Which player need to step up in the second half of this season?
For me, at this moment, Arsenal are at a make-or-break point in their season. After starting the season in great form, we’ve began to look a bit lost, and history seems to be repeating itself . If we don’t wake up and fix things quickly, won’t to be competing for the title this season. With a few teams around us looking just as likely to be fighting for that top spot, it comes as a bigger challenge than last season, and the Arsenal manager and players need to step up and do what needs to be done before it’s too late.
We face Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, West Ham and Burnley in our next five games and for me, every one of those games is a must-win if we want to win the league. Manchester City are catching up to Liverpool on the top, while Liverpool sit at the summit, with Villa following closely behind. If Arsenal want to sit on top of the table again then the next five games are crucial, especially the game against Liverpool. If Arsenal wants silverware this season were going to have to beat them at least once and need to be beating them at home in early February. The other four games are winnable, and we should be taking all three points from each game. Arsenal needs to put their heads down and get things clicking.
For me, Martin Odegaard is one of the main players I think needs to step up in the second half of the season. His performances lately have improved but there just not up to the standards we are all used to. He’s getting the ball in the right positions but doesn’t seem to be able to do anything with it. He doesn’t seem to be leading the side like a captain should, and maybe needs a bit more authority in the dressing room. When Odegaard is in form and believes in himself, he’s almost unstoppable and Arsenal are screaming to get him back in good form.
Bukayo Saka and Martinelli are two other players that really need to step up, having such great form last season, it’s confusing to try understanding what’s happening and why it just doesn’t seem to be working this season, but there’s always time to turn it around, and if anyone can it’s these two. We need those pacey wingers to start creating more chances, taking more shots and getting their heads up more. Linking up with Jesus in the middle and hopefully starting to score some goals and get some assists. If we can get both of them back in form, I think we still have a real chance of battling for the title.
And finally, David Raya is a big one for me, he’s taken the spot of Ramsdale, he’s had a decent start to the season but for me, he needs to be doing more and needs to prove why he’s been given that top spot between the sticks.
What’s your thoughts Gooners? Who do you think needs to step up?
Daisy Mae
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the only one who should step up is arteta! when you have one player or two who underperforms, is the players fault, when you have many underperformig players is the manager’s problem, no rotation, no academy players, bad transfers, raya and havertz, arteta should win PL or go this season! enough is enough! football is not played on PR, project and chances, is played on goals, points and TROPHIES, big ones, no comunity shield!
None of them need to. They’ve been absolutely brilliant! It’s the manager’s fault they’re all consistently missing sitters.
No they just decided to be terrible this season.
They’ve improved year on year, and last season scored enough to win a league title in any given season, as it was our defence that cost us the title.
This season however their stats are way down.
why is no one talking about Thomas Partey
Because he is always injured. Get rid of him, and I’m a massive fan of his but enough is enough
Thomas as well as Xhaka are being missed massively in the link up play. The defences are able to much more quickly eliminate the spaces required for our attackers to be fully effective in creating and converting truly good chances. It’s much more than “hey, I’ve been able to touch the ball and I’m within shooting distance of the goal”.
No, Thomas isn’t missed because he’s never available. Xhaka, yes.
Thomas started 28 matches last season and was generally available, this season has been a different story.
And how many of those 28 was he even match fit or playing with an injury? Remember he even got dropped because his performances were poor and he could barely run
Incredible
Jen, when was Partey dropped last season?
has been
As far as am concerned, it’s the coach that needs stepping up and do the needful as a coach that knows what he is doing. Saka and Martinelli are victims of a coach who’s not dynamic in his approach to games. As for Odegaard, he’s coming back to form. He should just work on his touches which are to many. Raya, is a story for another day. His case is different because whether he performs or not, he is a preferred choice and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Talking about him is a waste of time.
Get Aaron back in goal & send the other bloke back to Brentford where he belongs.
Just what is going on here ?
Spot on fella Ramsdale did sod all wrong but a lot of people on here cant see that Arteta is a vindictive so and so
oh that’s why we are not putting the ball in the net – silly me
Wasted money Raya and Havertz !!
