What did Arteta have to seem so positive about last night? (Opinion)

Was our gaffer relieved to get the first of two games against Liverpool out of the way or is there something happening that we don’t know about?

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game our boss in my eyes, seemed rather positive and happy!

Was it more a case of relief that the tie was over and that he could look forward to picking his boys up for the next round of games or was it because he had seen something that we clearly didn’t (or maybe that we didn’t lose by more than two goals)?

From the way I saw Arteta last night he seemed happy enough in his post-match interview, of course stating what we all knew and saw: “It’s a tough place to come for anybody in the world. They set incredible standards; they dominate every aspect of the game. Taking the lead put us in a really strong position to believe more that we could get something out of the game. We conceded too early, in a mistake.”

Although we had a poor first half we did come out and looked much better in the second half, but it just wasn’t enough and Arteta too stated: “In the second half we corrected a few things, we were much better. We had some problems still with the ball and we had the best chance in the game and when it comes to Anfield you’re not going to get 10 chances. When you get through one on one with the keeper, you have to score if you want to get something out of the game.”

Considering we lost 3-1, was Arteta rather relieved and happy? Relieved it was over, happy our boys came into the game more in the second half and kept Liverpool at bay although not for long!

Is it me or is there something in the pipeline because for me the interview from our gaffer didn’t really have many negative aspects involved! Gooners?

Shenel

Tags Liverpool Mikel Arteta

50 Comments

  1. The truth is important and the truth is we were poor. It is never good to be pulverised and we were. Poor choices for defence. Holding, Luiz and Tierney and our midfield is seriously poor. Can we really have no quality midfield players, and why do we have to wait until the last few days of the window to buy. Sad and sick. Kroenke really is a poor owner for you and me….and Arsenal supporters. He is ****.

    1. Liverpool pressed us all night we did not press them like in other games I began to wonder if we were fit enough Van dijk when pressed makes mistakes he had all night to pass a ball Sane needs man to man marking he makes Liverpool tick

  2. I think he was happy not to get battered. Liverpool are on a different planet to Arsenal and everybody else really.

  3. I don’t think he has a clue. Team selection, tactics and style of play were all horrendous. This is a copy cat league and other teams will put the clamp on Aubamayeng just like Liverpool did, and challenge the rest of Arsenal players to score. Lacazette proved now for 2 years that he is erratic and can’t deliver when it counts. Willian is not the type of players to press/defend and score(no gas in the tank left) and Peppe’s confidence is shot.

    1. @Icw The loss against Liverpool suits your narrative rather well doesnt`t it?

      Have you ever said anything positive at all about Arsenal?

      1. Absolutely! I say positive things when they deserve it. Not all of us are willing to toe the line and be cheerleaders. when you follow a team for 50 years, Loosing takes a tall on you.

        Sorry if that does not agree with you.

  4. I think the tactics were clear enough, stay in the game for sixty minutes (which we did),Make changes to change the game ( which he did), but again poor defending let us down. On a personal note, I think it”s time to show these big team so much respect and make it so easy for them to control the game It’s time to let them know that they can’t be too comfortable against us, that we can hurt them and we have the weapons to do so

    1. I remember a game in September 2016 we played Chelsea and it was Antonio Conti first season as Chelsea coach everyone was expecting him to hit the ground running due to his success with Juventus, but they lost against us 3-0 if memory serves me right and the loss gave him and his team some much needed breathing space to rethink his tactics and it took the pressure off him and his team, Chelsea took the league that season but I still believe that loss against us was a turning point. So yes we lost last night and nobody likes loosing but let’s look at it in context. The premier league is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Imagine if we won last night, Arteta and his young inexperienced squad would have had even more pressure stacked against them so now the pressure is off cause we lost against the champions, let’s move on get our signings over the line and prepare for the next one. What did we expect to beat them on their patch with a squad that still needs so much.

      1. Well writen Mike, well written.
        Most think that Arteta is turning the club round for the better. Last night we could have been another soft touch as of recent past seasons but the players gave their all and faught and faught.

