Something has to change if Arsenal are going to get into the Top Four

Arsenal again demonstrated that when it gets to squeaky bum time in April/May they are likely to lack the composure needed to get over the line and finish in the top 4.

On another day Lacazette doesn’t miss a sitter, but that’s harder to accept when you remember our manager has been freezing Aubameyang and Pepe out of the team.

Neither could have played this weekend, but the assumption was that with Auba last starting in the League at the start of December and Pepe all the way back in the October, Arteta had long enough to plan alternatives.

It’s no good him bemoaning our lack of quality on Sunday, when it was his choice to leave our attacking options to two strikers out of contract this summer, one of whom wouldn’t get a game at the majority of the topflight clubs.

As a former player himself he should know how unrealistic it is to pretend to Gooners that he truly feels a few youngsters can handle the pressure of being responsible for being the sole creative outlet.

It’s a weight that has proved too heavy this past month with the Gunners going 4 consecutive fixtures without scoring. In those occasions we looked short of ideas and imagination.

Crossing the ball constantly against Burnley who love heading the ball is cowardly.

Perhaps the biggest misconception among our fan base is; while you’re patting the club on the back for not being afraid to drop established names, it only makes sense if you have higher quality to replace them with.

A coach’s job is getting the best out of the resources he has. By now it’s clear that who we have will not be good enough to qualify for the Champions League, so either buy someone better or think about integrating Auba back into the squad.

To carry on paying him to sit at home seems to only benefit those who care about slashing our wage bill.

Seeing cost-cutting while the team fail to meet even their most basic targets is unacceptable, and yet some of our supporters have backed this.

No wins in 5, no goals in 4, no Europe, out of both Cups and yet a fanbase who accept the bare minimum. I know that I’ll be called names now for being negative for bemoaning 6th.

Just think about that.

Some forced out the greatest manger in our history for ‘only finishing 4th’ just to sit there 4 years later and accept 6th.

It’s funny how Spurs and Man United fans have complained about their League positions while ours don’t?

We know what we have at moment won’t get us in top 4, so let’s change something while we can.

If we stay the same, then Edu can no longer pretend we have any ambition.

Be Kind in The Comments

Dan Smith

Arsenal 0-0 Burnley Arteta Post Match Press Conference – “We didn’t have the quality”

Tags Arteta Burnley

127 Comments

  1. If MA can’t make top 4 this season then he never will. I say this for 2 reasons:

    – teams like Spurs and ManU have been having relatively poor seasons, at least 1 of them will be better next season

    – we have had less games than all our competitors, this won’t be the case next season

    As much as we need players I wouldn’t give the cheque book rookie a cent more until the end of the season, we are not Man City and can’t just keep buying every window. I’d keep the transfer kitty and go big at the end of the season with either MA if he ends top 4 or a new manager. Also MA and Edu have not done their homework on incoming players otherwise we would have had 1 done deal at least for the 1st team.

    1. + if Newcastle stay up they’ll sign a lot of quality players making them a contender in a year or 2 making top 4 even more competitive.

      1. Exactly PJSA, you nailed it. The league is getting tougher each year with new owners, new investments (Newcastle) and more difficult/complicated to predict. Teams who have had the right foundations are doing well now – The top 3. Teams with big egoistic players/characters are fighting for 3-6th. One season wonders like LC, Wolves, WHU keep coming every season to fall apart the next season are are considered irritants in the current campaign.
        Lucky for us we have Mikel who is setting the foundations right for future success. Getting rid of rotten attitudes, lazy, lethargic, mediocre players and hiring the right ones – the process has started and will continue into the summer window.
        Our points tally after 21 games
        2001/02 season – 40 points
        2011/12 season – 36 points
        2021/22 season – 36 points
        Why the hue and cry?
        When it was a 2 horse race (MU/AFC) , we had 4 points more. We have the same points today as what we had when it was a 3 horse race (MC/MU/AFC)
        My advice to the detractors is to stay calm, support the club, the manager, the hardworking players and boo (no abuse please) the over payed, over hyped, social media savvy, mediocre ones.

        1. Comparing points tallies cannot be done like this as there are many variables, like more teams competing as you say so it’s not that simple.

          I will always support the club first and foremost before supporting a specific manager. Do I want MA to do well, of course because that’s good for the club. Do I want to keep MA at the expensive of AFC progressing….well no.

          MA has steadied the club well and has signed some good and some bad players. I believe it’s not time for an experienced manager to come and push us the last bit of the way as I just can’t see MA getting us to top 4 and more importantly keeping us there.

          1. True PJSA.
            The problem with a rookie is not just that they must learn on the job, but also you don’t know what their ceiling is. Maybe Arteta has peaked already? We just don’t know if he will ever be capable of taking Arsenal, or any other team, to the EPL title.
            – He inherited a poor side and a club in turmoil
            – He HAS improved both the team and infrustructure, but perhaps not hugely
            – He has had 2 years. Longer than most other managers at under-achieving clubs are given
            – He HAS been given substantial funds – perhaps not enough to buy success at the very highest level but still a lot of money – should we expect more than we have had for that cash?
            – He has bought some excellent prospects but shipped out Guendouzi, Saliba, Mavro, all of whom are pulling up trees elsewhere. Is he a bad man-manager, a bad or too harsh judge of players?
            And how long do we wait until we decide if an Arteta team will ultimately progress to an acceptable level for most of us ie to join the Big Three?
            Darned if I know!

            1. I agree with what you say except I don’t think he inherited poor side. I also don’t think he has improved the team talent and tactical wise. Attitudewise, perhaps!

              1. Hi HH! I kind of meant attitude wise. Not that all were bad players – there were some on paper better than the unproven kids he has now, but they weren’t performing and not just since MA came.

