When the season began, I was positive and happy that we were competing for 4 trophies – FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Premier League and Champions League. I was hoping we would pick at least one of the them and put an end to our trophy drought. But things have not panned out as we expected.
Things started going wrong from January. We were ousted by Manchester United in FA Cup third round on penalty. City is most likely going to win this now.
Next was our Carabao Cup run coming to an end in semi finals, where Newcastle beat us twice – both home and away – with 2 to nil.
West Ham (loss) and Forest (draw) have killed our Premier League title chase. Yes, it’s still mathematically possible but we are 13 points behind Liverpool with a game in hand. Even if we win ours, that would be 10 points difference with only 10 games to go. I doubt Liverpool are going to drop that many points and I doubt we are going to take advantage of that situation.
That leaves us with the Champions League.
We are visiting the Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the last-16 today for the first leg. Champions League are usually very unpredictable and you can’t take lightly any of the games. We have seen City only somehow managing to get into the knockout games of group stage, and we have seen some big teams losing out to qualify.
And the fact that we have a non-existent attack further complicates it for Mikel and team. We are going into the game without our StarBoy Bukayo Saka, our left winger Martinelli and without a CF (even a make shift Havertz). Defence looks okay, Ben White is back from his injury and MLS is back from his suspension. Saliba and Gabriel will hold the fort for us.
It’s not tough to guess who would be starting today, Trossard, Nwaneri and Sterling and it’s not a good sight for the Arsenal fans. We should try scoring first and hold on to the lead because we often complicate it for ourselves and I don’t want to see us leave everything for the 2nd leg.
The players must have been demoralised with the recent run of games and when asked about it, this is what Mikel had to say :
on how to instill belief into the players:
Well, try to explain how we’re going to do it and why we do things, and they try to deliver that in the best possible way. In the last two results it’s been very different, in terms of performance as well, not getting the right result that we want, but we’ve certainly been better, especially in the last game with the opposition. And the fact we still have gears, even with the players that we have, some of them have gears to take us to a different level. When it comes to that stage, it’s about lifting the level and the standards, every individual has to be at their best. When we do that, with the team that we have and the connection we have between us, we are a really strong team.source : Arsenal.com
If we manage to get past the PSV in round of 16, we would face one of the Real Madrid or Atletico in quarters.
Right, so with whatever is available for today, I would personally love a back 4 of White, Saliba, Gabriel and MLS. Cala has been making some mistakes lately so MLS sounds a better option to me. Timber has been doing well but if White is fit, he has got better runs in overlaps and I would try him. Keep Timber on bench in case we need him later in the game.
A midfield of Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Merino will start but I would never be happy with both Rice and Partey starting in a game. Pick Jorginho ahead of Declan and stick Merino on the left.
Front 3 has been a conundrum but the only option we have is, Trossard in the middle, Sterling and Nwaneri on either side of the pitch. Lets not put Merino up top and lets not expect him to score 2 goals every game.
Right, that’s all for today. The game’s a bit late for me, but I will be up and will see you during the game.
Cheers!
What are your thoughts for tomorrow’s game?
We should take 3 points on Manure’s form and selection for the CL isn’t a consideration, so we should play our next 11.
Wouldn’t surprise me if we drop another 2 points, though.
As it is Southampton have reverted to form where Pool looking too strong to lose now.
Tony
ManU are really bad but we’ve been pretty much the same of late – maybe the midweek win will give Ode some confidence. I might be tempted to start Calafiori up front but as with any Arsenal match at the moment I really don’t know what to expect.
Marc
I’ve always thought Cala was the better option up top, but agree we never know.
We can’t let Pool add another 3 point above us.
Tony
We’re not winning the league in a million years so basically the seasons over but for do we finish 2nd or do we still have Arteta’s usual late season crash to come.
Either of Real or Atletico will beat us in the CL so its all about looking forward to the F1 season starting next weekend (at least for me) and hoping come the summer the Kroenke’s put down some performance targets for next season – Arteta would wilt under the concept and be gone by Christmas.
Marc
The best place to be a career politician is undoubtedly France where elected individuals can hold several paid positions at once. It’s called the ‘cumule’ and it means you can get paid for all of them.
I think there are still some journalists out there holding these cunts to account. MPs are doing all sorts of egregious things and eventually being exposed for it. But yeah, it’s a total shit show.
Obviously. Merino is learning the centre forward role , and yes in an ideal world Arteta should have strengthened in Jan but I feel quite positive regarding the rest of the season , especially if Saka and martinelli are close to returning as it will leave the manager with more options and lessen the risk of overplaying the 17 year old Nwaneri.
Merino has 3 goals and an assist in his 3 starts (1 sub) as a striker, all pretty accomplished finishes.
