So, I was watching the Forest game on Tuesday.
You know when your TV is on, but it’s just background noise while you’re messaging on your phone, digesting a quick YouTube clip, checking out your betting app, and joining in a group chat about Jamie Carragher’s views on AFCON? This is not normally how I consume the sport.
No, it’s not because we will not be champions this season. I consigned myself to that reality when the Kroenke family waved the white flag last month. Plus, it’s been over two decades without a title, so if my viewing habits were dictated by trophies, I would have walked away when I was 16! It’s simply because my belief has been stolen, my faith extinguished, my hope evaporated. I’m awake, not allowed to dream anymore.
I no longer trust us to score. On Saturday, when West Ham broke the deadlock, I went hot and clammy, a knot grew in my tummy. Out loud, I pondered how we were going to score twice. How has it got to this?
I grew up with Mr Wenger’s free-flowing football; his sides (even the poor ones) almost guaranteed they would create chances. His ethos has been replaced by sideways passing, leading to one shot on target at the City Ground. His principles demanded lots of possession, but rarely was he left scratching his head wondering how many great saves the opponent’s keeper actually had to make.
At half-time, I watched some Gunners walk off and felt sorry for them. Unlike at the weekend, I couldn’t question their effort last night. It’s too easy to say footballers don’t care. Yes, they travel in comfort compared to the Gooners who will be getting back early in the morning, impacting their work schedule. Our disappointment is not comforted by a substantial wage, no matter the result. Yet, you can be rich, famous, and live a glamorous lifestyle but still hurt. These are still humans. They bleed and cry like the rest of us. They still have aspirations that kill when they turn out to be fake.
We use this platform to communicate our thoughts. This week in particular, the topic of conversation has been our owners, manager, transfers (or lack of). Social media means that, if you wish, you can access 24-hour content on opinions. Pundits don’t just leave their points of view on television and radio. Some now have their own podcasts.
Mikel Arteta is contractually forced to talk to the press multiple times a week. To be fair to him, what else can he say but be positive and put on a brave face? How, though, do our players feel?
I’m not a professional athlete, so I’m not qualified to know if your own performance can be limited by the limitations of others. Yet, if journalists could foreshadow that January would cost us everything, if the majority of the fanbase knew a lack of attacking options would catch up with us, if ex-professionals are pointing to our Achilles’ heel, then surely the squad whispers that to each other?
A midfielder must wonder how he can assist if the tools ahead of him are not sharp enough. That then puts more weight on his shoulders to be creative, and suddenly he too is struggling. So worried about helping others, he then neglects his own problems. They would be too respectful to target or isolate one person, but surely Odegaard gets home and says to his wife that he just wishes his employers had more ambition?
When Rice goes on international duty, does he secretly tell Foden he should have chosen Man City after all, because his chance of a medal is based on whether a player on loan can remember where he left his mojo? Saliba has probably informed his agent not to negotiate a new contract because having trophies on his CV depends on a 17-year-old.
Imagine a world where, at the interval, you are updated that Liverpool is leading and going 13 points ahead of you. Then you have to keep a straight face as the coaching staff, on the whiteboard, illustrate their master plan of how to break down Nuno Santo’s team… Bring on three full-backs!
In training, when their boss excitedly challenges those who want to help solve the puzzle of not having a goalscorer, who dares to put up their hand and point out that, since the window closed, there has been a failure to find the net in three of our last four matches?
Anyone with the gumption to demand to know why?
Would it be rude to your boss to suggest that’s not a coincidence?
Too cheeky to ask what else he expected, because elsewhere most are not surprised.
You try cooking with mouldy potatoes—how do you think the chips will taste?
Do you wait for supervision to document how disappointed you are because you really wanted this to be the workplace where you could grow? Or have you already ordered your representatives to research exit strategies to destinations where they are serious about success? More serious than trying to chase down the league leaders with a central midfielder as your forward.
You know, like Fabregas and Van Persie did. Young talent who adored the environment but couldn’t fight the truth—that to get the honours their talent deserved, they had to move.