            2. Give him one season Guy. I really see progress so far as dead woods are being replaced. The new signings are doing badly either. You can see how improved our defense is as compared to other seasons. The only problem the team has now is lacking someone who can score at lease 20 goals a season. I don’t know what’s wrong with Auba. Believe me if we had taken half our chances this season, we would have been above Chelsea. Am not saying this because I’m a gooner, it’s just the fact.

              1. @Soccer boy, a comment by Balogun’s agent just came to mind when you mention that we need a 20 goal/season striker, he (agent) asked “which striker has improved or doing well playing under Arteta?” – I’m paraphrasing but I hope you get the picture.

        2. How you love to contradict yourself LC!!!
          When trying to protect MA, you say the PL gets tougher every season – then completely ignore that fact with regards to AW and UE while they were in charge!!

          Tell me why you think it was only a two horse race when AW and AF were battling it out?
          Could it be they were the two best managers with the two best teams??
          A little like city and pool wouldn’t you say?
          I notice you left Chelsea out of your reasoning – you know, the club that suddenly has enough Russian roubles to buy the title.

          The difference being that AW wasn’t being bankrolled, but kept us in the top four, while over £300,000,000 has been spent since he left…for what?
          The kind of display we saw yesterday… and all of January come to that?

          1. The 8-2 was much worse for me Ken, followed by the 6-0, 5-0s, 4-4. The players are just regaining match fitness after Covid, Partey & Xhaka were absent, AMN was never a successful MF (even big Sam said it), so we were left with the young Sambi in the middle of the park.
            What if, what if Laca had score those 2 golden chances? No wonder Mikel is so desperate to sign a striker, even Costa would do any minute over Laca. The man just won the title with AM.
            Roman took over CFC in 2003, my stats were for the same week 20 years back in 2001/2 season.
            AW and Sir AF were definitely the best two managers THEN and I keep repeating that as we heap praises on his achievements, we should acknowledge his failures led to our downfall.
            As for the investments made by AW, some days back Fairfan posted a comment with detailed transfer expenditure which is an excellent read, to expose AW as he played the victim card over transfers, when it was either his stupidity or stubbornness not to hire the right talent at the required time.

            1. I also smile when you mention the 8-2 drubbing etc…. what you fail to recognise (why I don’t know) is that, no matter how many defeats you put forward, we still finished in the top four and/or won the fa cup /charity shield AND the same goes for all the “dross” you care to mention… we always finished in the top four and/or won the fa cup, until his final season.

              Then, of course, we finished 6th and were knocked out in the 3rd round…. Time for him to go – MA last season finished 8th and out of the fa cup in the 4th round.

              Now after spending £250,000,000 and moving out the “dross” we are currently 7th and knocked out of the fa cup in the 3rd round… so tell me, what actually has happened that you believe is progress and what style of football would you describe we are playing?

              1. KEN you love the word “dross” and use it constantly.

                FAR MORE THAN I EVER DID WHEN RIGHTlY TALKING ABOUT WENGERS MANY BAD BUYS, NEARLY ALL IN DEFENCE IN HIS LATTER PERIOD.

                1. Jon, it was YOU who used the word to describe players and it was YOU who used the word “dullards” to describe fans with a different view to you.
                  It was YOU who wished ill of AW and it was YOU who lambasted him and his players with 99% of your posts… now you criticise those who question MA and say they should be supporting the manager and his players!!!

                  Talk about calling the kettle black!!!!

                  1. Ken I merely mentioned how often YOU use the word dross. Which is thr entire subject of my post and no other matter at all.
                    I also use it but not nearly as often as you do. I should be flattered that you choose to copy me and even overcopy me, I suppose, as you clearly have no other words of your own to use in place of “dross”!

              2. Ken, if I put a smile on your face, then I made my day! (Just joking) I have said umpteen number of times that Wenger had some success when it was a two horse race and failed ever after CFC joined the party. Then top 4 was a cake walk or should I say a catwalk? When others improved he fell out of top 4.Even Claudio Ranieri outsmarted him to the title with no stellar names! With the rubbish he signed, we dropped to 15th and Mikel brought us to 8th! Your only saving grace are the cups, because if the opposition had a bad day, the other does win. Mikel spent quarter of a billion and we are fighting 4th, Wenger spent billions and got what in return?10M participation fee from the UCL. Prof of good economics, eh?

                1. Dropped to 15th – we were never bottom and in relegation battles were we?

                  As I say, always finished in the top 4 abd/or cups bar one season… his last.
                  I can see why you find it so hard to accept the facts, as it means you will have to admit you were wrong.
                  Do you realise that even during the season we lost 8-2, come the final placings, we finished 4th with a +25 goal difference?
                  Show some respect for our greatest ever manager and I won’t have to keep reminding you of the facts.

          1. Madam, they are a one season wonder. This season they will return to their normal position in the league.

  2. I think it’s pretty obvious what change is needed .
    We have a good set of players so hopefully the club gets someone in at the end of the season to take them to the next lvl ,because Arteta is definitely not that man .

    1. MA has run out of ideas…..The way Klopp praises Martinelli,he knows that he could do a better job on him than what he is currently seeing.MA cannot bring out the best in our young players.He and Edu need to be replaced.We won’t make top 4 this season.The team needs it most prolific striker leading the line again and it isn’t Lacazette.Its a shame we can do better but MA chooses to limit us to our current striking options.

  3. I think all English referees, 4th officials and the idiots who man the VAR should be shot. They are a disgrace

  4. Top 6 is the realistic goal.
    None of the pundits predicted top 4 for Arsenal.
    After the 0-3 start 99.999% of the Arsenal fans on this site wrote Arsenal’s season off some even said we would be relegated. After the 5-0 defeat at the Etihad only one fan kept the faith and said top 4 was possible. That genius was Fair Fan.

