace the general in charge of that army.This is how it works.Just like politics-things go wrong for the country,you replace the head,the prime minister or president.The act of governance is the thing moving masses ahead(or backward,like Arteta did).Arteta must go,otherwise is going to be an embarassement for him and for the club.To be honest,I was surprised Arteta didn’t have the decency or spine to offer gis resignation after that shameful display against Villareal.Too weak to do that,not courage att all.Just the way he acts as a coach.Disgusting!
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
A better read than the article
Article looks juvenile views
I will second that
pls be fair to the small boy. if he resigns who hires an inexperienced failed coach/
Let me tell you what will happen if a new manager is appointed. There will be a new rush of positive energy. The players will want to prove themselves. They did it with Emery, they did it with Arteta. But the beautiful thing about life is nature will always take its true course. The players, after “proving themselves” will go back to their default state(what we are seeing now). The manager then sees this and tells the board a complete overhaul is needed(I remember Arteta and Emery subtly making this point at press conferences time and time again). The board tells him “we cannot afford that. Its one player at a time instead”. They then approve the purchase of a “Star signing”. This player comes in, to the glee of Arsenal fans, gives it his very best at the very beginning. He becomes the fans favorite. We Arsenal fans sing his praises “YES THIS GUY GIVES IT HIS ALL! HE’S THE BEST OF A BAD LOT!”. But then, he begins to see the way his team mates play with no urgency whatsoever. He soon looks around and sees he’s the only one trying to make a difference(remember Sanchez?) and then thinks to himself “why am i killing myself when others aren’t?” He then relaxes, then regresses because there is little to no motivation to challenge for anything. Then we will all say “WE NEED TO GET RID OF THIS GUY! CANT BELIEVE WE PAID SUCH A HUGE AMOUNT FOR A WASTE OF SPACE!”
Now i am not completely absolving Arteta of any wrong doing. He has made some very questionable decisions in terms of tactics and player management. But we are barking up the wrong tree. I believe the board knows there are players that need to go. I say this because of the way they handled Mustafi, Ozil and Kolasniac. I hope they do more of this.
This is an excellent explanation, but I’m afraid you’re wasting your breath on many impatient and illogical fans here. They forgot how long Alex Ferguson went without trophy in the beginning of his tenure at Man United and Solskjaer’s difficult period
Arteta deserves two years and another transfer window to get his own CF, then we can judge him in December
Everyone has their opinion…
You don’t have right to call fans illogical just because you don’t buy their opinions…
And yes time is getting waste but for Arsenal…
Arteta will stay. He will get money to spend in window also but He will fail miserably again and then he will be sacked inevitably… All the time and Money given to Arteta will be waste…
And new Manager will not have money for new players…
Simple Common Sense is that this squad is not World Class but not mid table either…
Wake up…
At least fight for top 4
Great rant Antonioro!!!!!!
A key aspect of being a manager is to manage players!!!!! He cant handle them, motivate them, discipline them. We have all read how Guendouzi continuously disrespected Arteta to earn his banishment. But paradoxically, at least he sweated blood for the cause. Ben is right, but he’s missing the point – Arteta wanted manager not coach. He has to take responsibility for motivating his players one way or another. And for at least picking the ones who obviously have self motivation – for example Martinelli before Willian. Get rid of all the duds because MA is incapable of changing their attitude? He will let the next batch slide, because he doesnt know what to do. They may respect him as a coach or a person, but not as their boss, not as a man manager, because he hasnt learned how to do that part – he only knows how to be their pal. He needs to stay as a coach – he’s not manager material until he matures a lot more.
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Who’s swapping the team line up game by game (notwithstanding injuries) not allowing players to develop understanding and teamwork?
Best comment.
I think it’s time for Arteta to be replaced.
He is struggling big time.
It’s all excuses to protect your beloved Arteta. The guy lacks football knowledge. He’s got above average players. He’s the biggest failure for the past 25yrs. Why do we protect someone who has never proved himself anywhere? Why do we settle for mediocrity? No European competition next season, but we still wanna keep Arteta. How is the club going to make extra cash to attract quality players without European competitions?
Arteta is a brilliant coach,just a bit stubborn though.
I love Arsenal because it plays real football,not because it wins.
If it were about winning ,I would have been a Manchester United fan.
Wenger-outers,you reap what you sow.
You ostracised Wenger without knowing the true cause of failure.
It is always about money.
I do not judge a teams performance based on stats.
I assess their performance on the pitch,the ball circulation and movement of players that are pleasing to the eye.
We do not need to buy new players.
We already have them on loan to other teams.
Bring them back.That is all.
TT, when did we last see “real football” (whatever that is) from Arsenal and how many times a season?
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Brilliant manager? In your dream world. What brilliance has he shown since his arrival?
people like you keep moving the posts.
the club’s biggest problem is this social media mob that keeps flaunting stupid stories.
SHUT UP!
Justin, what does social media have to do with Arsenal’s current League position or its inability to progress in cup competitions?
Ben your words are well composed but my problem is the analytical point on Arteta that he’s not the only problem which agreed;the board is at 70%,the coaching room at 25% and the players at 5%. But let me talk about the manager, he’s myopic in selections of the available players. He plays with an important games pretending to be more tactical and the end result are always a lost for the club. He doesn’t has fix system to contend with. A change of formation killed us on both occasion and we were knocked out. We’ve players to contend games but the number of selections has cost us.
Look at yesterday’s game he played with a 4-1-4-1 system and put a lot of burden on Partey to play at risk while Odegarrd was line a free player on the pitch. It’s hauling. And because of these reckless tactics, look at our results ever in football history of Arsenal. HE MUST GO!!!!
