Ten Myths that need debunking for Arsenal fans this season

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?