Where do Arsenal go now? by Konstantin Mitov
Reality finally has crashed down on Arsenal and the lack of heart and desire in performances has been matched by our results. I’ve been warning of this all season, despite of all the hate I’ve gotten and all the “negativity” people seem to think I have against Arsenal.
The miserable truth is that apart from that 5-6 games after Christmas, we’ve been too slow, lacking ideas, mis-managed games where we’ve been on top, made a lot of individual mistakes, played players that don’t deserve to, while dropping others that have performed well ,and the list goes on and on.
I never enjoy when Arsenal don’t win, but dropping our of the Europa league is exactly what we deserve. It reflects the way we’ve been run as a football club on and off the pitch, and finally I think most Arsenal fans are on board that change is imminent. And as the season is effectively over, the questions are what comes next?
The most obvious question is ‘when is Arteta getting sacked?’. I think most people realized that having a talking parrot will manage Arsenal with pretty much similar success, but the Kroenke’s aren’t sacking him as far as I read.
The problem is that the players don’t look like they understand what is required of them, or they aren’t good enough to execute it. There is no way the Kroenkes will spend 250 million to revamp the squad, so I suspect at Christmas we will realize that we wasted another transfer window on a dead project.
The problem here isn’t just Arteta. The problem is everyone at Arsenal is here just for the paycheck. The only way we can attract a good player is by offering him ridiculous wages, to only sink him to our level, like it has happened with Partey and Willian and many before them.
Edu is another person that hides in the Shadows while he’s on the Kroenke’s payroll. So sad to see such a good player for us doing what Lehmann and every other former Arsenal player that has come into the club has done. Sit cluelessly without a voice. Why doesn’t he inform the board to sack Arteta? How does he justify the money we spent on Partey and Gabriel? We are mid-tabled and that doesn’t ring alarm bells?
Did we sign Luiz and Willian because we think they can take us forward or Edu do his countrymen a favour? Where is Vinai here? Why have we promoted a salesman to a CEO of a football club? Why has nobody spotted the rot and pulled the brakes on a project driving extremely fast into oblivion?
The future is dark and not good. There are 3 main outcomes. The most probable is keeping Arteta and going further down. A less likely option is sacking him, which is desperately necessary, but is this board capable of hiring a good replacement?
The Kroenkes would like to cut their losses, so I can’t see us paying top dollar for a good manager to get us out of this mess and why would you come to Arsenal? A squad full of players that have downed tools again, owners that don’t care, using a rookie as a shield, with no interest in investing.
We’re never hiring an Allegri, because he’ll have demands. The guy won multiple titles and got to two champions league finals. He has more ambition than pretending to be Pep G and fighting the mighty Leeds and Aston Villa for 9th place.
Our prospects are hiring another poor manager that is just another shield for KSE and we’re again hoping for miracles. And that is if they bother to change shields, because Artera does pretty well talking crap on press-conferences. How does he even have the audacity to talk about the fans? He’s so lucky they aren’t at the ground to tell him to his face how they feel.
Option 3 is that Daniel Ek buys the club. This one is in the fantasy realms despite the publicity stunt he did. There will be many questions if he or anyone else takes over. Having the likes of Thierry, Vieira and Denis Beegkamp on board, declaring to be a massive fan of the club and wanting to reunite with the fans is a good start. We should just have in mind that politics also talk sweet, until they take power in their own hands.
But honestly, can it be worse than where it is now with KSE? An owner so uninterested in the club, so blatantly obvious that he is here only to milk the cash cow. I wouldn’t mind a change in ownership, it’s the one thing we haven’t tried and I’d be so happy to see a few faces gone forever from Arsenal, but I’m not daydreaming and having false hope.
The future for Arsenal looks like sticking with Arteta and it will not get better. Luckily I am back to the “I don’t care” zone like I was with Wenger and Emery. There’s a limit to where you can care, when you obviously see that there’s nothing in return.
Unless serious changes come to the club at multiple levels I am considering skipping next season entirely. A broken ‘on repeat’ won’t sound good on another replay. We need a reboot, a clear out and a vision. Players, Manager, Board and owner. Everything must change.
Konstantin
I think we need to start a fresh with a new more experienced manager.