@Muhammed that’s was all have been saying, how can you switch formation on the 2 biggest game of the season both times trying a formation you have never used ALL SEASON. Can’t just understand how we can side such stupidity
Ben a welcome thoughtful and nuanced article. I hav enot seen you write eon JA til now and much hope you will become a regular contributor.
I do, broadly, agree with the thrust of your piece but do not persobnally thinkit wise to let all mplayers who appeared under Wenger go. I do not see matters in quite such a black or white way a s you appear to and to my mins each playee youi list should be separately judged, NOT merly because they played under WeNGER. I do much agree with the era of coasting and weak mentality you correctly outline and which both managers since AW have tried but failed to eliminate.
WE NEED MASSIVE FINANCIAL INVESTMENT TO MAKE PROPER CHANCGE AND WITH KROENKE AS OWNER THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN . WE NEED HIM OUT, BEFORE WE CAN EVER SEE REAL CHANGE
Thanks Jon! Well, we both agree a massive financial investment is required to take this club back to the top. And when i say investment, I’m not just talking about acquiring players, I’m talking about terminating the contract of some players.
Arteta must be sacked because he is really incompetent to manage abig club no European football next season we ars just nothing sack Arteta bring Allegri we shall see change at our club
To start the process of change Arteta must go. He is simply not good enough to be the manager of a club like Arsenal. The job is too big for him. If we can tempt Brendan Rogers that would be great. Then the energy of supporters must be used to get the parasitic Kroenke’s out. Hopefully there is a buyer ready for the moment the Kroenke’s have had enough. But right now Arteta is a failure and should fall on his sword honourably.
Arteta must really leave arsenal because with him we have no hope of winning any trophy again sack Arteta bring Allegri who is well experienced he will bring us back to where we always want tobe
Really no need to sack Arteta because even the squad doesn’t show that it can win a match.
As if they don’t have moral.. Arteta stay CEO GO
Arteta stay? Why what did he show? Have you seen the same arsenal we are watching all season? We dont even play proper football ffs!
If Arteta does not go I must say we may be ready to see Arsenal become Everton before Ancelotti.
An occasonal top 8 will be the highlight of the season. We need the owners to sell or wake up.
But Arteta is not the right piece in this puzzle.
He actually made o mess of what could have been very simple. Getting Villareal in the semis was a gift and he could not get out of his own shit ideas and put his best players in the best positions and keep it simple. There is no-one out there pundits and all that would justify his plan or lack of one and support him.
If he is not gone today let’s hope end of the season . Arsenal need a manager with balls to do whaat he wants and not the morons upstairs signing uselless overage buddies like Willian.
Bring SIMEONE in.
STOP KIDDING YOURSELVES…
Even a short sighted person can see absolutely no improvement….
1. Pressing/ closing down opponents;
This is what makes average teams like MAN CITY and CHELSEA appear very Invincible. PSG was actually playing City off the park, but were denying them shooting opportunities.
Contrast to us who just allow the opposing players far too much time and space on the ball.
2. Passing;
Passing is wayward and catastrophic,,, right from Leno to the striker.
How many times does someone like Saka lose the ball in a single match???
THESE GUYS SIMPLY DON’T TRAIN WELL!!!
3. TEMPO;
Any fool can see and know that you can’t achieve anything playing at walking pace.
JUST BRING IN MAURIZIO SARRI THEN PEOPLE WE’LL REALIZE WHAT A SQUAD OF WORLD-CLASS PLAYERS WE HAVE.
I think the clear out of players will work
Well thought out article and I agree with the premise that radical change is needed. Where I disagree is the fire sale of, so called, mediocre players first. If a business is failing they don’t sack the workers they remove the CEO who is ultimately responsible. Our board is a joke and until the Kroenkes bring in people with a wide knowledge of football we are going nowhere fast. Get the right CEO who can then appoint an experienced director of football which could mean the demise of MA. It’s going to be a slow process but we need to rebuild the foundations of our great club, not tlnker at the edges. My picks for CEO and director of football, Roy Hodgson and Dennis Bergkamp. I say RH because I do not think AW will work under the present ownership. If there is new ownership (which I doubt) my choice as CEO would be AW. Food for thought?
Seems Ek is going to place the first bid.
like wise investing for arteta wil not solve the problem
Even if some of the players are part of the problem, Arteta’s tactics and style is clearly not giving us the desired result. He is still a learner. Let us get a good and experience coach first and see if there is going to be a difference
This squad is not world class but not a mid table as well..
At least chase top 4
At least give fight for top 4
I am sure if Weger or Klopp or Rodgers would have got this squad then Arsenal wouldn’t have been as mid table
This writer seems to be obsessed by his grouse with Wenger!
Let’s forget the players Wenger brought; which other players in the squad has shown any marked improvement?
We spent millions to bring in Pepe and Partey. can we really say they have improved the team under Arteta? An Arsenal reject in Coquelin taught Partey how to play midfield!
With Arteta all the unwanted records in Arsenal have been broken. And somebody is blaming the players!
The large Arsenal fan base in my country Nigeria has become a laughing stock. Only the diehards are still here as many are leaving to spare themselves the persistent heartbreak of supporting this club.
What a shame!
Well said Corporate Man – the obsession with Wenger and to blame him for all our ills, continue to sprout out and cloud the issue that is Mikel Arteta and Stanley Kronkie.
