Will top 4 stop the rot?

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Well, the good news is no team in the top 6 really fancies the Champions League next season. United and Chelsea shared a point, leaving the run into Europe in the hands of someone else’s fuck up, but at least it’s not over for us.

Chelsea has to play Watford at home then Leicester away, apparently two VERY tough teams.

However, United has Cardiff and Huddersfield. 6 points even OGS shouldn’t struggle for.

We have to go away to Burnley and we have Brighton at home. Can you see us clocking in two wins? I’m struggling, but hey, crazier things have happened.

The reality is this: Emery always wanted to win the Europa League.

That’s his thing. He doesn’t seem to care much for the top 4 race. Maybe hard trophies mean more to him than faux ones. I honestly find it baffling, his best chance was winning at home to Palace… and by flunking that, he set the wheels in motion for a Premier League car crash.

What is totally amazing to me is that he came into Arsenal with a very aggressive PR push on his legendary video analysis. I’d like to know what’s going on in those sessions. We have played three different formations in three games. None has given us anything remotely interesting. We dominated possession against Wolves and played right into their counter-attacking hype. We gifted Leicester a whole games worth of space just in front of our box when they had Vardy’s pace to release, with Tielemans and Maddison free to pick us apart. He must have noticed that Palace are absolute beasts, so he opted for MG (19) and ME (not good) in the centre of midfield with Jenks and Mustafi in the same side.

We’ve lost 4 of the last 5 games… and we only beat Watford because Deeney took a card and Leno had a worldie.

The only game we’ve reserved any sauce for has been Napoli.

The trophy we’re most interested in is the Europa League where we’ll have to beat Chelsea in a coin toss of a match in Baku. I’m not sure whether I fancy us based on current form, I have to say. The only thing tipping it our way is Emery is a master of this cup and Sarri has never won a trophy. Chelsea have been getting better though, I don’t think it’ll be a cake walk.

This season is on a knife edge. It could go gloriously, and we could sneak into the Champions League and everyone will completely forget about the season we’ve just had. Or it could all go to shite and the narrative that will carry is that there was no way any other manager could have helped those players rise to the occasion.

I can’t have that, no one can say the team isn’t good enough for top 4 now. That is an unacceptable opinion. We are 4 points from 3rd with 2 games to go. We are 2 points from 4th. As I’ve maintained all season, we are more than good enough to make that position ours, and the reason we might not make it has a lot to do with poor judgment.

One clean sheet away from home in an entire season is an abomination. You are doing something wrong to carry a record like that. It’s also not the first time Emery has had an issue like this, he didn’t win a single game away from home in his final season at Sevilla.

I had people writing stories about my identity complaints back in October.

‘It’s too early, give him time’

We’re in April and the football is so drab. We have nice moments in spits and spurts, but there’s so little joy in the way we play, even when we have a good game.

We’re finishing the season in a bigger mess than we started. It is very difficult to explain that away. We should be watching a better brand of football. The defence should be much stronger. We should be pressing in a disciplined fashion. We should be fighting every minute of every game. His early season manifesto of ideas should be bearing fruit.

That’s not happening.

We’re scared. We give teams like Leicester so much respect that they savage us. We are not the protagonists. We’re not even being pragmatic. The Leicester game was just out and out fear. We couldn’t even park the bus. I will repeat this, I have never seen an Arsenal player point to the clock 1 minute before halftime to sooth his teammates… against Leicester! We are defending terribly, on for conceding 50+ goals. Everton, Leicester, Palace, Wolves and Newcastle have conceded less.

Factor in some of our baffling moves with rotation… like playing away at BATE and Rennes with very strong first teams and losing… and then opting for incredibly weak teams against Palace and Everton and losing. We even played Aaron Ramsey at Blackpool in the FA Cup away, and Vorskla, not great preservation for an injury prone player. None of these decisions sit particularly well with me.

The sad thing is I like Emery. I hear he’s incredibly focused on winning behind the scenes. He’s trying to be the fans manager. He’s trying to implement new ideas, flexible formations, and he wants to protect the players. He made us a force in some of the big games, but that underdog spirit he used to eek results out of those games seems to have crept into the mentality when we play midtable teams. Our away form has singled us out as weak and we’ve had no answer for it.