        I think your reference to the Chelski defeat inflicted by us and what happened afterwards is very relevent here.

        In all this dirge of gloom that is here from the one game merchants your comments are refreshing.
        Keep them coming, reminding us that we are ‘Gooners’ not ‘gloomers’

        1. Our Coach is young with heaps of talent, potential and tactical knowledge but he is also very inexperienced so he will make mistakes but we need to support him and our team COYG let’s support our team. Thanks Snowden

      2. I remember that game.
        Chelsea were so poor and looked lost in the first half. We breezed through them going 3-0 up before halftime i think.
        But hr changed the formation in the second half and chelsea looked a completely different team. They dominated us for the whole second half but did not score. From that game they just went from strength to strength and won the league. He changed the system in that second half and that is the system he won the league with.

  5. i think he is comparing:
    Bend Leno Vs Alison 1:3
    Bellerin Vs Trent 1:2
    Tienney Vs Andrew S 1:2
    Luiz Vs Van Dyke 1:4 (all day)
    Rob Vs Gomes 1:3
    Elneny Vs Wldum 1:4
    and so forth…in short on a one to one basis, we are oceans apart. Not until somebody releases the funds and we buy quality players..Its clear we would need Partey,Aoar, Coutinho and Zaha to match up. And not forgeting Emi(assuming we didnt sell him-sad so sad indeed!!!

    So you see we are not so far away…and Arteta know that and thats why he way smiling 🙂

    1. 1. Widnaldjum was in the Newcastle team that got relegated.
      2. Trent has not impressed much for the england national team. i hardly see him replicate his liverpool form for England.
      3. Van Dyke was part of a southampton team that was fighting relegation and conceding goals.
      4. Nothing spectacular about Gomes.
      5. Salah spent 2 seasons on loan at Roma and Chelsea did not see him as been good enough.

      Why did i say all these?

      Football is a team game. Some players have some special qualities and also the right coaching and trust in the manager. which translates to success on the pitch.

      4 seasons ago, Liverpool could not make the champions league spot. They were not consistent enough.

      We should trust the process. form is temporary. class is permanent.
      Little by Little, this team will gel and be great again. we have a chance of winning the league in 2 years time. At the end of the day, it is just 3 points lost. no one wins the league after 3 games. not even Liverpool.

      Let us support our team and hope that the board invest in the players arteta wants.

      We should support the process.

  6. Arteta you are not Johah cruyff yet.we trust you but stop overthinking that was also a problem with Emery.You won a cup but Emery can claim part of that success as he kept us in the challenge which you completed,he left us in Europa league and we know the opponent who knocked us out.Hope we’ll not be knocked out of the carabao cup by Liverpool,a team we beat before so play your best team and respect your players.We are in this rebuilding together but signing players like willian, mari, Soares is waste of resources, benching saliba and gabriel dispite dispite the club spending 54m on them I guess even kreonke would ask if you are you not using players I bought then win lot of games!

    1. Arteta is just working with what he’s got and able to get when it comes to transfer business I don’t think if he had 150 million he would have gone for willian or loan players his hands are tied so he’s just trying to make a bad situation just a little bit better when it comes to transfers. I still believe this team is capable of a top 4 finish under Arteta.

  7. ‘signing players like willian, mari, Soares’
    I don’t know about Mare but the other two do not make any sense. I hate the signing of Willian for many reasons but the most telling is him taking time away from Saka.
    Games versus dominant teams tend to reveal a lot about you. We have a long way to go and MA needs seasoning.

    1. I told my friend I would be happy if we could tie at Anfield. Never thought we had any chance to win EPL title this season. Top rivals like Liverpool are challenges beyond our capabilities. Without adding quality players, we shall be content with top 4, that would be an achievement to celebrate.

  8. The flip flop of opinions and hindsight criticism from match to match on this site is absolutely astonishing, hilarious stuff.

  9. I guess the 3-4-3 formation will never work again against Klopp, he corrected the mistake.

    Looking at yesterday match, Liverpool played wide, the long wide passes were getting in deep due to formation (3-4-3).