    1. The top 4/5/6/7/8 battle between Man U Arsenal Spurs Westham and Wolves will all come down to who is signed in the window, fixture congestion via covid and just as crucially who can hold their nerve. Managers must ignore the hysterical fans who view every minor set back as the end of the world. The Manager must know that all other clubs will drop points too all clubs will have players unavailable through injury covid + suspension. I saw our draw against Burnley as a point gained as both Westham and Spurs lost. Over on the Spurs sites they are in meltdown saying their season is over they can’t make top 4 they need a complete squad overhaul. United fans have been raging all season and both clubs have sacked managers already. So the key is to just keep taking it one game at a time. We have the least congestion. We also need to make one key decision. Do we continue to try and get a tune out of PAL Pepe Auba and Lacazette or bring forward a summer purchase of a striker and a midfielder. Next week will be interesting. COYG

      1. Dan don’t even bother mate…..most on the forum have just stopped replying to the bait….read and move on.

  5. Wenger was on a downward slide since the late 2000s. Arsenal should have tried to land Guardiola or Klopp when they had the chance. Kroenke is a good property owner but an underachieving club owner in the UK and US. And Arteta is and always will be a second-tier manager. And he is still learning on the job. Piers Morgan is right. And why send Maitland-Niles out on loan? Or spend precious transfer funds on the likes of Guendouzi and Saliba so they can languish in the French league. Until we get a top-flight manager, improve our selection process, and establish a winning mentality, the top four will be no more than a flight of fancy.

    1. “Arteta is and always will be a second-tier manager“ absolute ridiculous statement, for he’s first job as a manager he doing well ish, in one of the biggest clubs in the world…early days I know, but I’m sure Klopp got a team relegated in he’s early days?🤔 I thought I herd….. the winning mentality statement,I do agree with👍

  6. It’s pretty obvious nothing has changed at all, the moment we have a chance to improve on our position up the table we completely f***k up. Anyway Arteta knows best, let’s sit back and re-watch this movie all over again.

  7. With Ten Hag probably going.to Man United, we are left without a realistic replacement for Arteta. They have alI moved on and I doubt that anybody sees Arteta as the right man for us any more. If they are honest can anyone see Arteta as the man leading us to glory? No! I still believe Brendan Rogers would change us immediately. Every other big club has recognised reality and are making moves to reach the summit, getting the best. The Burnley match was the clearest proof Arteta is not the ‘man’. In truth we have fallen apart over the last few games and it’s not nice to watch. You would have to be blind not to notice that, two years down the line, it is just not working for Arteta. Something must be done now. Artetaball just cannot work. It is the same now as it was two years ago. Stuck!

    1. Christophe Galtier from Nice would be my personal
      choice. What he accomplished while managing
      Lille during his tenure was remarkable (Ligue 1
      champions last year) and he currently has Nice in
      2nd place after years of languishing in the middle
      of the Ligue 1 pack. His success, experience and
      connections to the assembly line of young French
      talent would make him perfect for the AFC job.

      His managerial CD for those who are unfamiliar with
      the Frenchmen

      In December 2009, Galtier was appointed the head
      coach of Saint-Étienne, with ASSE in danger of
      relegation following the departure of Alain Perrin.
      In his first season, Galtier successfully guided ASSE
      to safety, finishing in 17th place. ASSE finished in the
      top 10 of Ligue 1 in the seven consecutive seasons of
      Galtier’s tenure, with 4 of those seasons ending in a
      European place. In 2013, ASSE defeated Rennes to
      win the Coupe de la Ligue, their first trophy in 32 years.

      On 9 May 2017, Galtier announced he would be
      leaving Saint-Étienne at the end of the season upon
      the expiration of his contract.[5] At that moment he
      was the longest serving Ligue 1 manager still active,
      having taken the reins for eight years.[6]

      On 22 December 2017, Galtier became the new
      manager of Lille, who were at the 18th place in the
      league, however, they eventually avoided relegation
      places by one point in the 2017–18 season. In the
      2018–19 season, he led Lille to finish second and
      qualify for the next Champions League season, after a
      seven-year absence.

      During the 2020–21 season, Galtier guided Lille to
      their first Ligue 1 title in 10 years and the fourth in club
      history. Galtier was praised by many pundits over the
      course of the season for both his tactics and his ability
      to develop young talent including Jonathan David,
      Renato Sanches, and Mike Maignan. For his efforts,
      Galtier was named the Ligue 1 Manager of the Year
      for a third time.[On 25 May 2021, two days after
      winning the league title, he resigned as manager.
      He stated: “I simply have the deep belief that my time
      is up here.”

      1. ACE

        Great résumé for Galtier. Can he do it in the EPL? An unknown. May be a risky call. I still rate Brendan Rogers who is still waiting for his big league winning side in the EPL. He could do it at Arsenal. He is a man manager unlike Mikel Arteta and his slow backwards, ponderous Artetaball. He micro-manages, OCD touchine stalking, frenzied, demented behaviour and who has sent away Saliba, Guendouzi and Mavropanos. Arteta’s ego vs those three players. It’s like putting three jewels in a car boot sale.

      2. You could say the same for Ragnick.
        Look at him now.

        Although one could say Ragnick does not know how to handle big egos from what I’ve observed. But still.

    2. I can see Arteta leading us to glory, to answer your question Sean w. But it’s not going to be done instantly like he did the fa cup. Trust the process. Everyone is praising Chelsea’s coach and forgetting how much he’s been backed with.
      There is no surety that he’s going to win any silver this season. Minus Mendy and re-born Rudiger, Chelsea would have been below us on the table. You can check their stats how many 1-0 wins they have had this season, plus lucky penalties awarded to them in dying minutes of the games.

  8. We didn’t win yesterday because we had Lacazette as striker. Top striker would’ve buried at least one of the chances he had yesterday It’s not the first time Laca has missed chances. I remember last season when we had that 7-8 game winningless run, Laca missed absolute sitters game after game.