These are men who were once kids kicking a ball in the school playground, reenacting celebrations in their back gardens, trying skills in the park using jumpers for goalposts. While letting their imaginations run wild, they were educating themselves on their passion, and understanding how this love works.
You can overcomplicate the game. You can get fixated on tactics and obsessed with systems.
In reality, since rules were written, from the day the sport was invented, whatever era, whatever country, no matter the level you compete at, the fundamentals have always been the same.
The winner is the team that scores the most goals.
If you have difficulty putting the ball in the net, the percentage of a winning sequence is not high.
So from the Premier League to grassroots, you want to recruit someone who is an expert in finishing. Preferably more than one candidate.
So if our options for goals are a teenager, a central midfielder, and someone on loan, how can you not be deflated?
Thousands of pounds a week rightfully dictate maximum effort, but you can’t force people to lie. You’re paying these athletes for their technique with their feet, not for them to be blind.
It breaks my heart to see our players yesterday run themselves into the ground, forced to fight with one hand behind their back. You can see in their body language a nervousness about how they are going to be able to cut steak with a spoon.
That’s why even Raya is displaying nervous energy, playing the sweeper role so he can help in attack.
I admire the collective unit’s desire to take responsibility, but I can see it’s on their minds to the point they lack composure. Even at set pieces now, you sense we are trying to force things because a corner is now the most likely way to make chicken salad out of chicken.
Our players have been let down. They’ve been left with zero support. To be fair to Arteta (like most Gooners), he asked his boss for help. He’s only an employee at the end of the day. He did what anyone would do in a management role at a major company—communicate to the owners when resources are low.
Please, he said. We are short in attack and need help. Assistance, because attack is quite important if you want to win leagues or cups.
Our players reached out to grab the brass ring, only to find it never existed. They tried to catch their dreams, only for our owners to show they were chasing illusions. Our players wanted to run with the baton but have been tripped up by those meant to be helping.
These players will get off the ground, dust themselves off, their wounds will heal. Many will eventually still succeed on the grandest stage. If that’s not in North London, then remember January 2025.
It will live forever, it will haunt us, and we will never forget—nor should we.
A draw keeps us eight points ahead of fifth. Fifth might even be enough for qualification for the Champions League. Currently, Newcastle in sixth are ten points off us. With 11 games to go and those below us not consistent, we should have enough to stay in the top four.
As we know, that’s all that matters to our owners. if our dressing room didn’t know that before this year, they do now.
Still on the positive side, I see we are being linked with a left back from Club Brugge in the summer window. You couldn’t make it up.
😂
We are still abit short in that position
Absolutely! Apparently, he’s an attacking fullback who makes overlapping runs. A bit like Tierney then 🤦
Yes, another inverted left back,along with the centre half from Barcelona who we have also been linked to. So Artetaesque.
Did you see what Nuno said about Arsenal? When asked why he chanced to back 4 instead of usual 5 at the back, he said were playing Merino upfront so they didnt need 5 defenders 😀 that is HILARIOUS
He wasn’t wrong. Arteta wouldn’t change formation if the opponents played none or 10 upfront.
Whilst we are horribly short of players, and even more short of good ones, and that may be down to a combination of the owners and the manager, how the players we do have is entirely down to Arteta.
Did anyone really have any doubt about what team he would field last night and what the tactics would be? He has no flexibility and adaptability to his approach. No plan B.
Right now, his options are limited but not zero. He could play a hybrid 442 with Tierney and Sterling operating as orthodox wingers, with Merino and Trossard/Nwaneri as a front 2 with either player able to drop into midfield if support is needed.
He could play a back 5 as one thing we do have is defenders. Calafiori might look better as a left-sided defender in a 3 with Tierney and Ben White as wingbacks. He could then use Rice, Odegaard, Nwaneri and Trossard as diamond 4 in attack.
These are no more likely to work than anything else, they are merely there to demonstrate that whilst the squad is thin, there are still options. But Arteta will not stray from his obsessive structure that allows no room for creative freedom.
This structure is sucking the life out of Odegaard. He is struggling without Saka, Havertz, and White. Players he has become accustomed to playing with and because Arteta doesn’t rotate, he can’t adapt to those now on the pitch.
