Hello All! by dgr8xt
While we’ve had a rollercoaster of a season, I wish to use this piece to debunk ten myths which I’ve seen many Arsenal fans fall into over the course of the season. Let’s read:
1. XHAKA CAUSED OUR ANFIELD COLLAPSE
Before making bizarre claims, you should have at least another one or two examples to point to. Did he also cause our identical collapse at West Ham in the very next game? Keep looking for a scapegoat.
2. MANAGEMENT ALONE IS TO BLAME
As a person who never criticizes players but prefers to focus on the management, I’m speaking to many like myself on this one. If the obscene wages, sponsorships, endorsements, stardom, prestige of the club and the stakes cannot motivate a full grown man to go in for a 50/50 ball with all his energy, then I don’t know what will.
I say with all seriousness that our male team should sit and let the Arsenal Women team give them lectures on giving everything for the shirt. Despite losing to Wolfsburg at the Emirates, the crowd applauded them cos despite having about four first team injuries including their best players – two of which happened just days before the match, they still fought tooth and nail till the death against the German champions. Their heroics would almost move one to tears. This, despite earning a tiny fraction of what the men do. Enough said.
3. ARTETA IS STILL LEARNING
Three years as an assistant to the great Guardiola, four years uninterrupted top flight first team management and about £500m spent, our manager is still said to be a rookie in training. Thanks a lot. For the record, Frank Lampard is in his fifth year of which one wasn’t top flight management. Yet his reputation has been cemented. He’s atrocious.
4. KROENKE IS GENEROUS
Kroenke is a business man and no man who wasn’t born into the wealth of the Arab families will be ‘generous’ to a business, especially one where others are becoming rich. Even United fans are calling out the Glazers for taking too much money out of the club, despite transfers running into billions of pounds. Yet we call our own Kroenke generous. Very funny.
5. WE HAVE OVERACHIEVED THIS SEASON
To some, it seems finishing 5th is where we belong. If you say we have done well this season, I agree wholeheartedly. But to use the word over-achievement is laughable, and an insult to the size and prestige of the club. £500m spent, a manager that’s almost four years at the helm and wielding all power, yet we say we have overachieved? What would we say of Brighton or Newcastle then? Stop that please.
6. OUR TEAM LACKS SQUAD DEPTH
When a lie lingers for long, it becomes true. Many now even say the players we have on the bench should be completely changed because they’re not good enough. Whoever does not see that our manager completely lacks a decent idea on the benefits of squad rotation is still asleep. Arteta needs to stop having favourites.
Trossard, among the most in-form players was cruelly dropped for a Jesus who was just returning from a long injury. That was when our good fortune (you know what I mean) started. What does that do to his motivation. Your guess is as good as mine. Little wonder his form has taken a hit ever since. Vieira starting ahead of Smith Rowe? Very good. Jorginho, Nelson and even Kiwior have been impressive recently and yet some players are played to the ground, while we all agree “we lack squad depth”. Excellent idea
7. FABIO VIEIRA IS A TERRIBLE PLAYER
For this season, yes. But while I don’t have much proof of this, from what I’ve seen of him, especially in the first leg against Sporting, I can say that there’s a player there who can find the killer pass often. I just don’t think that glueing his lazy backside to the bench for almost the entirety of the season, even when we’re cruising will give him the necessary experience he needs to succeed in the EPL
8. HOLDING IS THE WEAK LINK
Poor old Rob Holding.I know he’s not at the required quality of a title chasing team. But we fail to see that Zinchenko’s wing was constantly targeted which led to a number of goals we conceded, which in turn gifted City the title. And yet we conclude that “Holding was the cause”. Continue saying it
9. FANS ARE OVERREACTING
If we were in fourth or fifth and then we picked up form and finished second, that would be good. But being in first place almost throughout the season and then suddenly capitulating to second is worthy of the ire from fans. This is worse because we’ve been seeing this script since the Wenger days, and there’s not much to suggest that we won’t be watching this same movie by this time next season. Sigh
FACT
Whisper it quietly, but Arsenal FC has not picked up a red card this season. Where is Granit Xhaka?
dgr8xt
Video – Mikel Arteta explains what went wrong against Brighton “Individually we were below par”
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Kroenke is generous if we compare him with Levy
First of all GAI
I will eat humble pie and accept you were correct when predicting final position of being 2nd.
