Point the finger elsewhere, not at our strikers!
Why are we as fans so quick to criticise our strikers for not scoring when we lose? Over the last two games, we would be first to admit that our team has lacked on the goal front and failure to create chances.
As soon as the matches finish, we fans and even pundits get on the bandwagon and begin pointing fingers at any player we can, mainly the strike force and the defence.
I will also admit that I am one of those fans that can criticise players, but it is only because I know what their potential is and what they are capable of, and if they are not living up to that standard then of course they deserve to be criticised otherwise how will they learn. But I will never criticise a player if they don’t deserve it.
The strikers are criticised for not scoring and the defence is criticised for conceding. But I think we should give the strikers a break because when you look at it from all angles the reality of it is that they simply cannot finish the chances if there are not any chances being thrown their way and they cannot be expected to run the whole show themselves and set up the goals for themselves too.
Maybe the last two games we have played against Manchester City and Leicester City over the past week were not the best for any of our players, that was clear to see. But the front line cannot be blamed for the lack of goals and Arteta has to realise that the fault lies in midfield and he needs to rectify that.
I back Aubameyang and Lacazette 100%, we all know the partnership they have on and off the pitch and when it works it really works!
I have no doubt that our midfield will be fixed soon and the chances will come where they will create chance after chance for our strikers but the longer it takes for the creativity to kick in the further down the table we will fall, and in this era of football we cannot afford to do that!
Gooners?
Shenel Osman
what have you been smoking Laca is a shocking striker, the guy had three chances last game one even my nan could of scored. It was put on a plate for him all he needed to do was plant his head on it. The other he couldnt get it out of his feet and one which he was looking to header across goal but luckily it went in. He doesnt offer the team anything going forward plays so deep you would be forgiven if you thought he was playing midfield, he makes no runs no movement at all and doesnt close anything down. He has to be the worst striker Arsenal have ever had by far. shocking !! Auba on the other hand is just going through a baron spell it happens to everyone at sometime during their career, he will only get better, Laca cannot get better he is what he is a crap striker !!
Perhaps Lacazette dropping deep has something to do with instructions from his coach? I don’t think dropping deep is the problem; Harry Kane has been doing it lately to great effect for Spurs.The game has evolved and the number 9 isn’t just about scoring goals anymore and I understand why Arteta demands more from Laca; Jose has done it with Kane too. It is in the execution of his role that Laca falls short; Perhaps he’s lacking in confidence
possibly
lacking of confidence can kill a player’s form
most fans do not understand this
Perhaps he is playing deep because we can’t seem to pass the ball in a forward direction and he comes deep to actually get to touch the ball. So many of our passes are sideways or backwards. When we see all these stats of how many passes we made each game it looks impressive but they don’t tell us how many of those were forward passes. So lay ofLacca maybe he just wants to be involved in the game.
You’re delusional aren’t you? Where did you keep this energy of yours when fans blamed our defenders for the past three seasons straightforward?
For the first time in a long while we look solid defensively and we don’t concede goals anyhow. The attackers keep failing to do their own jobs and you think fans don’t have the right to blame them?
Because our attackers don’t come with names of Mustafi, Xhaka or David Luiz?
But you won’t have an issue if our defenders fail to do their jobs.
Let’s keep the energy balanced please.
I haven’t seen fans going all toxic for over 6 months now, but then it’ll be dumb to say fans shouldn’t blame or question our attackers when they’re the ones failing to perform.
It’s not like we were creating chances let and right last season when Auba challenged for the golden boot?
There’s a reason some players are called game changers and they need to step up in some games.
Our attackers? They’re not immuned to the blame too, and they won’t be
Woah hold on Eddie. Alot of our games we barley create chances. The Leicester game was a one off. There is a distinct lack off service to the forward line. The player that does get the chances is lacca. He is way too wasteful for my liking. I think the blame if any should fall with lacca and possibly arteta (i reserve judgement as it is still early and he is learning on the job). However, I am sure we sre all raising our eye brows at a few of artetas choices 1. Consistently playing lacca 2. Willian instead of nketia or lacca. 3. No saliba in europa. 4. No squad rotation in europa then complaining about fatigue when u have ESR nelson willock etc briming to play. 5. Nelson and Nketia do amazing with nketia breaking scoring records and he still can’t get a start 6. Seeing a lack of creativity and only fielding ceballos as a creative outlet. 7. The dreaded ozil topic.