This isn’t going to get better, guys. Once Saka and Havertz are back in the team the results will probably improve but it will just mask the same rot beneath, where the players are forced to abide by his strict ethos, because we’ve seen what he does to those he seems no longer suitable for his plans.
Arteta is a good coach, an average tactical manager, and seemingly an absolutely horrible man manager. His treatment of players is nothing short of nasty. Frankly, I’m amazed Zinchenko and Tierney have even managed to get on the pitch.
Agree with man management. Also he overloads players as weve seen this season. Havertz never had a major injury, now he TEARS his hamstring. Saka, TORN hamstring. Martinelli – hamstring. This is not coincidence.
1) Terrible man and squad management, leads to
2) Complete lack of rotation, leads to
3) Already thin squad, overloads players
4) Already thin squad, overloaded players get injured
Not even taking into consideration some players’ proneness to injuries which clearly has not been acknowledged.
Absolutely. Look at ESR, constantly injured at Arsenal over the last couple of years now played 20+ games for Fulham and has scored more than Trossard, Odegaard and Martinelli this season.
There is absolutely no way at this stage of the season, with the squad this thin that the players should have been dragged out to the middle east. It’s nonsense. All to fulfill some contractual obligation no doubt.
Really good mate
Agree with most of it
was a great piece you wrote btw
Thank you mate
Here’s a thing.
It’s very easy to sit on the sidelines and throw out these broadsides when you are not the one making the decisions.
You are saying he could do x, y or z. The question is what would be the outcome if he adopted such tactics.
Let’s go back a few years when we had Emery in charge. This was a manager who was lauded for being one of the great tactical coaches. At a certain time he was changing tactics and players from game to game yet we were floundering.
Your description of Arteta as a coach and manager is remarkably subversive and one would wonder why any football player would want to come Arsenal if what you have stated were true.
It’s just my opinion, mate. But he seems to just discard players. It is perhaps a testament to Tierney’s professionalism that he has managed to get on the pitch, and I thought he did ok against NF.
Calafiori is looking better going forward than defending, but I like him as a player. I think between him and MLS we are all good at LB. It’s a shame really because KT would be great for Martinelli with his overlapping runs.
It was good to see Ben White get on the pitch, too, and it was interesting to see he immediately started making runs on the outside of Nwaneri. I’m not sure why Timber doesn’t do this more. Perhaps he’s just not that comfortable doing it.
David,
You say that Emery’s changes in formation were still causing the team to flounder while that has some truth, it still doesn’t mean that Arteta shouldn’t have a plan B,C, or even D at times.
But we really shouldn’t be surprised regarding no plan B from Arteta, because last summer he couldn’t get his preferred striker, namely Sesko. And no plan B of a striker in mind. Instead he totally ignored the striker and brought in two defensive minded player’s in Calafiori and Merino. Go figure!. 🙄🤦♂️
@ David…
I have to respect your energy to keep up with these guys.
I will advise you to save your energy though…. There’s no way you engage in logical and emotionless discussion with these ones
“To be fair to Arteta (like most Gooners), he asked his boss for help”
In January? He received help in the summer and opted not to replace nketiah – while I don’t think nketiah’s a great player, he is a striker, and we’ve won games with him playing as a striker. Surely we’d be better off with him now, but regardless, we had the opportunity to replace him and didn’t. We opted to start the season with only an injury prone jesus and havertz who regularly play CF – it was inevitable it would all be on havertz’ fitness and arteta lost on that gamble.
Frankly if I were the owner and the manager was asking to be bailed out of this situation, I’d think quite poorly of them – arteta’s been given money to spend over a number of years, and he and his team have clearly not used it efficiently, otherwise we wouldn’t be in this situation, not to this degree anyway.
As Dajuhi pointed above, he choose his preferred players and run them to the ground.
He is the cause of those injuries yet we should sympathize with him? Others do not have that much injuries because they rotate perhaps?
We have an extraordinary number of injuries the like of which I have never seen before. Surely it is not a coincidence?
@Dan
You just might be the only person in the world who blame the owners after the backing they have given to Arteta.
If it was your own money would you have given more seeing the terrible spending over the five years?