I’m sure a new manager would help but do you seriously think that our squad is top 4 (or even top 6) and champions league material?
A new manager could sell and buy
Some players in my opinion are good enough to stay like: Tierney, Partey, Martinelli, Saka, Ryan, ESR, Auba, Gabi, Pepe, Luiz
Sell, release, a few players
Get some new talent
Luiz should go, we have young energetic defenders like Saliba who can bring much needed pace at the back. This current team is so pedestrian at the back and is affecting the rhythm of all the matches we are playing.
People say give MA time and resources. So far he’s brought in Willian, Partey, Runarsson, Cedric, Mari and Gabriel. Those are his buys, excluding loans.
Willian and Runarsson have been complete failures. Deadwood already.
Partey was class at Atletico, now he looks like an absolute amateur.
Cedric, Gabi and Mari are okay but hardly consistently class players.
After his first summer we are worse than before. I’m sorry but I wouldn’t trust Arteta with a single penny to waste. We cant afford another worthless transfer window filled with new future deadwoods.
There are only two options to me, which one do you guys choose?
A. Sack Arteta now and bring a manager whose playing style suits our senior attackers’. In my opinion, the only available high-profile managers with such approach are Allegri and Benitez, whom I don’t prefer
B. Keep Arteta and put Aubameyang/ Lacazette/ Nketiah into transfer list
Why can’t we sack Arteta and get rid of the 3 players you mention
It could be like that, I think only Lacazette and Nketiah. Aubameyang will the problem again if the new manager’s system doesn’t suit his playing style
*It could be like that, but I think only Lacazette and Nketiah are sellable. Aubameyang will the problem again if the new manager’s system doesn’t suit his playing style
AS FUNNY AS IT SOUNDS I WANT THEM ALL GONE.
None of your options, the only thing to do is sack the owner, find someone with vision for our beloved club, someone who can invest more than £200 Million for transfer, this squad needs a full overhaul and instill a new mentality, and this can’t be done by Mikel Arteta, the board at Arsenal needs a coach who is below standard so he can’t drive them that’s why they decided to go for Arteta
Please see my post under the previous article and reference to “The Guardian” article by Nick Ames “In trouble from top to bottom: chaoticArsenal are failing in all areas”.
Konstantin, Max Allegri will not come to article because (as you state) his transfer budget and control demands would be too high. In addition he is reticent to manage outside Italy, due to language.
Agree Ozzie, could be another Emery farce.
He better should not come as at Arsenal not knowing the language somehow has become something to ridicule.
Used to watch every arsenal game for more than a decade. Haven’t watched an arsenal game in more than 3 years, won’t watch arsenal until change of ownership.
It was a perfect description and I agree changes from top to bottom a proper manager and I agree EDU the quite man needs to move on. I said a long time ago are we getting a Brazilian team that shows EDU limitations. We need change and we need it NOW
When people thought things couldn’t get any worse under Emery and Arteta said to hold his dryer..
Whether the board sack arteta or not i would like to see the squad changed up as much as possible, especially players who have been here long enough to prove themselves but have fallen short of expectations
Out
Leno- if he wants to leave
Runnarson
Bellerin- 2 years left on contract/don’t renew
Holding – shouldn’t have renewed contract
Chambers – 2 years left on contract
Xhaka- 2 years left on contract/don’t renew
Kolasinac – 1 left on contract
Maitland niles
Torreira – 1 year on left contract
Guendouzi – 1 year left on contract
Nketiah- 1 year left on contract
Laca- 1 year left on contract
Willian
Cebollos
Odegaard
Luiz – don’t renew
Loan next season
Willock
Nelson
In
Onana gk
Atal rb
Duig lb
Bissouma dm
Locotelli cm
Buendia am/rw
Patson daka/Ivan toney/Andre silva st
This wouldn’t even be breaking the bank but shrewd business, so if the board are serious get it done!
I’m with you my guy
But after half a season they may become top 8 players like everyone else.
Guendozi should come back and energise the midfield together with Thomas Partey. Currently Thomas is a lone in that central midfield.
Arteta should be sacked for waisting such a young player and his lack of tactics.
Emery got a tune out of the team for one season.