    And this all falls on our manager obviously. It was clear from last summer that we need a forward to rely on.

    Now it’s less than a week left in this window which Arsenal has spent chasing a forward WHO DOES NOT WANT TO JOIN US.

    Its going to go panic mode again.

      1. Well, Laca replacing Auba was correct in my opinion. But that doesn’t mean either of them should’ve been the first choice striker when the season started..

      2. We know laca’s faults, but he gets us to play well – we did have enough chances to win yesterday, beyond just the ones he missed himself. We might have lost that game if auba was playing instead – he’s been useless for ages, Sue.
        Bottom line: we’re miles better with laca than Auba, but that doesn’t mean we’re good

        1. I wasn’t saying we’re better with Auba, only some were making out as though Laca was to be our saviour! Hasn’t exactly worked out that way has it? Which is why we’re in desperate need of a new striker! Mikel, Edu anyone!! The clock is ticking..

          40th home PL game for Arteta yesterday. – 10th time we’ve failed to score. – 20th time we’ve scored under 2 goals. #AFC (For context Unai Emery’s Arsenal failed to score at home just ONCE during his reign)

          Interesting…

          1. So sorry Sue, but facts won’t serve you here. Have you accounted for the Arteta metric curve?
            1. Deadwood players from previous managers
            2. Oil baron competition clubs
            3. Transfer Market is hard
            4. Artetaball
            5. No Europen football
            6. It’s only been 2 years, can’t expect anyone to have a style of play after ONLY 2 years in charge.

          2. I’ve been about as vocal as anyone in saying that laca should be starting for us only because I believe he’s by far the best we have – he’s been here for years, so we know what he’s capable of and we know his shortcomings. I’m much happier watching us play like that than I was when he wasnt getting in the team, even if we don’t always get the result we want.
            He’s a good player but we all know we need a new striker, and auba needs to go.

  9. No judgement here as I am really disappointed with January, but a couple of stats taken from “Only Arsenal”. The first illustrates that during his tenure Arteta tends to finish the season better than he starts it, and on the “league tables don’t lie” basis of judgement popular with so many, we are still on an upward curve:
    19/20 21 games 27 pts 10 place. Final 8th (up 2)
    20/21 21 games 31 pts 10 place. Final 8th (up 2)
    21/22 21 games 36 pts 6 place. Final 4th??????
    On the victimisation of Arsenal scenario –
    Discipline this season:
    1st Leeds 58Y 1R
    4th Man Utd 44Y 2R
    16th Arsenal 30Y 2R
    So we are not even close to being either the dirtiest or the most victimised team in the EPL. More likely we don’t notice other team’s cards, and that ours occur at the wrong times to the wrong people – all the more obvious because our first team squad is so thin.
    So I guess all is not quite as gloomy as many of us feel it is this morning!

    1. Add to that, the distraction of Ozil, the utter uselessness of a few players, high profile managers turned down the offer due to the toxic dressing room, not one of the detractors talk of this, only cry out each day about Mikel. Sometimes I ponder if these are real fans or some fellas from the neighbouring estate unhappy to see us improve – slowly and steadily.

      1. True LC
        I was one of the fans that thought losing AMN was not an issue, but I was naiive enough to think that there was a decent replacement was in the pipeline already – a basic mistake by Arteta that has cost us dearly. Not that AMN will ever be top class, but having him would have allowed us to play Ode as an AM not a CM, that Laca wouldn’t then be isolated, and our quick attacking link ups wouldn’t became distant memories.
        These are kids. They are learning, inconsistant, veering from euphoria to despair easily. Fans fawning over them a month ago are now saying we shouldn’t have bought them. They need to learn patience, tactical nous, bulk up, they need more time and more teammates. 4th place came too soon, quite honestly, because expectations from fans became demands, and pressure got to them. My issues are with Arteta’s over-ambitious January transfer plans and infatuation with buying two players in particular, not with our kids.

      1. Oops! thats the stats apparently from the official EPL site at the weekend – sorry folks I should both check my sources like a proper writer and do my own thinking before pasting stuff. A prime example of why I don’t quote stats often!
        Sorry Pat et al…

    2. Not that I want to make an argument that refs are biased against us, but the raw numbers of yellow/red cards aren’t really relevant – it only matters how many were undeserved and how many we got away with, relative to other teams. A dirty team might make 100 fouls per game but if there was bias on their favour, they’d only be called up on some fraction of them, so you wouldn’t see it in the raw numbers. It’s always going to be somewhat subjective.

      1. well break it down , which reds were undeserved
        Paretys- correct
        Xakha against City – correct
        Gabriel against City – correct

  10. Obviously disappointing that we couldn’t convert one of our many chances to get a one nil win which would have put us back in 4th but we did pick up a point over West Ham and Spurs so could have been a better weekend but could have been worse

    We are still in the top 4 argument, we will have better selection options for the Wolves game and are capable of getting a result there, we still have to play play West Ham, ManU and Spurs so have opportunities to compete with our current main rivals for 4th, I remain optimistic and have confidence in the current players and Manager who all continue to have my support

      1. We’ve never been that kind of club though Daniel – we tried it once with Emery and probably let him go too soon. We don’t and probably never will use the Chelsea model – you need serious funds behind you to pay off managers and then supply the cash you promised for the elite new guys to buy their dream teams.
        And you can only be talking about Arteta – because he has been pilloried for setting standards for the players – Auba, Guendouzi, Ozil etc…
        Different managers suit different clubs and scenarios. It’s very rare that even the top managers succeed at every club – Ancellotti, Van Gaal, Mourinho etc.

        1. I more meant as a fan base
          Instead of us accepting it why are we not saying simply this is not good enough ?

          1. Many fans are Dan. We all slither down that slope regularly with Arteta – then suddenly we have a few decent games and we get confused again.
            Bottom line is though, no matter how much fans moan, unless we stay away from the ground we have no really say.

