Pep Guardiola has given Mikel Arteta the greatest of praise after the clash between Arsenal and Man City.
The Gunners didn’t enjoy their best evening, but City’s boss appears to claim that it was a tactical battle.
While it didn’t look like the best match to watch as a neutral, Guardiola claims that it was he who won the battle, but there was limited chances at either end.
Pictures courtesy of Football Daily
Did you see any positives to take from today’s loss?
Patrick
Easy to compliment when we notva threat
*not a
We were never a threat. Everyone is gracious when they’ve just won.
It didnt look like MA set out to win, or even draw. It looked like Arsenal knew they would lose but fought hard not get beaten by cricket numbers.
No style of play after a year.
Cowardly, negative tactics again
Our team is a mirror image of the dross, boring, slow, uninspiring midfield catharsis Arteta was as a player.
11 loses already, and boring to watch play 9/10 matches.
But hey, all is fine and good because Pep is gracious towards Arteta.
Forget our results and table standing, ignore Arteta’s lack of solutions, let’s focus on what Pep said.
Rather play attractive football and finish 4th or 6th than pretend Arteta is taking us forward.
You goddamn right Durand.
Arteta at Arsenal was dull, sideways passing, no-risk taking player. I even remember one time he was subbed on, cost us the game and faked injury to get out.
Thats exactly how we look. Forget the results, thats how our play looks like.
There was one positive to take from the game. This is that after ELEVEN DEFEATS with the season only two thirds gone, even MA’s most ardent believers will know his time will very soon be over if he cannot achieve an improvement for the rest of the season.
We are in danger of becoming a mid-table side, with NO EURO COMPETITION and ZERO chance of attracting the type of players we need to improve. Any realist will understand Arteta cannot be trusted past this season if no obvious signs of a cohesive, attack minded team is visible.
I thought it was impossible for the club to go further into the decline started by Wenger and followed admirably by Emery.
Congratulations Arteta. You seem to have single handed achieved the impossible
Phil
Saw Cedric, Luiz, and Bellerin smiling & laughing it up after the loss, made me sick to my stomach those fools.
The owner & board are trying to keep the club competitive without the burden and responsibility of ambition.
“Trust the process I hear” what process? Over a year and what is the philosophy or style of play? Anyone know? What are the goals for the year?
No CL or Europa, is Arteta still the boss? Is he getting a free pass regardless of table standing?
Many (myself included) wanted Wenger & Emery gone for failing to live up to a standard.
Wenger had 18 months failed to improve, so he had to go. Emery had 18 months, failed to improve, had to go.
Arteta looks like he’ll finish this season worse than both, yet probably keeps his job. Sickening standard and excuse made for a rookie manager in over his head.
Ancelloti would have improved us and not taken 18 months to do so. But club goes for cheap option to avoid expectations of ambition.
Yet some fans who hold owners, players, and manager to a standard are the problem. I’m no fool to blindly follow anyone, especially when they have shown me nothing to follow.
No pride from the team, no risk, never even tried to go at them.
Some actually happy and content we only lost 1-0. Hell, I’d rather have a go, trade punches with city and lose 3-1. Show some guts and flair, go at them, not this cowardly gutless capitulation
@Durand- I’m not sure anyone would reasonably disagree with a single point you have noted.
We are, 14 months into Arteta taking over, going into a very steep decline. The results and performances this season have, by and large, been completely unacceptable. We have no consistency in our performances and very few signs of a pattern of play that gives confidence for the future. Today, as in mist games this season, our hopes rely on an 18 year old kid ( or is Saka 19?) and a Left Full Back. Without those two, I am really struggling to see too much that Arteta had to be pleased with,
He has had a lot of luck without probably realising it. With no fans allowed into the grounds, he has been spared the abuse of a very angry fanbase. Wenger and Emery would be pleased to advise him of how lucky he has actually been.
He is also very fortunate that, through injuries and suspensions, he had no options other than to introduce ESR into the team at Xmas. Would he have chosen to do this otherwise? I’m not sure he would have done as he seemed convinced our style would not be suitable for a No10.
He is likely to be in charge next season purely because the Club will not wish to sack a potentially promising manager who has a Trophy in the Cabinet and the support of the Board and Management, who wish to see a business model work, even though previous attempts have been disastrous.
But in my opinion, his one saving grace could just be the Youth Team players that are ready to come through next season. Azeez could just be a sensation. Belagun had everything. Saliba looks as though he could just be a future CB in the TA mould. BUT. This is a manager who has continually overlooked Martinelli when the team is crying out for his energy. A manager who seems determined to alienate Belagun. A manager who had already overlooked Saliba for whatever reasons that cannot be football based. The fanbase will tolerate a manager who attempts a transition by using youth. Without Eoropean football we will have even less money than we would have had.
Arteta needs to get the fanbase inside very very quickly. If he is to be here next season, which will likely be the case, he needs to get these players into the squad and START PKAYING THEM.
For the umpteenth time we need a MANAGER.
Arteta should not be allowed to take arsenal to the game on Thursday. There’s just too much on the line. Players need a lifeline.
The most surprising thing for me is that I don’t know the crime martinelli committed against Arteta that has made him a forgotten soul
Two teams with a connection, in a similar predicament got new managers within 24 hours, one experienced and one not, one team never finished above the other and the other had better players. Guess which team is improving and guess which one isnt?
It’s a mind game. How can you praise someone for losing the game. We are 25 points adrift of ManCity and Pep is praising his friend. Its really embarrassing to Arteta. Since 1999, Arsenal have never been in a similar situation