Ode is a conundrum, so are others. Convinced there are a few hidden injuries in this team, perhaps Ode, and Saka are amongst them? Would love to see Eze get a few games to build confidence and a bit of familiarity
3 goals from 3 shots with the quoted xg may be a rarity but what happened didn’t fully surprise me, so many teams score against us on their first chance at the moment, ok maybe not their first 3 shots , but you get my drift.
Still waiting for an indepth analysis of the football and why it continues to let us down instead we're just told that we're top of the table and shut up and be happy. Inevitably that turns into trust the process and next season that's when he has to win something or else. This is it this is the season or he fucks off
Pretty much backing you all the way on this. We are top of the EPL top of CL. Yes there are some rather unusual stats about indivuals which dont make great reading but these "Arteta out" guys are just crazy. Calm down and back the team, hopefully all the way to 31 May.
I will take issue on one matter. We do not have a fully fit squad, Havertz is clearly not fit and of all the positions that we do not need an injury its no.9.
Finally Willian ,Sterling and Madueke what do they all have in common?
Those Arteta comments after the United game just confirm what more and more people are beginning to realize...he is utterly clueless when it comes to sorting out issues on the pitch but my god what a great cheerleader. Man is a great snake oil salesman he could sell ice cubes to an eskimo but ask him to break down a half decent team without the use of a set piece and he's as confused as Wenger was with a zipper. Also I don't want to hear bullshit about the fans needing to get behind the team we don't need to do shit it's on him and only HIM to improve the football and be successful.
Only top because of the level of investment and a drop off in performance by our rivals. Top despite the manager who continues to struggle with playing decent football and has to rely on set plays. Now that's pathetic. Imagine going to bat every single day through Twitter or blogging for a manager who celebrates a corner kick or the signing of a long throw specialist like it's a 90th minute winner. Now that's...
Level of investment? Shouldn't Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City be higher?
Also... this is by far the worst of your takes: You are saying you cannot be happy unless we are top by UNDER investing.
Do you not have Arsenal friends who can help navigate these opinions of yours?
'Boys, I'm unhappy with Arsenal right now because with the 4th highest wage bill in the league and a lower transfer spend than our rivals, we're only TOP OF THE LEAGUE'
Are you okay? When have I said anything about underinvestment? How about unhappy with the garbage football being thrown out by one of the highest paid managers in the world after spending well over a billion on transfers. That's where my unhappiness comes from. Watching Arsenal struggle and playing for corner kicks. How about that. You got no retort for the shit football because even you would be embarrassed to try to pretend like he has a fucking clue how to get a tune out of some fantastic attacking talent. He's utterly clueless in that regard but he's got nice teeth and can speak English well so he gets a pass around here
Eze and Merino sounds like a plan given how well it has worked in big games so far this season, but the real question is whether Arteta will do it or not. If he’s wedded to an underperforming Odegaard when he’s fit then the answer is likely no.
Also it’s not unfair to question the mentality of whether they can handle pressure at the business end. It’s all well and good handling it in autumn, summer and winter but when the last few games roll around Arsenal has unfortunately failed every season since 21/22 that being the fight for top four and then title challenges in subsequent years, although it’s a slightly harsh point of view on 23/24 as they did almost everything they could against an infuriating lot unreal City team.
I think the mentality question can be truly answered in a positive light as soon as they do indeed get across the line and bring home the league title or a champions league. We all hope that’s this year but a failure this year and it’ll be a proper heartbreaker.
It is about momentum, in games, in scoring, coming back, and winning. Look at the last 5 EPL games and tell me with a straight face we are turning the corner.
This is not the time to lose momentum, in the easier blocks, and if we are not losing momentum, we are surely in a straight up stall maneuver in the lift off phase.
Watching the solid tactics video the other day, teams are still playing us in a zone defense in their halves, not man to man. How do you exploit that, passes and movement into the half spaces quickly, we are NOT doing that.
Oh, and Pedro, AFC conceding on .0025xG is a real thing, not a fluke mate!