        2. Guy, exactly: Emery set standards and wasn’t backed and sacked.
          Arteta is coated in Teflon, breaking the wrong records with no ramifications.

    1. Agree Fingers – we are still in with a shout. January was a disaster, and a big part of that is with Arteta for taking a chance on AMN and insisting on going for two difficult players to obtain in a January window. But to an extent it’s what young teams do while developing – good game bad game, rinse and repeat, with hopefully the plateau slowly getting higher.
      With players back and maybe additions, all we need is a confidence boost to the kids and another good run. It’s 5th place for me.

    2. I’m with you FingersFurnell. People fail to know at some point even the best team will loose to any team in the premier league. Southampton 1 Man city 0. I don’t think City fans whined as much as we did 0-0 vs Burnley. Burley also drew with Chelsea 1-1 on November 6, 2020. That was early this season.

      1. They don’t finish outside the top 4 though and don’t consistently play poorly
        Eg, in the last month Forest , Liverpool, Burnley
        If that happened at City or Chelsea of course they react

  11. As l have said before,Edu continues to show his incompetence, while, Arteta has not managed an appropriate players rotation, mainly,because of the quality in the squad depth.Because,when offers were made for some of the fringe players,Edu was playing hard ball,instead of accepting the cash and moving them on ,which would,thereby,reduce the wage bill, make space for new players and having funds to help buy better quality players, he failed miserably in the negotiations. Arsenal definitely needs a quality striker,but,if Vlahovic does not want to join,it is time to move on to another. Both Arthur Cabral and Julian Alvarez are available options now. Appoint Odegaard as captain and Arsenal stand the chance of getting Haaland in the summer.

  12. The only thing that can change to get us top 4 is the manager, the owner will not do that, he doesnt understand football and more importantly the premier league, he has shown that since he became the owner. We WILL NOT GET TOP 4 our manager is clearly not capable that is plainly obvious to the unblind since he has been here. We are not clever enough and we dont play the correct way.

    1. When you think of it, our owner has spent VAST amounts of money in the past few years.

      Also, we have LOST vast amounts of money on hiring the wrong people to work for the club.

      1. Correct Dajuhi, he has ploughed his money into Arteta blindly and as you say, the recruitment has been pretty underwhelming. We dont seen to be innovative or able to get an improvement in what we do.

    2. You summed exactly what is wrong with us which is we don’t play the correct way. I watched our game and liverpool’s simultaneously and the attitude in game plan is different. While they went for goal every time they had the ball we kept back passing and rotating the ball in circles. Before someone tells me these has to do with the experience in the dugout, no it is not. Arteta setting the up the team against Burnley the same way the did against liverpool showed it is not up to the task and he needs to go before he does more damage. Even Palace gave more fight to liverpool than we did and they were unlucky to concede a penalty otherwise that match would or could have ended draw.

    3. Certainly agree with the first part Reggie – we are a naiive team with a naiive manager. We could have perhaps coped with an influx of young talent if we had any streetwise leaders in the team or even if MA was a wily old manager. But we have neither. The players will eventually mature but will Arteta?
      I actally like the pressing style we are learning, but as I said before it needs 11 good players in the correct positions. Take even one out of their best position and it looks horrendous. Throw in the total lack of any other system being coached or used regardless of opposition and it’s an accident waiting to happen every week.

      1. Agree Guy and Adiva, why the kronks have chosen unproven Edu and Arteta to throw money at and stick by blindly is baffling. But so are the decisions to bin decent young talent off so easily and let other teams reap the benefits while we pay top dollar for similar replacements who haven’t in all honestly done any better than who they replaced.

        1. I think the top brass at Arsenal are too clever by half. By appointing an inexperienced manager they have attempted to kill many birds with one stone!
          1. Cheaper option and definitely more likely to work as per diktats from above than a proven experienced manager
          2. Use the inexperience to buy more time from the fan base. Who would want to grudge a rookie manager those additional few years when he is “rebuilding” the team
          3. Lower the fan expectations. Again goes with no. 2
          If nothing works, they will fire him after another year and restart the project with someone else.
          These boardroom guys are more suited to politics than running a club like Arsenal.

  13. From my keen observation,player management & poor planning is one of Arteta’s greatest problems. Getting rid of lazy players, better defence, reducing unnecessary wage bill is a big plus to Mikel Arteta. We ve had 14 red cards since Arteta came on board. Worst in the history of AFC…MA had all the time to take proactive actions to get alternative due to AFCON and the striker issues taking cognizant of the unforseen. Imagine if Lacazette has ACL injury which ends his season or Tomiyasu while Auba is frozen as we all know Nketiah is not good enough. Just look at the colossal damage of Emile Smith Rowe not been fit in couple of weeks now. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Xhaka is a walking red card; if we end up in 6th position by May., we are lucky.

  14. FOR ANY FAN, LET ALONE DAN, to kid himself that having Auba back in the team will suddenly increase our goals tally is beyond belief. This character has obviously long since effectively retired , just as Ozil did , on full pay while still under contract and is stringing some unthinking fans along.

    But not our manager, who has had the sense to sideline this idle playboy. Thankfully!

      1. Very true but neither is he the club’s highest earner with an historic goal scoring ability. Fairfan would probably describe both as the deadwood that have to go at the end of the season

        1. So you bring in someone better don’t you
          You don’t go ‘ hes rubbish so lets send him home and have someone worse’
          What kind of job do you know that works like that

            1. Agree 100% and Jon seems to have forgotten that MA actually gave him a three year contract worth, reportedly, £300.000 a week plus and now praises him for sidelining this idle playboy – that’s what I call seriously weird praising Jon and it will cost us roughly how much Jon?
              As a realist, I believe MA might have made a little error there, wouldn’t you say?

