Arsenal for the second Sunday running threw away a 2 goal lead, to further suggest that this title run in may mentally be a step too far.
We could still go to the Etihad with a 7-point lead, and any result against the Champions will inject fresh confidence into us.
Yet this weekend we again failed to show the composure we will need in our final 7 fixtures.
This time we can’t credit our 2-2 draw to the Anfield factor or the magic of the Kop.
The London Stadium has zero scars for us, we have won their before.
If anything, it’s one of the stadiums in the UK you don’t associate with atmosphere, fans quick to turn on their own if things are going wrong.
West Ham were 2-0 down inside 10 minutes and thinking about Europe on Thursday.
They only became interested in the afternoon, because we gave them reason too.
I loved the honesty of Arteta at full time.
Yes, he could have focused on the defending for both goals and, of course, the Hammers equalising 2 mins after Saka put his penalty wide could be a metaphor for our campaign, but our manager correctly was more concerned how we stopped playing.
For the second week running it was almost like we were a victim of our own success, that we were finding the game too easy.
It’s hard to say the pressure is impacting on the team when they keep racing into 2-0 lead.
Yet like on Merseyside we lacked the courage to deal with adversity.
Courage not in tackling or throwing our bodies in the way but in terms of wanting the ball, taking initiative, trying something different.
Jesus did that in the first half, popping up all over the pitch, demanding the ball, wanting to take the pressure off the team.
Trossard did similar when he came on.
Yet in the second half as our coach put it, we ‘passed for the sake of it’. You felt we could have played another half hour and we still be passing the ball sideways.
Not just are Man City dealing with the pressure, they are enjoying their football. Putting a sequence of wins together which leaves the Gunners with no room for error.
Many warned that City would do this.
Whatever happens we have made progress and there’s positives to take.
The majority of our squad this time last year found the pressure of a top 4 race too hot to handle, crippled by the fear of failure, so it was always likely that holding off City would be too much to ask.
Arsenal worked themselves into a position where they had a cushion. That cushion allowed them a couple of off days.
The few leaders in the dressing room should be pointing out it’s still in our hands, that Friday could be significant in putting pressure on City.
Yet getting over the line might mentally be too big a step?
Dan
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Arteta’s and the coaches’ plans seemed to only work for 45 minutes recently
I don’t think they can make good plan Bs with the current group of players, but I’m sure they can fix it by replacing some players in the summer
I can’t agree less 👍
We have done well all season. It’s can’t be a 45 minute plan thing. I just feel like the players are starting to feel the pressure. The last 5-10 games is where champion mentality/ attitude is earned. Can you deal with the pressure?
And we are playing 1 game per week. There is absolutely zero excuse.
I am not buying the excuses at the moment.
Last season when Top 4 was on in the last few games we capitulated. Now this season with a few game to go we seem to be capitulating.
I will wait and see the mentality / attitude we show against Southampton. Then that should tell me.
I just can’t believe it. It looks like this season City have not been even trying, but going to their place just 1 point ahead when it could have been 5 points is disheartening.
It’s so frustrating.
It’s just happened recently. We were more consistent last year
Either the oppositions have started to figure out our tactics or the long breaks between matches have affected our players’ focus
@GAI..
But let’s be honest. Can’t be now making a complete Uturn and saying “Having long waits between matches is affecting us”.
We always complain that having to play 2 games a week started physically and mentally affecting our play. But now may be playing one game a week is as taxing as playing 2 games? We can’t be having it both ways. It’s either playing a game a week is preferable to playing 2 games a week. Can’t be making excuses for both.
And I also don’t buy this “The other teams are starting to figure us out” talk. Not manu teamss have not figured us out all season but all of a sudden this poor Liverpool and West Ham happen to be the ones that have figured us out? I do believe it’s our own doing. Can’t go 2-0 up in 2 consecutive games and cruising then all of a sudden the other sides figure us out? When you have 1 game a week you are more likely to do well in the league. That’s why most Top 6 teams without any European football mostly do well in the league as they can concentrate on one competition.
I just think the players are letting the occasion get to them. We are in the final stretch and we all knew that the last 10 to 5 games is when you can differentiate between actual serious Champions to pretenders.