Arteta in two seasons got a tune out of the team for a month after the long lay off last season.
This season despite half a dozen additions the team has rarely got out of second gear often playing an insipid slow brand of insomnia inducing side ways backwards dross.
How can anything change when 90% of the squad are on supet fat long term contracts with no performance
clauses
A new manager would at least give us hope.
Things can not get any worse or as Yazoo sung “The only way is up’
And the crowds are coming back
Arteta must be sacked…that’s the priority. Should it be at the end of the season….yes, or even now. All energies should spent trying to get Brendan Rogers to the club. If we could seduce him with a good deal he’ll get us to top four again fairly quickly and we would play football. One day even maybe top the EPL. That’s his trademark. We should offer him a great deal because he has taken Leicester as far as he can. The right package and we could get him.
If it ain’t Roger’s we will have to spend near half a billion to get this Arsenal back into the top 4. All top managers will demand players that cost a lot of money and we ain’t spending that amount of money. Rogers will make smart buys and push this team into the top 4. One thing is certain is that even if Arteta gets near half a billion or even 200 million he cant take this team forward he wont make top 4. Arteta is just Pep Guardiola lite. I liked him as a player as he did a good job for us in midfield, but as a manager he just ain’t cutting it. Give Rogers a chance and I beleive we will be competitive again.
After much deep thought over the last few months I have to conclude that my initial hopes and expectations for Arteta have been wrong!
I allowed for the exected mistakes as a rookie but I also thought he would set a more marked sense of direction. The truth is that he has allowed himself to be blown off course in various directions.
Unlike many on here, I was determined to givehim a proper chance and not panic over a mid table position , UNTIL he could get his own players in, which as yet is only part way through. BUT his constant mistakes in shape, selection, subs and lack of a proper direction of regular style have forced me, as an honest and self appraising fan, to change my mind.
I have to accept that I was wrong and so do so now humbly and sincerely with egg on my face. Some on here will be glad, as I am not liked by some for my forthright views but above all I will always be honest with myself and say as I think,
In life, only a fool does not change his mind when evidence mounts that he was wrong. I am not a fool , so have done so with humility and sadness. I do still see potential great qualities in MA but what matters to us as a club is now , NOT some time in the future.
Right NOW, we are falling and failing and the Villareal shambles was the last straw. Whatever relse happens NO Arsenal team should ever meekly stroll through a vital semi final with such acceptance and lack of fight. It wa the sheer lack of fight that hurts so much! Most of us can accept an honest defeat by a better team. But when OUR team is not prepeared to give its utmost that is not and NEVER WILL BE ACCEPTABLE.
It is now clear that this team taken, as a whole is not being inspired by MA. I do not think – as some say- that he has lost the dressing room . BUT too many players are not busting a gut and that is UNACCEPTABLE.
I called out Walcott, and Ozil, plus Mkhi(for a lesser time) for years for lack of effort. It would be dishonest of me to allow such as Auba to get away with similar coasting and not call him out too. So I do so now!
But the buck for lack of effort stops with the manager. THAT is not Kroenkes fault- even though he is a poisonous snake we need out RIGHT NOW. This side is not , regularly putting in enough effort and that comes dowm to motivation. ANY manager who cannot motivate his team to give its utmost effort has failed in my book. And THAT my fellow Gooners is where I am now. I now want MA to go .
But I see no real possibility of Kroenke acting this summer, simply because a new manager would involve him in extra expense and we all know how he looks at life through his pocket with all other human and team considerations coming nowhere!
What I believe WILL happen is that MA will get til next Christmas and IF we are in, or VERY close to top four, he will be allowed til seasons end and then reviewd by what happens in early 2022.
What could change this is IF kROENKE sells up. I very much doubt Daniel Ek will ever own us though,as I distrust his advertising his intentions prior. I believe that IF any serious bidder comes forward, the first we will know about it is when its done.
THAT is how multi billionaires work. Why else do you think Kroenke is called Silent Stan! Glazers and other top rival owners are the same. Silent!! Those who talk first rarely act and those who act rarely speak first. Life has taught me that! For now I will continue eating my humble pie and hope to soon recover from my broken ribs hurt in a reacnrt fall. This season is effectively now over and I hope you all have a peaceful, safe and fulfilling summer til next season.