… but it’s all about Europa for the manager, and if he succeeds, we’ll forget the realities of what’s actually going on, but that won’t halt the march to mediocrity I’m afraid. The next level will not be found under this regime. Question is, how long will it take Raul to suss it out?

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China1

If it’s true that we’d just have to pay his salary to sack him in the summer then it would be a 6m sacking cost

6m I wouldn’t like to spend, but if he fails on getting CL football the cost of retaining him could indirectly end up being a lot higher

Tony

Is this an example of the summer TW we can look forward to: The Suarez fiasco? And….. we are supposed to have financial problems! So we waste £3.5million Raul the new Gazidis! “No starts, no goals and just 95 minutes on the pitch: Arsenal watch £3.2m dribble down the drain as Denis Suarez reveals he’s out for the rest of the season due to groin injury Denis Suarez has revealed he will not play for Arsenal again this season The Barcelona loanee has played 95 minutes of football since joining in January The £55,000-per-week midfielder failed to make a single… Read more »

Tony

Good post Pedro Hopes for the season end and summer: Top 4 or EL cup or both – No it’s not joke Friday and highly unlikely. City for the PL title – way more palatable than Liverpool Watford for the FA cup – because they deserve something except Deeney of course Ajax to win the CL Kroenke to sell our club New CEO with successful sports background TD/DoF brought in- in Overmars or Paul Michel or better mode £100million+ TW war chest SOLD! Mustafi Auba Mikhi Ozil Jenks Lich Elneny Kola Xhaka Maybe sold: Kos Monreal Welbeck No easy solution… Read more »

Leedsgunner

I’ve said from the very beginning that Emery should be judged for his results. If he wins the Europa League and manages to drag this squad into the Champions League fair enough… he should be given another season to see if he is able to mix it with the best. If he doesn’t achieve Champions League football let him go. However if Emery is to stay this summer is crucial for him. How he handles the transfer window will determine his success next season. I’ve said continuously that a transfer window has to be judged on both who we bring… Read more »

Leedsgunner

Denis Suarez was Emery’s own version of Fatty Kallstrom. That’s £2m down the drain then. At least we didn’t waste £18m more making it permanent.

Leedsgunner

*Perhaps

China1

Whenever you as a player get compared to Kim kallstrom in his arsenal days you know something has gone very very wrong

Champagne Charlie

Tony

Guess the prospect of Suarez getting eased in and “playing his part” as there’s “plenty of games left” is something that’s been and gone. Kallstrom II.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/04/29/arsenal-players-confused-unai-emerys-selection-tactics-season/

Well this is a great sign…

mysticleaves

No, Suarez is not KK II. Suarez was fit and passed his medicals when he came. Too bad he picked up the groin injury, unforseen.

Wenger signed KK fully aware that he had a broken back and won’t recover for the period he needed him as cover.

Both scenarios are nothing like the same.

mysticleaves

The other day someone suggested Rashford was better than Auba. Now some people are seriously saying that Leicester’s squad is better than ours. Some really laughable stuffs recently. It shouldn’t be hard to agree that Emery is doing his best and at the same time criticise him when he gets it wrong. Of course he can do better if he improves his sqaud and get the kind of players he wants. The PL is so strong these days. Top 6 (minus Liverpool and Man city) in 2/3 weeks have only seen 1 or 2 wins and all were against lower… Read more »

mysticleaves

Anybody asking for Emery to be dismissed this season needs a wake up call. The PL is not an easy competition these days. Managers need all the support they can get from their clubs. What has Emery received so far?

Under the same conditions, both external and internal, no manager would fare much better.

HighburyLegend

Let’s go Ajax!!

Ishola70

If Emery and the club refuse to address or can’t improve this team next season defensively and also show that they can’t improve on overall style of play because let’s be honest it’s been a little dire in that respect then he should be on his way at the end of next season. This talk of him being sacked this summer if he fails to win Europa League and doesn’t get into top four is silly talk. The team has obvious flaws and these flaws were evident under Wenger. That Emery has as yet not fully addressed these flaws shouldn’t… Read more »

ddkingz

Discussing about arsenal is the most boring thing I’ll ever indulge in, till the beginning of next 2 season..

just read, that no player has dribbled past VVD in his last 36 matches, which stretches back to last season,.in the month of march.. MONSTROUS

can arsenal just swap all their defenders + cash(£60) for VVD

ddkingz

let’s go spurs… it would really make me happy if the champions league came to england, it’s been a long time.

