Arteta once again proved he can’t gamble with squad management and win titles and CL cups.
Yes, we ran ourselves into the ground in the first half, just keeping up with City’s movement all over the pitch, and also threatening ourselves in their final third enough to go in level at half time; feeling gratitude that City’s normally calm and clinical play was more like a disruptive of their cohesion as the game’s intensity and City’s over eagerness played their parts.
Pep sent out City for the 2nd half to finish the job and we were clearly no match for City’s players all over the park because we’d spent ourselves as usual in the first half where 15 minutes at half time offers little recovery to be able to maintain our 1st half levels.
Looking at our players selection and you have to ask why Xhaka and the marginally quicker Jorginho, who to be fair, managed to do half of Partey’s job in defending and organising younger players around him, which is to be expected considering his experience and age, started the game against City. Jorginho is a fading talent who has no place in our squad other than early EL cup rounds; however, full marks for effort in trying to rise above his aging limitations.
Xhaka probably ran half a marathon in last night’s game making 32 passes with an 81.3% (26) pass accuracy with 1 shot off target and 1 long pass completed, and 3 tackles won. The other main part of our midfield: Jorginho faired a little better at DM with an 88.7% pass completed of 55 passes/62. He had 2 unsuccessful long passes intercepted, 2 interceptions, no tackles and 1 shot on target.
Let that sink in.
What is most worrying is that Edu and Arteta are happy with their Jan TW buys. Jorginho was bought to cover Partey where it’s patently clear he’s half the player many of us complained about.
Gabriel at CB had a Xhaka magnitude of an off night. Regularly bouncing off Haaland as rugby players did off Jonah Lomu the Kiwi man mountain. Arteta knows Gabriel is capable of losing his composure when under pressure, as did Pep and Haaland. Saliba fared better against Haaland being quicker to cut off service or getting to the ball early enough to put him off.
Poor Tomi was ring-rusty for the game’s pace having been reduced to cameos recently, and then Arteta expects Tomi to be up to speed for one of the most crucial games of the season with a trip to Ethihad still to come. Zinchenko was kept quiet by the lazy Mahrez, which is really saying something, as to how well the City players know Zinchenko’s play and movement. When Trossard came on our left side had more nous about him and is why this poster keeps wanting Trossard in place of Xhaka.
Had we played a midfield of Jacub Kiwior (6), Ode (10) and Trossard/Zinchenko (8) with KT at LB hitting Mahrez hard with every tackle, which Mahrez hates that and becomes a whinny brat, we would have been in a much better shape and played better.
Saka just had a tag-team to try to elude while having lumps kicked out of him rotationally. Tomi managed a few overlaps: one Eddie should have converted. I thought Martinelli was more of an attacking force playing centrally. He’s looking better in tight spaces and learning how to navigate them as he gains experience.
Finally, player wise our version of Welbeck: Eddie who missed at least three gilt edged chances to at least put us level.
We know where it all went wrong: Arteta yet again out thought by his mentor, as he’s been by lesser managerial proponents in recent games. We are so predictable in our play and selections. We have no bench to speak of because Arteta is too narcissistically anal to do what everyone is telling him and add title winning quality 6 & 8s and a 9 who can regularly score goals. Yet Azeez, Patino and Bolagun, France’s league top scorer, are left on their loans instead of being brought back for the New Year and run in.
We can kiss goodbye to the title and our best shot at it since 2016 and Leicester’s title win. Arteta is proving to be as big a bottler as the king of bottlers, Brenden Rogers.
Villa away next and our poor old Manager Emery who will want to continue his winning streak against Arteta. Will Villa be the team we stop our current slide into mediocrity? Only Arteta can answer that question.
What of Josh? Will he finally see through the Arteta machine-gun patter of beautiful words about the beautiful game we’re playing so ugly at the moment? Looks like it’s becoming 4th or bust this poster isn’t the least bit surprised about.
This is not negativity from me, but our continuing reality that Arteta is a coach at best because managers who routinely don’t have plan ‘B’ and ‘C’ for each game is both tactically naïve and managerially inept.
The post is a a hope for reality that we’ll get something out of this season and Arteta finally wakes up and smells the coffee to at least finish with a CL spot, which could well be relegated to an EL cup Just think if we’d got Ten Hag instead of rookie of the decade: Arteta.