He’s been gone for three years now… Will we be blaming Mikel Arteta in three years, or will it still be AW, or perhaps even UE?
okay, i am confused , some on here are asking the question why is wenger being brought into this debate , again.thats on the one hand, then, on the other hand, you have very well respected and excellent writers here writing long winded articles about wenger, and, only very recently at that. so can you see why i am confused here, right ?.there seems to be a contradiction going on . but i suppose the way i see it is that these contradictions are rather biased and one sided by these respected writers. there is much to gain from the writers coming up with wenger stories , guaranteed to be very popular and cause a bit of friction within.now, i am not suggesting that we should forget wenger, after all he was our greatest manager, and the emphasis should be on WAS.we can all remember him in our own memories, the memories that bring a broad smile to our faces when we think of him.i think , some, not all ,authors on here,have other motives , when composing these articles. all i can say to these gifted writers is give us a break please.
CM, ken and GB, the only reason to include Arsene Wenger in the discussion, is that the mental fragility started on his watch, when we didn’t know which Arsenal would turn up for any match. Not saying it was his fault, but I have argued that some of these players have now let down Arsene, Unai and Mikel.
Nope. I have no grouse with Wenger. As a matter of fact, he is one of the very few public personalities I look up to. The way he changed the game in England was nothing short of remarkable. I acknowledge and i will always acknowledge Wenger as arguably the greatest ever Arsenal manager. But you will agree with me that wenger was two sides of a coin. On one side(his first decade at Arsenal), he did the unthinkable. The way he changed players diet which several sport professionals acknowledged elongated the careers of his players. Other teams began to copy him. Also his unbeaten run. But then, oil money came to the PL. We moved to the emirates and had to sell players to pay off the clubs debt. We could not compete for the PL. But we always made top 4 which was really good, but not a miracle to me given the race for top 4 was not as intense as it is now. But he did it anyway. Then we began to plunge into absolute mediocrity. Players didn’t seem like they cared anymore and were not getting punished for it. This is where the rot started. Several of those players are still at arsenal today.
As for players showing marked improvement, Pepe was our best player in the EL. Dont think he played as well as this last season. Remember David luiz under Emery and David luiz now?
so did these gold players win us the EL under Wenger or Emery?
Did Klopp or Ole win anything in their first season?
Zidane and Keoman may not win the UCL or La Liga so they need to be sacked?
A merry go round of managers will achieve nothing till these players are kicked out. Just ask Wenger or Emery why they failed in Europe.
A very sensible article which underlines what is wrong with the team
you are really a loose Cannon!!!!
You aew actually comparing Koeman who has Barca challenging for the title in La Liga to Arteta? Or Zidane who may have lost UCL but is still in the thick ofit in his domestic league?
Both these coaches have demonstrated leadership skills and player management that pulled their respective squads forward and have almost caught Atleti.
Arteta could not tie their shoelaces. Arsenal have gone backwards in terms of development,
game mangement,tactics etc.
And when people talk about Wenger ( i did want Wenger out myself-full disclosure ) those fans forget that Wenger’s teams were scoring and creating multiple chances per game.
Wenger;s problems were in the back hence his demise.
The manner in which we were bounced out in the semis tells you everything you need to know about the manager. He threw shit on the wall hiping something wil stick. People who drown grab themselves by their own hair !!!
It is only a lazy workman that complains about his work tools, some of our players are champions, while some other need motivation to step up their game. Arteta has shown that he doesn’t have what it takes to lead group of champions or motivate mediocres to grow and start putting up their A games. He wasn’t a champion himself, no wonder he knows nothing about building champions. A club of Arsenal magnitude doesn’t need Arteta.
Motivation? You say the players need motivation and yet Arteta is the problem?
This is the no.1 difference between the first half of Wenger’s time in charge to the second half: in the first half, ALL his players were highly self-motivated and a lot had strong leadership skills. It created a great culture for winning games and competitions. Wenger did an amazing job of building and managing those squads, and guiding individual players, but motivation was rarely an issue – the players all just wanted to win!
In the second half, he’d usually have one or two players who were truly motivated at various times (e.g. Cesc, RVP, Sanchez etc) and have a squad of talented (as Evra put it) “babies” around them who needed to be mollycoddled and *given* motivation. This is why those motivated players kept leaving and why we are where we are now – ultimately the self-starters all left and most of what we have now are talented babies.
We absolutely must continue to clear out players and refresh the squad – Saka, ESR and Martinelli genuinely appear to be more like the self-motivated type of players we really need if we want to get back to being a top side, but if it’s left too long I fear they will succumb to the club culture, or else will just leave (like Cesc, RVP etc.). We need to build onto those young players by bringing in like-minded players to complement them asap
I fear Mikel will now forever be know “Boris”, who also led us out of Europe !
Not sure about the rest of you but it used be that I would watch an Arsenal game in years gone by and get really angry and frustrated when we made a mistake or two or when we won but not as convincingly as we should have or indeed if we lost and it was because we should not have.
Nowadays and for some time now I don’t have any of those emotions which is great for my blood pressure 🙂
I have so little expectation even if we are playing a club mired in relegation that nothing is a surprise or an annoyance anymore. I am truly shocked by my apathy and general acceptance of this nonsense that we serve up.
What is really shocking though is that the owners and senior management of this once great club have decided to gamble the future of OUR club on a rookie. Is a club the size and complexity of Arsenal with genuine global reach is now a nursery for a manager who has never managed any club at any level in any league where the buck stops with him. Are we such a small club that he can learn the ropes with us, make all his mistakes and improve before taking on a ‘proper job’ at a ‘proper club’.
Now I am not saying that all experienced managers are great managers but at a club like Arsenal mired in mediocrity for so many years we needed someone who had the managerial nous to know how to stem the flow of ‘blood’ in the short term, while putting in place the foundations for the medium term and the building blocks for the long term. All the while demonstrating clear evidence of progress through results. Even if it is slow progress. What we have now under Arteta is regression and quite fast regression. We are closer to relegation than we are to the top.
