Every one of our games left this season is a cup final. It’s not going to be easy but hey, it’s about winning the toughest league in the world while competing against one of the best managers on the planet with one of the costliest squad assembled in history.
I have let go of my emotions and anger from last two games and looking forward to the rest of the season. It’s still not-all lost, and it’s still in our hand. And, it begins today against Southampton at home.
Arteta had some bad news in pre-match conference. Saliba is not recovering well and will need some more time. Zinchenko is out too for this game and may be for a few more. Tomiyasu is out injured, which leaves us with White, Gabriel, Tierney and Holding in defence. There are no other options, Kiwior is not ready yet.
It’s the midfield and defence which has let us down in our last two games. We need to stop leaking goals when 2-0 up. Conceding one at that stage gives the opposition a belief that they can do more. In Mikel’s world, we need to be ruthless, f*cking ruthless.
I’m hopeful today, I am sure players would have gone back to dressing room and wouldn’t have slept at night without thinking about their performances. When you are so close the title, you need to introspect what went wrong and fix it in the very next game. You can’t wait for a season, or a season break, or a trip to Dubai.
The most important piece of our playing XI is Partey. If he is fit, and playing well, he controls the game like no one can do. When he is in fine form, he improves players around him, be it Xhaka or Odegaard. It’s the drop in his performance that is affecting the team morale. One of the reason we need an upgrade in midfield, a better Partey’s replacement for games when he is not in fine form or when he is injured. We need an upgrade to Xhaka.
I can go on, but today’s not the time. It’s not going to change for last 7 games, so all we can do is stick to supporting the lads who have managed to stay ahead of Manchester City for a whooping 31 weeks (don’t care about those couple of days when City was on top).
We have done for 31 games. We can do for another 7. Our team needs our support and whatever be the result, they will get it.
Lets beat Southampton and go into the City game with 4 point lead, that would certainly put some extra pressure on them.
What’s your prediction today? It’s Friday, game is late night here in India and tomorrow’s off. Beautiful time to watch a game, and I will see you in the comments.
Cheers!
we’re pathetic losers…title hopes my ass
outmanaged by two bottom-dwelling losers in back-to-back weeks, unless we can score 3 in 20+ minutes
why not bring on someone who has no goals in 15 games coming off the bench…btw 1 attempt on goal in the second half
we keep this up and 2nd place might not be a forgone conclusion
Take a good look this is what it looks like when the title is slipping away. 3:1 loosing to the bottom team that looks like they have taken 4 points from AFC. Fucking disgrace by MA.
first team ever to start a game at the bottom of the table and score 3 goals against a team at the top of the table…that’s Arteta’s Arsenal in a nutshell
time for a City like finish…thank goodness for the 8 added minutes, as we could save our blushes
we were somewhat lucky in that I don’t understand Southampton’s later game subs…they’ve actually allowed us back in this match…we don’t deserve to be in this match, but if we find a late winner it could be massive in the run-up
big play by Nelson to race back to defend
this could stretch to 10 extra
too ambitious on Partey’s part
so close yet so far?!?
WTF does Jesus do trying to cheat the ref for a penalty instead of playing the ball. Jesus is not a finisher and not the answer to our attack.
with less than10 matches to go you can’t take 3 of 9 points and expect to win the title, especially when two of those fixtures are against bottom-feeders
good on the lads to eke out a tie, but it’s just not good enough…now we have to win at the Etihad and hope that City fucks up at least a time or two
Ambarish-this match reminds me of the title of your previous posting thread “Where’s the winning mentality?”
Tony-like myself, I bet you were pissed that MA didn’t simply replace the missing Xhaka with Trossard, so that we could finally see what that might look like…I have a feeling that we would have been in far better stead if he was in the starting 11, especially considering what was on offer in their final third today…then again who am I to question the obvious tactical wizardry of our skipper
Post of the LG thread:
Biggest managerial choke since K.Keegan and Newcastle Utd.
All on GoldenBalls.
Ramsdale is never a CL calibre goalkeeper
Balogun should be at Arsenal and not on loan.
The selection and purchase of Vieria a scandal.
