Crisis usually brings you closer to the truth in football. When shit hits the fan, people on the inside leak out the dirty secrets. Players bitch to agents. Coaches whine to journalists. Directors call up Arabic ITKs to brief against their staff.
Arsenal right now is in a crisis worthy of leaks.
Everyone is second-guessing the process, the recruitment, the moves we took to rocket launch back to the top. It’s all on the table right now because we have a brand new team of fairly junior players trying to rebirth Arsenal.
The leadership at Arsenal has been fumbling for the last 4 years to get a footing on a club in freefall. The Kroenke’s rested on their laurels and didn’t recognize that Wenger was past it and that investing in a busted coach would eventually lead to a very steep decline. We’re still at the mercy of some of his decisions, the remnants of his signings still haunting the setup. Arsenal has tried a host of ways to reimagine the post-Wenger Arsenal and they’ve all failed. The latest iteration showed early signs of promise, but the half-baked approach to summer, because of financial constraints, has left the club in shite football purgatory.
We’re trying to cycle out the deadwood, bed in new first-team talent, blood youth, reinvent scouting, cull the wage bill, survive the pandemic, and work towards an exciting brand of The Arsenal Way football.
It was always going to be tough this season. There’s no stability anywhere. Even our BoD has swirled.
Stories are now swirling around relationship strains.
I told you way back when that rumblings would start to happen around Edu. Those started yesterday when Kike Marin said the two of them are not getting along. He indicated that the stronger candidate normally survives those battles, alluding to that being Edu… I think he’s way off base here.
Now, I don’t know that the two of them have had a falling out. I do know that there have been question marks over Edu since he arrived. Let’s be honest, he was a curveball hire when he took the job after Monchi said ‘no thanks.’ His actions since he’s arrived don’t speak to a man of independence. He was on the books of Kia and he happily ate the slop he was fed at great expense to Arsenal. He was the right-hand man of Raul and happily gave the technical credibility to some of the worst transfers of the last 5 years.
Two contracts for Luiz. A 4 year deal for Soares. Pablo Mari. Willian on a 3-year deal at 32. All of the super-agent variety. That can of course be partly countered by bringing in both Gabriel’s and Thomas Partey. But overall, the picture looks grim. Made even grimmer when Vinnai sat him in a garden and made him tell the world he was happy about being demoted to the same level as a rookie manager with less than a year under his belt.
Hardly a lot of leverage going on there if you’re talking performance.
Then factor in Arteta going to town on DAZN. He basically went public to assure the fans he’s not a football terrorist, he’s just working with a busted squad. His latest PR tactical masterclass was to tell the media he wants an attacking 4-3-3, but he’s SIX players away from that. Holy mother of Jesus… what a thing to drop a few days out from a North London Derby. Peak Mourinho, except when Jose eviscerates his players, he’s usually got a billion-dollar squad to keep him going until the cash flows.
Now, the flip side of that sort of carry-on could be that he knows KSE is going to invest in January, so he’s keeping us tuned into his thinking, namely 1) he knows the squad is shit 2) they are fixing things. Either way, it seems a huge risk to take with a mentally weak squad of players known for downing tools.
He’s not wrong though. Think about the things he can’t say publicly.
He has 6 or 7 players in the squad, that are senior, that are not being offered new deals, that will be gone next summer. How fast was creepy Keith from accounts processing your expenses when he handed in his notice? Imagine his slowball mentality in elite level sport. The players going are BIG personalities as well. Have you ever been at a company with directors that are toxic? They can bring you down man. Players that know they are shit and know that their next deals will be half what they earn now. Ouch.
Arteta had a shite midfield when he picked up the squad last season, but he got a turn out of them. This season, it became pretty apparent, pretty fast that Xhaka was taking a backseat in the new world. He knows there’s no future, now he’s bumming around in the midfield like he was in the bad days. You think that’s a coincidence? He’s not the main man. He’s not interested again.
Arteta also made two huge bets last summer. He invested £500k a week in Willian and Auba. Both have been utterly shite. Conte and half the Chelsea fans could have told you Willian was a waste of money. A fair few of us wondered about re-signing Auba. But that’s what Arteta and Edu thought was right and so far it looks, so, so wrong. The on-paper logic was there, but Arsenal history was NEVER favouring those deals working out.
I was once told that if you really, really pursue an objective, like, live and breathe it – when you finally achieve it – the win can really impact you negatively. You can go into a deep depression. I don’t know what the psychological term for it is, but you are basically mourning the loss of an objective like you’d mourn the loss of a pet dog. There are a LOT of players that play well for the deal, sign it, then go off into a funk. Auba looks like he’s there. He looks shot. Lost. Without purpose. It’s sad, but maybe that’s it? Bale. Adebayor. Theo (lololol).
