We started our FA cup campaign in the third round and lost to Manchester United on the penalties. We did last a bit longer in Carabao Cup and reached to semi-finals when Newcastle thrashed us over 2 legs with a 4-0 aggregate. We simply didn’t have an answer to the Eddie Howe’s plan and Isak’s pace.
In the Premier League, we are sitting on 67 points with 3 games in hand. Liverpool has already won it and we will most likely finish in the top 4. We have finished 2nd in previous seasons consecutively and this would be the third time when we lacked that extra push to lift the trophy. I will talk about that extra push a little bit later.
Champions League provided some relief. I am contended with our run, PSG were simply brilliant over 2 legs and losing to them doesn’t bring any shame. The players will have more experience going into the big games and we will do better next time.
Positives, first. We are a serious team and we can beat anyone on a given day. We have a bunch of world class players who are still young enough to improve and get us some money if they decide to move on. Good for the business, good for the football. We made it to the semi-finals in two of the competitions, and we kept Liverpool on toes for almost 30 weeks. Anything can happen in a penalty shootout, so I will not give much importance to the FA cup defeat.
The players we have? Saka, Martinelli, Saliba, Gabriel M, Timber, MLS, Calafiori, White, Rice, Havertz, Odegaard (half-heartedly tbf)! All of them are on the positive side of their age and all of them are committed to win trophies at Arsenal.
Negatives? We won fuck-all again! The only ones who remembers when you come second are your wife and your dog (probably why we got win-the dog at Emirates). It’s not the FA cup or the Champions League that has rattled me.
Carabao Cup game against Newcastle was a failure from the manager. Over 2 legs, he couldn’t figure out a way to deal with their pace and counter attack.
We were sitting 2nd, very close to Liverpool in December. Everyone and their landlady knew we needed to sign someone who can score goals. Watkins was thrown at us for 60m, and we ignored it. We brought no one, when we were suffering from injuries and lack of goalscoring. It was the manager, the club and Kroenke’s because if you can’t see what’s in front of your eyes, you are either blind or you don’t want to. We needed a push and Watkins or a Gyokeres could have got us that.
Next, some of the football we are playing is very one-directional and boring. Sideways and back passes in the name of possession percentage is not good. Football is a robust game, let the players shine by not sticking them to the side line (Martinelli comes to my mind) and by not letting them express themselves (we saw what Declan Rice can do with those free kicks).
Next, we need improvements in some positions and we need to stop ignoring a CF signing. Scoring goals win you games. We did score a lot of them, spread among the Marts, Saka, Havertz, Trossard etc but you know what was the difference between us and Liverpool? Salah scored 28 goals, and won a handful of games for Liverpool on his own. We don’t do that here at Arsenal.
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How to fix this?
Be more direct, develop a fall back plan when your usual strategy do not work, bring in a CF and a midfielder, rotate when playing 2 games a week because the likes of MLS can do better than Calafiori and Zinchenko, and get an Odegaard’s competition. As simple as that.
Right, we have a game today against Liverpool. India-UK have worked on a trade deal and that could bring Guinesse here, so I won’t complain much if we lose.
Hope you are doing well, see you during the game.
as I’m writing this I’m watching
Just watched Barcelona under Flick beat Real Madrid , after losing against Inter Milan because of over attacking.
These cunts are playing a different game to us.
You think Flick would waste £50 million on a water carrier like Zubimendi?
He has more bollocks in his left toe, than out fraudulent cunt in charge.
By half time we are down 2-0
Newcastle and Man City breathing down our neck as per the table
Sorry 2-1 down
AF—I was just about to make the same comment, but I didn’t want to make the comparison just in case Pool got a little too complacent and let us back into this one…let’s face it, Pool have nothing to play for, unlike Real
Set piece by Tossard. That flick by Saliba to Martineli can’t say if it was intended or a fluke.
Allison saved that shot
Good to see Marts playing through the middle finally…would be even better if we had someone who was able to maintain some width out wide on the left…one still has to wonder why the fuck Ethan’s been in the proverbial doghouse since Saka’s return
if only Ode would shoot like that more often…good on Merino for remaining onside
Merino’s a flopping Havertz-like clown far too often for my liking…it’s the reason why we don’t get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to 50/50 calls
Slot does make intelligent changes. Gravenbatch was a bit of a liability.
