Arteta’s going for it on all fronts, I have no doubt.
I have my opinion on the league cup ( don’t care for it) but can understand and respect the opposite view.
CL is a crap shoot. Even if you make it into the final the game can turn on a single play or call.
Domestic cups the same to certain extent, but with much less pressure all around.
The league is where we have the best chance to win because you can play poorly for a period or two and still come out on top with the squad we have.
Arteta’s doing his best to test the absolute limits of his starters but even he can’t break enough of them where we’d feel sorry for him.
Certain folks will make excuses for him if he wins nothing again( I’m looking at you raps with your sad he wasn’t given the deep block breaking maestro , and got Goykeres instead bs)
I simply disagree wholeheartdely with writing off a QF (at HOME!!!) when the “second-string” XI is packed with established internationals—Kepa, White, Mosquera, Hincapie, MLS, Norgaard, Eze, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Madueke - and the manager has spent £1bn on signings.
Guardiola didn’t sack off the the Carabao Cup when he was going for league titles - he won it four years straight: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021. It was the foundation of the winning culture at City. They never left a season without a trophy.
Arteta needs trophies to validate this project. That starts with the league cup.
Pedro: "I had no hope we’d ever get back to where we are now."
I think you did. Correct me if I'm wrong but I remember some predictions like lifting the title within 3 years after Wenger and the CL within 5.
On the subject of is 1 FA Cup in 6 years enough? It absolutely isn't. It's why I believed Arteta deserved to be backed in the Summer TW of 2024, instead of 2025. The forces above demanded sales, and we delivered - from the offensive players we sold Smith-Rowe and Nketiah, while Vieira and Nelson were loaned with just Sterling joining on loan and Nwaneri stepping up. That's 4 players out, with 2 players in (tough to call Sterling a viable option). Unsurprisingly, we paid the price with the amount of injuries to our offensive players that happened - Saka and Havertz direct casualties.
Either way, Arteta was supposed to be judged last season but he was dealt a bad hand (Cootegate ofc). This season if the refs are decent and the injuries are somewhat manageable unlike last season, we have to win an important trophy and there will be no excuses if we don't.
We're really deep in the mix for both the PL and the CL and if we fail again, the mental aspects of losing it yet again could be horrific. But if we win something important, it could be the beginning of an Arsenal era in the world of football.
I don't think, as some say, that we've peaked too early. I believe we're much better than what we've shown so far. And if we can get our injured players back and our core of top players can remain healthy for an extended period of time, I don't think anyone could compete with us.
In a nutshell, yes, 1 FA Cup in 6 years is a shit trophy haul. But back-to-back titles + an extra either something like an FA or a CL cup in 8 years, yes, we take that. As others have said, the goal is not to lift the random trophy but to build a team/club that could consistently win major trophies.
This season, we must get the job done. If we succeed, I have no doubt the floodgates will open and trophies will rain down on us.
'It's why I believed Arteta deserved to be backed in the Summer TW of 2024, instead of 2025.'
------------------------
The issue-- is Arteta has always been backed-- the next season-- with a squad to succeed in the previous season. The current squad looks capable of getting there this season-- and delivering hardware. Disappointed if we don't.
Hi all - I have a spare ticket (it’s online so not sure if transferable or I’d need to swipe you in) for Sundays live AOP. My son can no longer make it although I’m still going. £20 face value but not looking for anything other than maybe a beer 🍺! Let me know if any of you want it and then we will have to work out whether there is a DM facility on Substack. I’m still on the return journey of a cruise - get to Southampton and then home tomorrow and will have limited wifi until then
I completely disagree with the Carabao cup statements you made Pedro. We have been good enough to win trophies for the last 3 seasons and we have none. We are 5 years without one.
I would have heard you if this was 2 or 3 seasons ago. But we have the squad now. Players will need to get their minutes somewhere. You forgot to mention pep made it a priority of winning it for a lot of seasons and just mentioned klopp who did it once. Winning breeds winning. Our players need to get a taste.