Finally, I apologise SINCERELY to allthose fans who have wanted MA out who I have called “hasty”! It seems you were far ahead of me in SEEING the truth.
Fair play to you Jon for coming out and saying you were wrong about Arteta respect for that!!
Jon
I appreciate your humility and ability to readdress where you stand. In fact that is what life is about, being able to examine and to change. Respect.
That was long read Jon but wonderful. It is true that a person should change their mind if the evidence is contrary to their views and there is no shame in it.
I like your last paragraph, that humbleness is so unlike you but it is humble nonetheless. I too still feel guilty for not using good language to Mohsan when all he was doing was expressing his opinion (which I later agreed with).
Why everytime I mention some user here my comment go into moderation?
Credit where it’s due Jon it take guts humility honesty..(all good qualities)to do what you’ve just done and there is nothing wrong with changing your mind!👍
Jon,
You are not the only one who supported Arteta, and eating humble pie for having had an honest opinion about his ability is not necessary as long as you were polite in putting across your views. I have wavered occasionally and then supported again, at least expecting that the team might be up for a final and a chance of the Champions’ League. The display was shocking at every level and reminiscent of Baku.
There were times when I thought that Arteta was getting somewhere and then there would be a reversal, but Thursday night shook my faith.
No one likes to be wrong. I kept hoping that he would learn from his mistakes as we all knew that as a novice Arteta would be learning on the job. I did believe he stood a chance but the Villarreal game was the last straw and his post match comments were a surprise.
There are fundamental problems from top to bottom, where the root cause can only be laid at the door of the owners
The club has been slowly going down the toilet for a number of years and if the club had shown any understanding at all after the end of the Emery period who had a decent CV, they should have gone for the very best available.
Where the club goes from here I do not know. AW lost it at the end, Emery lost it after 18 months and now Arteta after a similar time. A very interesting article on JA recently about the mentality of the players over a long period has some bearing on how difficult the club has been to manage. I am glum
Sue P, Sincere thanks to you and to ALL the other too kind Gooners who have praised me simply for being honest. To me personal honesty is above almost all else in life. Often it has got me into trouble and countless times been massively inconvenient.
But I will always say what sincerely believe, even when, as in my over estimation of MA, I was proven wrong. I still see a FUTURE manager in him, so have not really changed my mind on THAT but football is about NOW and the near future.
None of us can wait for him to learn when it is clearly taking too long. The many mistakes were just too much, too consistent and he does not appear to be learning.
Why MARTINELLI is not more used is more of a scandal, then just a mystery. In fact, something smells a little fishy why Willian is sometimes preferred to him, TO BE VERY FRANK!
Well said Jon
Take my hat off to you, Jon.
Fair play Jon for admitting your faith in Arteta was misguided. That said, who do you think would be a suitable replacement? Unfortunately Kroenke is not going away.
ahmad, I said my own faith in him has gone. I SAID NOTHING ABOUT THE CLUB SHARING MY OPINION, at least not this summer for sure. I still think he MAY be kept on and if things pick up I think he may well stay.
What I want is of no matter. What the club DOES or does NOT DO, is all that matters. Time will tell and I have only a logical thinking brain, not a crystal ball.
jon fox I for one thank you for your honesty I saw it a long time ago that he was not the right choice. But that is water under the bridge as they say. I wish you well and recover from you accident
Fair play Jon, im just surprised you couldn’t see it sooner. For me the way we played or are playing football is so obviously wrong. Lets all do what we can to get Arteta out and someone in who actually knows what he is doing.
All us gunners fan just want the best for our team. at times we will have difference of opinion and will not all agree on all subject matter. Well said Jon Fox.
Hear hear John.
Now all we need is a similar admission by the Board and Arteta together that despite his best efforts Arteta has not been able to reach the goals he and the club set for him and by mutual agreement releive Arteta of his duties.
Westbrom could actualise this happening by either winning or drawing come Saturday.
Wyoming
I think you are so right. It’s so crazy but thousands of supporters will be secretly hoping Arsenal lose so that Arteta has to go. This is the first time in 63 years of supporting Arsenal I would be happy to see us lose. Weird eh?