If we are gonna point I think we know where. But as I said until Jan I think we have to be patient and look at the positives. No more toxic atmosphere ( for now). Not getting battered by teams. And a fairly decent start to the campaign all be it not the one we hopped for.
Chances have been squandered!! Tbf, I think the whole team have had their fair share of criticism…
Auba, having been incredible, is the last person you expect to go on a drought.. but here we are…5 without a goal/4 without an assist, which doesn’t sound a great deal, but with his consistency and devastation in front of goal, seems like an eternity!
I’m confident it won’t last for much longer though.. as they say form is temporary, class is permanent!
Spot on Sue.
Laca missed sitters in the Leicester game. Auba should take over the CF position. Look at Man City, they are missing their front line strikers in Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, yet they go to Marseille in the CL and beat them 3-0. This is called quality Auba must look at this and replicate his form of last season. Also considering the formation of MA in the Leicester game, I feel Ceballos was stifled and could not create and hence it is not his mistake if he is played out of position.
Criticism of Laca is fair, because he was poor last season, which has continued into this season, despite 3 early league goals.
Criticism of Auba is unfair though. The guy’s being asked to track back into his own box to defend! His attacking abilities are being completely wasted. You would never that from the likes of: Messi, Ronaldo, Lewe, Harland, and there’s a reason for that!
TMJW, I thought every player, no matter what position he played, had to track back, defend, go forward, score and assist?
Only 100% commitment and positive body language was to be permitted and covering every blade of grass with last ditch tackles was to be the norm, the pressing game I believe it’s called?
Aubameyang most certainly hasn’t performed in any of those catagories during the last few games and the obscene salary he now receives, seems to be affecting his work.
But class is permanent and I expect him to turn it around, given the right support and encouragement… agreement on something at last?
Did you watch the Leicester game? He had nearly zero defensive responsibility
Exactly my point Joe – if everyone else is measured by a criteria, then so should Aubameyang – but I reiterate, class is always permanent and he will buckle down… probably just the relief of getting the contract sorted out.
Sorry to correct your comment Ken but class is not permanent. Permanent means for ever and if that were the case then such as Seaman, Henry, Bergkamp etc would still be doing well in our team. I think what you may mean is that skill is the last merit to leave a player, with the loss of stamina and or/speed being first.
Jon, as we are talking about football and our club, nothing has ever been permanent, except thehistory, plus the dedication of true fans, no matter what, wouldn’t you say?
I do agree that natural skill is the last merit to leave a player…so the fact that said Aubameyang (or any other player) might not sprint around for 90 minutes, or even last for 90 minutes, shouldn’t be used as a stick to discard those natural skills and abilities should it?
All Auba needs, is someone to supply him with the opportunities and, by common consent, the only player who did that against Leicester, was Luiz, so perhaps we shouldn’t be blaming our forwards, but the supply chain?
Glad you seemed to agree with the rest of my posts though and the fact that now, under MA, Aubameyang needs to be a water carrier like the rest of the team – no room for complacency, especially on that obscene and grotesque salary!!!
No argument from me KEN on EVERY player being a “water carrier”. I have been saying this( perhaps not in thatprecise expressioin though) for all my adult life in football. I well remember shouting out that George Graham was lazy and coasting way back even then. I have always loathed and detested laziness , primarily because of the harm it does to the lazy person themself but also to others.
We are given a life on this planet and with this gift of life comes a sacred duty to live it to our very utmost, which means being devoted to our work.
And those of our fellow humans who are fortunate enough to find themselves gifted with a talent , whether great or lesser, are charged with a duty to themselves and to all who can benefit from that talent, to use it to its utmost.
That explains, perhaps more fully than I have ever done hitherto, my attitude towards such as Walcott, GG, Ozil and countless others from all walks of life who choose laziness over their duty to enhance the gift they been lucky enough to benefit from.
Peter Cook the satirist was a prime example of this laziness in a man of enormous talent.
LAZINESS IS CHEATING ONES OWN PRECIOUS LIFE KEN. I have believed that passionately for all my adult life.
No chances? Did you watch the games?
LOL, can’t agree with this article as our forwards have been missing for 2-3 games in the PL now. And instead of a deluge of chances, we have created around 2-3 clear chances which should be put away. Can’t protect the forwards because we like them more than the defenders now, can we?
Absolutely Sid – not one rule for one player and not the other – the injustice of that kind of thinking must never play a part in our view of any individual player.
Arteta has already expressed concern at the failure of our forwards to score.I guess that means that he disagrees with the sentiments expressed in your article?