We are going to have a squad nearly fit at some point this season. And the only way to keep all of them sharp is by being in every competition and aiming to win it. It isn't by throwing away competitions we have a chance of winning by beating palace and then 2nd leg at home to Chelsea. We need to rotate well and we need to win. 4 players in and out of every game is the way to go.
Tottenham were global force under pochentino but what did they achieve. Within few years nobody will talk about this era if we fail to win titles. It's not as if the football is super exciting.
I completely disagree with your loser mentality. How can you suggest throw8ng the Palce match. That is not elite.mentiality. we have tje biggest squad for a reason . All trophies are trophies and they all count. It is exactly thst type of loser small time mentality why we have won nothing for 6 six years. It's totally unacceptable.
I’d have hoped we would have won more, but realistically it would only have been the odd cup in the first years of Arteta we could have won, we were so far from competing for league title, were far closer to that prize now, but we just don’t have one difference maker who scores the goals consistently over a season. Liverpool win the title last season due to Salah’s unbelievable form, City have had Haaland and De Bruyne before that, players who decide games on their own. We have Saka and a lot of good players, but not enough elite difference makers in attack.
Emery was never good enough, the football was terrible. His level is Villa or Villarreal, not Arsenal or PSG. Yes we’ve spent a lot, but so has every one else. If it was only Arsenal who had spent then you have a point, but how much more have we spent than Liverpool, City, Utd or Chelsea. Before Arteta we had spent 15 years only playing for 4th, at least we’re playing for 1st now which wasn’t the case since 2008.
We have the best squad I can remember us ever having though I think we are still missing a goal scorer, City have Haaland, pool had Salah, we still don’t have that player. If we did I think we would have already won the title over the last few seasons.
Will we do it this year, who knows (I hope so) but I’m glad under Arteta we’re now in the mix.
Some people need to understand basic spends by other clubs. The same old excuses that "other clubs have also spent as much as Arsenal" thereby excusing Arteta's c £1bn since he arrived. This is utter nonsense. Name we one manager, not club, who has spent the same amount in this time. Other clubs like Spurs, Chelsea and United have also spent a lot BUT by various managers trying to undo the harm of previous incumbents. Arteta has assembled a squad costing £1bn since his arrival and won what? Not the FA Cup, that was with Emery's players.
As a matter of fact , I don't want to talk about the Wolves game. I really can't understand why the gods decided to gift Arsenal those three precious points (that could prove crucial come May, 2026). There must be a reason for such a rare, historic luck. Let me not dwell too much on that game because it is something you could wish it was erased from the history books.
On the title and City chasing, I don't think City stand a better chance. My thinking is that Arsenal are having a psychological problem other than the injuries. We all have agreed before now that Arsenal have the most balanced squad in the EPL (or Europe) with a quality through its depth. This is true because, if any team in the EPL were to experience a half of Arsenal's injury problems, such team would be struggling in rock bottom in the relegation zone, whoever they may be. I stand my ground on that!
The issue with Arsenal is not injury. No, it's not - it's more of psychology than injury. I think the players are concerned about what is happening in the media. Pundits and fans keep saying, Arsenal will bottle it, Citu will dethrone Arsenal, etc. This is probably what is affecting Arsenal. Arteta really needs to work on the psychology of the players. Let them show character and self belief. If they can aporoach every game withe respect for the opponent and with confidence, City will be the ones that will crumble because Arsenal have the capacity to hang on to the end this time around. They need resilence and tenacity. They need self belief. And I mean both Arteta and the players.
Don't listen yo the media where there are too many doom sayers. Don't mind the negative things they say about Arsenal. Remember: they are promoting City - helping them to win. Everything is in the hands of Arteta and his boys. They either take it or give it up.
The contact type injuries happen, sprained ankles and twisted knees. The muscular ones can be avoided. I’ll never understand how Arteta signs players as extra capacity then declares them unworthy to play after 1 mistake.
For all that I bitch about Arteta, the really dark days aren't that long ago so I'll give him that much. We're in better shape now than then. Shame that he's much more Simeone than Wenger. Miss the beautiful game that even at his worst Wenger would play. At least we're not being pummeled by Bayern anymore
Overall, our opinions mostly diverge on points here daily.