Play Ramsdale and Smith Rowe ..
If needed play Zinchenko in midfield too ..
He’s decent for Ukraine there
Have more faith in youngsters too .
Just my thoughts
Wasted barely any money on Raya. It’s a loan. Havertz yes so far, but too soon to judge.
Raya is a good GK, not wasted money. Havertz is not wasted but yet to fully prove value. Ramsdale’s a good option but will need to fight for the number 1 spot. Zinchenko could play in MF. Currently, he is a good option in the current setup as an inverted LB despite the concerns about his defensive skills.
Talk about”faith” in youngsters is disingenuous. We already have one of the youngest teams in the PL. The PL is not an age group competition. So many people seem to be jumping on a bandwagon without careful consideration.
Pretty much agree with the players mentioned .
Martinelli and saka I thought would have a breakout season and go that step higher ,for whatever reason it as not happened.
Odegaard while looking good going forward always leaves us a man short because of his lack of pace getting back ,this season though it’s not working either way and looks bog standard ,he’s no KDB that’s for sure ,needs rotating with either ESR or dare I say it Havertz.
Last one for me is Ben white who I thought was one of our top players last season but again looks below the standard required to help us for a PL assault.
The team does not look anywhere near as good as last season and without the excellent CB pairing and Rice I dread to think where we would be .
Surely the Arsenal academy as some players that can start helping this squad out rather than digging deeper into the owners pockets ,if not you have to ask why not .
I believe it’s possible/probable that White has been affected by his ongoing contract extension negotiations or it could be something else off the pitch (like his less than one y/o marriage). In any case, I believe he will return to exceptional form, hopefully soon.
Replying to Dan kit
there have been rumors that Ben white has been playing with an injury for a while now as we had no replacement with tomi injured.
i think it is clearly visible when you watch him play he is not making those overlapping runs at all. Many times you’ll see odeggard or saka waiting for his run so it is not a tactical instruction by Arteta else they wouldn’t be expecting it.
interesting rumor, it would explain a lot. They didn’t exactly advertise Saka’s achilles problem
Really? ..do you think that white would follow his own path under a dictatorial novice? Hell no, its the micro management that has our players in stitches, no more individuality, they are now robots playing to a set pattern, side to side, up two steps, back, side to side, like my robot vacuum, and this master is not good enough to reprogram its moves.
In front of goal, you can see them think…now what did arteta want? look for a pass? …and they invariably stuff it up
Sadly, the novice has continued his trend,
of being not good enough to lead, as our captain or coach.
Just stop the micro management, the 10 mins it takes to take a throw, the waiting for white or zinny to get to a throw, the side and back to go 1 yard. His tactics of slowing the game down after we go ahead. Subs with 5 mins left when we are chasing the game
Personally I think the change in tactical approach this year has had a knock on effect.
1. The slow build up allows defenders to get back and set up, severely limiting what Saka and Martinelli are able to do while double teamed.
2. We seem unbalanced in midfield without replacing Xhaka, and Rice often times is doing the job of 2 midfielders; DM and B2B in transition.
3. Lack of rotation has seen players tire and their form drop; none more evident than Saka.
4 years and no competition or adequate backup for Saka? Another striker would have seen Jesus rotate between striker and RW to rest Saka.
Why has ESR not been used more since he has been healthy for quite some time now?
Can’t really complain about injuries because we have known for a while that Partey, Jesus, Zinchenko, and Tomiyasu are all severely injury prone.
It’s man management for me that is the major cause of concern. Whether lack of rotation ( don’t need wholesale changes to lineup), needless acquisitions like Raya, questionable transfers like Vieira and Havertz, or extending contracts like Elneny, Nelson, and Nketiah.
Lacking legitimate fullbacks as options, but rather all the players are makeshifts, either CB’s or CM like Zenchenko.
Lastly, rather than employing last year’s successful tactic and playing style, and adding a striker and B2B midfielder, Arteta has chosen to reinvent the wheel tactically, and continues to shoehorn players into positions.
