Arsenal fans are as changeable as the weather, and just as fickle! We lose our first two games and suddenly we are relegation candidates. Then we go on a 22 game unbeaten run and Emery is suddenly the best think since sliced Wenger, and the Gunners are surely on our way to the Champions League next season.
Now that our usual injury problems have arrived and we have had a long run with hardly any fit defenders, Emery is now being called the worst man for the job and there are calls for him to be replaced already. Okay, so we lost away at an in-form West Ham, in a fairly even game, and with a completely unsettled back line. It is certainly a set-back but it is hardly the end of the world. As our captain Laurent Koscielny said after the game: “We came here to win because for us the three points was very important, and next week as well to play against Chelsea. We tried to play, we did well in the first half but didn’t have a lot of chances in the final third. We need to keep calmer in the final third and find the final ball, but in the second half we didn’t start well and conceded early. After that we tried to push for the rest of the game, we had some chances and we didn’t score so it is difficult to come back with no points but we need to continue to fight to make the top four.”
It is a fight, and it is also a marathon. We lost to West Ham, Liverpool lost to Wolves, Man City lost to Palsce (and Leicester!). We are barely over the halfway point of the season and we are being written off for a Top Four place. Get a grip!
Come on lads, we all knew that any rebuilding programme was not going to be fixed after just six months of a new coach, and we really do need to show a bit of patience with the new boss, the new players and the new tactics. There are 16 League games to go, and we are actually 3 points better off than this stage last year. Can we please maintain some sense of decorum for a year or two to give Emery a chance to work his magic?
The times they are a-changing!
Sam P
This must be the answer of the previous article titled “Is it time for Arsenal to forget Top Four and aim for the Cups?”
I think Arsenal could still make it if they are willing to spend on new attackers. Preferably young, not afraid to challenge the opponent’s fullbacks on the left or right side and hungry for achievements
Unfortunately I heard there is no space for a new player, due to Arsenal’s current wage bill
Young talented strikers?
How about Saka and Nketiah?
They need more game time, whereas Arsenal need an immediate impact
Agree admin and the under 23s thrashed Man City last night 5-1 and Saka got a couple. Yes they need gametime so give them time now. Can’t be any worse than we have got now.
BTW Cech has announced on Arse site he is retiring at end of season.
gotanidea, you want an immediate impact?
Start with Torreria and Ozil, have a game plan that suits the players that you have and let sven do his job.
I thought the days of”dictators” was over, let’s hope the rumours aren’t correct.
Not necessarily Ken…
There’s no use for a no10 in the 343 and 433 formations that Emery clearly favors. I find it apauling that despite knowing how awful Ozil is when played in this setup, somehow you still want him drafted into the team. Hmmm!
Can you please stop yourself from toying with the possibility of top four?
You will only succeed in hurting yourself if you entertain such high hopes for a mediocre team that we have become. In fact, Arsenal is more likely to finish sixth and even that will be a dog-fight.
The best thing I will do is support my team albeit with low expectations, while praying that something will happen that will make us see the back of that stingy Kroenke
Sam your optimism is to be admired but sadly this old Arsenal supporter does not share your enthusiasm.Defensively we are as bad as we were under Wenger and we are certainly less creative than we were with Ozil and Ramsay in the side.Of course we all agree that Emery needs time to improve matters but he is not helping the side by playing with three deep lying centre backs whilst professing to favour a high pressing system.You cannot have an effective pressing strategy without playing with a high line flat back four like virtually all the top quality sides in Europe.The chances of our making the top four are quite frankly remote.
I think it was @Phil that expained it rather well. No real wingers = having to use wingbacks = having to play a back 5 formation. Just allow Emery some time to sell the deadwood likes of Mkhitaryan and get proper wingers and we will be in business.
As bad defensively as we were under Wenger, you say Grandad, we’re as bad defensively as we were under Billy Wright and we both remember what those days were like.
Thanks Cech for all you’ve done for us. Great keeper over the years and wish you well in your retirement at end of season.
Well said Declan.
Plus 1!
Agree with Sam. Remember Leicester in 2016.The year before close to regelation and started 2016 as big underdogs and what happen … Us Arsenal fans are conditioned over years by the media in an unbeleavable negative state. Look at MU. Could hardly win anything a few wreeks ago but did they go into a fenzy. No. Come on Arsenal fans !
Are you kidding? Utd fans were the biggest moaners I’ve ever seen when results were not going their way. I follow The United Stand and Full Time Devils so I know.
Cech 100k (retiring)
Welbeck 70k (leaving)
Ramsey 110k (leaving)
Koscielny 90k
Mustafi 90k
Özil 300k (hopefully sold)
Mkhitaryan 120k
Lichsteiner 90k (leaving)
Elneny 55k
Getting rid of these underperforming players will free wages up to 1 million pounds per week.
I wonder how much our wage bill will be for the 7 or 8 top class players that some f seem to think that we will buy to replace those listed above..
Mclovin, the players you get rid of do you want quality players to replace those.because if you do their wages will be a lot higher than that
That’s the reality of the situation that some on here just don’t seem to grasp.
Not only the salaries, but the likelihood of being able to fund the purchase of “quality players”.
Why are we still thinking that we can act like a top club in the transfer market, when we still have the lowest budget for transfers amongst the top clubs?
I noticed that Gazidis is already at loggerheads with the management at his new home, anyone surprised?
Not only that, we would have to replace four defenders, four midfielders and a forward.
9 divided by £1,000,000 equals £110,000 a week, let’s go for…mmm…. Messi, Ronaldo, Griezmann, deGea, Hazard and spend what’s left on a replacement for Sven.
Easy peasy.
I’m not at all surprised about Gazidis, Ken… if anything I’m surprised it took this long ? so glad he’s gone…
”..We lost to West Ham, Liverpool lost to Wolves, Man City lost to Palsce (and Leicester!). We are barely over the halfway point of the season….)
The above sentence has ended our Top 4 aspiration. Lost to 6 teams already with at least 2 less than average team among them.
Thus, it is safe that we will still lose at least 4 more games. That is 10 losses at least. From the remaining 28 games let say we draw the 8 and win 20. That is 68 points. If you look at Sp*rs point on the log and their current form ( Man Utd inclusive), you will know that 68 points cannot guarantee CL spot this season.
There is nothing better than sliced Wenger.
We still have a great chance because we have two routes into the CL. If Spurs and Utd don’t win the CL (which is very likely), their only hope is in the league. Whereas we have a much easier route in Europe, and we the best manager in world at winning the EL. Of course Chelsea have the same advantage as us.
I love your optimism but honestly i can’t see Arsenal finishing higher than 6th place unless we can secure maximum points against the big teams and stop conceding so many goals. I don’t see us catching Liverpool or Man City or Chelsea while Spurs have lost kane and could stumble and with Man Utd on a roll which could see them climb up to 3rd by the end of the season if Chlesea and Spurs drop points.
My top 6 –
Liverpool
Man City
Chelsea
Man Utd
Spurs
Arsenal