Whatever is happening, it’s all going wrong for Arteta at precisely the wrong time. He’s never dealt with pressure like this and he has to find a way out. I’m not sure shitting on his squad / the way the club has done business was the correct approach. Excuses are not cool.
… but at least he’s confident that something will happen in January. I just hope it’s not Christian Eriksen. That’s not how you get back to the top. Signing the blonde-haired version of Ozil would be criminal. Edu should not be allowed to keep investing in past-it players that other clubs don’t want. If there was true leadership at Arsenal, someone would just say, ‘guys, no fucking way. Mikel, here are some elite young players, go do some generational coaching.’
Shooting for Champions League football with bum signings in Jan is sooooooo 2017. If we’re spending, we should be spending on players that have a future. Players that will hit peak in 3 years time. Then we’ll be left with a squad that can compete for years, not 1 year, then everyone leaves and we go back into the same cycle.
Arteta and Edu need to get back to basics. Elite young talent. Tell the fans we’re clearing out the shit players and we’re starting again. Don’t tempt us with top 4 dreams then inform us in November you thought HALF the starting 11 wasn’t up to it.
The ride just got a little bit rougher people. The honesty should have come in the summer. All this moment shows is there’s no one at the club truly leading. The glow of the FA Cup final win should not have allowed so many players back into the mixer. We should have binned the deadwood at the peak of their powers, not indulged one last job for the boys. We rode into this season on emotion, not data and facts. That’s not good enough. That is the type of nonsense fans engage in, not handsomely paid execs.
What. A. Mess.
The banter years were never gone, they just waited in the wings, as always.
How very fucking Arsenal.
See you in the comments.
Arteta has now confirmed that David Luiz was still monitored two days after the collision, yet it was perfectly OK to continue heading the ball 5 minutes after the collision. WTF? Yes, the doctor should have ordered David Luiz off the field, but still Arteta should have realised that keeping him was the wrong decision. It is shocking that the player has to make the decision that he was not fit continue. Arteta is now using the concussion replacement suggestion to justify why he did not use one of the 3 substitutions for medical reason. Only weak leaders blame their… Read more »
Mistakenly added Gelson Martins who bought from a French club (Monaco) and not sold. Whoops.
I see Partey is out until next year. The thing is , I’m sure saw the injury occur when he was in on goal against Martinez and he over stretched in trying to flick the ball past the keeper . I made the comment at the time that Partey had injured himself as i saw him holding the area around the top of his leg . He played on for another 35 minutes . The questions that should be asked is 1) should Partey have gone down and been assessed by the medical staff. 2) should a memener of the… Read more »
Raptora, Rather than blaming on French clubs, you should ask yourself why most of the expensive French flops ending up in UK. Dortmund, RB Leipzig, RB Salzbug, Bayern, Real Madrid, Juventus seems to have been able to pick up good French players at reasonable prices. Buying a player is not an exact science, but but there are clues to determine whether it is doomed to fail. Buy an expensive player already 25 so technically not a prospect anymore with one solitary good season in Ligue 1. Add a reputation as being difficult, a party animal, surrounded by greedy family and… Read more »
“I see Partey is out until next year.”
Is this official?
Pierre
Or you could just ask “Has Arteta fucked something else up”.
Of course the answer is yes even if someone isn’t sure what you were referring to.
If you compare this seasons results to the equivalent fixtures last season (relegated side position replaced with promoted sides position):
19/20 W2 D6 L2 Pts 12
20/21 W4 D1 L5 Pts 13
+1 point better off. How is that possible when we’ve been so eye gougingly poor?
19/20 20/21
Ful (A) 1 (Nor) 3
WHU (H) 3 3
Liv (A) 0 0
ShU (H) 1 3
MnC (A) 0 0
Lei (H) 1 0
MnU (A) 1 3
AV (H) 3 0
Lee (A) 1 (Bou) 1
Wol (H) 1 0
Pierre
This was in the Mirror today!
“Mikel Arteta has made a U-turn over whether Thomas Partey can play in the north London derby, saying the Arsenal star is now in contention.”
Does anyone know what is going on at the club these days?
Just seen Arteta’s latest presser in the buildup to today’s match. There’s no way that man is getting fired anytime soon. He talks a bloody good game 😂😂😂
Jaroda
Because those managers were spread between 3 managers – one who was on the way to getting sacked for poor performace, one who was a caretaker for a handful of matches and one who was operating on a new manager bounce.