And I don’t think the answer lies in even more investment. We have done that. The problem is getting a proper return on our investment.
How can a player like Aubameyang go from winning a golden boot to scoring just 15 this term even allowing for absences. How can Lacazette go from being such a good foil and partner for Auba to now be just a second string sub. How can Thomas Partey arrive and initially play like the next Patrick Viera only now to look like he would struggle to get into Sheffield United’s team. How can Martinez not be right for Arsenal but Leno is. How can a midfielder like Xhaka prone to cock ups in his normal position be played out of position as a left back. How can a team with so much talent play like they are scared of their own shadows and at times look like Bambi on Ice. I could go on and on and on but we all know where I am going with this. One final point on this and that is the body language of the players. It is not rocket science to work out that they are being stifled to death by Arteta and his tactics/system of play. It is not playing to the strengths of the players and is a million miles from the so fondly remembered ‘Arsenal Way’. They are not playing for this manager.
All of this is the product of a manager who is learning his ‘managerial’ trade whist we the fans suffer the nonsense that is served up with regularity.
I have read some of the posts that suggest we should give him more time and a few transfer windows before deciding. I am afraid we don’t have that luxury. Out of Europe, ninth in the league having played a game more than some of our neighbours, no evidence of progress in any department of defending, attacking, scoring goals, or style of play. We are witnessing the end of a once great club if Arteta and Edu are not expelled from the Arsenal classroom immediately.
Really good points and very well put Rob – of course it helps that I totally agree with you. In perticular:
1. We dont have time to continue sponsoring Arteta’s education. Within 1 to 2 seasons we risk losing PL status, a huge chunk of our global fanbase, all of the respect of the football fraternity, our best young players, sponsorship. Thats how long we have to right the ship. After that we are a Huddersfield, Nottm Forest etc. You dont bounce back unless you do it quickly.
2. MA may well be a fine coach. He is not a manager. He doesnt know how to get the best out of players. He is morphing into Mourinho. His press conferences are becoming less friendly, hes more defensive and delusional, always blaming others, he is making his players worse not better, he alienates individuals.
3. His clear vision is more muddled by the game. No stable teams or tactics, meddling when he shouldnt and ignoring what obviously needs attention. Confused and strung out – classic symptoms of a drowning man and its only going to get worse.
4 Agree its not a problem of his own making and we sympathise, but he is still only making it worse.
👍 👍 Rob and guy
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“arteta is not the problem” yeah right.., i still can’t understand why are you defending him, he IS the problem and I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he is NOT pep guardiola, if some of you think he is half as good as pep, you are wrong
Ben Ogaraku, we will keep MA for 5 years. At 5 years, we will be crowned English League Championship champion. Finally, we become number 1, better than Arsene.
Fire them all!
Or better yet sell the club!
I agree sacking Arteta might or might not solve Arsenal problem but for sure it will the right step in right direction. There is no way this squad of players majority of whom we recruited in last 3-4 years are as bad as what our league position is showing. It’s manager’s job to motivate the player and find a system to get most our of his players specially the big players but Arteta has done opposite. He has failed to motivate his team, failed with tactics that suits our players to an extent he absolutely destroyed Auba and to some extent Laca as well, failed with his stubborn nature of persisting with Willian in playing eleven when it was obvious it was not working, failed with identifying this team needs an offensive/creative play maker, failed to deal/manage young players MG, Saliba to some extend Martenelli as well and complete wrong tactics and priority in cup games. There is not even a single positive from the season that we can take on board that happened because of Arteta. Saka and ESR were already first team players and were on good development path. No way or in no sense the club management can be that naive to give him another crack at this and also support him in summer transfer window. This is what happens when the club fans calebrate loosing to bigger teams by small margins and start giving excuses for every failure. If fans are satisfied with such low level of performance then why would the club management and players be bothered to turn up. In order to be a big club we need to start acting like a big club which Arsenal is starting from everyone at the club to fans. These sorts of results and performances should not be accepted by fans no matter what ever the excuse is. Do fans get half their money back when teams looses if we pay full prices for tickets then we should get complete performances in return if not then either we should get some part of money back or atleast see club do something about it.
Logic, also lack of consistency in player selection (notwithstanding injuries) to develop understanding and teamwork.
Folks…you keep dreaming. MA is doing an”outstanding” job by the book of the board. He won’t be sacked before the whole tree is shaken.
A great article! Thank you Ben for your courage to write a piece like this amidst the present state of unhappiness, and rightly so.
We must all realize that one thing the author doesn’t say is that we should not sack Arteta; instead, he simply points out that sacking Arteta will not solve our problem(s). More importantly, he notes that these group of players are predominantly average and below average, for which I whole heartedly agree!
There are certain basics that no coach should begin to teach a group of so-called “professionals”. For example, the art of ball control, accurate passing, and close-ball control. I ask, isn’t it obvious that majority of our players find it really difficult to control simple passes with a single touch, instead, they all require averagely two touches or more to speak to the ball. Isn’t it for such inaptitude that they typically fail to make either a good pass or to move with the ball as at when due? Isn’t it obvious that for such a reason our defenders and keeper typically panic whenever the ball approaches them, thus resorting to wayward passes and frantic runs? Honestly, I see no coach being able to impact that in a group of players, as you either have it at that level or not. Looking deeper, the best coaches were only as successful as their best players. Mention any successful coach and you will mention some of the best players alongside them.
I teach at the University level, and I cannot imagine having to teach graduate students the basics of lower levels. If so, how do I expect them to perform excellently at the graduate level. There are certain skills they are expected to have acquired already at lower levels.