    I guess a switch of formation with them can change things, maybe. Just my suggestion anyways.

  10. Too much negativity for the first defeat in some time against arguably the best Club side on the Planet at the present time.For God’s sake get realistic.Very few ,if any sides will win at Annfield and we have young talents like Saka, Saliba and Gabriel to bring in to strengthen our team.

    1. See no evil hear no evil about your manager,sorry some of us have guts to speak our minds after observing and reasoning there’s we form opinions which must be respected.

  11. It amazes me the lack of knowledge
    and intelligence that clutters this
    board after a defeat, especially a
    somewhat predictable one @ that.

    MA has done a marvelous job of
    restoring both collective and
    individual belief amongst a
    squad that was dead and buried
    when he took over. Do all the
    armchair experts out there expect
    him to react with the following
    comments.

    To start I thought…

    Laca lost the game for us, he simply
    cant miss those game changing
    opportunities.

    Our midfielders in the first half
    played with heart and passion but
    you saw it there really just squad
    level players at best. Theres a
    reason I want Partey and Aouar.

    Leno is my #1 but he was timid and
    didn’t command the box. He was
    at fault for the first goal as well.

    Bellerin was well terrible today

    Pepe and Willian stunk up the
    joint.

    Would all of the board experts be
    more satisfied if MA threw the
    entire team under the bus?

    SMMFH

  12. Well, the gloom merchants – who see NO positives in a battling performance against probably the best team on the planet right now – are out in force on here!

    Realists, unite against these merchants of doom!

    GRANDAD, NOT SURPRISINGLY, IS A VOICE OF REALISM IN A CESSPIT OF DESPAIR.
    Some fans you just cannot reach with reason, so I will not even try. I know from past experience they would rather wallow in their own harmful gloom. Poor things! What a dismal life they will have ahead of them all, personally, with THAT attitude!

  13. Jon, save for the undiplomatic language, I agree with you on some of our fickle fans. We lose one game against the best team and it is as if the world has come to an end! Where did analysis go? Why don’t we put things in a context? Who said we would be invincibles this season? There were a lot of positives to take from that game. Therefore let us not be downcast. We shall emerge from the loss even stronger.

    1. Diplomacy eh David? Is that REALLY what you expect on a fan site and if so, have you ever actually been in a pub at a game after the game is finished? I have,many many times and know how true fans speak. I am also a true fan and a deep thinker. But I have neither the inclination nor the passivity to ever be a diplomat. They are boring and unreal, though I will never use filthy language , even in the pub.

  14. I think we showed some real resolve and we only became valnerable late into the game.
    If Laca out the game to 2-2 we would all be having a different conversation.

    Sure we need to improve but also remember 3.5years Liverpool haven’t been beaten at home in the prem

  15. Liverpool paid our visit to Anfield with a “reality check.” My God, are you guys expecting to win?

    With this squad, Emery would have conceded 5, and that’s me being kind!

    They’re the most cohesive team in the world. The only team that comes close right now might be Bayern.

    Get over it guys. It’s not over. There’s no shame in losing to them. Take positive in the fact that we went in with belief at least.

  16. Oh dear once again Shenel. If you saw nothing positive in thatperformance then I feel sorry for your lack of vision. I presume you realise we were up against probably th finest team on the planet right now, playing at their finest too.

    I also presume you saw that we missed two one on ones in the second half that could, possibly should, have made the score 3-2 to us until Liverpool scored their third, which meant we would not have needed to chase the game and leave gaps behind, . If you don’t think those are positives then perhaps WE should never debate again, as there would be no point.

  17. We should have Leagues for arsenal fans. Based on delusion or based on longevity or both?

    Reading comments since yesterday I loss interest and miss the good points by honest fans.

    The reality is forget about the arsenal you have known since supporting since wenger was your manager. The arsenal we know is much older and much more then the highs of invincibility. We have the lows too.

    And right now I am afraid that some ‘fans’ (because of social media) will detrail the process we are on.