In case you are wondering Arteta was in charge for 5 of those 10 matches. with Emery 4 and FJ 1.
RR
No chance man his underwear does not say Calvin Klein….. In sauce we trust is what I heard but don’t quote me on that. Didn’t think we could up the banter level post Wenger, I was wrong.
Because those matches!
Radio Raheem
“He talks a bloody good game”
It’s all contradictory though because his other utterances have been basically you must allow me to fail this season.
He’s put forward all the reasons why he should be allowed to fail this season.
Every manager talks a good game tbh.
And we have seen managers talk a good game right up to their execution right to the bitter end.
I still don’t believe Arteta is a Fraud. Pep wasn’t an idiot to take him on onboard his team. Players like Raheem Sterling spoke highly of him too. He sure knows to train people in the attacking sense. He isn’t emotionally mature and that’s showing up now.
Ishola
I’m not sure about Emery’s slant on talking a good game. Good ebening got a few chuckles but nah
Every manager? Nye Emery didn’t talk a good game! At least not in English.
To be fair to him, it’s a respectable achievement to not speak a certain language, but be holding semi-comprehensible press conferences a few months later.
Dissenter If Luiz hadn’t sustained a deep cut that was continually opened when heading the ball he’d have played the 90 minutes. It’s speculative nonsense to assign blame to any of the actors involved, or claim whether a minor brain injury was sustained. You can speculate all you like, just don’t replace the facts with that speculation because you’re intent on feeding into a bias. Like I’ve said about 5 times, Luiz had the influential voice when delivering an account on pain or interference with his play. At 34 years old I’m sure his input as a seasoned athlete is… Read more »
Weagle/Sal
Marseille boss André Villas-Boas: “We are lacking a #9, we made a mistake because Luis (Henrique) is not a player who is going to play in this position. We made an error. We will maybe do something in January to fix that.”
Lacazette, Aouar swap. Bring him home Andre.
I’m an idiot, fresh off reading about Aouar I read that Villas Boas quote and forget the *very minor* fact he’s manager of Marseille and not Lyon.
Still, if he can somehow help Lyon take Laca home I’d appreciate that Andre 😂
You know the overall point though.
The vast majority of managers talk a good game. They have no other option.
What doesn’t happen a lot though is that a manager will openly state to the media that his team overall is not good enough for expectations.
Sal Haha yes ‘in sauce we trust’ indeed Saucing it up on the mike counts as well no? He has clearly read Gazidis’ snake oil salesman manual of communication (or maybe he wrote it). Haha Funny enough my love for the Arsenal isn’t diminished one bit just love for different reasons. Arsenal gives good drama. Can we lose 6 league games in a row?? Only in an an Arsenal match will you hear a skull fracture. Sickening sound but true story. Pay a man 250 bags a week only for him to stop doing what earned him 250 bags a… Read more »
I haven’t seen this latest presser from him.
In what sense is he talking a good game? Against Rapid Vienna? That’s like beating up your 12 yo cousin. Or was he talking a good game generally?
If it was generally then he has done a u-turn in quick time. since telling us his team is not good enough.
Ishola
There you go
https://youtu.be/YlHr4vC9iKY
🤫😂😭
Marc, yes that is interesting. So we were bad for large parts of last season. So, are we bad and getting worse or bad and getting better though? In the 18 games before Arteta was appointed in 19/20 we accumulated 23 pts at 1.27 pts/game. We’ve got bang on the same return of 13 pts from 10 so far and with a large portion of the harder away games already played. It would be surprising if our form wasn’t better from here on in and pretty terminal to Arteta if it’s not the case.
lol farts don’t contradict like Arteta does.
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1057344180?-19387:844
Could be the usual bullshit though
Jaroda
We are getting worse Emery started OK (not great but OK) last season and had picked up 15 points after 8 matches he then went on a run of 3 points from 5 before being fired.
Arteta is on a similar trajectory with a better squad and needs 5 points from Spud’s A, Burnley H, Southampton H, Everton A and Chelsea H to match what Emery was sacked for.
In fairness to the beach bum
.. he has sorted out the defence … Mind with 15 defenders that couldn’t have been that hard…
Get in allegeri
Arteta is a defensive coach. the fact is that he is clueless about getting the team scoring.
I know our team is shit, but for him to also say we are lacking 5/6 players is no way to build this team up.
Again, man management is lacking big time
Marc,
Difficult to compare because under Arteta our back to the wall approach tend to favour us against bigger teams. It is against minnows that we have been an utter shamble.
So in effect we may pickup more points against top team than before but dropping more points against lesser teams.
Arteta learnt well under Wenger as a player at Arsenal.