Arteta surely has to rotate in these upcoming cup games, thank goodness Rice and Zubi can't play.
Our defense is settled when we have all our players healthy, but there has been a lot of in and outs lately, not the good kind, that is messing with our defensive stability.
Arteta has got to work on creating chances at speed and shooting the ball if the moment presents itself. Not restrict our players with fear that a loss of possession means the bench for weeks on end.
It means creating a norm that shooting outside or near the edge of the box is a way to create chances too. We have players who can shoot it like Szoboszlai, who gives off a goal scoring vibe, every time we play them and he gets close to the box, I think, do not let that guy shoot.
Arteta should be instilling confidence in our players to take chances, especially if he is always espousing the idea that everything is and of fine margins.
It is only a fine margin in his mind.
Finally, for many on here, that have watched AFC from 1 to 60, choking is a real possibility, and to throw out trauma this and ptsd that, is straight up weak sauce!
Either win something real by year 10, I jest, or get off the pot.
I happened to watch the highlights of the Leeds v Everton game and there was the chance that DCL fluffed - a quick cross into the box and DCL flew onto it only to hit the post. When has Gyokeres ever got service like that?
But you're right in this Pedro, Arteta isn't going to change his turgid playing style now so we're either winning via own goal and corners or we're not. Our concerns are that it's not enough to get us across the line. The graph though is pointing in a bad direction. Draws, now a loss to of all f-ing teams bloody Manure.
I’d support a Merino / Eze combo as rotating false 9s as that worked against Bayern and Spurs, undoubtedly our two best performances of the season. Throw Kai into that mix and it becomes interesting.
I just think the whole system versus.. player debate is kind of silly. Clearly our system hinders creative attacking play and players. Not even a debate. However, it's a catch-22.. because also clearly the system is why we are top of all the leagues and in both Cups. We are ridiculously hard to beat. The question is whether the system can get us over the line.. ?
And also pretty clear to me.. anyhow... that question at best is a 50/50 proposition which as a fan given our recent history is not a good place to be. Trust me we do not want to be the Buffalo Bills of the Premier League (apologies for NFL reference) but it's what it is reminding me of.
I can lean into the positive part of that 50% this season.. but that task is increasing difficult to do when set pieces are the only thing I have any confidence in ... to score goals.
The team needs an attacking coach, they have no clue on how to attack but whom do we bring in another set piece coach. I didn’t watch the last game as I knew we would struggle to score goals. Odegaard who can’t hit a barn if he tries. Saka has been a different player since his new contract negotiations started and has not made a right decision on the field in the last few weeks. Trossard has been struggling to score in the last few weeks as well. Jesus specializes in derailing out title challenge every single season. I hope we figure out a way to win the title.
You didn’t watch the game ? Are you really an Arsenal supporter ? Or an online fan ?? Wow - i’ve watched Arsenal for 50 years through thick and thin. I’d never miss a game unless I couldn’t get to the game or it wasn’t available on TV. Get a life and get behind your team !!!!
After half of a season in complaining about Gyokeres is equal to complaining about Arteta, because he is the one choosing the lineup and number 9. He is the one choosing how to treat Eze. He is the one who signed Jesus and didn’t buy another option in summer 24. He is the one who didn’t give Nwaneri minutes. He is the one keeping Norgaard on the bench and playing Rice and Zubimendi constantly. He is the one setting up the system for all our attackers.
And he is the one to fix the problem if Gyokeres isn’t clicking. We have a really big squad and many options to choose from. But I don’t think he knows how currently.
Relying on Havertz to come back from injury at some point and left back Calafiori to solve our attacking problems is not a trait of a generational coach.
Blaming Gyokeres is what Arteta personal PR would do to deflect from that issue.