Apologies If i gave you stick for having no faith
Silent stan has dug deep in recent times but we all forget that he ploughed nothing in to the team for years and we had to sell our best players
We have been playing catch up and are still playing catch up
After a barrage of abuse aimed at him and Aw and the threat of Ek making a bid we had josh front up and take charge and make changes
But hats off to him and Stan in recent seasons for funding transfers
May it long continue
I was the biggest critic of XHAKA in the past but he has done a sterling job for us
Again hats off to MA for harnessing his impetuous play at times but his failings are further up the field now and we have had the best out of him
He didn’t create our downfall at anfield
It was the team and managers as a collective unit that failed to hang on but again in times gone by we would have been smashed out of sight
The first 20 to 30 minutes we played sublime football
MA is still learning his trade . A very good coach learning to be a good manager
In my mind he is learning fast and we are progressing but the final piece which will come next season, has he got what it takes to get us over the line
Can he elevate himself in to the bracket of exceptional. managers such as pep, Jose, ancelotti.
Bare in mind these guys have multiple years on MA
Messed up and bounced back to pick up cups and titles
The next 12 month will tell us a lot but the last 12 months apart from a few crucial bumps have been a joy
Onwards and upwards
No worries Alan. I’m afraid Arteta can only win EPL if Guardiola moves to other country
He is a very talented young manager, but he needs to be more pragmatic in the upcoming transfer window. Guardiola, Klopp and De Zerbi used flat-track bullies to disrupt the opposition’s tempo, so Arteta should strengthen the squad with similar players
i totally agree with you on this front
at times our delectable football isnt good enough to win games at times and we do need to fight fire with fire.
earn the right and then start playing
saying that. the best team won on sunday but we had chances to see them off b4 they got in to there stride
again they were good against Everton but got hammered
football is a funny old game as some one once said
The first hard back book I read was “The Myths of Ancient Greece” I enjoyed it immensely just like your intelligent article dgr.Your comments on Holding resonate with me in particular and I can tell you for a fact, there has never been a successful centre back partnership consisting of two left footed players at the top flight .I could do a GAI and suggest that if Holding was playing right centre back we would not have conceded the diabolical Enciso goal but that would of course be entirely subjective, a word which unfortunately sums up the opinions of so many who subscribe to JA.Perception is not reality and your article focuses on fact not fiction in my opinion.Well said dgr.
Well, this article covered everything for me, the most annoying of them all is hearing people say we over achieved funny, I also saw an article celebrating us as only London club in champions league, I want another too all London clubs go trophiless
It’s season ticket time; 4% increase for next season because of Champions League. Living in Australia, I can save my money, dont even have a pay TV subscription and rely on YouTube.
Great article.
Agreed with everything except overachieng. Not a single soul in this world including all gunners expected we would be challenging for the title for the majority of the season.
Which means no one thought we are a finished product yet.
It has been an excellent season and a solid foundation if followed up properly of success for years to come.
With clever and required additions we have a very good chance of winning the Chanpions League next season.
HH
I noticed that the last 4 teams left in the CL have a big man up top
Hold the play up to bring other in to play and also decent in the air
Love GJ but can’t see him doing that
Do we need to be looking at this type of player or buck the trend
Plus who is out there that fits the requirements
Agreed AB. In one of articles today someone mentioned not to lose our current players and add quality to address our shortcomings this season.
A big man or a deadly finisher may form a great partnership with GJ along with the other attackers and will allow us to he flexible in our formation.
I trust fully in Edu and Arteta to do just that. The future is very bright the way I see it.
All points taken, the gaffer must now build on lesson learned this season.
