Well, we all knew we weren’t a match to Man City with their 33-goal scorer Haaland and the best midfielder on the planet in Kevin De Bruyne. But no one expected that we won’t show up for a fight. In the title race when a win was a 6 pointer, we lost and we lost badly. A 4-1 score is as bad as it gets, but the way we played it could have been worse.
So, where did it go wrong? As a starter, Arteta failed to adjust to the Pep’s tactics. Their first goal was a result of the free space De Bruyne was enjoying between our midfield and defence. In the first 30min, it happened couple of times when the pair of Haaland and De Bruyne were left with our CBs. I don’t think anyone can beat Haaland for the pace, it was a fight to be lost. We should have adapted, we should have dropped down and closed the space . We could have switched back to back 3 and fight on counters.
Second, we stuck to the playing XI which didn’t work against Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton. Yes, Xhaka was back in place of Vieira but it doesn’t make any difference. Both are poor! If you say what options we had, I would like to point out that it’s our own doing. We haven’t been polishing the bench. We gave Vieira couple of matches in spite of his poor performance in his first, but we didn’t try an ESR. We haven’t tried a Partey + Jorginho midfield pairing. Saka looked knackered but we didn’t see Nelson allowing him some rest. Kiwior was brought into the fold against Liverpool, in last 20 min; I’m sure it wasn’t the perfect time to begin your premier league career.
Arteta’s stubbornness to play his favourites and not adapting to what’s in front, has cost us games. If you expect a player to deliver in 60 games a year, and if he don’t, you switch things up. Jesus might be great in compact spaces and running into 3 opposition players, but where’s the end result? If your CF do not have a goal in him, bring on Eddie. Revert to Trossard at the front who looks more clinical.
I don’t know, there has been a lot of things which we can see is wrong, but our manager sticks to the same old – same style, same player, same tactics.
Here’s the bitter truth. We didn’t lose the title because of this City game. We lost it against Pool (going 2-0 up), West Ham (going 2-0 up again), and Southampton (going 2-0 down at home in first 15min). I understand we are a young team, but young guns can fire too. It don’t matter if it’s your captain, if he is not having a good day, bring on your other no. #10, who saved your career at some point and was considered the next DeBruyne.
I’m not sure how much Arteta will learn from this but I’m sure of this – he is going to spend another 200m to bring some more enforcements, but with this stubbornness and Champions League + Premier League next season, we will have the same conundrum. Unless he buys another playing XI, which is not likely.
Here’s another one – if you think it’s a progress to finish 2nd this season, remember that Arteta was appointed as the head coach of Arsenal on 20th Dec, 2019. It’s been 3.5 years, with half a billion spent on a completely new playing XI bar our academy products. This season has been anomaly, Liverpool is having a bad one, Chelsea are sh*t, Spurs are spursy, and United is going through a rebuild under Tan Hag. If you think allowing 3 years for a manager, only to see him finish second after having a 9 point lead at some point, is considered a progress, then you have very low expectation.
With money coming in for New Castle, Chelsea appointing Poch probably, united getting stronger, Pool back in their form, what happens next? It would be tougher than this season. There will be 2 games a week and more Saliba-esque injuries. Who will we blame? Fixtures? Injuries? Bad weather? Because that’s what we have been doing apparently from like last 10 years.
We need an upgrade. We need an upgrade on Xhaka, whose average performance looks like a world class by his standards. We need a midfield, because you buy all the 50m defenders as you want, but it’s not gonna work if you don’t have functioning midfield. We need a better goal scorer if you don’t have confidence in Eddie. And we need an upgrade on the manager. Learning on the job is not a bad thing, but the pace is too slow for a club as big and as ambitious as Arsenal.
We need courage. We don’t need a captain who goes missing in big games, we have had enough of Ozil for years. We need the winning mentality, not the one we saw against West Ham of dropping performance after going 2-0 up. We need players who make fun of the opposition, on the pitch; who can bully the opposition, who are not satisfied with 2-0 lead at Anfield and want more.
Frankly, it has been a depressing month. We have thrown away the title and there’s no one else to blame. It was ours to lose, and we lost it. I’m angry, I’m frustrated and I’m sure you are, too. I hope the players feel the same, and motivates themselves to make the best of rest of the season.