              1. also just to remind people , Aubameyang is still getting paid
                making him sit at home makes zero difference so if we are not getting rid just as well use him if we have nothing better

              2. Unsurprisingly for a lifelong truth teller I AGREE 100% WITH YOUR COMMENT ON THAT CONTRACT KEN. I have never argued otherwise. It was a clear mistake similar to the massive one made with Ozils contract and we are now paying the price for this foolishness.

                But where you and I differ Ken, old chum, is that I believe in playing the cards from where they lie RIGHT NOW and not wasting too much time discussing past mistakes, as they are history.

                We need to rectify this mistake which is far from being ONLY a financial one but is also a team one , as no half hearted tryer should ever be offered a new contract, whether Auba, Ozil or Walcott.

                Auba has never been a hard worker in our shirt, even when still scoring regularly. Unlike so many and seemingly you too, I completely reject the right of ANY LAZY AND UNPRODUCTIVE player to remain wearing our shirt.

                I have been firm on this all my long adult life and it is a core principle on which I WILL NEVER COMPPROMISE

                So I DO blame MA for not learning from the Ozil contract error and for giving the ridiculous contract to Auba. That almost all fans also wanted it a the time is completely beside the point, as fans do NOT run our team but the manager does.
                I have also never tried to deny that MA has made many mistakes while learning how to manage us.

                But all things considered, I firmly believe he remains the only contender to keep the job and I truly believe he will soon accept a contract extension and I am glad of that.

                You see Ken, YOU HAVE NEVER ACCPETED THE HUGE MESS WE WERE LEFT IN AT WENGERS DEPARTURE, BUT I ALWAYS HAVE, despite our FA CUP win two years after he left with mostly poor players

                A cup win is not a title and alters nothing fundamentally , though it is still an honour to be treasured, but is not a reason – as you have many times attempted to argue – that the squad Wenger left behind is superior to now.

                It was markedly inferior to todays squad and he left us in chaos.

                1. Jon and this is a genuine question
                  If this squad is so much better then the one he inherited why is it still failing ?

                  1. BECAUSE Dan , it is not deep enough. We have a very good frst eleven when all properly fit but not enough quality squad back up.
                    SO MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN WASTED BY AW, UE AND MA too on poor players.
                    But since last summer, the marked change of policy towards young and often homegrown players has shown a a clear way forward.
                    But we still have dross from Wengers and Emerys time to shift, AND some from the early part of MA. THAT TAKES TIME, AS PATIENT FANS , WHICH EXCLUDES YOU, fully understand.
                    Most of the fundamental disagreememnt between you and those who want MA out stem from impatience, whereas those on my side understand that all fans of all clubs, at times in their development, need patience and to give managers a proper chance.
                    Or we end up like Watford with a new manager almost monthly. Your supporters seem to wish a Watford on us, as happened with United, post Fergie and look where that led!.

                    I say you need to grow up and adopt patience and learn not to behave like two year olds who demand what they want and demand it now.

                    Life does not work that way but you will never accept that truth.

                    1. I respect your opinion Jon
                      I don’t want Arteta out as much as I have zero faith under the Koronke banner
                      I simply though can’t say that 8th, 8th and what I seen this season is improvement

                2. Strange argument about not dwelling on the past and then using a mess of 5 years ago to justify keeping arteta on …
                  The point is that even a one eyed truth teller should be able to see that the quality of the football delivered by arteta is substandard for a club of our stature and that a proper manager would be able to get more out of the current squad even with its current weaknesses … I believe you are mixing up your qualities with that of a fortune teller which is an altogether different animal … colourful for sure but rarely accurate!

                  1. Glad you spotted the flaw in Jon’s OH SO REASONABLE explanation RW1.
                    The problem Jon has, is he forgets what he writes and gets muddled up.
                    Jo n, your still going on about Wenger’s “dross”, but how many play when MA has his full strength team to select from?
                    Xhaka? Arteta’s number one selection.
                    Lacazette? Wants him to sign a new contract.
                    Aubemeyang? Not actually a Wenger signing, but awarded him THAT contract anyway.

                    So Jon, how do you explain the dire results in January and why on earth are we sending players out on loan, when we can’t field a team to compete in the NLD and haven’t signed anyone to replace those loaned out players?

    1. We have gone from a position of strength to a position of free fall in three weeks. Some of the decision making in that time was very questionable and our season looks to be going south. I think no wins in the last 5 is it and not scoring in the last 4 means, i have no confidence of any other outcome but over. From where we were Europa league would be a failure and for this club a waste because we have none of that to distract us and we cant get any consistency, so i see no improvement coming.

      1. Everton , Forrest , Liverpool , Burnley
        a young squad with zero leadership .
        Logically they are not going to suddenly change with 13 games to go and wake up with this brand new mentality

    2. by that logic Spurs should be happy with their season just because they have a mathematical chance of the top 4 ?
      There is nothing wrong with looking at the players we have , the style of play and saying its not good enough

    3. Don’t worry Dboy, they will come around as soon as we put together 4-5 positive results. Some fans are like kids . You buy new toy they dance and sing your praises. But they lose one, you become their worse parent. Three straight wins, Arteta is the answer. One loss, one draw Arteta out! Like someone said, 13 more games to go. If we win 8 of them , we will be in the champions league next season.

      1. Not all fans
        Some have been consistent that we simply lack enough experience to win the big games
        Hence …we lost twice to City , Liverpool , Man U , Chelsea , even the atmosphere of Goodison and City ground proved too much
        We won 11 out of 21 of games but now you predict we will 8 out of 13
        Based on what ?
        Take away they are called Arsenal , what have you seen that makes you predict that

  15. This constant negativity is mindblowingly awful!

    MA might not be the best manager out there, but I’m glad he’s OUR manager. Why? Because I don’t think any of the very best that I would like to see at Arsenal (f. e. Guardiola, Klopp) will ever come.