Only at Arsenal a manager will sign more than 26 players worth nearly a billion and still be excused to have a thin squad. We should sign 200 players to get that thickness.
The only fault of the owners is hiring and rewarding people who are not that good at their job. Based on the results we have seen over the years.
If I was the owner and look at what my money got: £65m 280k a-week Havertz as our main striker for 2 years, I would not give a penny to spend.
Oh I blamed them for years mate
Not just them of course but trust me there are others our there lol
To me I can’t see how anyone can defend the last 3 windows dude
It was there and we let the moment pass us by
Before January window there was June, July, August windows.
3 good months for transfer in the summer.
Arteta went and got a CB/LB and a CM.
So he has no right to cry for help in January when he had the opportunity to get a striker in June to August.
A striker was and is still the last piece of the jigsaw and Arteta put a blind eye to it.
He went in for a young unproven Sesko who has never scored up to 20 goals in one season and Sesko turned him and decided to remain in his current club.
Why will a sensible manager after being turned down by a young unproven striker not go for another striker who is more proven with 20+ goals?
Gyokeres has a release clause of 80m pounds.
Osimhen was a release clause of 70m pounds.
Ivan Toney would have been gotten for nothing more than 40m.
Arteta has a very inflated ego for a young coach and that will be his downfall.
I dislike Kroenke more than anything else but I blame Arteta for not buying a striker in August.
That was when the season was over.
To hell with his crying for help in January like an over pampered spoilt brat who thinks he can get whatever he wants anytime he wants.
It is the Champions League we would have had the chance to go a bit further if we had signed a good striker in January but unfortunately Kroenke decided to teach him a lesson to be more wise with his spending.
I hope Arteta has learnt his lesson and make August count by getting us a prolific striker.
Was this all Arteta’s doing? Our then Director of Football must have been sitting on his arse if that was the situation.
You mean Edu who is still on our books but not working for us , there’s something gone on there for sure 🤔
Whatever Edu was supposed to be doing, he obviously wasn’t, and although Arteta did work closely with him the final outcome was his responsibility. His was the big, big letdown. I think Arteta takes a lot of blame unfairly as it’s not his job to go out and buy players, that all finished when Wenger left.
On gardening leave now until the end of the season.
Surely Jax,
It was Edu’s job to try and get the said player that Arteta has requested.
While the odds are for most managers to be sacked at some point, unless they’ve been successful and get to leave on their own terms, for me if I we’re a manager I’d certainly prefer to be the one who chose the player’s I wanted, at least then if I we’re to be sacked I’d be sacked on the strength of the players that I chose and no one else.
Our then Director of Football must have been standing on his feet vetoing MA every time he wanted to sign a striker. Or maybe worse, for every striker MA asked for, Edu went and got him a defender lol
Sorry Sushi,
But I can’t go along with your theory regarding Edu doing completely the opposite to what Arteta wanted regards a striker. If that were true, what self respecting manager would put up with such interference. 😉👍
sushi,
I don’t know what Edu was or wasn’t doing, but there was something very wrong with our operation for buying players. We had the money, but it was being wasted on unnecessary purchases.
Santiago Giminez was available
Jonathan David was available
Ivan Toney was avaliable
Victor O carries some baggage, can understand Arteta on this
Any of the above 3 would be better than Gabby J, but Arteta never went for a striker as Gabby is on mammoth wages just like Kai, and nobody was interested in buying either or both.
We are stuck with them unless we them off the wage list with hefty payouts.
Jesus hasn’t been as successful as I had hoped as a striker, but would “put in a shift for the gaffer”. The tragedy/irony of the current situation is that on his return from injury, he did find the back of the net until the ACL put paid to that. Personally, I think that Havertz gets worse press than he deserves. Not Haaland but I would say without question, we missed him against West Ham and Forest.
SueP
I would agree with you about Havertz and the treatment he gets at times.
To be fair he is not a striker and playing out of position and doing his best for the team, well done Kai.
The question remains for me as to why Arteta has not brought in an out and out striker in 4 years, but rather chose square pegs in round holes.
Arteta stuck with his philosophy and continued with versatility over skilled players in certain positions; striker, B2B, and fullbacks.