It’s over for me, but we fight again tomorrow.
here and now
Tony-always a good read when you take Positive Pete to task…the very fact that someone who held such obvious disdain for those who wouldn’t even engage in an honest managerial rethink, when Wenger was at the helm, would so vehemently stifle debate surrounding our current manager, who had neither the CV nor the shared history of success, seems almost unconscionable…of course, one might try to defend his hypocritical behaviour by claiming that he simply couldn’t fathom the notion of being on the debating floor once again, as it certainly can be an exhausting endeavour, but only a moron would believe it, especially when you consider the exorbitant amount of energy he’s exerted trying to shine his preferred managerial turd while simultaneously removing any dissenting voices of consequence…maybe he just didn’t have the required foresight to do the mental math before embarking on his Spanish-inspired propaganda crusade…it’s likely why he created a cast of rather dimwitted fictitious characters, as who else would consistently prop-up his every take with the occasional strategic hint of apprehension simply for optics-sake…sadly, if you took Pedro’s horse and pony show out of the equation and combined LiG’s and LG’s best and brightest, the result would be an epic forum for all matters football-related and otherwise…how ironic, as that’s the same sort of debilitating dynamic that has stymied our ability to restore our organizational greatness for the last two plus decades…take care
TRVL
Simply brilliantly put.
Marc & Killroy
The narcissist Arteta having been in the press for negative reasons will want to start advertising his next big show stopping moments in the coming TW because he needs adulation to survive: it’s his life’s source. To support this further Arteta is claiming the Title is still in our hands when he should be talking only about how to beat the Chavs tonight. Right now the title is a mathematical equation with advantage very much with City.
Simply put, deep down Arteta thinks he is now better than Pep and should be lauded as so. Losing to City hurt Arteta deeply because of how Arteta sees himself.
For Arteta he has the TW to be front and center for our club. His mistake ridden season will be forgotten and swept under the carpet as some unlucky injuries derailing out title aspirations. Squad management will never come to the fore as the ultimate reason Arteta choked two seasons in a row.
This is where the portion of the fans fit in Marc as you said. They only see what they want to see. Bob N15 is the more intelligent version. The guy prepares himself for any loss or frail draws, and then justifies our anomaly and loss of points. Marc it’s their lives as it is Bob’s. Arsenal is at their very core of existence where every match dictates and restricts their life’s movements. In the off season they are glued to the Internet for any notion of we are looking at someone.
The Arsenal is like a religion to them with regular worship times of there being only one of The Arsenal.
In our own ways from afar we are similar only on different time lines, but are we Marc? we are because we have lives and family who most definitely come first in my life. The Arsenal is my 2nd love after family and friends from real tangible people with no agendas. The Arsenal is also a good learning curve for junior as a sport and as for a kind of behavioral study with Arteta being an excellent arsehole type to study and appraise Arteta’s actions towards people.
Because of the The Arsenal Junior has been lucky to meet many people he normally wouldn’t from both LG and LIR. It’s painfully taught him early on about flat earthers and trolls, which he’s said has helped him at school and by his conversations has a really good read on people for a 14yo. He adores you lot here and rightly so, which makes this place our nightly round up before bed in my office where I can honestly say so much learning between the two of us and from talking about posts has helped junior to grow faster inch areas that might normally be difficult for him and his ADHD. So, that’s a mighty big thanks to you at LIR from both junior and me.
Honestly speaking with the amount of youth names Arteta seems hell bent on getting rid of because if they’re not here he can’t be blamed for not playing them which he hates for some unfathomable reason.
It’s HIS squad!!!!!!!
Howe can you take a manager seriously who will play Arteta to the very last game and then sell him. Can anyone explain that to me why Arteta is still the first name of the team sheet if Xhaka being offered for sale? Why not EDR as he’s supposed to be for sale?
Looks like this time we are going to have a youth fire sale. Project youth hasn’t worked where, in Arteta’s mind, they the players will have let Arteta down big time. Not anything to do with the perfect flawless narcissist: Arteta. Pep had nothing to do with City’s win.
The Arteta saga sadly has at least another 6 months to run. The first 4 months of next season will tell us if we have to suffer another 6 months of the great pretender.
I would love TRVL and Killroy to sit down with Josh in North Anmerica to find out if Josh really is that dumb as to not see through Arteta.
2:2 is my prediction for this evening and we’ll record it for the morning.
ESR*
who will play Xhaka*
Killroy
Junior and I are looking forward to the rugby WC but will have to record many of the games as it’s in France, southern hemisphere world cups are more suitable time wise.
England haven’t got a prayer under Bothwick, as it’ll be another Martin Johnson type failure. I don’t follow club rugby so I’m clueless as to what emerging talent is at club level, but I played at a thinking man’s game mens club level at 16 and London Counties trials as U15. Essentially, my rugby was better than my football that was only schoolboy county level.
It’s strange really because I was never in one area long enough to play for local clubs, and yet I followed Arsenal and not the England team whereas I follow our England Rugby Union side and no clubs or rugby league.
I picked France 2 years ago as I thought they were on the right trajectory and similar to when they we’re beaten in 2011 by the All Blacks. France were at the time in fights with their manager. Shocker, but it was a close fought game at Eden Park.