But this is both balanced-- and true.
My take is we'll rarely be allowed to play Wengerball in the PL. Even City packed it in with a low block. It's not on Arteta to expand the attack. Instead, it's on him to crack the low block-code, or-- we'll continue to see it deployed weekly in the PL.
'I don’t want to see Arsenal go all out for a QF of the League Cup. Earning two legs at the end of Jan/early Feb against a London rival just feels like a distraction for the right to win a trophy we’ll just get mocked for if it’s our only one.'
Pedro l couldn't agree more . If it was possible to self eliminate from the Carabao and FA cups l would. To this day l m still scarred by mockery l received when Arsene was winning back to back FA cup . I know that even winning EPL alone this year though good for us Arsenal fans , the level of banter that will be directed at us for never winning the European cup will be comical. Trust me at that point no one will even want to talk about how hard it is to win the Epl than the Champions League. So by all means over rotate against Palace . All eyes should be on the EPL and Uefa . Finally thank you Pedro for not saying anything about Gyok in this article because l know if you wanted to you could have easily shown us how Gyok was to blame for costing generational silverware if we don't win any major trophy this season
Arteta’s going for it on all fronts, I have no doubt.
I have my opinion on the league cup ( don’t care for it) but can understand and respect the opposite view.
CL is a crap shoot. Even if you make it into the final the game can turn on a single play or call.
Domestic cups the same to certain extent, but with much less pressure all around.
The league is where we have the best chance to win because you can play poorly for a period or two and still come out on top with the squad we have.
Arteta’s doing his best to test the absolute limits of his starters but even he can’t break enough of them where we’d feel sorry for him.
Certain folks will make excuses for him if he wins nothing again( I’m looking at you raps with your sad he wasn’t given the deep block breaking maestro , and got Goykeres instead bs)
But he’ll get no sympathy from too many others.
I simply disagree wholeheartdely with writing off a QF (at HOME!!!) when the “second-string” XI is packed with established internationals—Kepa, White, Mosquera, Hincapie, MLS, Norgaard, Eze, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Madueke - and the manager has spent £1bn on signings.
Guardiola didn’t sack off the the Carabao Cup when he was going for league titles - he won it four years straight: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021. It was the foundation of the winning culture at City. They never left a season without a trophy.
Arteta needs trophies to validate this project. That starts with the league cup.
Pedro: "I had no hope we’d ever get back to where we are now."
I think you did. Correct me if I'm wrong but I remember some predictions like lifting the title within 3 years after Wenger and the CL within 5.
On the subject of is 1 FA Cup in 6 years enough? It absolutely isn't. It's why I believed Arteta deserved to be backed in the Summer TW of 2024, instead of 2025. The forces above demanded sales, and we delivered - from the offensive players we sold Smith-Rowe and Nketiah, while Vieira and Nelson were loaned with just Sterling joining on loan and Nwaneri stepping up. That's 4 players out, with 2 players in (tough to call Sterling a viable option). Unsurprisingly, we paid the price with the amount of injuries to our offensive players that happened - Saka and Havertz direct casualties.
Either way, Arteta was supposed to be judged last season but he was dealt a bad hand (Cootegate ofc). This season if the refs are decent and the injuries are somewhat manageable unlike last season, we have to win an important trophy and there will be no excuses if we don't.
We're really deep in the mix for both the PL and the CL and if we fail again, the mental aspects of losing it yet again could be horrific. But if we win something important, it could be the beginning of an Arsenal era in the world of football.
I don't think, as some say, that we've peaked too early. I believe we're much better than what we've shown so far. And if we can get our injured players back and our core of top players can remain healthy for an extended period of time, I don't think anyone could compete with us.
In a nutshell, yes, 1 FA Cup in 6 years is a shit trophy haul. But back-to-back titles + an extra either something like an FA or a CL cup in 8 years, yes, we take that. As others have said, the goal is not to lift the random trophy but to build a team/club that could consistently win major trophies.