Apart from his goals it was noticeable against PSV that he looked more comfortable in the role as he dropped into holes and linked the play well , maybe he can develop into a Giroud type striker who was exceptional at times in linking the play
though not a player who would play on the shoulder but had decent movement in the box similar to merino.
it has to be said that PSV were surprisingly weak defensively so there will be tougher tests to come for him as a striker..
It’s fair to say that Liverpool have been the best team in the league , I would say it’s also fair to say that it has been a season where just about everything has fallen their way compared to Arsenal and I am not talking about the injury situation.
It is a fact that Arsenal have had 4 very debatable red cards that have cost us many points.
It is a fact that Liverpool have had 9 penalties this season compared to Arsenal’s 2, liverpool have conceded just one pen .
liverpool’s first pen yesterday was a prime example of a decision that would never have gone Arsenal’s way as was their recent pen away to Bournemouth.
Another crucial part of the season was Arsenal’s disallowed goal at home to Liverpool in the last minute, Anthony Taylor waited as much as 5 seconds before blowing belatedly for a non existent foul just as Havertz was one on one with the keeper.
The ridiculous penalty awarded to Brighton to deny Arsenal 3 points was another example of a very dubious decision costing Arsenal.
I highlight these examples because it is important to be balanced in our argument as to why we have never managed to put the pressure on Liverpool, though of course I also recognise that those Arsenal fans who do have an agenda against Arteta will never have a balanced view..
The question is , would Arsenal have won the league if the decisions that I highlighted were in reverse, possibly not but we would certainly have been in contention , we can all remember those years under ferguson when United received very favourable refereeing decisions in their favour , that stopped as soon as he departed and look how their league position has plummeted without the officials help.
Alternately in Europe we rarely experience such problems with officiating.
Marc
I have always said since before hiring MA, that he will win nothing of note: CL or premiership. Now into his 6th year this statement is still true. I don’t see him winning next season either, so agree with you as we all want accountability here.
There has been none for the 5 seasons, where I think KSE are happy with CL money keeping the financials in the black each season.
Pool are 16 points ahead with us with this evening’s game in hand. My comment re us not adding 3 points today is that means Pool are 5 games ahead of us points wise, meaning that with 10 games to go, Pool could be mathematically clear by the time we play them or sooner.
They play Newcastle, Everton, Fulham, West Ham and LCFC April 20. 3 are home games, where maybe the derby game could see them drop points.
If they win all 5 games, which they should, they will have been crowned champions before their Spuds game at Anfield, and we know Spuds have been dire this season: 13th, on 33 points, praise be to whatever good you want to choose that it continues.
However, if Pool drop points in their derby, then they’ll probably win the PL when beating Spuds.
Watching the Pool game with junior yesterday, they were atrocious against S’hampton, in the first half continuing their poor form they displayed at PSG midweek. They couldn’t find their passes all over the park and were a yard off the pace at least.
Sounds like Slot Machine tore them a new one in the dressing room making 3 halftime subs, we’d never do, nor would MA be so ruthless with his pets.
Slot’s subs pretty much always work as they did yesterday with 2 goals in a 3 minute spell.
I wondered if they lose to PSG at Anfield, if that would derail their season, but the players are really fired up now tasting PL victory with such a points gap, and Slot isn’t going to let that happen, the guy is a winner unlike MA.
Like you, I’ve no idea how much MA is going to capitulate in our remaining 11 games. I would hope we improve on our one point a game total thus far, but I wouldn’t bet money on it.
TRVL
This Guardian excerpt below from a Barney Ronay piece is typical of people looking to boost MA’s ratings with little substance to offer. More like a typical LG piece of making our not winning a serious trophy into our 3rd best ever consistent successful version of The Arsenal.
3rd best? When we are looking for the best ever with the money being thrown at MA to be successful, but he’s still third best.
Still, the article was beautifully written even if it means nothing in the scheme of things, where the last 19 seasons including Wenger’s last 12 have been PL pot less.
While banging on about histrionics, Ronay forgets how much the PL has moved on from the Division One league days, so our beating our illustrious history to 3rd place means absolutely nothing, in today’s football.
I’m sure LG will be sucking in every word of the article that lacks just one word: reality. The context being, no big club manager who spends £800m on a squad for the return of 88522 and depends whether or not a point a game continues, to where we finish this season, would be kept as manager.
If our points tally continues to being true to form, Forest could pip us to 2nd playing far more attractive vertical football with a squad worth £320m vs our £1b+ squad, and club worth probably now over £5b.
Ronay also forgets there are 3 European, and 2 domestic cups to be had, but not by us. 1 Covid FA cup is all MA can muster in almost 6 years.