This time they will likely fight it out in Paris.
Should Arteta as perceived by us renegades here be fcuking things up royally in the PL, the WRWC will be a fascinating diversion for me and junior when time permits from school studies.
France
New Zealand
Ireland
South Africa
That’s my 1 to 4th, Killroy.
I haven’t really looked at the fixtures and groups, but if it’s possible in the knock outs that’s how I see the world’s current teams finishing the World cup.
I like your takes on the game, also. Who do you see as the final 4?
Marc and others
I’ve seen Patino play two full games this year for Blackpool (as well as several times on the box) and while it’s not scientific, he was poor on both occasions. Passing, positioning, weight of his touches were all awry. I’m not sure who the seasiders coaches were at the start of this season but leaving CP in situ when McCarthy took over was unforgiveable.
This was as far from Jack W’s revelatory season at Bolton as you’re ever likely to get. He could become another young player whose value and future has been trashed as a result of poor management. The kid’s confidence must be shot to pieces.
Arteta is having his icarus moment. He was flying high for the shortest and most inconsequential part of the season (ie anytime except the tail end) and the heat is melting his waxy, feathery wings and about to bring him crashing down. So much money, so little to show for it. There’s nothing money grubbing cunts like the Kroenkes like less than spunking moolah down the drain.
I think the Supermik song is unlikely to be heard again this season.
By the way, lots of thought-provoking stuff being written on here at the moment. Thanks to all of you.
Tony
I agree with your rugby top 4 but would alter the order.
Ireland
SA
NZ
France
Ireland are terrific right now and if they keep Sexton free of injury they’ll win in my opinion. Ingerland, Scotland, Argentina and Australia to lose in the quarters.
Pep
Klopp
Howe
De Zerbi
Pochettino? Chavs
Nagelsmann? Spuds
Ten Hag
Arteta
Currently, we now have a potential top 8 managers with Newcastle and BHA entering the fray. Could Villa catch up next season with Emery to make it 9?
For the neutral the PL is nothing more than spectacular. Rarely do you see boring game where the better dispersal of the TV rights monies is leveling the playing field, as normally mid level clubs can start competing with the top 8/9 seats at the top table.
Next will be the streaming rights for each club personally. I think Amazon or similar will be the first to globally stream the PL, but ultimately it only makes the best financial prudence for clubs to stream their own games. Just how far that goes down the leagues for financial viability, I have no idea. Clearly, the PL clubs will bag riches only dreamed of to make them competitive – the increasing club TV rights’ financials illustrate this all too well.
We’ll end up with a super competitive league where rules will be changed got encourage more goals and thus excitement.
50 years ago when I were almost 18 where the FA cup final pretty much brought a stop to the country with TV coverage starting around 11am. Shops would have TVs and radios at the ready, as the whole country would be invested to some part even if not a fan of the competing sides.
Today it’s of little consequence unless you support one of the teams when you consider how the footballing stage has changed with technology and more importantly: money.
Fast forward 30 years and where do you think football will be then? Continental Super-leagues?
For Arsenal’s 200th anniversary, will football be driven by AI? It’s still 66+ years away with a tech advancing at crazy speeds.
We can recreate surround immersion sound with remarkable auditory clarity whether it’s recreating live music to be tonality wise, far better than live – particularly open air arenas. However, Line Source speakers has improved live sound dramatically.
I would imagine holograms are going to be the visual immersive tool for visual surround, as if you were in a stadium. They already have some version of this from the Internet, so in 66 years it’s not much of a stretch people will be able to afford such technology in their homes.
Junior has Oculus Quest which is good, but still a long way to go, as has 3D.
KP
I agree with your rugby top 4 but would alter the order 😆
Ireland
France
SA
NZ
For me it will be a well deserved change from all things shitty Edu & the stooges. If Sexton is healthy and Kolisi is still not up to full speed plus Dupont having a better game than he had against Leinster the order should be just about correct.
I do have an advantage as far as getting games because a dedicated Rugby community posts the most excellent quality on the Across the Tasman P2P tracker but I do not have any invitations. The following is a link where also excellent qualities are posted.
https://www.sport-video.org.ua/rugby.html
The USA has the Peacock streaming service but the studio personnel as well as post game coverage is not there, looks just like a bare world feed. So with a VPN I have watched matches on RTE, BBC as well as ITVX. A VPN is worth the money in addition I tried the free VPN extension from Windscribe for the Chrome browser and it works like a charm.
KP
Interesting choice and I agree if Sexton is fit and mobile Ireland could snatch it.
Thanks for the links. The top end of the world cup games will be on our True Visions satellite which has a dedicated rugby channel. It’s just the timing here being 6 or 7 hours in front. I’ve also got IPTV untested as yet, but making bold claims for US$10 a month.