However, I think that methodology has taken us as far as it can; positions like striker, DM, and B2B need specific skill sets not versatility for them to be truly impactful.
I hope Arteta now realizes this with the striker position, and in the Summer I hope to see a top striker come in, someone capable of better finishing and netting 18 – 20 PL goals a season.
I think adding anything less will not improve the team enough to take the next step. Also we need a bit more in attack; another winger and preferably a better backup than Jesus; but his injury won’t see him transferred anytime soon.
Durand,
I thought that versatility was a good plan and I don’t think it’s dead and still has a use. However, reading your assessment it makes sense.
Arteta is not unintelligent and I hope he sees more than he is currently letting on
Sue P, Jesus would have been extremely useful against Forest but not Harvetz. In praising the big fella we are just admitting that we have no one better, especially when the options are Merino and Stirling. A disgrace from those responsible for putting the club in this situation when we should have been seriously challenging for everything.
I’m still hoping for Jonathan David.
Could get him free.
I’m with you. He’s not going to bag 25+ but he’ll likely get~20 and will work as hard as anyone and help share the heavy workload on Havertz. Can also operate out side, so that’s that versatility Arteta loves so much. So instead of Jesus, a hard working winger playing as a striker we actually just get a hard working striker who can play as a winger.
Reading a lot of the comments I totally agree with. I’ve never really been a fan of Arteta’s to be fare, as I’ve made very clear.
I thought at the time of his appointment that it was strange to give a man (who yes was a coach at Manchester City), his first managerial position at the third biggest club in the country.
And then you see over the next two seasons that to be fare to him, were rebuilding seasons. So as a fans we needed to cut him some slack, which is what the majority of fans did.
Then going into his third season he had started to get the team and the fans connection back. And the team started to perform at a better level for the first time in a long time. But the first real mistake was not addressing the need for the out and out striker that we needed. People blame the Saliba injury for our failure to win the League. I personally don’t, for me in the close games a striker could have made all the difference.
Season four, still no addressing of the striker situation, but again the team performed at the good level of the previous season, but again baulked at the winning line. Again for me, it was the lack of a striker. Its now two seasons of ignoring to address the striker situation.
Season five, going into this season the reports we’re that we wanted Sesko. But Sesko didn’t want to join us, which is his prerogative. This for me is one of the biggest errors from Arteta, he then chose once again to ignore addressing the striker issue again (now three seasons and counting), instead he went for two defensive minded players in Calafiori and Merino. And for some reason only known to Arteta himself, decided to play what can only be described as pragmatic football. I don’t know why, the defense wasn’t the problem from the previous two seasons.
And overall over his five years at the club, well I don’t need to comment further at this time. Just read a lot of the other posts on this page. Because a lot of the other points about Arteta are covered.
As I said earlier, I was one who really ever thought it a good idea to appoint him in the first place. That said, he’s got the club going in a better direction than it was previously. But I believe that come the end of the season, he should go, whether it be his decision or the clubs.😉👍
Was Arteta anybody’s first choice? He wasn’t mine as I was expecting Arsenal to push the boat out still further, after the departures of two well respected managers who had won trophies.
I don’t remember who the options were Sue, But I assumed Arteta would get the job and thought it would be a good move, knowing him as an ex respected player and assistant to Pep coach.
Actually SueP and Jax, it was Arsene Wenger’s first choice, as he recommended MA to Mr Kronkie and Gazidis.
I do remember Wenger tried to keep him on as a coach when he retired as a player Ken.
Ken1945 and Jax
That rings a bell now you mention it.
I think at the time I was worried but Arteta won me over fairly quickly. Not all plain sailing of course and the current discord reminds me of those dark days when tempers and views flared up regularly. I hope the outlook is better
I think as fans we have to manage expectations.
We have gone from also-rans 4th to 8th to now (if it stays like it is) to being 2nd three years in a row and back in the Champions League
We are very close to getting it just right and winning and we have a great foundation to work from… remember our core age is far less than Liverpools who have serial winners in their team who may not be there next year
Lets keep supporting the boys on the pitch and hope we can finish strong once some players are back.