The fan boys are now changing their tune and getting very defensive. Bumped into a couple of so called fans at a train platform on the way home, one of which a mate knew who didn’t like the fact Arteta’s useless – took them 4 seconds to resort to “what have Tottenham won”.
Arteta is a cunt and in a few years 99% of these people will suddenly be the ones who were saying it from the start.
They are cunts to.
London is Red is a beacon for those who have a grip on reality keep it up Ambarish – mate Arsenal owe you one.
Kudos to the crowd tonight. After the third, there was a moment when we were very subdued. We collectively know what that result means.
The majority still stayed to the end. The players showed their appreciation.
All very nice. But still, we really looked so ropey at the back. It’s no surprise Soton were happy to let Holdinho have the ball. He wasn’t pressed at all. This should have been something Arteta anticipated and planned for. Partey had to come deep to progress the ball leaving us lighter in midfield.. Holding standing there for 5 seconds with the ball hoping for a safe pass wasn’t the answer.
Viera should have been off at half time. He was ineffective. Arteta can be dogmatic, sticking with players who don’t cut the mustard or are playing badly for too long. It’s like Wenger’s 70th min subs without any reference to the state of the game.
I don’t understand ESR not seeing more game time. He’s on the bench, we know he’s got goals in him. This should at least be a consideration.
As you were, we still need to win all our games as do ManC. On the,Iimited, bright side, St Totts day is back and Champs league next year. These are good things.
Two goals up at Anfield and you don’t win the game, two goals up at West Ham and you don’t win the game, letting in 3 goals at home against team at the bottom of the table, what is the problem? It is the fucking defense, if I can see that why is Areta being paid millions for the shit show he puts on. The defense of Gabriel and Holding as CBs doesn’t work.
Why doesn’t Arteta move Benny Blanco to partner with Gabriel and take your pick for right back, it isn’t rocket science, but we have as manager a fraud and failure that is why we will not win the title this season. After Wednesday it will be all over but the crying. All these weeks top of the table only to crumble in the final weeks because of a shitty, proud, arrogant impersonation of a manager. Get the fuck out of my club.
Aitcho-“It’s like Wenger’s 70th min subs without any reference to the state of the game”
if you make a move or two coming out of the half it could not only inject some much-needed life into the side, but it might also force the opposing manager to rethink his second-half plans…at the very least, once MA realized that Alcaraz wasn’t coming back on the pitch, it should have triggered an already discussed tactical adjustment, with some appropriate subs to boot…as for the ESR “situation”, it’s absolutely mindboggling that he hasn’t seen the pitch in the last two affairs, especially considering the amount of subs that were used…with the wide-side defensive shift they were deploying we could have really used some directness in our attack
I must be a glutton for punishment, as I went back and rewatched the last 10 or so minutes of the first-half and the first 15 of the second-half, just to see what adjustments were made by both teams…of course, it was clear that Southampton made some rather significant maneuvers, both in relation to their personnel and tactics, whereas we did absolutely nothing worth making note of…in fact, we leaned even further into a plan that wasn’t getting things done, as both Zinchenko and White remained tucked inside, thus leaving our wide-side forwards constantly facing doubleteams….thankfully Southampton called off the dogs, once Alcaraz was subbed off, or we likely would have given up even more grade A scoring chances…let’s face it, you know you’re doing something wrong when Walcott is creating problems on the regular
now I get that MA was obviously jonesing, as his security blanket was unavailable for selection, but starting Vieira in his stead, instead of giving Trossard the nod, just might of cost us a very valuable 3 points…now if Vieira was some sort of box-to-box wunderkind then maybe I could understand, as Trossard’s not really known for his defensive zone coverage, but considering Vieira’s sort of a plodding, mindless left foot, so much so that he makes Xhaka look good in comparison, this would have been the perfect opportunity to try something that actually could be a viable and effective option during our final handful or so matches
Morning all
Just watched the game with Junior as it was 2am KO, and so happy we didn’t stay up. How do you sleep after Arteta bottled the league bar a miracle at City? Sure, we’ll get CL, but this season will go down as another season we blew it because of ineffective managers in Wenger and now Arteta.