Sean you are not on your own me to
Well while we’re at it in the same spirit i’d like to apologize to Wyoming towards whom I’ve been harsh.hope you’ll accept my apology.
please leave arteta, and sales auba, Chambers, ankitia , Mari, lemo, William,cebalios.
Only one option, SACK HIM.
Reggie Well he won’t leave on his own accord he is too arrogant,and cocky
Correct, he needs sacking, i pray that kronks are looking and sorting secretly for a manager for the summer but i wont be holding my breath.
The decision has already been made.
Whilst the current “owner” remains in situ, Mikel Arteta will start next season as the manager of Arsenal F.C.
What has now changed dramatically is our dealings in the summer window., and the chance for Arteta to argue he will have the makings of his own side to work with.
A strange argument in that some of the decisions made of late even with this totally lacking squad have been completely mystifying.
Summer targets will now have to be realigned due to the fact of the absence of any form of European football, bar qualifying for the Europa Conference League which will be a huge embarrassment and one for the kids.
For ANY change to occur, Kroenke needs to up sticks and sell.
It will be interesting to see if tomorrow’s planned demonstration now morphs into Kroenke/Arteta out in equal measure.
AJ AS USUAL A MATURE AND SENSIBLE POST FROM YOU. It it of vital importance that we get Kroenke out. I think our best hope, in the short term, is for him to continue to lose money in floods(across ALL his USA franchises too which must surely be happening without fans watching). In that sense a lack of income from any Euro qualifications is helpful and MAY prove a blessing in disguise.
Having now changed my mind on MA being right for us, I now hope he leaves. BUT of far more long term importance is to get Kroenke out. All our slide since 2007 stems directly from him being our uncaring owner.
Arteta has to sacked. He’s simply not good enough. Emery and Wenger both performed better with far inferior squads. Any course of action Arsenal takes which doesn’t include sacking Mikel Arteta, is doomed to fail.
I’m sure Arsene Wenger, given this squad could have delivered champions League football; he did just that with a far inferior squad featuring the likes of Djourou, Giroud, Chamakh, Bendtner, Fabianski, Denilson.. There’s nothing wrong with sacking a bad manager, who by some stretch of luck won the FA cup. The truth is that Mikel Arteta has taken Arsenal miles backwards. One cannot argue that Leeds, Aston villa, Everton, Westham and Leicester have better players than Arsenal. They only have better managers.
If you want to see what difference a good manager makes look at Tuchel at Chelsea, Bielsa at Leeds and Moyes at West Ham. A few months ago, these clubs were at per if not bellow us. They improved while Arsenal fell.. because Arsenal trusted an untested novice with no experience at all with the hardest job in their history.
Are the people we are talking to, ie the owners, MA, the board, and even the players, listening, or are we just talking to ourselves?
We are obviously talking to ourselves Idoko Peter. It’s the only thing we can do to vent our frustration. Those responsible for this mess are sitting smugly, convinced of their own righteousness. You only have to listen to Arteta’s comments to realise that he believes his job is safe. The shit coming out of his mouse says everything.
I think Arteta will want to destroy Arsenal. By having Kroenke’s blessing Arteta will sign more rubbish players, get rid of decent players. He knows he is out by next year. Why let Arteta choose players that the ‘REAL’ Manager will need to choose when Arteta is later sacked. He is now spouting dangerous nonsense about clearing out the squad. Arteta’s whims and fancies will cripple us, and his successor, this summer down the line. We are at the most dangerous time in our history as Arteta dismantles us and tries unconsciously to get revenge. This club is dancing on a razor’s edge with Arteta. He could destroy our club for many years. I pray we make a wonderful offer to Brendan Rogers who would get us to European football quickly.. The Kroenke’s must act to keep the club in a safe position for next season. Arteta is dangerous and may cause a lot of shrapnel that does long term player damage.
Partey has not been a dud, just think of our midfield without him. MA has asked him to do two players jobs. Willian is blocker of our talent and should be moved on asap. I wish MA would simply shut up and leave the team to talk on the pitch. His decisions cost him the job and our joy. He has proved simply better in the press room than on the training field and pitch as he hasn’t got a team that fight for him. And as for his player judgements!