We have to support them Neil. There can be nothing more demoralising for the players to feel that they haven’t got it
Our owners should have supported the team last month
“I grew up with Mr Wenger’s free-flowing football; his sides (even the poor ones) almost guaranteed they would create chances. His ethos has been replaced by sideways passing”
The first time I remember seeing the term “sideways passing” with respect to arsenal was when Wenger was the manager – he tried to copy the Barcelona style when he was here, without having the players to do it. By comparison to this side, we were generally more free flowing under Wenger, but not by much in his latter years. If anything we were fairly similar – often quite boring, but with some bursts of brilliance (they seemed to occur with greater frequency, though, and at least we always had a decent striker), however, he never fixed the defence, so we weren’t very competitive.
He won 10 trophies in 22 years so I think he did okay lol
Yeah, I saw it from the beginning too – *great* in the first 10 or so years when his criteria for players was “pace, power, technique”, then he started the sideways passing era which was far less successful. Ironically people make fun of arteta for copying pep, but Wenger did try that as well. It’s why we stopped playing 442 – all about possession
And so you know, we did have a 9 year trophy drought under Wenger after 2005 – he added a few fa cups near the end, which is nice and better than we have now, but I wouldn’t call us really competitive by that time in the bigger competitions.
Yeah so 10 trophies in 22 years
It’s something like 7 trophies in 8 years when he was great and then 3 (minor) trophies in 14 years. I don’t think you’d be defending the last 14 years had the first 8 years not happened, and there was a clear change in Wenger’s approach during that time.
You’re just trolling here – intentionally ignoring my point, which is that he introduced sideways passing to the club, and football wasn’t always great under Wenger. It shows a childish attitude Dan (lol)
Well no it’s factually 10 trophies in 22 years
That’s a fact
Don’t know why you want to discredit that but it’s a fact
Yeah, I wasn’t discrediting it, I was making another point. Don’t know why you want to ignore it.
I don’t know if our Owners refused to invest substantially in the last transfer window but perhaps the writer of the article has inside knowledge which substantiates his claim in what is a very well written piece which reflects the frustration felt by all caring Arsenal fans.Sure we have been hit hard by injuries to key players at the business end of the season whereas Liverpool have been very fortunate in that respect.That said our Manager has clearly failed to build a balanced squad and his incompetence has rebounded on him big time.I could write at length regarding his tactical blindness but all I would highlight is his continued attempts to fit square pegs into round holes and his success in making what is a relatively easy game, appear extremely difficult.
I agree with you Grandad,
I can’t remember who said it, but I once heard someone say that football is a simple game made difficult by the overthinkers. 😉👍
Yes mate I know the owners refused to invest in January based on the fact that they didn’t invest in January lol
Dan, you don’t know that they REFUSED to Invest, as Grandad explained they were willing to pay a reported £40 million for a villa player. LOL!!
You know how I feel about that
It was PR
Fact is they didn’t
So let’s see the papers that you have where it is a FACT that no bid was put in for Watkins?
Why did villa respond by saying it was an insult, if there wasn’t a bid?!
What logic is that mate? It’s like saying MA refused to win the league based on the fact that he didn’t win it. Omg that is some weird reasoning lol
@Davi
If you look very well at those sideway play then under Arsene, the ONLY player initiating it is incidentally ARTETA !
The fact that our Management team were unable to bring in a quality striker does not mean the Owners refused to make funds available otherwise we would not have made a bid for Watkins.
Such a sensible post Grandad, maybe a little too sensible for some perhaps?
We bid for Watkins knowing Villa would reject it
It’s their company. When a company fails to meet it’s targets it stops with the owners
I thought Watkins bid was a smokescreen to cover our pursuit of Isak.
So the owners DID make money available then Dan!!
Where are the facts that you say exist about it being a PR stunt?
Well no
If you know Villa are going to laugh you out the door ( you said they said it was an insult) you don’t need any funds
If you bid 100-000 pound for a house worth 300-000 I don’t need to free up any funds for I?
I didn’t mean there are facts
I meant it’s a fact that they didn’t invest
They said it was an insult, I just reported them saying it!!
Was it an insult?