    The truth is, the whole club at liverpool have trust in their process and therefore with each other.

    Players with players is the first stage of trust. Arsenal dont have that because we have multiple players needing to be shipped out. Look at United, Chelsea and even spurs – all have players needing to be shipped.

    Why is this important other then creating space for new players?
    Because these are players who are lowering the professional level required to think and behave like an elite athlete.
    It’s as simple as that. MA have more players to shift then he has to want to keep.

    Why does MA have to be positive about? Regardless of all of this to resolve, amongst a pandemic and global financial issues within the game, we are still in a better position then this time last year.

    If this isnt enough of a positive for you then relegate yourself to league B as a ‘fan’

    The real Tom (TRT) insee there is another tom admin. How is this possible? Is this not confusing for us all? How many Bob’s and Jack’s are there too… 🤷🏽‍♂️

    1. A suggestion
      I’m SueP because there was already a Sue
      You need to make yourself unique otherwise confusion will set in

  18. I think tactically, Arteta was simply outsmarted by Klopp. They applied relentless and aggressive pressure on our nervous and highly suspect midfield. Besides, they isolated and attacked Tierney especially when ANM was caught upfield. We also failed to track runners, especially their marauding wingbacks, and allowed VVD complete and unrestricted freedom to ping long passes all over the place – at his pleasure. The image of Robertson, sprinting like Bolt, behind William (jogging casually in midfield) on his way to scoring the second goal was the story of the match, in my view.
    I think, however, it is unfair to blame individual players especially after just three games into the season. LFC is a world-class team, playing together for over three years. We, on the other hand, are still a young team in transition, still trying to figure out best combination, team formation and style of play.
    That said, we need to reconsider our strategy of playing out from the back, until we recruit midfield players with the right skills to do so effectively. This strategy invites too much pressure unnecessarily onto the team, particularly the keeper and defenders. We should instead revert back to taking back kicks and play to regain possession further upfield from second balls.

  19. Let’s face it guys, we did not play good in last two matches, we were lucky against West ham as well but some fans said that winning ugly is sign of champions. Then there you go champions!!. First match was not even great either one deleted shot fell to laca and we scored second from corner. So all in all we have got points in last 2 matches but we were poor. Team is toothless in middle, no front to back transition. Too much sideways and backward passing. Actually when I see Arsenal now a days they remind me of UE era in the start. Only reason why fans tolerated and kept quite was bec UE was getting some results. I see same pattern again i am afraid in first 3 games. I hope MA reverts back to same football philosophy which he showed last season. Play some attacking football playing elneny n Xhaka together is too negative n defensive. Intop of thatbif you add AMN in there we struggle further up the pitch. I sincerely hope he moves away form this mentality, I don’t care if we get Partey or not but Auora is a must. I would play Xhaka Auora n Ceballos in home games. In away I would play Auora/Ceballos , Xhaka and AMN.

  20. I believe Arteta focus on Carabao Cup. Thats why team selection was unexpected. Hope this is his plan and oy works.

  21. Which average team wouldn’t be happy to be beaten by just 2 goals and and even putting 1 past a rampaging Liverpool team.

    Best to take the exposure for what it was. We aren’t on their level and need to reinforce the team in this transfer window!

  22. Signing lucrative contracts – players become too comfortable. I hope I am wrong. Am starting to see a repeat of Ozil part 2 with Auba…
    Please prove me wrong, Auba.

  23. I think he expected this to happen that’s why he wasn’t so sad about it. Personally, I can’t imagine our team beat Liverpool anytime soon in the PL, maybe the cups when they are not paying attention for the win!

    Arteta is a realistic coach, he understands his team and play according to his ability players, this makes him one of the successful manager. I hope soon we can improve our team and our players start to make a difference in the field!

    Pepe is not playing much, so I assume he is not doing much in the training sessions! As well as Laca, he lost two chances which were able to make us have a better result!

    Anyway, our team wasn’t in his best shape. I wish MA will learn from this loss and make the necessary changes to win the next game against them.

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