    Do I want a Conte? No, I don’t think his style of play fits out club. Do I want a Tuchel? Not really! Do I want Poch? Certainly not! I’d rather have a Graham Potter someday … but the so called big name managers don’t even think about coming to us. So why bother?

    Wenger’s reign lasted for 22 years. Since he’s gone Arsenal is in a state of transition. Everyone can see that. But still too many of the so called fans moan around.

    Let’s be honest: When MA came to our beloved club most of our players were not good enough! It’s as simple as that. Everyone knows that this team was no quick fix. And to build HIS Arsenal-team MA needs at least 3-4 full transfer windows. At least!!!

    This is his second. I don’t count summer/winter 20. Covid year. That was painful for everyone – all we could do was bring in Partey. No one could buy (except Chelsea). And no one could sell. Last summer was the first real window MA had when the owners backed him. And the players he brought in with Edu are wonderful! And we can see that this winter window is difficult. MA & Edu want specific players, players they believe will push us further. And I’m glad they insist that the quality has to be right. We don’t need average quality players. I don’t want to see us buy players like Kolasinac, Cedric or Elneny ever again.

    MA & Edu always said that they have a plan. They just don’t spell the details out publicly. Which is understandable. But in the meantime everyone should be able to see what they are trying to do. And what they try to do is good. Are there flaws? Of course there are! But it will get better. The squad is thin, needs to be bolstered, but that will happen in good time.

    Can we reach Top 4. Why not? But if we won’t I will not cry for MA to leave. This is another transition year. The season 22/23 is the first real season I will rate MA as a manager of HIS Arsenal team. And I am pretty sure we will challenge for the title again in 23/24!

    1. what possible evidence is there that will challenge for the title in two years ?
      its one of the worst team we have had in the prem era

      1. Plus, what players on show against Burnley were not his players… including the ones he’s promoted from Hales End?
        Time to wake up and smell the coffee.

      2. Because this team is the youngest in the league and are now challenging for top 4.
        Add a new DM to play alongside Partey, one or two quality strikers and we may end up with a team pulling up trees within a couple of years.
        I’m convinced Arteta and Edu have a clear vision of what they want the team to be like, what type of players they need and which players need to go.
        It takes time.

        1. Spurs are challenging for top 4
          If they fail and say finish 6th
          Would you say they can be title contenders

          1. We are still in January. Arsenal, Man U, Spurs, West Ham and Wolves all have a chance to make it top4 and one thing is sure, all these teams will have bumps on the road.
            No reason to claim the race is over half way through when top 4 is within reach.

    2. To have a plan you have to have experience, to actually believe your plan is a plan, otherwise it isnt a plan and a shot in the dark. Our plan is a shot in the dark!!!!!

    3. TG, What a wise, astute and perceptive post. Unsurprisingly the many wilfully blind fans on JA who vent their spleen against MA daily will rant and rave.

      But to no effect, as it is plain that MA is here and rightly too, for the long haul.

      Ignore the juvenile screamers as the baying and helpless mob they are. There are none so blind as those who wilfully refuse to see.

      1. Jon , he’s predicted a team who finished 8th , 8th and are now 20 odd points below 1st will challenge for the title in two seasons .
        Did you watch how we have played in the last month ?
        The irony you call others blind

        1. If jon is any wise and a realist he would know Arteta is not upto the task with number of times he has said others are overreacting. And I don’t think he watches any of our matches otherwise he would how appalling those boys play under the guidance of he beloveth son.

      2. @Jon. One minute you are for Arteta the next minutes you are against,then another minute you are with arteta. Please make up your mind. Arteta is new to his craft and it will take more than the next 2 years for him to get better at it. The board may have the patience with him but I doubt half the fan base will be that tolerable of his slow and drab football that he have the team playing.

        1. Kori.. he forgets that we have all seen his past posts about Arteta and now he’s pretending he’s been on board with project Arteta all along! And calls himself a truth teller and realist ?

      3. Leave it out Jon you were calling for Arteta’s head on this very platform not once but twice you change your tune like the weather then ramble on about how intellectually gifted you are.

        1. The only reason jon wants Arteta to do so well and Emery before hand and it’s not that he believes they are any good because his football knowledge is that of a 5 year old ,it’s because of his wanting to be right about Wenger ,it’s like he’s waited so far 4 years just so he can tell everybody he was right problem is he’s going to be waiting a whole lot more until he can gloat .
          Sad really that a man of your age would be so petty while trying to pretend you actually believe in Arteta .

          Just go over every post of his and you will see what I’m talking about ,instead of actually talking about the subject in hand all he’s concerned with is other posters views and him having to be right .
          Grow up jonny boy and learn some manners .

    4. true talk @TG. I hope more fans on here will see the logic of your comment. How many years did it take for Liverpool to win the Premier League? Man City? Chelsea before Maurino’s arrival? Every team needs rebuild before returning to former glory. Trust me. Arsenal will win premier League before Man U and Spurs. Our process is ahead of theirs.

      1. Man U finished 2nd , we finished 8th
        They are in CL, we have zero European Football
        Spurs routinely finish above us and are on same points with games in hand
        But our process is ahead of theirs ?

  16. We are getting left behind because of stasis. We have lost to Forest and Liverpool and drawn with the worst Burnley side I have seen. Our football was so uncreative, it can only be the managers fault. If not we need 11 new players. Big managers are taking the top teams away from us. How poor were we? From owner to board, Vinai, Edu and Arteta we are bog standard. Against Burnley Bog poor. We were clueless. Change would be a good thing. Rotting and stagnating through fear of change is the way down for sure.

  17. What worries me most is that we appear to have all our transfer eggs in just two baskets.

    Reading between transfer speculation lines, it seems we have set our hearts on Dusan and Melo (another friend of Edu).

    Either both the Dusan and Melo camps are hanging out for more money, or neither really want to come to Arsenal.
    (I would suggest that the result against Burnley may strengthen their resolve to wait for another suitor.)