Doesn’t matter, as the money was there if they had accepted it, that’s the point.
You are using an outcome to justify an intention and claiming it’s definitely the case. Classic conspiracy theory reasoning
I think MA spent unwisely on Havertz for £65 million. We could have used that on a better forward. He wasn’t playing well for Chelsea which made it highly risky move.
I think a top forward would have made the title race closer
Also questionable tactics ie. Partey at Right Back
I’m against MA being let go but I’m certainly questioning whether he can lead us to the next level
Stephanie, not playing well for Chelsea at the time of his transfer, is not a reason to have not signed him in my opinion.
That club was in complete dissaray and I can’t think of one chelsea player who was playing to his abilities.
Havertz has improved 100% since he joined… but was he worth the reported £65 million?
No!!
Is he worth the reported £300,000 a week salary?
No!!
We tried to buy a top forward, if the reports are correct.
Can MA take us to the next level?
Let’s judge him when he has fully fit squad and, if not, let’s see what happens in the summer transfer window…. but there really shouldn’t be any doubts after five years I do agree.
You’ll still wait till he has a fit squad, right?
Something he’s had for the best part of the last three season and still fell short when and where it mattered most.
Well, I believe by the end of next season all excuses would’ve dried up and there’ll be nothing to hide under.
Untill then, (may God spare our lives) let’s keep rocking the boat.
He’s had a full squad for the last three seasons?
Check out the injuries to White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney, Timber, Tomiyasu, Partey, ESR, Saka, Martinelli, Jesus, Havertz, Califiori over that time and I’m sure I’ve missed out others … and yet we still finished in the top two, a position we hold today in the PL, in that time!!
These are facts, not excuses and I agree that, once we have a full squad, there will be no place for MA to hide under. That’s the time he should be judged.
Until then, God willing, let’s support the club, manager and players by not rocking the boat and sinking down to the level of manure supporters.
Of all the players you mentioned only Timber, (Tierney wasn’t here) Jesus and maybe Tomiyasu can be considered to have had long term injuries for the last two seasons(Saliba only got injured towards the end of the 2022/2023season). Despite that we fumbled our chances to win the league.
This season is the only season in which we’ve had extensive injuries to key players. Most of it happened closed to January, when we could’ve reinforced.
By and large I still stand by my comment that MA had a relatively fit squad for the best part of the last three seasons.
Timber was injured in his first PL game and out for nearly the whole season.
Tierney wasn’t here, because he was sent out on loan to recover from a long term injury.
Saliba was injured in the final games of the season and we had Rob Holding as back up.
Maybe Tomiyasu? ESR? Partey?
White?
Meanwhile Saka, Martinelli, Jesus and Havertz all long term injuries this season alone.
If you can’t see how the loss of these players will affect the club, then we have to agree to disagree 👍
Almost forgot about White, Arteta never rated ESR that much anyway and for Partey his injury wasn’t long term.
I still believe that in the previous two seasons, losing out on the title had more to do with lack of quality in certain areas and the gaffer’s tactics than the injuries we had.
It is what it is anyway.
I have a short memory regarding long term injuries although I always saw ESR as one of them and out of the 5 most games missed, he came in 5th. Arsenal Insider, for season 2023/24 reported:-
ESR 46 days and 10 games
Tomi – 71 days and 13 games
Jesus 85 days and 16 games
Partey 112 days and 25 games
Timber 252 days and 45 games
(This list obviously includes more than the PL)
Partey’s loss for 2 extended periods for hamstring and groin was significant.
Why would fans go and watch games now? The management basically gave up on the league at the start of the season and reaffirmed their stance in winter. And the games have become boring more or less, not worth the money.
Comments like that really annoy me and show you are not a real fan but a glory hunter. Some of us on here have been supporters through the 50s, 60s and 70s when at times we were in 17th place and hoping not to be in a relegation fight, hardly like now, but you see a few seasons of finishing second in the league and talk about giving up supporting Arsenal. Well perhaps you should then!!
Whether someone is a real fan or not it is in their hearts. That is not your place to judge. Since when is the measure of a true fan been accepting mediocrity?
As Ken’s told Derek today that we should not apply things that happened 100 years ago to the current situations.