No doubt Arteta has made errors, but again I agree with the author that changing him solves nothing, at best to appease us. Instead, the board must back him (or whoever is the coach) totally with the required funds to purchase at will. He had to resort to players like Mari, Cedric, Ceballos and Odegard simply because he wasn’t backed with the required funds, and had to resort to shrewd methods.
We speak of Chelsea changing their coach but fail to mention that the Chelsea board had earlier spent roughly 200 million pounds on quality players. So even if you change a coach, he will always need the right materials to work with. We never hear of Man City struggling to negotiate on any player, instead, all you hear is Guardiola has bought a new player.
Arteta (or any coach) must be backed by the board with the required funds to acquire targeted players without hassle. Then, players will get the message and either improve or go down the pecking order.
Low times for us, but again remember dear friends that there is always more to life! Stay safe and find reasons to enjoy the fact of being alive!
Cheers!
Exactly!! I especially like the point you made on Chelsea. We cannot compare Arteta’s situation to Lampard’s. Lampard was fully backed and deserved to be sacked because he simply did not deliver. If Arteta is backed the way Lampard was and he does not deliver, I will be the first one calling for his head!
I agree with both you and Fire
When speaking of the players brought it in only Partey cost ‘real money’. The rest have been loans bar GMaghaeles. Would Cedric and Mari ordinarily have ended up at a global elite club? Im as disappointed as the writer who admirably put up a different point of view to counteract the relentless negativity. He hasn’t said that Arteta is blameless at all. But he isn’t to blame for the stagnation that has been seeping into the veins of this club over a number of years.
Fire, it appears that to use an analogy, one is trying to teach students with only a basic knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry to become professional engineers.
Wow just looking at the comment you can see more than 75% did not get what he was trying or most likely didn’t bother to read the article before starting their arteta out, arteta fanboy defending crap. No wonder other fans laugh at us. Yes Arteta FAILED that is obvious to everyone to see but the biggest problem is that rotten mentality that has been poisoning our club since the last wenger years.
Sure let’s bring in rodgers or rafa and watch the club rise up the standing with that new manager positive vibe BUT they will inevitably regress to their mediocre level shortly after. They did it with emery and now with arteta good half of the season then our form fell off the cliff.
People are in their emotions right now so its understandable they will lash out at any suggestions contrary to sacking Arteta. I also don’t expect fans to see through the rot in the system, which is a huge reason for the decline. Its not our job. Our job is to support the team and boast about our teams achievements in the face of our rivals. So i can understand the emotional response.
Ben.. Id like to talk to you on private.. And I would like you to convince me why we should give arteta a chance.. The way I see it he has shown nothing on the pitch that makes him deserve it.. I hated watching arsenal this season we cannot defend and worse we cannot attack at all! Im getting sick of people defending him for nothing that he showed.. At least Wenger had the history to back him up but what does arteta do? He’s not even an Arsenal legend ffs!
BREAKING NEWS: ARSENAL HAD MADE CONTACT WITH SARRI OVER A RETURN TO ENGLAND…..SOURCE FOOT BALL LONDON
no!!!! please no!!!!! no Sarri
I blame the fan base for the mediocrity culture at Arsenal, if the fan base can fly a banner over emirate Wenger out, for a manager that was taken us to European football competition every season and then accept a manager that don’t know his first 11 then there is a problem. Very soon we will become schalka football club.
Its as plain as the nose on your face Arteta isxway out of his depth and he will drag us down to places we haven’t been before. The guy is not a good manager, he doesnt play a good style and he has obviously NO PLAN. I really expected him to be sacked immediately but i dint think the owner has ambition. He couldn’t beat the manager he replaced, who had an inferior team, was not good enough for us and Arteta has done worse than him in the league and EL. Arteta is a fraud and is not capable of running a big football club. OUT!
Reggie the thing is that the club/owners have put themselves in a difficult situation the club’s PR department to their credits went all out they presented MA as the saviour sold us a concept/project “the family trust the process..”and the truth is a lot of us bought into it including myself how would it look like if they were to sack him now?i mean look at Tuchel’s appointment done under the radar low-key and he was not presented as some kind of Messiah.
Si, i wanted Arteta to succeed, i hoped he would but i was wrong, he is not the one to sort our club out that obvious. The owners come out with baseless statements and we go knowhere and Arteta brings out baseless statements and we go knowhere. So guess where this club is going? I dont think i have ever been so down and dis interested in my club as now. I feel the club i knew has gone and isn’t the same club, it doesnt feel like Arsenal, it feels like a very poor imitation, its not my Arsenal anymore. Kronk and Arteta have ruined the job between them.
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Difficult to argue with that!👍
Am done with arsenal fc for now no watching of football for now just wanna take a break from these nonchalant team
Ive got to say, i dont like the owner and i dont like Arteta, the club is drifting and not the draw it used to be to me. Thanks kronk and Arteta.
I feel your pain Reggie but are you putting it all on Arteta for management failures ? He is only culpable for the last 18 months
Sue yes, please someone tell me how we have improved under him at all in the last 12 months. The way we play is down to him, the players carry it out and its horrible to watch. So negative!
My point is at least the last two years under AW were the same and also with Emery there was a decline
I found the article interesting as the writer explores the relationship between poor mentality of the players that is continuing to have this knock on effect of mediocrity on the league position
Sue, wenger and Emery lost the dressing room for different reasons. Wenger because of the culture he created in his final years. Emery because he couldn’t communicate to the players clearly how and what he wanted. Arteta has not done anything to improve on any of that and has made us worse than under wenger or Emery. He isnt up to being manager of Arsenal that is plain to see. Ok he he wont the FA cup but with a group of players assembled by the previous two managers. His tweakings in squad and style since have took us down.