Be alert and quick to make the changes before damage occurs.
Try to be a little more just and transparent in decision making, Tossard could been use more smartly
Get more of the team involved before ring rust takes over.
Make an effort to balance the work load on players
As arm chair managers, it’s easy for some of us to see, but throwing in players at the deep end like Kiwior in the sporting game could destroy his confidence and that we must know.
Really appreciate this article for putting some nuance back into discussion.
Agree with most of it. One thing I’d say is that I do see holding as a weak link in this team, however I don’t think it’s right to blame him for our troubles as he gives his all. He also had a very positive effect early in the season when he was helping to close out games and generally being supportive when he wasn’t playing. However when he started games, I did just get the impression he was a level below his teammates, and I really think Gabriel in particular was overextended trying to make up the difference – could be wrong, and accept that could be bias, but that was how I see it
I always respect your views Davi, but in defence of Holding, I would point out that the injury to Saliva coincided with a real downturn in the form of Zinchenko, Partey and Gabriel who between them were culpable for the loss of numerous goals, whilst the much maligned Holding was not directly responsible for one in the matches I have seen.The lad is not a great player but he has been made the popular scapegoat whilst others, such as Xhaka,Saka and Ramsdale are deemed undropable despite weeks of sub par performances..Many Arsenal fans will rejoice when Rob Holding is moved on, but as a recognised back up player, he is not the reason why we failed to win the League.The fact is, our recognised first team players could not cope with the pressure at the business end of the season and yet I read about the criticism aimed at the likes of Nelson,Nketiah and Tierney who were not given the opportunities they deserved.
People will naturally look for a scapegoat and will always go for their non-favourite person.
Agree with all you said, Grandad, and I certainly don’t blame holding for anything – as you said, his return to the team did coincide with several others loss of form, which has a far greater impact.
I’ve actually been a defender of holding for a few years now, in the past, I’ve seen him as a solid defender who’s done a mostly very good job, who’s always been the first one people point at when things go wrong. However, I do think the team has now outgrown him – we need a bit more than a solid defender, imo, because our playing style demands it. I don’t say that because of any ill will and I will not rejoice if he leaves, just wish him well.
I agree largely with the write up. However to say that Arteta should not be considered as still learning because he’s coached for close to four years is completely wrong.
This is his first time in this kind of position for God’s sake.
At City he was just a bloody assistant to Pep. That doesn’t give him an exact replica of Pep’s brain. He has to learn his own trade and forge his own path on his own. I believe he’s still in the learning stage.
And who says Pep himself is still not learning?
My only concern is his pace and extent of learning.
How many years before we stop seeing Arteta as a rookie?
I would say maybe starting from next season. I expect an improvement over the numerous mistakes he made this season.
However, even next season he’ll be experiencing some situations for the first time. One of such is coaching a team in the UCL.
Anyway, you are entitled to your own opinion though, but it will be unfair to rate him anywhere near the established coaches in the league in terms of knowledge and experience.
If you read David’s comment down this page, he says Arteta is already respected by some of his peers as one of the best managers in the EPL. So why do we here still see him as a rookie?
Moreover, I mentioned Lampard because he has only one year coaching experience more than Arteta and nobody talks about him learning anything, not fans or pundits. His reputation has been sealed since last season or so
Saliba is not the difference for arsenal. He is too over hyped.
I think what must has prompted this write ups, is no other reason than us Arsenal have bottled this season’s Epl title win when us are looking to win it. For, us have uncharacteriscally lost it I must admit.
However, looking back, is should take into cognizant the injuries suffered to Takehiro Tomiyansu, William Saliba, the lack of fitness by Zinchenko to play regularly and the lost of form by Thomas Partey might have cost us the title and Europa Cup wins this season I will allude to.
Otherwise, had those 4 key Arsenal players not injured, and remained regularly fit to play regularly. And not dipped in form. Arsenal would have beaten Man City to the title win this season. And as well would have reached the Europa League Cup final to lift the Cup and lift it.