Can MA get past RM or AM or the resurgent PSG, and Bayern Munich we always have problems with to bag the CL. Not with this unbalanced squad that has 5 left backs on the bench at time when all fit, is my thinking.
Time will tell.
I’d be interested in yours TRVL and others here thoughts’ on Ronay’s illogical thinking that a big club would keep a manager more than 3 seasons without a return on their investment in players costing £800m.
Amorim looks to be on borrowed time as Manure burns through managers: ditto the Chavs and City all watching and wondering how a manager in Slot being a rookie to the PL, can win the PL with consummate ease in his first season.
Ronay seems to be blind to the obvious, which is football is about winning trophies and maybe was sucked in by Wenger’s 4th is a trophy rhetoric, which being the Guardian’s chief sports writer seems way off, where each season a manager takes his squad on a winning season. Just not our manager.
Pep, Klopp and now Slot are winners and where The Arsenal should take note when hiring a manager.
See you guys at the game.
Barnet Rona’s excerpt:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/mar/08/what-is-wrong-with-arsenal-finishing-second-maybe-the-answer-is-nothing
“Some context may help. Should they finish second for a third straight season Mikel Arteta’s team will be the third most consistently successful version of Arsenal ever, in a top-tier existence stretching back to 1904. The only Arsenal eras to surpass this run of league finishes are the Herbert Chapman-built team of the early 30s and the peak Wenger years, 1998-2005, when Arsenal spent eight seasons in the top two, when they had Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and a culture-busting manager.
Third-best Arsenal ever, then, on league finishes at least, and built out of the fourth-highest net transfer spend in the league across Arteta’s time at the club. During Arteta’s reign Arsenal have gone eighth, eighth, fifth, second, second and (probably) second. Take away Liverpool’s brilliant season and they would be top. Is this really a problem that needs solving? How is it possible to construct even the most marginalised of Arteta-must-go subcultures out of this upturn in fortunes?
Except, the title was there for the taking!”
Will be interesting to see who is the boss of whom? Andrea Berta or MA?
“Arsenal reach agreement with new sporting director after devising four-man shortlist to replace Edu. Arsenal have reached an agreement with their new sporting director
The 53-year-old specialist is set to replace Edu, who left in November last year.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14478477/Arsenal-agreement-sporting-director-Edu-shortlist.html
Its odd coming in to todays early kick off and thinking easy win for the Spuddies then to remember Bournemouth are 10 points above them in the table!
Tony
About wondering how Slot has been a winner in his first season at EPL , this article gives an insight into his thinking
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arne-slot-liverpool-lineup-southampton-34823680
Tony
I wouldn’t claim to have any special information on Berta but the one difference between him and Edu is Edu didn’t have much experience in that type of role before starting at Arsenal. Berta is not going to come in to play second fiddle to a third rate manager.
Tony—the timing of that article isn’t lost on me, as it comes on the heels of an anomalous 7-1 CL result and on the eve of us facing a really poor United side…if only MA had spent as much time on roster construction as he has on cultivating relationships within the “press” we just might have won something by now…not to mention, those who prop-up our plastic manager love to dig a bit deeper when it comes to providing him with plausible excuses, yet fail to do so when it comes to truly analyzing his tenure, like their unwillingness to give proper attention to the watered down nature of the top 4, so the old Wengerian excuses about facing several financial juggernauts no longer applies…this cake and eat it too motherfucker wants all the flowers with none of the accountability that generally accompanies such a highly paid gig
Marc—as far as I can tell Berta was Simeone’s bitch, so why would he not be amenable to doing likewise with Arteta…let’s hope he’s not coming here simply to be MA’s whipping boy, which could easily be the case considering how our MIT has been trying to sell the farcical notion that he has nothing to do with transfers
Tony–Let’s face it, if anyone actually believed our most recent scoreline was a proper reflection of where we’ve been or where we’re likely heading, no one would have to hard sell our future under this particular manager, as it would sell itself…even during Wenger’s latter years, when the fanbase was very much divided, a result like that in Europe would have silenced his critics for a period of time with or without the “help” of the media, whereas nowadays we can’t swing a dead cat without hitting another article attempting to sugarcoat MA’s very mediocre tenure, considering what he inherited and what has been spent
regardless of MA’s obvious flaws, we should easily win this match today against a bang average side where everyone on the pitch, rightly or wrongly, wants the manager fired, including the manager himself
no surprises with our lineup today…same as our mid-week CL fixtuer except that Cala starts for Skelly, which makes some sense considering his more recent misadventures…somewhere on the continent Nuno’s trying to figure out how the fuck he’s even on the bench
fixture
Marts is back on the bench, which means we actually have a non-defender bench option