Here’s the simplest of statistics of the game against Southampton. We had a 60% possession. We went 1-0 up, thanks to a Xhaka boom. Our second half performance fell off the cliff, and our subs, brought in to make difference, was too late and too little.
We were not clinical enough in front of the goal. Our intensity in second half was poor and Southampton were clearly the better side in that second half.
We have seen this pattern earlier in Arteta’s reign. Remember Lacazette, not able to run after 60min? It was Jesus this time. Remember the anxiety you have had each time we scored, because we weren’t able to maintain the lead? Yes, I do.
Why?
We are over playing. We were fatigued, both physically and mentally. I am all for 70 games a season, but if it is affecting your performance, it’s not a good tactic innit? We are fighting on two fronts, but I don’t think it’s sustainable with a thin squad like we have. Curse Wenger as much as you want, but he did know how to use the Europa / FA Cup games to blood youngsters and not burn out your playing XI.
We do not have enough quality on the bench. An injury to ESR hasn’t helped, but there is a massive drop in performance when Eddie replaces Jesus/Martinelli and Vieira comes on for Odegaard. Sambi is no match for Partey and we don’t have a rotation option for Saka at all. However, Arteta’s 82nd minutes subs haven’t helped much in giving game times to any of the bench players.
When Eddie had a run of games in last season, he was prolific. Strikers feed on confidence (remember Lukaku?), giving them 10 min towards the end won’t help. Arteta needs to fix his rotational tactics, not because we don’t want to see the same playing XI for 70 games a season, but because when it’s not possible due to injuries or for any goddamn reason, the replacements are confident enough to keep up the team performance.
We need a Partey’s back-up. Sambi is not the answer, not with the game he shows these days. Do we need a Neves? Yes. An injury to Partey at any stage in the season would mean an end to it, how come we were so naïve to recognise that? Or did we recognise it but decided to ignore it? I don’t know.
Saka needs to be rested. Nelson was starting games under Emery, he can’t be so sh*t to not cover Martinelli when we are 2-0 up. We also had decided to keep Marquinhos, can he not cover Saka against Bodo/Glimt – because if he can’t, why the f*ck we didn’t loan him out to grow?
Before you decide to remind me that it was only the second game where we have dropped points, I must say we have seen these patterns earlier and it hadn’t ended well. Also, I have a very high expectation from a manager leading the best club in the world, who was appointed in December 2019, and haven’t made it to top 4 yet.
A season where Liverpool is sitting in 8th, every top 6 teams are dropping points except City; there is an opportunity to grab. Win the ones you are expected to, and mix it with a bit of hope and you never know. I’m a realist but it’s a two horse race till now and it always looks impossible until it’s done.
On a positive note, we are still top of the league, 2 points ahead of a team Pep built over years. Drink some hopium, and believe we will keep it like that till end of the season.
Nice to be back. Can’t figure the Wall unless the Empire’s deep pockets. That shit is pronounced over here
Match is on. Looks more interesting than first leg
Fireworks behind the stadium.
Wtf are they celebrating at 25 minutes?
PSV scores amids a tangle of players.
VAR to the rescue
0-0
Hi Hoopah
You been away somewhere mate?
The second disallowed goal showed up some serious weakness in our back 4. But that said, the fact that our line worked well and provoked 2 valid offside calls is quite positive. Our passing remains awry – nothing near the box looks precise enough and the finishing is still sub par.
If we get out of this without losing, it’ll do. If so, the next competitive EL game won’t be til 2023.
Party coming on. Vieira is lightweight
Meanwhile
PSV score 1-0
Ramsdale looked rattled after 1sr goal.
The 2nd was coming and came
3rd one saved by offside by a whisker.
Arteta being found in Europe. Lucky PSV players very young and without maturity to check the line
Now Arteta substitured in his first 11 in toto, except Odegard who was withdrawn earlier. Now onward none of the other players are ever going to get a sniff, except 2-4 minutes
Nistleroy gives an affectionate peck to Arteta who really looks lost today
Final score 2-0
Dismal.
Didn’t see the game and have only just caught the scoreline.
Basically ShitforBrains managed to rotate 3 players (Holding, Sami and Nketiah) and got spanked.
When are the fanbase going to see what a complete and utter waste of space he is?
PSV had 3 disallowed goals we had 15 shots on goal but only 3 on target not very good. Bet you the not so dynamic duo will go for attackers again in the January transfer window and not address our midfield problem. Meanwhile there are teams in the EPL that will gain ground on us and top 4 is by no means sure with the present squad and management. Man Utd., Chelsea and Newcastle will go from strength to strength with the Villa wildcard with Good Ebening at the helm.
Killroy
PSV had 3 goals ruled out? Fuck me what a disaster.