I generally disgree with most , not all, but most, of what dgr8xt posts on JA. I can agree with one or two of his so called myths listed however but, as ever,I firmly disagree on most, as follows:
1,the Liverpool and and team, only became animated IMMEDIATELY AFTER Xhakas incident. Coincidence then? NOT IN MY BOOK!
2,I agree, in essence.
3, Arteta and ALL managers are indeed still learning When you stop learning, you cease being successful, in football as in life. So NOT a myth then!
4, I agree that Kroenke is NOT generous but simply being a business man trying to make the best of his asset; an asset he has no emotional involvement in at all. Though I believe JOSH NOW DOES.
5, “Overachieving” and “done well” are simply two ways of saying the much same thing So I reject his comments as irrelevant.
6, Our squad DOES lack depth in quality and to argue that it does not, is ludicrous! No myth again then.
7, Viera is a terrible player. He has performed way sub par this far and though he plainly has ability ,he is unsuited to Prem fooball and was a bad buy. I would not argue against anyone who calls him “a terrible buy”. So again, not true!
8, Plainly, when Holding plays, he IS a very weak link. No myth therefore.
9, FANS ARE OVERREACTING, Only true in the sense that almost ALL fans of ALL clubs overreact, most of the time.
dgr8xt, did at least get the fact right about no red cards.
1. Funny how you ignored the part that talked about us capitulating at West Ham in identical fashion. How much of Xhaka was that?
2. How long till many stop making excuses for any mistake Arteta makes using the term “learning curve’?
5. Since when did ‘over-achieveing’ and “done well” mean the same thing? I want your dictionary
6. My point is that the ones on the bench are left to rot while those on the pitch are played to the ground even while we’re cruising in matches
7. I do disagree with you. It’s debatable
8. Holding didn’t play against Brighton. So what happened?
I wasn’t scapegoating Xhaka when I commented at the time that by ‘biting’ he roused the crowd which then roused the Liverpool team. Where is the scapegoating? Are observations now classified as scapegoating?
The whole point of the West Ham situation was that the penalty had the same effect on the Arsenal team who were obviously very tense.
Holding has been happy to take his chances when offered but is not clearly not an automatic starter. Is it wrong to suggest that? If we as respondents to articles are not allowed to express our views of a performance or role in a measured and appropriate manner then JA might as well shut up shop.
Arteta isn’t a rookie anymore but is obviously to me at least, still inexperienced for the role he has. I’m bearing in mind that he hasn’t been working his way up the greasy pole in the lower divisions first. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to give Arteta some wiggle room for a while yet. A lot depends on what happens next season but I’m not unhappy with what’s been achieved since his arrival- but that is just my opinion
Under or over achieving
Well latterly it’s been a case of underachieving because for reasons only known to the players and the team surrounding them, they lost it. It being whatever you want to call it. Over the season it is reasonable to suggest an element of over achievement, due to our league position being considerably better than the teams we expected to finish above us. It depends on whether you then consider our league position is down to being better than the rest or that the other teams were below par and will give us a pasting next season when ‘normal service’ resumes.
Just my thoughts on your interesting article
I think what must has prompted this write ups, is no other reason than us Arsenal have bottled this season’s Epl title win when us are looking to win it. For, us have uncharacteriscally lost it I must admit.
However, looking back, us should take into cognizant the injuries suffered to Takehiro Tomiyansu, William Saliba, the lack of fitness by Zinchenko to play regularly and the lost of form by Thomas Partey might have cost us the title and Europa Cup wins this season I will allude to.
Otherwise, had those 4 key Arsenal players not injured, and remained regularly fit to play regularly. And not dipped in form. Arsenal would have beaten Man City to the title win this season. And as well would have reached the Europa League Cup final to lift the Cup and lift it.
Not convinced by this article. The focus appears to be to highlight a number of minority views for some reason.
1 Only a handful of people believe that Xhaka is solely responsible for the “collapse”. However, many believe that the altercation was one of the catalysts for Liverpool’s revival in that game. It may be a debatable point but it is not a “myth”.