Is that Arteta? I don’t think so - Berta switched to Gyokeres for the simple reason that he was much cheaper. From what I heard, he was way down on Arteta’s wish list. In the end budget constraints in building the squad all round meant we had to cheapskate on a 9 and hope we got it right. We didn’t and so we have to go back to market to have another go. Jesus is not the answer - far too many off days and prone to injury. Kai might have been the answer but he is missing too and can’t be considered a long term bet right now either
Why were even looking for a 9 in the first place if Harvertz was the answer,like the same Harvertz that we dreaded because he wasn't good last season and the season before
Gyokeres this summer might not be on Arteta, but I didn’t mention it. I said that Arteta didn’t prioritize striker for a long time(having broken Jesus as a backup), that now he has a huge squad and really many options to choose from, including Merino or even Martinelli as a nine.
If he continues playing Gyokeres there, it’s on him now. When he wanted Eze benched or Ethan not in the squad, nobody stopped him.
Pedro spends good part of the posts teaching readers how clubs analyze the bigger picture.
And today I read that everything is great because we are at top spot. Analysis based on a static position is really poor. I expected big clubs to see the dynamics
We are concerned about the current trend. We struggle to score for the last two months in a league. Most games are won by one goal, we feed off own goals and set pieces . And now bad results are starting to catch up, 2 points out of 9, with struggles to score at home.
Nobody was complaining in October because the dynamics was encouraging.
Agreed. We have been poor in Five games since the villa match and has got Caught up with us against pool, forest and utd. Our attacking play really needs to improve big time or we ain’t winning the PL
Ode is a conundrum, so are others. Convinced there are a few hidden injuries in this team, perhaps Ode, and Saka are amongst them? Would love to see Eze get a few games to build confidence and a bit of familiarity
3 goals from 3 shots with the quoted xg may be a rarity but what happened didn’t fully surprise me, so many teams score against us on their first chance at the moment, ok maybe not their first 3 shots , but you get my drift.
Still waiting for an indepth analysis of the football and why it continues to let us down instead we're just told that we're top of the table and shut up and be happy. Inevitably that turns into trust the process and next season that's when he has to win something or else. This is it this is the season or he fucks off
Pedro
Pretty much backing you all the way on this. We are top of the EPL top of CL. Yes there are some rather unusual stats about indivuals which dont make great reading but these "Arteta out" guys are just crazy. Calm down and back the team, hopefully all the way to 31 May.
I will take issue on one matter. We do not have a fully fit squad, Havertz is clearly not fit and of all the positions that we do not need an injury its no.9.
Finally Willian ,Sterling and Madueke what do they all have in common?
just saw villa signed tammy abraham, whats the odds on him outscoring gyok?
wow yeah I sure love whatever slop Arteta serve to me
the wonderful own goals and set piece goals
the sideways horseshoe passing
don't forget the bottling and choking too because I'm kinky like that
more of those please
Those Arteta comments after the United game just confirm what more and more people are beginning to realize...he is utterly clueless when it comes to sorting out issues on the pitch but my god what a great cheerleader. Man is a great snake oil salesman he could sell ice cubes to an eskimo but ask him to break down a half decent team without the use of a set piece and he's as confused as Wenger was with a zipper. Also I don't want to hear bullshit about the fans needing to get behind the team we don't need to do shit it's on him and only HIM to improve the football and be successful.
Top of the Premier League. Top of the Champions League.
The desperation for attention is sad to see.
'Don't get behind the team' to cap off a truly awful post.
Again not on us to improve the football. The fans have been brilliant these last few years it's him that's letting the club down
Top of the league and you feel let down? Pathetic
Only top because of the level of investment and a drop off in performance by our rivals. Top despite the manager who continues to struggle with playing decent football and has to rely on set plays. Now that's pathetic. Imagine going to bat every single day through Twitter or blogging for a manager who celebrates a corner kick or the signing of a long throw specialist like it's a 90th minute winner. Now that's...
Level of investment? Shouldn't Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City be higher?
Also... this is by far the worst of your takes: You are saying you cannot be happy unless we are top by UNDER investing.
Do you not have Arsenal friends who can help navigate these opinions of yours?
'Boys, I'm unhappy with Arsenal right now because with the 4th highest wage bill in the league and a lower transfer spend than our rivals, we're only TOP OF THE LEAGUE'
The most unserious commentary on here.