Champagne Charlie

“Wenger signed KK fully aware that he had a broken back and won’t recover for the period he needed him as cover.“ Except he did recover, played more minutes in the league than Suarez, and scored a penalty in the FA cup semi final win en route to us winning it. They’re both embarrassing loan deals. “Under the same conditions, both external and internal, no manager would fare much better.” Going to have to disagree here, Emery isn’t the pinnacle of managerial talent. We could’ve comfortably made top 4 this season given how the immediate rivals have utterly floundered. Bury… Read more »

HighburyLegend

@ddkingz : with your 2 last comments, you’ve just prove that you’re a dickhead of the highest order.

Tony

Charlie
The word that came to mind regarding our players state of mind was: concussed.

They are well past the confused status..

Steve Jones

Our gutless team of chokers haven’t earned their wages this week imo 9 pts dropped 9 goal conseeded. They should take last week wage from them and give it to to the Arsenal ladies.They unlike the so call men!!! Actually show bottle and play for the
Badge. In fact the men should go to a couple of the lady’s games to learn a thing or two.

Tony

Perhaps Emery, Mustafi, Xhaka and Kola should be prescribed Adderall for clarity and slowing Emery’s ADHA and for Mustafi, Xhaka and Kola’s narcolepsy as they switch off so many times.

Just saying lol

Emiratesstroller

Worrying article in today’s Daily Telegraph. 1. They point out that Seville went an entire League Season without winning an away game under Emery. There is a concern and frustration that he worries too much about the opposition when the team play away from Emirates. This was precisely what I have written in many posts. He focusses too much on our weaknesses and not our strengths. 2. Mislintat’s departure was a direct consequence of Suarez recruitment. He had no say in this decision. This recruitment was made by Emery and has cost Arsenal £3 million in loan fee and wages.… Read more »

Leftsidesanch

Emery sacked if we don’t get into the top 4? If the midtable squads are superior to ours then how can you demand CL footy of him with this squad?

Should he turn water into wine also?

Which one is it? We’ve seen marginal improvements that would have us around 6th. The teams around us are faltering and we’ve had opportunities to capitalise which we’re not doing. Emery and his side have been nothing short of embarrassing this last week, infact the last few weeks Napoli aside.

Leftsidesanch

Have a few days off DDKingz its not mandatory to say stupid things on here.

Samesong

DDKingz

Stay off the dope son!

Champagne Charlie

Emirates It wasn’t a flattering piece at all was it? You have to wonder how much, if any, is true you be word or generated by what sources (whether it’s players or club officials softening a potential exit). That first point you make about there being concerns at the amount we spend worrying about other sides and not developing our own game speaks to me. It’s evident in our play that we don’t have a pronounced style and it’s a constant tinker to suit who were playing. There’s merit to homework of the opposition, but it should all be with… Read more »

Al

Would love Doucoure at Arsenal. He is exactly the type of player we have been crying out for.

Already on of the best midfielders in the league, at the perfect age with massive resale value also as he is/has been on a massive upwards curve.

Feel like he could be another Kante moment for us (when it was so obvious who we should be getting and we mess about with the player moving elsewhere and proving to be a massive success)

Bob N16

I fully expect Emery to start next season as our manager, whether he manages to get past Xmas I’m not so sure. It’s worrying to hear that the players are confused by his tactics; either the players are dumb or Emery over complicates. I know it’s wishful but I would be fully behind a new appointment in the summer, a manager who has a clear vision who Kroenke can get behind with the confidence that any investment, would be money well spent. I fear that Raúl et al will be doubting Emery’s ability to succeed and that the investment in… Read more »

Guns of Brixton

“let’s go spurs… it would really make me happy if the champions league came to england, it’s been a long time.”

Errrrm … what?

DaniAltos

If people were as quick to notice Wenger’s tactical failings as much as they are at noticing Emery’s we would not be in this shit hole in the first place but that’s water under the bridge now.I am sorry to disappoint some guys but newsflash,Emery is still going to be here next season.Lastly,since my question still remains unanswered.If Emery is a europa league manager,why is here?..Answer, because we are a proper Europa league side and some people just haven’t come to terms with it

Un Na naai

Dani

Great logic there pal but did it ever occur to you that we don’t want to remain a Europa side and that we as fans aspire to more than kroneke does as an owner??
No it didn’t did??
Well we do, so take your Europa manager and send him back to Spain.