I’m having a fight to keep interest in Arteta’s games now just knowing it’s the same old song from the same tired singers. It gets to the point where it’s difficult making a prediction at home. What a sorry state to be in.
Sorry Kilroy trying to do too many things at once. reply was for you obviously.
Think I was having a senior moment day KP/Killroy with refresh issues and posts appearing where they weren’t and getting mixed up.
Anyone got thoughts or predictions for tonight? Junior says 3:2 home win. Would be so right for us to keep Fat frank waiting for his first material points.
KP
It’s not Patino so much it’s the blatant disregard for youth in general. It sounds like Patino went tot he wrong club in the end for his loan. The Balogun situation smacks of the Saliba unpleasantness. ESL can’t get minutes, it’s an all too familiar Arteta way. Only now it can be dressed as we need higher quality now we’re in the CL.
Now we need more experienced youth and whatever that is will become the next stage of the Process.
We are expected to be all like Viva Espania for Arteta choking another season blindly following him into the next. Sadly as Marc said recently it’s weird how supporters just don’t know what they see with Arteta.
KP/Killroy
I think this year’s rugby world cup should be the best yet with so many teams developing at the same time. Pack led attempts at slowing rugby won’t fare well in this WC. The best supply to the fastest players will win the contest. The 4 we’ve agreed on in differing levels all play expansive rugby at crazy speeds.
It’ll be a great spectacle.
Hi Tony
Classic wengo-era style Arsenal win tonight. A pyrhhic 3 nil victory with Arteta trying to claim all the credit and offering a wholly false narrative that the PL can still be won. Utterly meaningless of course. Either that or he and fat Frank spontaneously combust and my corner of west Wales parties like it’s 1999. But if Chelsea score first, the TV will be switched off. Poor old Pumpkin – his hopes for a smoked salmon and double cream championship celebration have gone up in smoke too I guess.
We are still playing BHA and Newcastle, can’t see how we will get 6 points from that 4 at the most but more likely 0 or 2.
We need a new DoF and manager because the recruiting and player purchases in the TW plus the the negligence of youth players warrants that change.
KP-would love to agree with your prediction but I just got a gander at our starting 11 and it doesn’t fill me with a lot of confidence…it’s clear that MA has placed more onus on having our regular 11 available for the Newcastle affair on the 7th, but I’m not convinced that having the slowest midfield in the footballing world, in front of a newbie CB no less, is a wise managerial choice, especially knowing that he’s not going to properly tweek the tactics…furthermore, we will struggle for width on the left, with Trossard starting in place of Marts and Zinchenko tucked inside too often…this will allow Chelsea to doubleteam the living shit out of Saka, unless White is being deployed in much more advanced positions than normally…this might be the kind of match where Jesus’s ability to hit the GD net will dictate the outcome, so let’s hope he’s tossed his misfiring boots from his last couple of starts…fingers-crossed from beginning to end
Sky just put up we paid £20 million for Kiwior – is that right?
Because if it is any moans about Saliba being out are bollocks. How much money does Arteta have to spend before people think we got more than 14 odd players who can be used.
Chelsea have gone with a pacey front line.
Tonight could be the ultimate managerial CUNT vs CUNT contest.
Marc-it’s clear that our recent form and MA’s chosen side will embolden a Chelsea squad that has struggled for goals to play on their front foot, which does worry me a little…what happens if we cock-up another fixture???
I’m all for squad rotation, but it has to be done with some modicum of tactical insight…I would have rather that we started Nelson for Saka, Tierney for Zinchenko and had ESR replace Xhaka, as this would have given us some width on both sides of the pitch and vastly increased our available pace…of course, if we didn’t have a one trick pony on the touchline we could have made a variety of differing selection choices, but I’m just not convinced what’s on offer today fits the typical Arteta script
here’s hoping that Chelsea’s anemic scoring record since FF’s return continues to be the storyline today…it’s clear that Chelsea’s new sugar daddy expected much more from the greatest player expenditures in PL history, but let’s be clear that much of the spending was with the future in mind
btw the match commentators just remarked that Arteta has made less changes than any other manager in the PL this season, to which I respond no shit Sherlock
If Xhaka had a right foot….
what a weirdly frantic opening 5 minutes…Chelsea’s backline looks to be ripe for the plucking, unfortunately our first easy chance landed on Xhaka’s foot
KP-are you sure that wasn’t his left foot? it’s so hard to tell nowadays
If Xhaka could control a pass…
Chelsea are a disorganized mess out there so we better pot a couple before they take their collective heads out of their asses
Kroenke
If Xhaka could play football!
Kiwior needs to settle down – looks like a headless chicken rushing about.