TRVL
All it does is give Emery an easy team talk.
Marc
as if he needed to supply anymore bulletin board material with Emi and Calum in the room…we better have our shooting boots on tomorrow because if I’m Unai I’m pushing for goals from the onset so as to test our resolve, which is an infinitely easier tactic to deploy when you have Emi between the pipes…here’s hoping that we get some early bounces and make them have to chase the game
Arteta is under pressure and it shows. The players believe every word coming out of his mouth and now this nonsense before a massive game. Whoever the reporter was that put this to him only one answer should have been given, “We are ready for the game and are looking forward to it”. End of story none of this whinging about schedule and early kickoffs not being rested.
Now he spews this shit out publicly, perhaps putting doubts in the players minds, and they might think we have a handicap in this fixture, FFS we are the Arsenal, we win games! Sorry lads, forgot for a minute the Achilles heal here the manager in training.
He has to go since 3 years ago and he will be found out this Saturday one way or another. As I see this he is cracking under the massive pressure he is under and he might be just the cause why this team will not win the league.
I’m afraid we’re back to wait-for-the-line-up to determine if Arteta is changing anything selection wise for us to make any kind of prediction.
Emi has no respect for Arteta and why should he? He waited nearly 10 years to have a shot and then took it, then Arteta sold him he went on to win the World Cup with Argentina with brilliant form he once had for us. Not rehashing Arteta’s faux pas, but with our shooting boots being well below par, Emi will be confident of keeping a clean sheet at home.
Not seen much of Emery’s reign thus far, but respect him as a manager for at least getting us to within a point of a CL birth and sadly losing the EL Cup final. Arteta’s in his 4th year and only has a FA cup to his credit, but where it really matters, he’s steered us on the road to nowhere other than mediocrity, and still no CL Cup football since Xhaka arrived: probably up there with Kalstrom in stupid buys when Kante was cheaper.
When you consider the way Emery was so badly used and abused by Raul & Suits Emery did really well. Just think if he’d been allowed to buy Nkunku, Zaha and his own DM?
Emery is a winner of sorts and has won more Euro cup glories than Arsenal has to date. However, his league performances have been less successful across leagues.
Arteta has been out thought so far by Dysche, Frank and Pep in his last 3 games. Emery has bested Arteta in the EL cup’s 2 rounds.
We badly need a win and to do a U-TURN from our predictable play. I’m hoping for unpredictability where for once Arteta out thinking his opposite number. Shocker, I know but colour me hopeful along with junior.
Maybe Arteta’s whinging is all part of his master plan.
Tell you what, though, they’d make perfect dancing partners on the touchline. I’d love to see unedited footage of both managers to edit together. 🙂 🙂 Throw in a few of Steve Cooper’s exasperations for good measure and you’d have a winning selling video.
Sorry couldn’t help letting a bit of cathartic sarcasm go there. Nearly slipped into full on K’Phobe then.
Sorry Almunia have you spat coffee over Mrs A again? 🙂 Well, you’ve had Junior and me mopping up during & after your satires. Do give Mrs A my profound apologies and suggest she sits behind you in the future. 🙂
After all this silliness to cover my absolute cluelessness as to what the result is going to be. I honestly can’t call it because Emery is a very capable manager who will have a better grasp on the PL 2nd time around with a club who completely supports him.
Going to have to think about this one and see if Partey is fit.
If we have Xhaka & Joginho facing McGinn, Kamara, Luiz & Buendia even with inverted fullbacks helping, that’s a tough Villa midfield who know how weak we are in midfield. Baily and Watkins up top should be manageable, but not if we are overrun by Villa’s supporting midfield runners because Xhaka and Jorginho can’t keep up with the game.
Going to be a nervous games where nerves need settling with a quick goal. Managing that should get our mojo back, shouldn’t it?
Ever hopeful, lads.
Simple question regarding Partey being fit where it’s being reported that a late fitness test is making Arteta sweat.
Why?
We know Partey is fragile so, if it’s a late test, he shouldn’t be risked, as he was before, because the chances are he’ll aggravate his injury to be a long term one.
Too risky for my thinking.
Kiwior at 6, Trossard at 8 Ode at 10 Zinchenko at LB Tomi at RB
Xhaka and Jorginho on the bench.
Let Partey fully recover.
What’s your thinking Ambarish/Lads?