A rebuilt squad, over 700 million spent, we cannot continue to constantly blame the players.
Jesus and Nketiah aren’t scoring, but when have they ever been great finishers and goal scorers?
LB continues to be a problem, but when has Zenchenko ever been an able defender?
Rice has been fantastic, but why not also get a legitimate B2B player to complete the midfield? Instead shoehorn in a player that the manager admitted he “has no idea where he fits in?”
Blaming players for their shortcomings when those have been obvious for the last couple seasons is getting absurd. At some point the blame needs to be directed to those responsible; meaning Edu and Arteta.
Time and patience has been given, hundreds of millions has been spent, control and final decisions have been passed to them as well.
Yet that is what we continue hearing. More money needed, have patience and give them more time, 4 1/2 years and we seem to be rebuilding still rather than fine tuning our squad.
👍Durand.
How could you forget to mention our misfiring strikers? Gabby Jesus and Eddie Nketiah look like they couldn’t hit the backside of a cow with a banjo. As long as they are firing blanks up front, our title hopes are as dead as fried chicken. And how do you fail to mention Zinchenko, who has been defending like he wears roller skates instead of football spikes all year long? No mention of Havertz? Yeah, our list of underperforming players is a LOT LONGER than this article would have you believe.
And who do you think plays them or sets their position?
Oh Right, Partey just decided he wanted to play right back and bacause he was so valuable, they acceded to his demand?
If you believe that, i want to introduce my nigerian prince relo who needs to recover his billions
The person who needs to step up is Mikel Arteta. We should have improved from last season, but most believe we have gone backwards. Arteta’s eccentric purchase of Kai Havertz was genuinely bizarre. He introduced a problem where there wasn’t one, by bringing Raya in. Team morale changed. He took us close last year but we fell away like snowflakes and just melted away. We have a great squad…no striker and have gone as far as Arteta can take us. Our football this season has been totally boring. As soon as his contract is up Arteta will go. No striker, no win, said Bob Marley…..we’ll sort of. We are 💤💤💤💤💤 boring.
why we are struggling is simple.
last season goal contribution (goal+assist)
Odeggard 8th with 22
Martinelli 11th with 20
Jesus 14th with 17(he missed 1/3 of the season)
This season
Odeggard 32th
Martinelli 79th
Jesus 79th
Havertz and nketiah have more contribution than the gabriel duo.
👍Ackshay.
👍Ackshay
Gabriel has never been a prolific goalscorer. Around 8 seasons in the EPL his best effort is 14 goals averaging about 10 per season. He couldn’t have been bought as an out and out striker, probably as a playmaker. We’ve got him for another 3 years after this one at a salary approaching £14m p.a. and with Odergaard, Martinelli and Saka off form it’s looking a bit grim at the moment and a must win against Palace. As for Havertz I never rated him as as a Premier League even at Chelsea – more likely a better fit in his home league.
Arteta and the whole team
Raya is wasted money as were going to buy him for 27mill plus loan so over 30mill .
He hasn’t improved the first eleven , so get a grip .
As for Havertz did you see the Liverpool game ?
How long does a pro footballer need to hit the ground running ? He’s been in the pl for years..
Rice seems to have no probs playing consistently.
So that’s 100 mill that could of been spent more wisely end off ..
Midfield and up top.
As for youngsters , he didn’t even want to play them in cup games..
If there not given game time how are they meant to integrate and develop?
Look at what Klopp is doing , plenty of talent at arsenal who could be used in right situations.
Same old culprits complaining on here
MA needs to step up
Bad buys
Get rid of the manager
We are Boring 😴
We Need a manager who knows what he is doing
Some very well written constructive criticism but most are tosh comments with no substance
Half way mark,Still Only 19 games in and 19 to go
I would say We have been frustrating as we haven’t killed off games and put the ball in the back of the net
Our football Not as consistently fluid as last season but we still play some great stuff at times
Someone will get a spanking and hopefully It starts with today
Onwards and upwards
My thoughts exactly!