Mikel has spend money on these defensive players so far at Arsenal – White, Gabriel M, Tomiyasu, Tavares, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Timber, Calafiori, Mosquera. And it has costed the club around 230m GBP. That’s the back line. Lets include Goal Keepers and defensive midfielders to that list – Ramsdale, Raya, Kepa, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Norgaard and Zubimendi brings the total spend to about half a billion dollars.
While in attack, we brought in Willian, Marquinhos, Jesus, Trossard, Havertz, Sterling, Madueke, Gyokeres costing us a total of 234m GBP. If we include Central and Attacking midfielders – Odegaard, Vieira, Merino, and Eze the cost would be 396m GBP.
My point is, we have spent about 20% less in attacks than in defence. One of the reasons I can think of, is that we had Saka and Martinelli covering both the wings. Now, this spending and Mikel’s preference for defensive solidarity shows up in stats. We conceded 39, 48, 43, 29, 34, 27 goals across the 6 full seasons he has managed the club. It’s not surprising that we won the Premier League when we conceded the least of all 6 years.
It’s not wrong to say that defence has got us the title.
But, would you say that the football has become more exciting in recent times? I would say no. In the season 2023-24, we played some brilliant football and scored 91 goals. We finished 2nd, short of City but we used to score for fun. Everyone saw the glimpse of what Mikel brings to the table and everyone hoped we would go on to build on it. However, Mikel became too pragmatic for my liking.
In my opinion, this has to do with the risk and Mikel hates it. To score, you have to take risk in pushing your attacking players in the opposition half, which leaves you open at the back. Mikel wants his CF and wingers to be part of the dirty work, even if it costs us some goals. From an Arsenal fan’s POV, it won us a title after 23 years and fuck it, fuck the football we are playing as long as we are bringing the trophies. Pep left with a cabinet full of trophies at City and he is the one who invented this boring, passive football.
But, Klopp and Luis Enrique showed us a better way to win trophies. By playing some attacking football and keeping the ‘sport’ exciting. Jurgen’s Liverpool title winning team of 2019-20 scored 85 goals and conceded 33. It was one of the most fluid, attacking, entertaining team. A front 3 of Salah (19 goals), Mane (18 goals), Firmino (9 goals) helped and a defence of Van Dijk, Alison, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold helped them secure the title. There’s no reason we can’t do this with the players we have. We have the likes of Saliba, Gabriel and Timber in defence. And we have a front 3 of Saka, Martinelli and Gyokeres to score as many goals as Salah, Mane and Firmino.
So, it comes down the manager. Mikel, a disciple of Pep, wants to control the game and safety comes first. Managers like Klopp wants chaos while Enrique picked up some bit and pieces of the tracking back and ball possession but kept the good of both worlds. I want the later, and I don’t care if you don’t believe me but Mikel wants it too. He brought in Eze to get this sorted, and the club is now open to have a talk with Vinicius Jr. Eze has been good, but he is not the one who can score a couple of goals on his own every other games like Salah used to do. Vinicius Jr can do it and that’s one reason I think we are looking at that possibility.
Mikel Arteta is looking for a way out of that boring football, but he can’t achieve it without allowing freedom to the players and taking up some risks. We would faulter, we would concede some un-necessary goals but at the end football will be exciting and the likes of Enrique has showed that it will win you trophies too. They have 2 back to back Champions League trophies to show for.
Right, that’s my 2 cents for today. See you in the comments.
“But, would you say that the football has become more exciting in recent times?”
The football under Arteta has always been poor but its got progressively worse.
Its no good him buying attacking players if he either won’t use them or doesn’t know how to. If Vinicius Jr decided to join us it would purely be because of the money we offered – this is not a good thing. Arteta would fall out with him within 18 months.
This club is too cowardly and gutless to sign a player like Vicinus. Always has been, its in its DNA.
Its only interest is milking and whoring it , for the few vested interests, namely the millionaires and now billionaires.
It would rather buy expensive overpriced cack, just to make out its competing with the big boys.
Its one of the reasons why we have this absolute cunt in charge.
The only manager who bought world class , ready made players in was Bruce Rioch.
Bergkamp and Platt and the cunts in charged soon sacked him off, after he wanted Alan Shearer in and Wright out.
Expect cack, eat cake.
Good work Ambarish on the post , I will add , this cunt also inherited, Saka, Saliba, Martinez and Martinelli as well as spunking a billion on his defensive dross, you have described so nicely.
New season coming, and he is still a CUNT!
Guimaraes almost signed for AFC before. It was very close – He had his pen in his hand when El B had a change of mind. Edu and the rest of the legal team couldn’t believe it. Clare shuffled the paperwork, put it back in her case and said – we have a Wenger Mk II on our hands.
“Following his contract renewal in 2022, Real Madrid now own approximately 50% of his image rights. As a result, the revenue generated through his image rights is considered substantial enough that it effectively covers his salary”
“Arsenal are seen as the only top club capable of signing the Brazilian should he opt to leave this summer and have the financial stability required to pull off his transfer fee and salary…however, a move to London is not as appealing as it means he will have to forfeit the title of being a ‘Real Madrid player,’ something that holds massive value and prestige”
maybe if we had gotten rid of our MIT once he had cleared out most of the dreck we would be one of those clubs who hold massive value and prestige to those who matter most
There is a new laughing stock in the city. A London club has signed 35 years old Danny Welbeck and 36 year old Henderson after missing out on 33 year old Granit Xhaka.
Also, we are not that club.
Sometimes I tend to believe I’m a journalist myself – connecting the dots, having insider news, writing facts in my leisure time.
And here’s the absolute – Wayne Roonie is making a comeback in blue.
TRVL
Real Madrid can always afford these players, Mbappe , Bellingham, Vicinus etc .
Its in their DNA.
They will sack manager after manager until they get where they want.
We had this moronic cunt 6 seasons ,before he fluked it.
But we cant, we have to settle with the overpriced cack and be thankful.
Thats why I have no time for slags like Wicksy ( not personal) but its slags like him, they have always killed us.
Why do you think they have won 15 European Cups and we have won 0?
Even those slags at Chelsea have 2.
AF—couldn’t agree more…the only player of any consequence that our settling fuck of a manager has ever got over the line was Rice and he didn’t help us whatsoever when it came to reducing his fees and likewise required assurnaces about playing further up the pitch, even though he couldn’t even beat out fucking Soucek for that assignment…I dare someone to find a manager who’s received more thanks but no thanks from players of import…he’s like the opposite of fucking Wenger, who foolishly snubbed his nose at some of the greatest players of the last two generations…until we flip this narrative, by signing readymade stars in or approaching their respective primes, we’ll be viewed as the greatest fake news “big” club known to man…Cheers