This season, we must get the job done. If we succeed, I have no doubt the floodgates will open and trophies will rain down on us.
'It's why I believed Arteta deserved to be backed in the Summer TW of 2024, instead of 2025.'
------------------------
The issue-- is Arteta has always been backed-- the next season-- with a squad to succeed in the previous season. The current squad looks capable of getting there this season-- and delivering hardware. Disappointed if we don't.
Hi all - I have a spare ticket (it’s online so not sure if transferable or I’d need to swipe you in) for Sundays live AOP. My son can no longer make it although I’m still going. £20 face value but not looking for anything other than maybe a beer 🍺! Let me know if any of you want it and then we will have to work out whether there is a DM facility on Substack. I’m still on the return journey of a cruise - get to Southampton and then home tomorrow and will have limited wifi until then
NB-- you can 'Share' the tix digitally-- from the site where purchased.
Requires the recipient's email address-- which will then send a QR code for admission.
Go to Substack and find 'Chat' to DM.
We have a very large and able squad and should by rights be aiming for all 4 trophies this year
I completely disagree with the Carabao cup statements you made Pedro. We have been good enough to win trophies for the last 3 seasons and we have none. We are 5 years without one.
I would have heard you if this was 2 or 3 seasons ago. But we have the squad now. Players will need to get their minutes somewhere. You forgot to mention pep made it a priority of winning it for a lot of seasons and just mentioned klopp who did it once. Winning breeds winning. Our players need to get a taste.
We are going to have a squad nearly fit at some point this season. And the only way to keep all of them sharp is by being in every competition and aiming to win it. It isn't by throwing away competitions we have a chance of winning by beating palace and then 2nd leg at home to Chelsea. We need to rotate well and we need to win. 4 players in and out of every game is the way to go.
Tottenham were global force under pochentino but what did they achieve. Within few years nobody will talk about this era if we fail to win titles. It's not as if the football is super exciting.
I completely disagree with your loser mentality. How can you suggest throw8ng the Palce match. That is not elite.mentiality. we have tje biggest squad for a reason . All trophies are trophies and they all count. It is exactly thst type of loser small time mentality why we have won nothing for 6 six years. It's totally unacceptable.
"So, they end up baking their players and breaking them."
And yet, they have fewer injuries than Arsenal.
"We’ve gone from a stagnant banter era club to a global force on the pitch and off it as a result."
You become a global force on the pitch when you win trophies. Simple.
Are you really a global force on the pitch when rival fans put up a banner telling your manager "Always a bridesmaid, never the bride"?
Would they put that banner up against Guardiola? Never. Because the joke will be on them.
The most successful football clubs are ranked by the number of trophies won. That's how it's done everywhere in the world.
That some Arsenal fans are trying hard to raise "competing" above "winning trophies" doesn't mean everyone else sees it that way.
What time is the event on Sunday and what do I have to do to watch?
I am from South Africa.
Looking forward to joining!
Thank you!
"Finaly point, it’s 6 years since Arteta joined the club."
1 FA cup in 6 years after almost a billion spent.
I doubt many Arsenal fans would have taken that in 2019 when they were hounding Emery out.
I’d have hoped we would have won more, but realistically it would only have been the odd cup in the first years of Arteta we could have won, we were so far from competing for league title, were far closer to that prize now, but we just don’t have one difference maker who scores the goals consistently over a season. Liverpool win the title last season due to Salah’s unbelievable form, City have had Haaland and De Bruyne before that, players who decide games on their own. We have Saka and a lot of good players, but not enough elite difference makers in attack.
Emery was never good enough, the football was terrible. His level is Villa or Villarreal, not Arsenal or PSG. Yes we’ve spent a lot, but so has every one else. If it was only Arsenal who had spent then you have a point, but how much more have we spent than Liverpool, City, Utd or Chelsea. Before Arteta we had spent 15 years only playing for 4th, at least we’re playing for 1st now which wasn’t the case since 2008.
We have the best squad I can remember us ever having though I think we are still missing a goal scorer, City have Haaland, pool had Salah, we still don’t have that player. If we did I think we would have already won the title over the last few seasons.