Are you okay? When have I said anything about underinvestment? How about unhappy with the garbage football being thrown out by one of the highest paid managers in the world after spending well over a billion on transfers. That's where my unhappiness comes from. Watching Arsenal struggle and playing for corner kicks. How about that. You got no retort for the shit football because even you would be embarrassed to try to pretend like he has a fucking clue how to get a tune out of some fantastic attacking talent. He's utterly clueless in that regard but he's got nice teeth and can speak English well so he gets a pass around here
Eze and Merino sounds like a plan given how well it has worked in big games so far this season, but the real question is whether Arteta will do it or not. If he’s wedded to an underperforming Odegaard when he’s fit then the answer is likely no.
Also it’s not unfair to question the mentality of whether they can handle pressure at the business end. It’s all well and good handling it in autumn, summer and winter but when the last few games roll around Arsenal has unfortunately failed every season since 21/22 that being the fight for top four and then title challenges in subsequent years, although it’s a slightly harsh point of view on 23/24 as they did almost everything they could against an infuriating lot unreal City team.
I think the mentality question can be truly answered in a positive light as soon as they do indeed get across the line and bring home the league title or a champions league. We all hope that’s this year but a failure this year and it’ll be a proper heartbreaker.
That was a big piece of grey.
Agree with what your dad says.
It is about momentum, in games, in scoring, coming back, and winning. Look at the last 5 EPL games and tell me with a straight face we are turning the corner.
This is not the time to lose momentum, in the easier blocks, and if we are not losing momentum, we are surely in a straight up stall maneuver in the lift off phase.
Watching the solid tactics video the other day, teams are still playing us in a zone defense in their halves, not man to man. How do you exploit that, passes and movement into the half spaces quickly, we are NOT doing that.
Oh, and Pedro, AFC conceding on .0025xG is a real thing, not a fluke mate!
Arteta surely has to rotate in these upcoming cup games, thank goodness Rice and Zubi can't play.
Our defense is settled when we have all our players healthy, but there has been a lot of in and outs lately, not the good kind, that is messing with our defensive stability.
Arteta has got to work on creating chances at speed and shooting the ball if the moment presents itself. Not restrict our players with fear that a loss of possession means the bench for weeks on end.
It means creating a norm that shooting outside or near the edge of the box is a way to create chances too. We have players who can shoot it like Szoboszlai, who gives off a goal scoring vibe, every time we play them and he gets close to the box, I think, do not let that guy shoot.
Arteta should be instilling confidence in our players to take chances, especially if he is always espousing the idea that everything is and of fine margins.
It is only a fine margin in his mind.
Finally, for many on here, that have watched AFC from 1 to 60, choking is a real possibility, and to throw out trauma this and ptsd that, is straight up weak sauce!
Either win something real by year 10, I jest, or get off the pot.
Still pissed at the result, could be they're knackered but Saturday is a concern now because we lose that and we're slap bang in a slump.
Hey maybe we'll be top of the XG league at the end of the season?
Are they giving out trophies for that?
Rory, that does NOT read like toxic positivity to me.
Sorry Pedro, I'm just not there yet, maybe a good 5-0 tomorrow and I'll have put the weekend down to being a one off.
I happened to watch the highlights of the Leeds v Everton game and there was the chance that DCL fluffed - a quick cross into the box and DCL flew onto it only to hit the post. When has Gyokeres ever got service like that?
But you're right in this Pedro, Arteta isn't going to change his turgid playing style now so we're either winning via own goal and corners or we're not. Our concerns are that it's not enough to get us across the line. The graph though is pointing in a bad direction. Draws, now a loss to of all f-ing teams bloody Manure.
I’d support a Merino / Eze combo as rotating false 9s as that worked against Bayern and Spurs, undoubtedly our two best performances of the season. Throw Kai into that mix and it becomes interesting.
I just think the whole system versus.. player debate is kind of silly. Clearly our system hinders creative attacking play and players. Not even a debate. However, it's a catch-22.. because also clearly the system is why we are top of all the leagues and in both Cups. We are ridiculously hard to beat. The question is whether the system can get us over the line.. ?