Liverpool want to win at all costs
A Arnold has no commitment to Liverpool. Listless , predictable passing only to Salah.
ElB thanked him after the game ?
Martinelli in the middle, we will never find out but I will put my money on it any day.
Ambarish—that can’t be a regular gig, but it would have been nice if he got a look up top when GJ and Kai went down…personally I would rather have him than Havertz there, but let’s hope we get ourselves a bona fide option or 2 in the coming weeks or months so any such questions are moot
The question that should be asked is has Arteta this season used the players at his disposal in the best possible way taking into consideration our lengthy injury list and suspensions, for me the answer is no…
To not play martinelli more centrally is criminal as is Nwaneri’s lack of game time recently when we needed something out of the ordinary.
There is not one Arsenal supporter that I’ve spoken to who hasn’t been advocating the use of martinelli as striker , and yet Arteta made the decision to ignore the obvious up until the 2nd half v Liverpool and surprise surprise he scores a goal and we looked a much more dangerous outfit as his movement caused the Liverpool defence a different kind of problem.
Unless Nwaneri is carrying an injury, he may be concerned that Arteta has basically ignored him in the most important time of the season.
The fact that Nwaneri has managed 11 goal contributions this season in 15 starts make it even more baffling as to why he has been given a paltry 9 minutes playing time in the last 5 games , 5 games in which we have failed to win.
Nwaneri has scored 9 goals in 15 starts whereas Odegaard has scored 5 goals all season in 36 starts, they were a penalty in the 5-2 win at West ham , a last minute goal in the 3-0 win v Zagreb , 2 meaningless goals away to PSV and an early goal in our 5-1 destruction of city. Put it this way , Odegaard has failed in every big test when we needed him , no goals or assists v PSG semi final ( 2 games), no goals or assists v real madrid (2 games), no goal or assists v Newcastle league cup semi (2 games) and the same in the cup v united, and yet he plays every game and is now being praised because he had a decent shot at goal v Liverpool.
We should be looking at players like Eze and Isak to bring in as they are as smooth as silk on the ball , Eze glides effortlessly over the turf and is not afraid to have a go at goal.
Unless Arteta trusts Nwaneri next season we also need a wide player who makes good decisions , martinelli flatters to deceive, I thought he had turned a corner recently but it may be time to cash in on him and bring in a top class winger.
Being 20 odd points behind Liverpool is not something to shout about even if we do cling on to 2nd position, defensively we look fine , kiwior has come on leaps and bounds, whilst calafiori just needs to stay clear of injury , plus the arrival of skelly gives us great options as he may be used in midfield , I would expect tomiyasu, jorginho and zinchenko to be sold and we should keep partey who has had an excellent season.
Next season is a shit or bust season for Arteta , we need to do some great business in the summer and we need to hit the ground running in the league as the knives will be out very quickly if we are not sitting at the top of the league or thereabouts.
It should be a great game v Newcastle next week, they will be desperate to take 2nd spot but I think we will do them at home if Arteta has learnt the lessons from the league cup defeat , play martinelli up top would be a good start .
Ethan is a gem – a little more polishing required but he already outshines Odegaard who has the weakness of disappearing when we face tougher opposition.
Is he injured – the same injury that ESR quoted ‘what injury’. The only injuries Emile & Ethan get are splinters.
Nwaneri will walk into most premiership teams but he has obviously said something out of place – he did praise two other players for their guidance (Rice & Saka) so I expect old stubborn one has taken offensive.
Wicksy
Nwaneri is not going to get game time because Saka is always available and no one else on this planet can replace him atm, and Odegaard is Mikel’s per project..
We had the chance to get in Watkins, who could have done the job for a season or two.. but Mikel has another pet project, HAVERTZ THE FINISHER.
NORG
Arteta did notice that MLS was playing better than Calafiori or Zinchenko, so kept him in starting XI. When it comes to attack, he ignores everything. Odegaard has been very poor recently and Nwaneri couldn’t have done any worse than him frankly..
Norg
Ode’s been going missing against weaker teams as well lately.
Nwaneri would do well if coached by the current Como manager.