I only have one thing to say…
Is anyone watching the different Newcastle Willock to the clueless Arteta Willock..
The lad said it himself,that he is enjoying his football currently . That speaks volumes ..
Arteta has the full support of the board, recommending and getting his own players
Wenger had limited funds to play with..
Emery didn’t have the full backing, wanted Zaha ,got Pepe.
If Arteta is failing on one front, that is kinda forgivable but the problem is he’s failing every where…
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But it is a start!
meaning getting rid of Arteta…
Have to say those who run Arsenal have become a cacophony of losers? The board…whoever they are, do not have the guts to sack our biggest problem, Arteta…..because they are as useless as Arteta. How the mighty fall, a once great club fallen at all levels. Bad owner, bad board, bad manager. Nobody is even attempting to heal this club. The inmates are running the asylum.
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big clubs do not recruit trainees for coaching. the day arsenal owners hired ma, the day they changed the sports club to a political and economical arena, together with all the arrogance the players show despite the do even not fit in U-21….WE LOST ARSENAL
Spot on kats. We have an apprentice but and by definition apprentices are not put in charge of running things in any environment let alone one of the biggest clubs in world football.
Completely OT my son has just given me this stat. Thomas Tuchel, since taking over at Chelsea, has beaten, Pep Guardiola, Klopp, Zidane, Simeone and Ancelotti. Total scoreline 10-1, talk about hitting the ground running. Mind you it might end tomorrow evening!!
Wow….and we head to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday!
I’m looking forward to that one Sue. I’d like to see how Arteta Ball competes with Tuchel ball. Mind you, Arsenal have nothing to lose and Chelsea are playing for top four.
Yes, Joe, funny how we seem to turn up when it’s a ‘nothing’ game…
Although they’re a completely different team to the one we faced on Boxing day!!
Andrew, Sue and Andrew, Unai Emery won more trophies and had a higher win percentage at PSG than Thomas Tuchel, and the Arsenal Board didn’t support him.
They’ve made their bed, Ozzie and we have to lay in it!!!
We are in worse ever place as far as some of the fans can remember and there are still some fans here who are defending Arteta, still giving excuses and still putting spin on things. Look at the comments from some of them …are you guys for real? Some have even gone to extend saying it’s not manager’s job to teach players ball control, passing and other stuff. One of the major part of manager job is to identify the skill set of player for a position and then groom them, teach them. Carry out practice session that improves the player ability. Don’t you guys get tired of excuses and dumb positivity?
Unless my memory betrays me I don’t remember things ever being that bad under UE were they?
If arteta is sack, it wouldn’t be wrong. Talking of the players adapting to mediocrity under wenger, i think arteta figure that out too…. I remember him talking of instilling the winning mentality in the team.. he must have learnt this when he was assistant coach at M.city
But we should note that he never had the backing of the board he couldn’t have been more successful. A little is his fault…. We only need kroenke out first
I disagree with Laca and the youngsters being included in this “off shipment” category. Laca, may have shown poor form as of late but he has also proven, when in form, how crucial he can be to Arsenal’s formation and overall synergy.
Regarding the youngsters, they barely featured under Wenger. They still have time to outgrow the underwhelming attitude and lack of ambition that has plagued some of the more senior players.
👍 The young Academy graduates are the future.
I think if you look at the Wenger years particularly the late 90’s and early 2000’s you will find that he was fortunate to have players and leaders in the team that hated loosing. Names like Adams, vieara, keown and Campbell. These players created the culture that demanded excellence when wearing the Jersey. This is what we are lacking, leaders and players in the side that demand excellence everytime you step on the pitch. Yes the manager has an important role in how they play, but ultimately we need leaders that drive the culture of the team. Until we find them, we will always be in this predicament no matter who the manage is.
👍
Obvious to see that many us Arsenal fans did not sleep well last night and have woken up to the reality of how low our London pride of a club have fallen. I have nothing cheery to add unfortunately. Arteta won’t go, because it would also mean that at least Vinai and Edu also have to walk. These mediocrities will not accept responsibility and will cling on for dear life. Wish I had a more positive perspective but only pressure from the fans can affect the long term change the club needs.
My goodness, what a lot of futile energy expended on all of the above sentiments.
I would like to admit, for my sins, I do like Arteta and I agree with how he wants the team to play, but…..
Lets look at Arteta a bit closer. He played at Everton under Moise, in a team that worked hard and a fair amount of quality. He moved to Arsenal, into a team with a lot of quality and a less rigid style. Finally he went to Man City as an assistant coach to a team that had quality coming out of it’s ears, but still with a structure.
He has learned how the game should be played, by giving flair players room to flourish, within a team structure. He has arrived at Arsenal, after Emery who was almost all about structure. It became obvious that the Arsenal players under Emery did not like his form of restricted structure, so they rebelled, and he was sent packing. Arteta has tried to give the Arsenal players a freer hand, and we have seen its success in certain games this season, the second leg against Sparta Prague was a good example. However, as has been so overtly demonstrated in the EPL, the other teams have a manager too, and often one who is much shrewder than Arteta.
The problem, as stated by the author, is this group of Arsenal players have struggled with a disciplined approach and often revert to their “doing their own thing” mentality. My problem with Arteta is, he needs to build a structure again, then allow the flair to flourish. To achieve this he needs to be more ruthless. He should have dropped the players who don’t play his way (even the youngsters), forget the pundits and the noisy blogospehere, and do it his way, but I feel it is all too late for that. So he MUST suffer the sack. I hope both he, and Lampard, will learn from their baptism of fire in management.
As a replacement, I would suggest that the Kroenkes open their check book and their first step in saving Arsenal from years of mediocrity is to bring in the former Juventus manager Max Allegri. This appointment must coincide with a real desire to spend a large amount on new players (not just lip-service), otherwise it will be doomed to failure too.