    What worries me more is that we rush to buy another, forward, who is a cheaper option with much less ability, before the window closes.

    I would rather that we spent the Dusan monies on a top defensive midfielder (Bissouma is apparently available for around $50m). That at least should shore up our defense, and allow our forwards more freedom.

    As for Lacazette, if you have ever played football, you would know you can lose your self-confidence, which makes even the easiest chance a trial. I would cite Chelsea’s Werner as an example!!

    However, in truth, I hold little hope that the “Brains Trust” are smart enough to do that.

  18. At the beginning of the year we would have been happy with top 6.
    Arsenal have now a nice foundation to build upon. MA first 3 transfer windows were bad, but I feel he has learned, and as the BFG said, we had lost our way.
    I hope we have found our way, and based on the last transfers I hope we will keep moving in the right direction. We still have a good shot at top 4, and if Arsenal make it recruiting will be easier.

    1. I wouldn’t be happy with 6th
      Like majority were not when happy when Wenger finished 6th and Emery finished 5th

  19. Arsenal should sign Joel Aribo of Nigeria because that’s the talent that needs to unlock and complete our midfielders style plays

  20. How any decent person can defend Arteta is beyond me. A good manager does what a good manager does which is to deal with any number of personalities in the group. This seems to be something that is beyond Arteta’s make up as a human being. Arsenal have squandered very good players and remain stuck with bland jobsworths like Xhaka, Elneny, Nketian and even Odegaard. Others will also refuse to join because their personalities to not fit the job description of working hard on the training pitch and being compliant. God knows how Arteta would have dealt with the likes of George Best, Charlie George or even Denis Bergkamp.

  21. People are talking of Arteta building the team with talented youngsters for the next two to three years, yes that would be great if they are able to keep them. But the fact is that at any time an arsenal player grown to the level of a big star, big clubs will come for them and arsenal never stood firm to block that move. Martenelli, saka, smith Rowe, tavares etc will leave the club in the near future when they rise to become stars. Arsenal cannot build a young team for any future, knowing that they would one day complaint of trophies which arsenal could not give them. Why should we then continue to believe in a process that would not work for us in the future.

  22. A week of this transfer window left and we have signed nobody. If Edu/Arteta were doing their jobs we would have a new midfield player and striker on the books. What a pair of highly paid loafers. If Arteta was as busy at getting players, as running demented like up and down the touchline and micro-managing every player, we might have beaten Forest and given Liverpool and Burnley better games. Totally mindless (as opposed to mindful) driven negligence. Arteta has something in common with Doris Johnson……being entitled.

  23. Anyone who watch football and watch arsenal will know Arteta is no tactical genius. The pattern of football is learning a craft little by little. It will take years for arteta to get good at it which may be detrimental to arsenal. It’s like you have a vision but how to really get there you are not sure, so you make mistakes and lots of them before you get it right. Arteta is like that at this point in his career. He may eventually be a top manager but it will take another 10 years before that happens and Arsenal I doubt will want to be on such a rollercoaster ride.

    1. 10 years? Come on! Arteta is that not bad. He’s not even bad. It’s just that he started his career with a team that was a little handy capped. So he has to be scapegoated for every short coming. Give him the time to fix the team. Like I
      wrote in my previous posts, it’s not going to be a quick fix. It will require a time. But some impatient fans will continue to castigate him for every draw or loss. Even some of the games that Arsenal won, there were critics who said we were lucky. The Premier League is not child’s play. It’s like the survival of the fittest. We will endure and will persevere. gooner forever lol

      1. Exactly. That’s why hiring a complete rookie is club-suicide.

        I can’t think of any club in modern day hiring a rookie with success, with the exception of Barcelona and Pep.

        Tuchel, Klopp, Conte all learned their trade and made their mistakes at smaller clubs but still on top league level.

  24. I can’t fathom how views oscillate from one extreme to the other in our fanbase…At the start of the season, nobody would’ve had any problem with us finishing 5th/6th…Now, 21 games in, we’ve set the Top 4 target as the “bare minimum”…

    In truth, it’s a testament to the ability of our squad (the youngest in the League) and the manager who’ve managed to change the expectations of the fanbase in such a time…

    I sort of agree with the view that this might be the best opportunity for us to get Top 4 (with Man Utd and Sp*rs inconsistent) but I do have an Unpopular opinion on this: Not getting to the CL but finishing in the Top5/6 and getting us a spot in the Europa might not be the worst thing…Agreed, it won’t help us land the big players and the lost revenue would hurt for sure, but we’re kidding ourselves if we think that to qualify for the CL only to be thrashed by Bayern in the Round of 16 would help us…What’s more, we’ll have to play our first 11 in the Group Stage + the League Season to contend with…

    1. We can’t win the Europa League either so it’s pointless being in it. In fact if you can’t beat a team 10th in the championship you won’t be winning the conference league either.

      1. My point is not about winning either…I’m pointing out how it’ll be a good opportunity to blood the youngsters coming through and will be helpful in the overall development of our young squad…But at the same time, I’d be kidding myself if I won’t like the prospect of Arsenal playing in the Champions League after 5 years

        BTW, do you consider as part of our in-group or outgroup?
        On one hand, you say “We can’t win EL” followed by “You can’t beat a team 10th…”

  25. People should not judge Arteta based on the January results. People should remember that our game is built around a double pivot of Partey and Xhaka. These two were absent. Let us see how he performs when the two are re-united.

  26. True unfortunately but I do think realistically we’re not the club you dream of. The business model is American they work differently it’s about book balancing and efficiency modelling. We all wish for our own olligark. In the meantime Arteta, Edu, Garlick and co are doing quite a remarkable job that will bare fruit within 3 seasons more, more than likely earlier. Look through the fog of history a new one is beginning……..

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