What people need to realise is the shit results and shit performances (even if they scrape something) are Arteta’s true level – anything else is freak results.
I would say “Fuck knows what the excuses will be when we miss out on top 4 again” but it turns out we’re the only team who have players at the world cup or who get injuries.
Thought that Saka and Saliba are the only players going to the WC. There was hope that the WC would help with the recuperation and resting of our players and we would be raring to go with our pursuit of top 4. If we miss out on CL this season, there will be a small revolution among the supporters because it would be 7 years since we last were there. Never mind the money the not so dynamic duo spent to get back to the CL competition. Pitiful.
Just watched the highlights: https://ourmatch.me/27-10-2022-psv-eindhoven-vs-arsenal/ and just nodded knowingly as I witnessed the absolute shambles of a group of players who have only really trained together and it showed.
The selection was a neither nor type mixed bag of starters and non starters who were schooled by Van Nistleroy of all people and Keown nowhere in sight.
I got binned from LG for relating facts rather than listen to Pedro and his Arteta apologists fictional garbage of the generational one. Arteta was clueless once again where the score could and should have been at least 5:0 had PSV taken their chances including Ramsdale’s many saves.
There’s really not much else to say re last nights match other than another tired performance and probably the worst in-game management from Arteta thus far.
The question is how does a tired squad bounce back against a tails-up Forest? Normally, the answer would be the coaches and manager but our squad is basically spent or untried properly in the PL.
What a manager! Arteta take a bow, son, you’ve managed to trim the squad with loans and sales and then you run the main starters into the red. Mikel gambles; it’s all he does. He gambled last season and lost CL.
He’s gambling again that we can reach the WC and recharge. The fact is we’re knackered and have 2 tough games to play where we could easily drop 6 points on our current showing from yesterday and our last 2 PL games.
It feels like Leonardo di Caprio in Titanic at there bow of the ship screaming ‘top of the world’ and then some time later sinking after hitting there iceberg.
We’re the Titanic on collision course with dropping points and missing out on CL again though the remaining 75% of the season and cups.
KSE really has to wake up and smell the coffee and take their rose tinted Arteta glasses off and quickly and see Arteta for what he really is: a myopic rookie who doesn’t learn from his mistakes.
As always, all eyes on the rookie again for the next 2 games with the feeling there is always hope for the future without Arteta.
Here’s what the DM says and it’s hard to disagree:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11363473/Fans-slam-Arsenal-Europa-League-loss-PSV.html
There = the*
Through the remaining*
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-arsenals-pablo-mari-stabbed-28347230
Get well soon Pablo
Preach Tony…not only did I get summarily binned from LG, after a rather brief stay, little Positive Pete has gone to considerable lengths to prevent me from even going on his Arteta-fluffing site…it’s clear that this current regime, including it’s “payola” cohorts, have no time or patience for commonsensical and/or highly nuanced discussions about club-related matters…these sort of “blackballing” campaigns rarely end well, as modern history can attest, so they will almost assuredly get their “just desserts” in the end…from a locker room perspective, one can only hope that our one-and-a-half trick pony of a manager has at least one person in the room who has his ear and who can still speak the truth without fear of reprisals, otherwise we might have peaked in September and we could be witnessing the mind-numbing reemergence of our more familiar sideways, wide-side dependent football…it’s been about 5 matches on the trot of this overtly stifling brand of football, so unless our next couple matches look and feel decidely different, I fear that there will be a significant regression in our results moving forward…of course, I hope I’m wrong, but our glaring lack of meaningful depth up top, especially with ESR sidelined indefinitely, and our continued tactical naivete, certainly doesn’t fill me with confidence…Cheers to one and all
Amen K’Phobe. Perfectly put.
Hi Tony
Changing tack a little…
I’ve got a potential local project for you, your MC and all your other mates. Just been reading about Pata Zoo (on the 7th floor of a shopping centre! Fucking Insane!) in BKK
and their refusal to relocate an aging and potentially dying gorilla. Here’s the article.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/28/thailand-shopping-mall-gorilla-fight-to-release-bua-noi
The solution? Swap the poor animal for Arteta! It won’t blow a hole in Stan-k’s budgets either. She could come to the UK and roam around London Colney showing the lads how to transition to a high energy vegan/fruit diet. Give her a marker pen and she’d do a far better job of picking and rotating the team and I’d bet a rejuvenated powerful and aggressive primate could give a more effective team talk that just shouting, ‘jdp… Get it op the focking peeetch’.
Benefits for Arteta too of course with this swap deal. Presumably he’d be closer to shops selling black polo necks and beauty products. He’d also have the chance to sit in a sparsely furnished un stimulating but piss-stinking enclosure where he could quietly learn the errors of his ways. Maybe Pedro could be his cagemate…. Aaaah!
In truth of course I hope Bua Noi gets some peace.