What Arsenal is today is very much different to what Arsenal was in the 50, 60, 70 years ago.
You and me have seen Man City getting relegated. Show me one City fan who will gladly accept relegation this season or next season because they experienced it many times before.
So finishing second is mediocrity!!!! Wow!!
Oergaos vecayse they support the club through thick and thin?
Perhaps it’s because they support the club t thick and thin?
who recently quoted if you fail to plan you plan to fail. perfect quote to summarize this season’s arteta and arsenal journey into the unknown. arteta put his eggs into one havertz basket. fiasco ensued! Arsenal need better visionary leaders who don’t always seek excuses like red cards, injuries, illness, var, ref, new balls, fixtures, the exorbitant prices of strikers, favoritism of authorities toward rivals, etc. the rookie nature of arteta to the post is more revealed now than ever. at this rate even psv will be bold of overturning Arsenal to reach qf. they can’t wait the match next tuesday. February to concede is too early especially by a new incoming manager without a recognized achievement versus a six year old manager in the epl. Arsenal is particularly degraded at a very time when its life long supporter has become the leader of the nation keir starmer.
This time its not Owners fault. Its all Arteta and Edu’s fault. In last 3 seasons they have wasted a lot money and bought only defensive players, Its manager’s responsibility to use the money correctly and buy required players. Look at Liverpool they invested less than Arsenal.
Our Stubborn manager is not capable enough to see the issues what even a general fans can see.
Also he has wasted lot of money by not playing some players, driving their value down and then giving them free. He completely lacks man management.
As I said earlier also Arteta will never succeed at club like Arsenal. He can only gain success at club like Chelsea/City where they throw unlimited money.
My preferred line up against PSV on Tuesday.
Calafiori.
Trossard. Odegaard. Nwaneri.
Rice. Partey.
Skelly. Gabriel. Saliba. White.
Raya.
I thing that Calafiori is the last the hope to find that elusive goal.1-nil may be enough.
I think so too. He Calafiori knows how to shoot at goal in and around the 18 yard box.
Failing to plan is an understatement. Our squad is so thin. A bench that regularly consists of five defenders and two midfielders is a pitiful reflection of where Arteta is at.
as Bonaparte said leader is dealer in hope, likewise arteta is always giving fans unlimited hope. evra also said arsenal is about next year- netflixish. hope over my dead body cliche. arteta seems not to worry about the anguish of fans he rather tries to defend the mediocrity of players by externalizing failure. it is laughable when he regularly cites the physicality of opponents especially newcastle. it is in the very dna of epl to be physical. epl has no place for non physical teams. then arteta must come with a strategy to circumvent the downside of physicality. 5-0 this season alone by 3 newcastle matches due to physicality factor. so again psv learn this and it may come with this approach. bemoan then physicality again to externalize failure! 5 or 6 years in power with only 1 fa 2 cs. is it deserving of the status of Arsenal fc?
Playing with one hand behind there back, some of the players look like there playing with there feet tied together. 🤣👍
That tickled me lol
glad to be of service Dan. 😉👍
we’ve started blaming eachother after we realistically knew the title has gone with 11 matches left. who is not to be blamed? no sacred cow guys though the degree varies! fans and kit manufacturer also respinsible. fans at emirates mostly fail to elevate themselves to the level of anfield even to selhurst park throngs. we even saw them on tv marching out some minutes remaining. with kit producer 3rd choice kit is too dull to inspire, it’s too unmanly to pump up the adrenaline, even arsenal tasted its first loss with it v Bournemouth saliba saw red then missing the next decisive liverpool match. arteta should not be too pre occupied with rivals results as he said while in dubai he admitted he lost networking connection when the 2nd goal was scored v liverpool. he also said i do not relax when city play liverpool. but next day slot said he didn’t see arsenal’s next match maybe v west ham when arsenal drop points. can our season be redeemed with ucl progress even to its utmost glory at bayern arena? mourinho’s porto and inzaghi’s inter have shown us that it does not matter how many you score so long us you defend well & not concede goals to reach the final in ucl. this dovetails with the contemporary arsenal with its strengths and weaknesses. coyg!