Will we do it this year, who knows (I hope so) but I’m glad under Arteta we’re now in the mix.
Some people need to understand basic spends by other clubs. The same old excuses that "other clubs have also spent as much as Arsenal" thereby excusing Arteta's c £1bn since he arrived. This is utter nonsense. Name we one manager, not club, who has spent the same amount in this time. Other clubs like Spurs, Chelsea and United have also spent a lot BUT by various managers trying to undo the harm of previous incumbents. Arteta has assembled a squad costing £1bn since his arrival and won what? Not the FA Cup, that was with Emery's players.
Correction.
Emery, whatever you may think of him, didn’t have ‘his’ players.
We went from Wenger players straight to Arteta players.
Other than Arteta-- Pep and Simeone are the only managers with tenure at the same club for the past 7-plus years.
Pep is the only other manager to spend > £1B over the past seven seasons.
If "1 FA cup in the next 6 years" was offered to you in 2019, would you have taken it?
As a matter of fact , I don't want to talk about the Wolves game. I really can't understand why the gods decided to gift Arsenal those three precious points (that could prove crucial come May, 2026). There must be a reason for such a rare, historic luck. Let me not dwell too much on that game because it is something you could wish it was erased from the history books.
On the title and City chasing, I don't think City stand a better chance. My thinking is that Arsenal are having a psychological problem other than the injuries. We all have agreed before now that Arsenal have the most balanced squad in the EPL (or Europe) with a quality through its depth. This is true because, if any team in the EPL were to experience a half of Arsenal's injury problems, such team would be struggling in rock bottom in the relegation zone, whoever they may be. I stand my ground on that!
The issue with Arsenal is not injury. No, it's not - it's more of psychology than injury. I think the players are concerned about what is happening in the media. Pundits and fans keep saying, Arsenal will bottle it, Citu will dethrone Arsenal, etc. This is probably what is affecting Arsenal. Arteta really needs to work on the psychology of the players. Let them show character and self belief. If they can aporoach every game withe respect for the opponent and with confidence, City will be the ones that will crumble because Arsenal have the capacity to hang on to the end this time around. They need resilence and tenacity. They need self belief. And I mean both Arteta and the players.
Don't listen yo the media where there are too many doom sayers. Don't mind the negative things they say about Arsenal. Remember: they are promoting City - helping them to win. Everything is in the hands of Arteta and his boys. They either take it or give it up.
The contact type injuries happen, sprained ankles and twisted knees. The muscular ones can be avoided. I’ll never understand how Arteta signs players as extra capacity then declares them unworthy to play after 1 mistake.
For all that I bitch about Arteta, the really dark days aren't that long ago so I'll give him that much. We're in better shape now than then. Shame that he's much more Simeone than Wenger. Miss the beautiful game that even at his worst Wenger would play. At least we're not being pummeled by Bayern anymore
Overall, our opinions mostly diverge on points here daily.
But this is both balanced-- and true.
My take is we'll rarely be allowed to play Wengerball in the PL. Even City packed it in with a low block. It's not on Arteta to expand the attack. Instead, it's on him to crack the low block-code, or-- we'll continue to see it deployed weekly in the PL.
Scoring early is the only cure.
'I don’t want to see Arsenal go all out for a QF of the League Cup. Earning two legs at the end of Jan/early Feb against a London rival just feels like a distraction for the right to win a trophy we’ll just get mocked for if it’s our only one.'
Pedro l couldn't agree more . If it was possible to self eliminate from the Carabao and FA cups l would. To this day l m still scarred by mockery l received when Arsene was winning back to back FA cup . I know that even winning EPL alone this year though good for us Arsenal fans , the level of banter that will be directed at us for never winning the European cup will be comical. Trust me at that point no one will even want to talk about how hard it is to win the Epl than the Champions League. So by all means over rotate against Palace . All eyes should be on the EPL and Uefa . Finally thank you Pedro for not saying anything about Gyok in this article because l know if you wanted to you could have easily shown us how Gyok was to blame for costing generational silverware if we don't win any major trophy this season