2 This one makes no sense. Blame for what exactly. It is unclear what this “myth” is supposed to mean. This is one of those silly things that keep coming up that lack meaning.
3 Arteta is still a relatively young and inexperienced manager. However, I am not sure what point the author is trying to make by putting forward point 3. It is mainly on sites such as this that terms such as “rookie” get trotted out to discredit Arteta whenever we have setbacks. Arteta is already respected by many of his peers as one of the best managers in the PL. Also reference to the money spent without considering the context is one of the most underhand narratives that frequents this site.
4 This may be a debatable point but it is unclear why it is trotted out as “myth”. Many people believe he has spent a lot of money and this is true. How many people really say he has been “generous” and how do you assess generosity in this context?
5 Most sensible people are considering our improvement compared with where we were last season and expectations at the beginning of this one. Much is made of how much has been spent. However, once more I would suggest that people consider the circumstances which underpinned the spending.
6 There are several on this site who continuously post the narrative that we have sufficient depth. However, I would suggest that this group including the author do not have a clue what they are talking about. In order to compete on multiple fronts against some of the best teams in the world we need much more depth than we currently have. That this is considered a “myth” highlights the lack of insight of this author and several others.
7 This is Fabio Vieira’s first season and he needs more time to develop and show his best form. There are a handful of people who believe he is not a good player. This “myth” is invented.
8 Holding has been highlighted as a potential weakness in our defence. That does not mean that people hold him wholly responsible for the games we lost. Only a handful of people would suggest this. However, some of those games highlighted why we need an upgrade. The way he plays affects how the team plays and his weaknesses affect other players.
9 Many fans are overreacting. Being irate does not solve problems. However, it leads to a lot a rubbish like much of this article. Not unexpectedly, the article is praised to the heavens by many of those who actually never expected us to make the CL and are now out in force to undermine the progress that has been made.
It’s funny how you keep using the term “only a handful”. Can you prove that it’s just a handful? And because you don’t hold a particular view doesn’t mean that others do not. It’s also obvious you only know Arsenal FC from this site. If you go through other blogs, you will see much of what is written and why I felt it necessary to call them out.
Also funny how you easily say we do not have squad depth. Trossard sits on the bench while Jesus stinks up the whole place. Oh I forgot, we have absolutely no depth. My manners
I’m not trying to be deliberately awkward but is your reference to Jesus justified as an opinion on his performances or the beginnings of scapegoating for not being at his best? I ask this in all seriousness because where is the line drawn?
Of course I’m talking about when Jesus returned from injury and went straight into the starting eleven while an in-form Trossard is benched. Didn’t you notice out results after then? How has Trossard’s form been ever since? Arteta said Smith Rowe had to prove himself again to get into the team after his injury. Funny he did not think Jesus needed to
You contradict yourself on point no 3 as I expected you would. I was expecting someone else to disagree on that point but they haven’t posted yet.
Typical lack of understanding of nuance.
DAVID Nuance (or understanding shades of grey) is something few fans are actually capable of doing.
And some of those who are capable, even some more mature in years cans , are surprisingly unwilling to even TRY understanding true “nuances”!
It divides the more and the less bright brains on JA imo.
IF ALL IS ALWAYS BLACK OR WHITE ,IN DEBATE, THEN IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MAKE A NUANCED POINT UNDERSTANDABLE, TO MANY AT ALL
I see this in how many, either through lack of understanding of correct English, or through personal bias, or dislike of me personally for speaking plainly, fail utterly to take my points as to what I have ACTUALLY written, BUT come back at me with their own incorrect interpretation of what they have wrongly misunderstood my posts to have said. Sigh!
People, people, peace, understanding and compassion could have saved the world….instead Mankind chose War ! Peace and love baby, peace and love.
A very welcome and needed article,i must say.these things needed to be told,the majority of excuses which have been used these seasons were not valid,in my humble opinion.well done @dgr8xt!!