And also pretty clear to me.. anyhow... that question at best is a 50/50 proposition which as a fan given our recent history is not a good place to be. Trust me we do not want to be the Buffalo Bills of the Premier League (apologies for NFL reference) but it's what it is reminding me of.
I can lean into the positive part of that 50% this season.. but that task is increasing difficult to do when set pieces are the only thing I have any confidence in ... to score goals.
The team needs an attacking coach, they have no clue on how to attack but whom do we bring in another set piece coach. I didn’t watch the last game as I knew we would struggle to score goals. Odegaard who can’t hit a barn if he tries. Saka has been a different player since his new contract negotiations started and has not made a right decision on the field in the last few weeks. Trossard has been struggling to score in the last few weeks as well. Jesus specializes in derailing out title challenge every single season. I hope we figure out a way to win the title.
Didn't watch the last game is an outrageous comment.
I have to admit to looking away a few times on Sunday...
Oh wow. Get in the bin Jackson, entitled prick
agree with Neon “I didn’t watch the last game as I knew we would struggle to score goals. “ - that is not how real fans behave
You didn’t watch the game ? Are you really an Arsenal supporter ? Or an online fan ?? Wow - i’ve watched Arsenal for 50 years through thick and thin. I’d never miss a game unless I couldn’t get to the game or it wasn’t available on TV. Get a life and get behind your team !!!!
After half of a season in complaining about Gyokeres is equal to complaining about Arteta, because he is the one choosing the lineup and number 9. He is the one choosing how to treat Eze. He is the one who signed Jesus and didn’t buy another option in summer 24. He is the one who didn’t give Nwaneri minutes. He is the one keeping Norgaard on the bench and playing Rice and Zubimendi constantly. He is the one setting up the system for all our attackers.
And he is the one to fix the problem if Gyokeres isn’t clicking. We have a really big squad and many options to choose from. But I don’t think he knows how currently.
Relying on Havertz to come back from injury at some point and left back Calafiori to solve our attacking problems is not a trait of a generational coach.
Blaming Gyokeres is what Arteta personal PR would do to deflect from that issue.
Blaming Gyokeres is what Arteta personal PR would do to deflect from that Issue
No lies here
Is that Arteta? I don’t think so - Berta switched to Gyokeres for the simple reason that he was much cheaper. From what I heard, he was way down on Arteta’s wish list. In the end budget constraints in building the squad all round meant we had to cheapskate on a 9 and hope we got it right. We didn’t and so we have to go back to market to have another go. Jesus is not the answer - far too many off days and prone to injury. Kai might have been the answer but he is missing too and can’t be considered a long term bet right now either
Kai might have been the answer
Are you serious???
Why were even looking for a 9 in the first place if Harvertz was the answer,like the same Harvertz that we dreaded because he wasn't good last season and the season before
Okay maybe it's toxic optimism
Gyokeres this summer might not be on Arteta, but I didn’t mention it. I said that Arteta didn’t prioritize striker for a long time(having broken Jesus as a backup), that now he has a huge squad and really many options to choose from, including Merino or even Martinelli as a nine.
If he continues playing Gyokeres there, it’s on him now. When he wanted Eze benched or Ethan not in the squad, nobody stopped him.
Imagine who we could've afforded if we hadn't bought Noni (an Arteta buy if ever there was one) and just stuck with Ethan.
Pedro, I’m really curious to learn what else your dad is saying. :)
Pedro spends good part of the posts teaching readers how clubs analyze the bigger picture.
And today I read that everything is great because we are at top spot. Analysis based on a static position is really poor. I expected big clubs to see the dynamics
We are concerned about the current trend. We struggle to score for the last two months in a league. Most games are won by one goal, we feed off own goals and set pieces . And now bad results are starting to catch up, 2 points out of 9, with struggles to score at home.
Nobody was complaining in October because the dynamics was encouraging.
Agreed. We have been poor in Five games since the villa match and has got Caught up with us against pool, forest and utd. Our attacking play really needs to improve big time or we ain’t winning the PL