Poor selection of Vieira over ESR or Trossard and should have used Nelson instead of Saka with a back 3. In the end were were playing 352 and almost got a result. Just think had we started with 352 or 343? Southampton scored 2 goals when we played 4222.
Arteta is a one trick horse and now it’s advantage City with 2 games in hand.
Finding it difficult to drum up enthusiastic positivity for our last ditch attempt to put a big dent in City’s title hopes next Wednesday night, however, I will say just this:
Etihad 2023 should be our Anfield of 1989.
That’s how big a night we need with the same mother of all Herculean, Krypton Factor challenge to affect a winning outcome.
Deja Vu- same mistakes repeated if we don’t manage to get the 3 points on Wednesday. I said last week that it wouldn’t surprise me if we get the result at City, but lose at Brighton, Newcastle or worse Wolves.
I attach no blame to our players; they did their best and showed tremendous grit. Our defensive errors were the product of Arteta’s team selection and tactics. It really is as simple as that because every player left all they had on the pitch.
Marc
Sounds like the Tolly was a necessary nerves buffer before, as watching it this morning 6000km away Junior and I were kicking and holding heads in exasperation, it must have been emotion energy sapping in the seats. Great game for the neutral and unsurprising from Arteta.
I hope Pedro gets his just desserts from the baying mob and no doubt our numbers will swell as Pedro goes on a bin rampage.
TRVL
Arteta is incapable of changing his dogmatic ways. He’ll be ok at RM as he’ll just keep buying, as mentor Pep does. At least we don’t have a long wait for the game of the season.
Mrs T is bringing me home a Korean delicacy: Bin Su to make me feel better as we speak. It’s so popular here they have 24-hour Bin Su parlors in BKK.
KP
Looks like there is nothing that can affect or arrest Arteta’s car crash run in. Pumpkin is saying don’t look at me and I’m teaching him to hiss at the screen every time Arteta’s face appears lol. Hang on the Bluebirds for emotional solitude; we know deep down how this story is going to end and have done all season, we just desperately hoped for a better outcome.
Let’s hope the Perez lure is too great an opportunity for Arteta to turn down.
Any managerial names LIR want to put in the hat if Arteta was to vacate the throne?
Tony
What people need to do to get things in perspective is quite simple. Imagine Wenger or Emery are in charge with the same set of results – what would Pedro be saying? He needs more time? The players are tired? He needs more money?
My arse – he’d go apoplectic about throwing the title away from a winning position.
What’s the difference?
Marc
None whatsoever. Wenger and Arteta like to gamble and are very poor at it.
As regards ESR , he looks fit to play. He has been given his occasional namesake run , and did not look injured. Yes he was ineffectual and rusty . Who would not , if left to corrode out for aeons ? ESR needs game time to get back into the groove. Apparently ESR appears alien in the first 11 too. Plus he is kept away from his Academy mates with whom he would still gel. Appears like Arteta seems to to set him up to fail.
Only explanation , is ESR is a constant reminder of how shit Arteta is, at least to that neurotic mind. ESR single handed lay saved Arteta’s bacon about 2 years back. Arteta hates that sight of remembrance.
Might also the reason Saka is not signing an extension having seen the Spider and the Fly story that happened to ESR after extending.
Unpopular opinion. Odegaard is in midfield what Holding is in defense. A back up at best.
ESR should be starting in place of him. We sold willock for 35m and bought Vieira with that money. I would have preferred Willock any day.
Talk about favorites, eh?
This sums up the feeling of many of us and Arteta has to go.