It’s up to our mentality and attitude. It happened last season. We had Top 4 in out hands, at one point we wer more than 8 points ahead of Spuds, but then of all of sudden teams figured us out in those last 5 games? No one has figured us out all season but Liverpool and West Han have figured us out with 9 games to go?
I don’t buy it. We are better than what we have shown against Liverpool and West Ham. It has got to be nerves on our side rather than other teams have figured us out.
Gai,
You are absolutely correct. It seem there training isnt thorough at times. And they need more energy. May be ageing players like Xhaka and Pathey needs a young talented vibrant backups in the summer. That’s why I agree on getting White.
If Nottingham Forest get relegated, I think Arsenal will try to poach Danilo from them, to be Xhaka’s competitor next season
As for Partey, I don’t think Arsenal will sign a new CDM, because we’ve got several players for that position
We didn’t need a Plan B!? We were caning Liverpool and West Ham and just took our foot off the pedal. If they had absolutely routed West Ham (as they should have) I’d forgive them the Liverpool game but they literally did the same thing again!
More than once this season we have established a nice, comfortable lead and then totally backed off. This is a terrible strategy or mindset. When you get a chance to hammer a team you should take it. Every time.
This Arsenal team has demonstrated that they are capable of playing a standard of football as good as anyone in this league but have not demonstrated that killer instinct to put the result beyond all doubt. We could have done to Liverpool what they did to MU but we didn’t. Until that mindset changes we won’t win anything and with the other teams likely to reinforce during the summer we may well have missed our chance to win the league and that is a real shame because it was right there and we bottled it.
Fair summary Dan.
I’d only add that I thought it was more down to 2 events rather than being over confident. The Xhaka incident and the penalty seemed to galvanise both Liverpool and West Ham supporters and players and we lost momentum and form. It was like a light was switched.
Disappointed at Liverpool to have lost our way but shocked at how West Ham took control when they had been awful until the penalty.
No excuse for a capitulation on Friday. It’s at home although Southampton may just think they are in with a shout
👍
Let’s be honest to ourselves, the title race is OVER already.
Kudos to Mike Arteta and the boys for holding up this far..
With a little additions and subtractions from the team in the transfer window, we can genuinely push for a trophy next season.
Not over yet mate
Just got to treat that city game like it’s their world cup final
I remember’89, when we needed to go to Anfield and win by two goals to be League Champions, which we did, against all the odds. I was also at spurs in ‘71 when we needed to beat them to be League Champions, which we did. I was at Highbury in ‘70, when we were trailing 3-1 against Anderlect from the first leg of the Fairs Cup (EL) and we won 3-0 to lift the cup. And there are other games where we have defied the odds. Some fans give up too easily, I’m very disappointing but I haven’t given up.
@ GB
I haven’t given up but very disappointed with the team performance. We cannot play for 25 – 30 minutes and expect to win games.
My prediction is that you need 93 points to win the league. A lot harder now as I had draw against Newcastle and Man City. Now we need a draw against City and a win away @ Newcastle which is a big ask.
My only bright spark is the movement of the Chelsea game to May. Sometimes we have to accept Apr is not our month and hopefully May will be our month and City will drop points.
I am baffled by Arteta not including plan B in his training and in matches. Why must he always stick to 4-3-3 when it’s obvious and glaring that the players have switched off after some period. Why can’t he adjust to 4-4-2 seeing that the midfield is not meeting up, they’re not performing as they ought to and we can easily see that the defense are jittery. The remaining matches will function of the level of Team’s and Manager’s mental strength techniques and Arsenal have started wobbling at this crucial stage that high mental focus and resilience is much needed. If it requires them to put their 101% efforts even lives on line to lift this cup they better do it no excuses because they’ve thrown away other competitions to focus on the EPL. The outcome of Liverpool and West Ham matches are not palatable, it’s act of carelessness, inconsistency and mental weakness. They should tell themselves that their lives depends on the remaining matches, our hearts must not be broken this time around, our emotions must not be toyed with, our expectations shall not be cut off. I NEED RESULTS AND THIS 2023 EPL TROPHY 🏆 MUST COME TO EMIRATES STADIUM!