PS: I don’t expect anything I have written here to actually take place, so I welcome you to the EPL version of the Kroenke’s MLS team, that oxymoron, the Colorado Rapids.
What a doomsday scenario. In my case my bad Karma is coming from having lived to see Arsenal win six league titles, three of them doubles,as well as a cluster of FA cups. Don’t know what you younger supporters have done to deserve this hell.
Ben, I have been saying for at least 12 months the same conclusion that you have now arrived at. Many of these players have now failed Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta. The player quality is there, as far as ability is concerned; however the problem is their weak mentality. They are in their comfort zone and don’t appear to fight for their personal or professional pride or pride in playing for a famous club like The Arsenal. When you look at the comparative wage structures at Arsenal and it’s competitors, Arsenal has a significant number of players on £100,000 per week and above and the average wage is high. It is difficult, if not impossible to move these players on, because of their high wages.
When you get young Academy graduates like Saka and Smith Rowe showing up experienced international players, something is wrong. The senior players are in their comfort zone and in the EPL lack of commitment and intensity on matchday leads to mid table mediocrity for a Club like Arsenal.
When Arsenal has been successful in the past the Club has had strong leadership in the players with captains such as Frank McLintock, Tony Adams and Patrick Viera. These captain’s have supported by strong players such as Peter Simpson, Martin Keown, Denis Bergkamp, Ian Wright, Ray Parlour, Thierry Henry et al. Where are the leaders in the current squad?
Mikel Arteta has shown that he is unable to address these problems. He has unlike Emery, been supported in discipline, in being able to move on recalcitrant players. Arteta keeps changing formations and player selections (notwithstanding injuries) which has hindered the development of a playing style, understanding and teamwork between the players.
However the senior management team and the Board have shown total mismanagement over a number of seasons, dating back to Wenger’s final years, of Arsenal’s financial and player assets. This has not helped manager/head coaches from Arsene Wenger on.
The style of manager Arsenal requires is an experienced manager, who has shown he can win in the major leagues of Europe, is a disciplinarian, can mentor and develop the young players coming from Arsenal’s Academy and finally a good communicator in English (or if not competent in using an interpreter like Bielsa or Ponchettino in his early years).
My choices of those available NOW would be Lucien Favre ex Borussia Dortmund or Rafa Benitez (both multi linguil and fluent in English) and solid winning CV’s. Even Maurizio Sarri is a proven winner.
If the Board is really serious they could try to prize Diego Simeone from Atletico Madrid or Antonio Conte from Juventus, but given past experience they are tight with money. Max Allegri is available, but has shown a reticence to manage outside Italy, due to language and would require a large transfer budget. Unfortunately it costs less in the short term to churn through managers, than to undertake the overhaul of the squad required. Player transfers must be targetted to address specific positions, with committed hungry professionals, with winning mentality and leadership.
All these managers have the ability to instill discipline, fix the rot, implement a winning mentality and playing style, develop youth (Arsenal has excellent prospects in the Academy) and take Arsenal forward to a successful future, provided they are supported by the Board (a big proviso!) Unfortunately Kroenke and the Board sold supporters and players a lie, when Arsenal left Highbury for the newly built Emirates to compete with the Real Madrid’s and Bayern Munchens. Champions League is now gone, as has Europa League, so even playing these teams, let alone competing is gone. Arsenal can’t compete with Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham, Everton and Leicester Cities of the EPL. Yet we are told to be “very excited” by people, who don’t even attend major Arsenal fixtures to see the extent of their neglect.
A change ownership, who care about Arsenal FC and will be guardians of its legacy is essential. However that is beyond our control, even though Daniel Ek and his consortium have apparently approached the Kroenkes with an offer. He has also had constructive meetings with the Arsenal Supporters Trust, who in turn have been talking to the Kroenkes.
Desperate times require desperate action.
Well written ozziegunner
It will need a change of direction to change our fortunes and under Kroenke I don’t see it happening
Thank you SueP😊
“Desperate times” relates to an Arsenal team not being able to be motivated or motivate themselves to lift their games to compete in an Europa League final in Baku, to achieve a 1-0 or better scoreline in a home semi final of the Europa League or achieve higher than their current League position.