https://streamable.com/yi8mtp
Hoopah-very astute take, as there’s little doubt that our fragile manager hasn’t gotten over the criticism he faced when ESR was forced upon him and he became one of our bright spots during an otherwise lacklustre period…now his propensity for injuries certainly hasn’t helped his cause, but now that he’s available he should be given ample opportunities to prove his worth, especially considering what has transpired over the past 3 fixtures…even from a purely asset management standpoint, he should put him in the shop window…too many times in the past Arteta has buried players then when it comes time to offlload them he wonders why there are no suitable takers
Ambarish-interesting point, for me Ode was an acquired taste, as I wasn’t convinced he could handle the rigours of the PL, especially against the big boys…this season he seemed to find a way to somewhat rewrite that particular narrative, but I still think he needs to be paired in the midfield with a more pacey and direct-minded partner, which I think would ultimately provide him with more space and time on the ball…obviously Xhaka isn’t that individual, so unless we acquire just such an individual or ESR is given another shot, Ode will continue to be a hit/miss proposition…so I’m not all in on your hot take, but I do understand why you might take this position…btw I would likewise take Willock over Vieira, even though the sample size for the latter has been relatively small
What we saw on Friday we can expect more of the same next year, because the late season collapses are Trade Mark (TM) Arsenal. It happened last season it is happening this season and logic dictates it will happen next season. Two reasons it is a TM of Arsenal and seems to be part of Arsenal’s DNA, whatever the fuck that is, but it is championed by the not so generational One who has no idea how to select a starting 11 that can get results. We are in dire needs of a change.
TRVL & Ambarish
Ambarish,I can see why you’re thinking this regarding Ode, but I have to agree with TRVL Ode is still a work in progress until tried in combination with pacy players with similar visions to Ode to be able to compensate for each other, such as in the legendary and unlikely to be bettered Xavi and Iniesta combination. For now, I believe that a very workable solution would be to have Trossard, Ode & ESR, keep Partey limited to his Athletic Madrid played 6, particularly while we have defensive injuries leading to goals that wouldn’t ordinarily be scored, well not in such quantity anyway.
Santi and Jack Wilshere would have had an amazing partnership had Jack been handled better by Wenger.
Ode has winner written all over him and has since he emerged onto there world football platform. He’s still learning where to learn quicker and with more depth, he needs other potential elite players around him, as he has with Haaland in their NT. Players who spend most of their time jogging over the halfway line than actually being of benefit. Players that pass forwards under pressure with 95+% completion. Players who can tackle without fouling while dispossessing opponents and then feed the channels or ST.
Ambarish, let this sink in my friend, we would have lost against Southampton had Ode not crafted his goal from nothing when we couldn’t get through the bodies in the box. He’s a kid still growing into a man in one of the most pressure filled leagues playing with sub par players in Xhaka, Vieira and many respects Jesus who blows hot and cold and complains far too much.
I’ve wanted to change our tactics and formations since before the Liverpool game. How does Ode function to his absolute best when under the pump so much with ordinary players around him for whatever reason.
With Arteta being a one trick tactic pony Ode’s development will be as stifled as the space TRVL talks about being lacked for Ode.
Remember when ESR and Ode were being savaged as they can’t play together until they actually could and work very well together with their differing styles and directness? Wouldn’t it be good to see that again? Like now?
What is most likely to happen is that the same selection and tactics, mildly adjusted to play City with us losing where with Ode even working his arse off won’t be enough and will look sub par or being beaten by the physicality of the game.
Right now a one trick pony is all we have at the helm.
At least we have some interesting games this evening.
Killroy
With Arteta’s predisposition to making the same mistakes what you say makes perfect sense. It will very much depend on what we do in the summer TW and which players actually want to play under our bottling and mistake ridden manager.
Caicedo now wants Real Madrid with Tony Bloom’s blessing being no further threat to BHA and adding maybe £70+m to the amassing Brighton coffers. Rice looks most likely for MF right now, but we’ll see in the coming months.
Of all the problems we have Ode is so far down the list as to not be something we need to worry about for a long time.
The Manager
The Midfield
The Mental strength of the team
Would be my personal priorities.
Let’s see Spuds go all Spursey at Newcastle to enjoy St Totteringham’s day to lift us from our funk.
That’ll do nicely 👌
Loving it Spuds down 2:0
Went upstairs to grab something as they kicked off – came down 5 minutes later and its 2 nil.
This could be a rout. Shame we have to play them in 3 odd matches.
3 nil and I’m not laughing – honest.
Fully expect Kane to come off at half time – he’s got bags to pack.
3:0 😂😂😂😂😂
Tony
We need some light relief – are ain’t getting it from Arsenal at the moment.