Un Na naai

Emery sacked if we don’t get into the top 4? If the midtable squads are superior to ours then how can you demand CL footy of him with this squad? Left side But they aren’t better are they? The table doesn’t lie remember? Or does it now? Or doesn’t it? You lot are tying yourselves in knots with your feeble attempts justify emery’s appointment. These mid table sides are not better than our team, we are just making them look it with poorly prepared plans. They are being prepared to deal with our one dimensional “attack” while we are not… Read more »

englandsbest

Will Stan offer an alternative to ‘sell whoever you can and bring in the young and vigorous’? Will Stan say to Emery. ‘here’s £200m, buy whoever you need’?

No chance.

I hope Emery gets rid of all the big-earners and replaces them with players earning £10 K/week, max transfer fee 5/10m, oldest 23/24 years.

If he pi**es around bringing in older players who are past it or only a couple of mid-quality players, we are destined to mid-table mediocrity for years to come.

He should keep Leno and Holding, Maitland-Niles, Nketiah.

Pierre

Stroller Personally , I think the Suarez loan deal highlights the manager’s lack of judgement. Whether he was injured or not is irrelevant, he was the wrong signing at the wrong time and I could well understand Mislintat’s frustration at the deal. It has made many posters on here look a little stupid by their defence of the deal . Emery’s judgement has been poor in many other aspects in his short period at the club. Ramsey’s contract Marginalizing Ozil and Ramsey from the team. Failing to address the defensive aspect of the team from day one. Suarez Loan deal.… Read more »

ddkingz

@HL…

I thought my first comment was more logic, than me been a dickhead..

our whole defence+ cash for VVD… I can’t count the number of times our defense has been dribbled past this season alone… and someone(VVD) hasn’t been dribbled past since last season.

mustafi alone have been dribbled past a minimum of 20times this season… and his not even a regular in the starting XI.

ddkingz

emery out, already for me.

all I can ask for as a departing gift is the Europa league trophy… which I value more than all Wenger’s achievement over 22yrs..

finally hopes for a European trophy

Guns of Brixton

“Or my dad asking me to hold the steering wheel on the M25 when I was six because he dropped a Wine Gum under the seat.”

I had to do this once. It was a bout of violent sneezes tho 😂😂😂

DaniAltos

It is hypocritical that some of the guys who were saying during the Wenger era that the next coach would have a huge rebuild job have now changed tune.Among the comments I saw regularly in Legrove include ‘the rebuild will be long and painful’…and ‘We will need max 3 transfer windows’..what changed?The 22 game streak?You mean the same one where we had bellerin and holding available?-Two of our starting defenders this season?Also,during this winning streak I remember posters here,week in week out,including Pedro himself saying we were only lucky and it would all come crumbling down…bringing xG stats or whatever…this… Read more »

DaniAltos

“DaniGreat logic there pal but did it ever occur to you that we don’t want to remain a Europa side and that we as fans aspire to more than kroneke does as an owner??
No it didn’t did??
Well we do, so take your Europa manager and send him back to Spain.”

The same fans who gave Wenger over 100 years to perform his circus?..Give me a break.I remember people here saying we are steadily becoming a europa league side only to be dismissed by the cult of you know who thinking Wenger would get top 4 forever.

Leftsidesanch

Unai,

If you read what I’m saying you’ll see that I’m saying these mid table sides aren’t better than us, and that we’ve messed up in the last few weeks.

These sides have superior options in some positions but to say as whole squads they are better than us is rubbish.

Samesong

TR7April 1, 2018 12:48:06 Not many will agree with me but I think Mustafi is worse than even Xhaka. A nothing player really. This comment was made over a year ago looking through some of the archives the same comments on player’s in games being woeful. The player’s are not good enough and Key injuries have done us this season. Auba Penalty miss is still not forgiven we would be on 68 points now. Even with those loses There will not be a 22 undeafeated next season trophy. I’m giving Emery a little more time. Because we will end up… Read more »

Champagne Charlie

NEW POST

Paulinho

Why are the teams around us faultering? Why are we faultering?Are they just faultering for no specific reason and we’re faltering just because Emery isn’t up to snuff?

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