You can’t compare the teams of 1970-71 and George’s side with this one. They had a mental toughness this one has shown, year on, year out, it hasn’t got. You always felt with those two sides that they could dig out a result when needed, no matter how great the odds. This one in no way radiates that same self belief. In what’s been an ideal season, with key opponents rebuilding, city and Haaland working out how to work best, and with several sides looking very poor, this was our chance. It may not come again for years. You can argue it isnt over yet, but in reality it is. It wasn’t lost over the last two games though, the dire performance at Everton was the one that turned it. Had we won that one, and not shown how brittle the teams self belief still was, we could have held City at bay. Now, a win at the Etihad looks about as likely as me winning the euro millions. And I don’t play it…
I don’t agree with many of your viewpoints
The points you are making are about the older Arsenal sides is the kind of thing that some older fans trot out simply because many of the rest of us weren’t around in ‘71. The teams you are referencing would likely have been rendered irrelevant by this Man City side. The current version of Man City is one of the best club sides we have ever seen and yet we are still ahead in the league at this stage of the season.
The Haaland that you are disparaging is already one of the greatest strikers we have ever seen in the PL and is demonstrating potential to be one of the greatest in history.
The only thing I can agree with is that we are unlikely to win at the Etihad.
However, that game has yet to be played and there are other games to be played before the season is done. It does not make sense to give up at this stage. We need to win our next game and then let’s see what happens.
A ragtag of assumptions, assertions without merit, and failing to actually read what was said. If you haven’t seen the double side or Grahams team how do you know the teams cannot be compared? At no point did I compare their performances on the field either. It was their mentality I compared. The current team does not have their mental strength. Period. Try watching those teams before arguing with people who have.
Oh, and if you haven’t thats your problem not mine.
As for City, great team, no-one would argue with that. But a great team playing at a time when competition both at national and continental level is piss poor. We cannot know if they would have fared as well in a time when the competition was tougher. Haaland? At what point, in any post, did I say he wasnt a good player? I said he and city were adjusting to each other. Again try reading before commenting.
Oh, and my comments about older Arsenal sides was in response to the post above which was saying because those sides had toughed it out, so could this one. In a way you are right – there is no comparison between those sides and this. Which is what I said..
I agree with your response to GB and the references to the double year in particular
A very young teenager in me went to the 71 cup final against Liverpool- with GG in the team and the match winner CG.
When Spurs won the double there were doubts that it could ever be achieved again. Nowadays, it’s not so uncommon. More spending power
For me that double side was the best of them. So many good sides in the division at that point, that every game in the run in was like a cup final. As you say, after spurs did it, with, much though it pains me to say it, one of the greatest teams in post war football, the pundits argued it wouldn’t be done again.
Totally agree, as since the CL distorted spending power, and when expanded made league titles less competitive (why waste money and resources when second or third guarantees a money pit) EPL title races have produced a record number of one and two horse races. Not to mention teams that once would have really had a go at the FA cup would rather focus on a eye catching season of finishing 15th in the league, winning nothing and treading sand.
Ambition has been replaced by simply making enough dough to stay in the money pit…
It’s still 50-50 in my eyes but anymore slip ups before we meet city then I’m afraid that could be it ,West Ham should have been a walk in the park on paper,I did predict a draw before hand but was hoping i would be proved wrong .
Onto the game ,while partey had a poor first half ,I still would t have taken him off has he as that quality when needed .
The same with Jesus and Martinelli getting subbed off it did nit make sense ,we had Odegaard,Vieria ,Jorginho and Xhaka on at the same time players that go missing when the going gets tuff .
Very disappointing result against a team that played a few days beforehand while Man City seem to be getting into full beast mode .
Not good at this stage of the season .
No excuses here. Going 2-0 up in two consecutive games and we let the other team peg us back..
I am absolutely p!ssed off right now. Arteta and his players have got to stop this.
We are playing one game per week and the players they have bee playing 2 game per week. Liverpool and West Ham have been terrible and we let them come back from 2-0 down. I am lost for words..
So irritating and frustrating.