Of course simply axing Arteta won’t solve all of our problems…anyone suggesting otherwise is either caught up in the emotionality of the moment or lacking the intellectual capacity to fully comprehend the inherent complexities of building a championship calibre team…what has happened here, in recent years, should provide the footballing world with a clear-cut blueprint about what not to do if your an organization in transition
so let’s turn back the clock for a brief moment to examine our obvious failures…whether you jumped on the Wenger Out train in those early days, when we were selling our best and brightest, or following the shambolic contractual mismanagement of Sanchez, Ramsey and Ozil, it matters little…the simple fact that this inevitability had been bandied about for years and we had the good fortune of witnessing the potential foibles of just such a situation, when Fergie left his post, meant that there was no logical reason for not having a comprehensive succession plan
the fact that it appeared as if we made a knee-jerk 11th hour appointment was, at the very lest, optically problematic…even more disconcerting was the fact that we brought in a candidate who made no functional sense considering our roster at that time…furthermore, we not only refused to give this system-driven coach the all-important input when it came to personnel, the very man who recruited him left of his own accord within a couple of months…this ultimately led to an entirely unproductive power struggle between Diamond Eye and Raul, which further complicated matters, especially when the snake won the day and the much-preferred Sven offered his resignation…this environment clearly wasn’t conducive to team building and/or starting the incredibly arduous task of transforming such a “soft” cultured and habitually mismanaged club with an uninspiring and wholly indifferent owner at the helm
instead of another “retooling”, which had occurred on 3 separate occasions under Wenger, with mixed results, this club needed to embrace a more extensive “rebuild” of sorts…when the inevitable happened and the sacrificial lamb was sent packing, it appeared as if the club was finally going to make the difficult yet necessary decision…so they pursued Arteta under the guise that this former player, who had been plying his trade under the watchful eye of one of the best, was our best bet to resurrect the franchise…of course some were skeptical, for obvious reasons, but most were decidedly hopeful…the fact that Mikel had received kudos for his supposed developmental work with the younger City players added credence to the notion that a youth-oriented transitional phase was on the horizon in North London
no one expected much from the get-go, as most realized this was a “baby steps” gig…so when no real “bump” materialized, the finger-pointing shifted quickly from the manager, like under Emery, towards the players in the room…then covid hit…when play returned without fans in the stands Arteta opted for a more defensively-minded approach, which ultimately led to some more positive results…when this “strategy” produced wins against both City and Pool, albeit these were far from stellar performances, fans and pundit alike were quick to heap praise on the manager…so the fact that we found a way to win some silverware, simply exacerbated the situation, as there was seemingly no end to the premature “next one” banter
now here’s where the narrative took a decided turn…instead of staying the course, which was the very reason why he was brought into the fold in the first place, he immediately pursued Willian…by doing a functional about-face on the whole “rebuild”, it meant that another irresponsible “retool” was in the offing…not only that, the club was seemingly so impressed with this new/old course of action that they actually gave him the managerial title as a reward for choosing the all-too-familiar short-sighted path of least resistance…this is why he shouldn’t be retained as manager and this is likewise why sacking the manager won’t solve our problems
No, something is wrong with Arteta’s footballing philosophy. This can be seen in his skewed judgement of player’s abilities, childish man management, over management on the sidelines and playing with fear. I’m not sure if this can ever be rectified with experience. As the coach ,said in Remember the Titans, ” Let them play, Let the boys play, coach” or thereabouts.
Bring in bielsa … it took him 2 games to work out how useless nketiah is … yet there he was in the closing minutes of a must win game adding nothing but hapless fouls … sacking arteta won’t solve everything that is wrong with the club but keeping him will guarantee mid table football add infinitum … when the facts change people should be honest enough to change their minds .. I was happy to give arteta a chance … club history plus learning under gaurdiola seemed hopeful combo after a year it was obvious that his football culture had been cultivated under moyes and in decling wenger years and he’d learnt nothing from pep … the latest round of excuses that there are deep problems in the club doesn’t excuse artetas obvious weaknesses which can be addressed by finding a better manager of which there are plenty
I like Bielsa.One of my customers is the Grandad of one of the Leeds players and he loves Bielsa.He made the Leeds players go out litter picking so they would know what some people have to do to earn a wage to buy a ticket.There may be an issue with his lack of English though .
John, there should be far more of what Bielsa implemented at Leeds United with his players. Professional footballers on the whole have lost touch with the supporters, who part with their hard earnt wages to follow their club. The days are long gone since Ian Wright worked as a plasterer to support his family until he made it at Crystal Palace.
I don’t know why some people are still defending Arteta. A real and genuine arsenal fan would definitely demand for his sack.
That’s absolutely correct!
Make Brendan Rogers an offer he can’t refuse. He would certainly take us to the top 4 and with his keen eye for the right players even win us the EPL. We should begin our process to hire him soon. Arteta is a ‘False Messiah’, and just because he was a Arsenal player means little in reality. This year has produced the most boring, impotent football I have seen at Arsenal.
I could live with Rogers. In fact, I would like that.
Some suggest we should wait till the beginning of next season and that Arteta will be given 10 games to show progress. But that is so dumb. Which top manager is going to leave his jib to come to London after the season has started. This is the time to hire a new manager not after the next season has started. Neither Rogers, nor Ten Hag would leave their current clubs after the season just started.
Sticking with Arteta is just fooling ourselves. Last season we blamed Emery for leaving the club in mid-table. Arteta bought 6 players and acquired 2 players on loan, but still the club is languishing in mid-table. No European competition next season, after being knocked out by the most hated manager in Emirates. No improvement in the club
I think Arteta’s incompetent handling of the two europa cup semi final legs has actually done us a favour. I think I would much rather be humiliated by ‘goodha ebening” than that lot at Man U in the final. Can you imagine what the scoreline would be had we come up against them in the final in the current form that they are in and with Arteta trying to be a tactical genius (not) with another copied idea from Guardiola.
At least our low expectations have not been falsely raised and then given a right smashing in a final against those ‘surrey united’ lot 🙂
I just hope that Arteta does the decent thing and continues his ineptitude in the last few games so that we as fans don’t have to endure the humiliation of qualifying for the European Conference League. I mean can you imagine living through that next season. Talk about laughing stock. And don’t anybody mention an opportunity for the kids to get experience.
We need Arteta to do what he is good at and lose the next few games or I am cancelling my season ticket. Come on West Brom. Come on Big Sam! 🙂
I agree with you to some extent that sacking Arteta only will not make any difference. If we are overhauling, then Arteta has to go too. He is contaminated and a failure himself! He must go along with other contaminated players. And that’s what I call clean up. He is just too self-conceited to even know our problem on the pitch and how we can solve them technically. Arsenal is not an academy to train coaches! We can’t afford to lose our glory just because we pity Arteta. He must go too otherwise the circle begins even with set of new players.
Not while we have got players with no heart in playing for Arsenal. Where are the Vierias Adams Bercamps and Wrights ?
If they played for Arsenal now, Arteta would send them on loan. Can’t have “leadership” within the team; they may question.