🤦♂️😡
I think Partey should have been taken off at half time. I know what you are saying in regards to Partey (Dan Kit). I’m not mocking your opinion. But for whatever reason, Partey was not in a good head space throughout the match. If you watch the match again, Partey seemed frustrated with himself, clutching his head. Arteta should have seen that. At least Arteta should have spoken to him at half time. Come Southampton match day, I sincerely believe Saka can be benched. Not as punishment, but as a challenge to him to be his natural self to be a game changer. Saka hasn’t been the same since the Crystal Palace match. Who says the star player of your team cannot be dropped. It maybe the best approach leading up to the match at Manchester City. I do have an axe to grind with Admin Pat….. Why do my posts take up to 24 hours to be posted????? It’s a joke considering modern technology. Last night you allowed someone to call another person a SMART ARSE. You seem to allow a certain person on this site ridicule your various writers, and get away with murder. It’s a bit TWO FACED on your behalf I must say. I suppose this post of mine will take 48 hours to gain petty approval
The smart arse comment was from me ,I did t think that was rude ,just an observation to a reply to me
Yeah,,, you were right in calling him out. He deserved it. I called someone deluded and should be working as the Ring Master at the circus. I got warned for being abusive,,,and since then have been put on notice. That was a year and a half ago. Where as someone like Jon Fox gets special treatment. Some of his responses are very borderline to being abusive
Oi PJ
Have you not noticed that the abuse has been reduced considerably in the last few weeks?
Until the next one comes along
I was pretty ashamed of the final 80 mins of our game yesterday. Yesterday’s result is 10x worse than last week’s even if the score and manner of it were the same. West Ham are garbage and can’t score and we let them get 2!
Jesus and Martinelli were excellent in the first half as was Odegaard, yet once again Saka was nowhere to be seen. His alarmingly frequent absence in games is hurting us and quite frankly he needs to be dropped to realise he hasn’t been good enough recently.
Thomas Partey was dreadful, Xhaka did nothing and the only player who came out of the game with any credit at all was Kieran Tierney who will be dropped by Arteta as soon as possible in favour of the mercurial Zinchenko who is unable to defend.
I think we have a right to be disappointed. We spent all season forging an opportunity to win the league and have thrown it away in the space of games in the worst way possible. We would have been better off battering Liverpool for 90+ mins and losing 1-0 and beating West Ham, not only from a points perspective but from a confidence perspective. The last 2 games have been the very worst case scenario in my opinion.
Bizarre Substitutions that don’t work:
Saka was the obvious player to be substituted for Troussard rather than Jesus. You can’t take out Odegaard either.
Instead of Vieira, it should be Smith Rowe
The squad management has been our downfall recently.it was obvious to me anyway that Saka has been in need of a break,he started on the bench but was called to play 30 minutes the other day(didn’t get it).also not starting Trossard when the guy is on fire,is another decision I don’t get.What about subbing off Jesus?the man is now fully fit,hungry not only that other players deserved to have been taken off before him.i mean we’re talking about one of our most experienced players,used to playing under pressure.lastly,I remember AW get slammed for his substitutions around the 60th.what about MA’s with a few minutes left.Liverpool being the perfect example,Klopp making a treble substitution if I’m correct,at least trying something,while our manager waited and then brings on KT for how long?how do you think KT felt?and before anyone says that haters like me were waiting for us to draw/not play that well to criticize.i’d like to remind them that I am still proud of this team/players and the season we’re having, title or no title at the end of the season. COYG!!
We could have completely rotated and rested the front four, five now Nketiah is back but just like the Tierney debacle, Arteta has his favourites and that’s who play.
What reason was there to rotate front 4
Martinelli and jesus had scored at Anfield
Eddie hasn’t scored since ?
Why did Jesus replace Trossard, who was doing fine playing as striker and not had a look in since? Im on about rotating players to keep them keen and sharpe!
Because hes been managed back after an injury
I thought you meant starting at West ham without any of the front three ?
Havnt got the players to do that
I don’t think we have any problem in the team at the moment, we only lack matured players to deal with the trophy pressure, its all psychological or mental problem that arteta need to handle at the moment. I can’t believe with players like partey and xhaka our team cannot control and dominate games at this crucial moment of the season. I mean we can’t be leading with two goals and be struggling in a game that’s not acceptable.
And Instantly observe that our players feel relax whenever we go the goals they stop pushing thinking we got what we want already hence the complacency.
If we can’t deal with this pressure, I think we should forget about the trophy.
Ideally, senior players would be better placed to handle pressure. Unfortunately, a number of our senior players have demonstrated a lack of composure in recent matches. This is actually not unusual. A senior player can seem to feel even more pressure in certain circumstances; especially when there are huge expectations.