He learnt and took on that excuse culture that pervaded under Wenger at that time.
It’s coming to fruition now with Arteta as Arsenal manager.
Valentin
Always difficult to compare but I think the basic points tally plus the fact that we’re lowest scorers outside the bottom 3 after more than a quarter of the season says enough.
Ishola
I do not even think that Wenger would call our any of his players publicly let alone say we are lacking 5/6 players with the way he wants to play.
Incredible
Let’s be honest our defence has been shit and only sloppy finishing has kept the scoreline line.
Liverpool last season carved us open at will and dominated the game at the Emirates
The fluke 2-+ win was a gifted to us by Liverpool.
Let’s be honest our defence has been shit and only sloppy finishing has kept the scoreline low.
Liverpool last season carved us open at will and dominated the game at the Emirates
The fluke 2-+ win was gifted to us by Liverpool.
San Fran
***Again, man management is lacking big time***
Have been reading up on AVB.
(Thats who Arteta reminds me of most.)
The similarities are striking.
Very slick operator in front of the cameras and dim MSM.
Talks a great game.
He was a ‘Project’ and ‘Process’ merchant too.
He lasted 1 year at Chelsea.
And lasted 1 year at Spurs
Eventually they all get found out.
Has Pedro got out of the bar yet drowning his sorrows!
“Eventually they all get found out.”
It’s the eventually part that’s bothering me
South Africsn Gooner
Is that the same AVB who went the entire season undefeated with Porto.
Dave
Mate it’s worse than that he’s been doing the same song on karaoke for the last 16 straight hours. Apparently he’s not doing it justice either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQrgeeS_qbo
Former coach on Gabriel:
“He’s the type of player who cries if the team loses. This kind of feeling is very important and we are seeing it even less in football these days.”
This.
Half of our team used to be made of players of this ilk. Henry, Vieira, Pires, Sol, Adams, Keown and more. Now we have a cool captain whom everybody likes, but is happy even if we lose. And let’s not even mention the previous captain…
Vieira wanted to leave Arsenal and was made Captain by appeaser Wenger, the same with Henry, Fabregas and Van Persie.
For all the slagging of the Mari deal looks like we get to actually see him put a shift in this evening.
Marc
The best version of Crying was in Fools and.Horses with Rachel and Dell Boys mate
Always makes me die of laughter.
Poor Pedro
Arsenal: Runarsson, Cedric, Mustafi, Mari, Kolasinac, Maitland-Niles, Nelson, Elneny, Pepe, Nketiah, Lacazette
Subs: Leno, Macey, Tierney, Saka, Ceballos, Willian, Holding, Chambers, Willock, Smith Rowe, Balogun, Azeez
Spuds just gives up a goal!!!
Dave
Tony the signing dustman!
Shame he doesn’t write a blog.
The best version of Crying was sung by our Canadian, K. Lang.
Nelson
Have you ever seen the version by Tony the Signing Dustman?
Marc
No. IDK who he is.
@SuperRob: Defensive approach means allow us to have the ball and then counter in order to grab a goal or two. The kind of thing we do to ‘bigger’ teams … its their best chance to get a win, IMO. However, it does depend on what team we put out .. too many kids, and they may be able to go for a more aggressive approach: win the ball in our third for example, rather than dropping off. If I was Arteta, and NLD aside, given his comments about how much time he does not have in training/practising … he… Read more »
Thanks Marc forgot his name.
Is he a millionaire?
Classic stuff , shame the woke dicks won’t let real humour happen.
Hertha Sporting Director Arne Friedrich on Guendouzi: “He’s a fantastic player. He wants every single ball, even under pressure. He has this intrinsic motivation to just show the world how good he is. We are very, very happy to have him here & he’s worth every penny”
The list of Arteta cockups just grows and grows.
“We are 5-6 players short”
Bravo Mikel.
Great motivational talk.
Nelson
Sorry mate then you just haven’t lived.
TR7
Why are you promoting such idiotic talk – everyone knows the best way to motivate a player is to undermine them.
Marc my wife has just got it on YouTube
Arteta team talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuUopTPgjOI
Awesome, Nketiah is playing. Watch it without the fake crowd news and count how many times you hear ‘Eddie, Eddie!’
Cwying on YouTube it comes up first
Dave
I can’t listen to the original without pissing myself laughing. No matter how many times you see episodes and can lip sync the jokes it’s still funny.
Everyone be honest right now would you swap Arteta for the ex Spud manage Ted Lasso?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KeG_i8CWE8
Deadwood FC out there tonight.
Why not play all the fucking promising youngsters?
The 2 players that would fit perfectly with Partey ..
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1057387694?-19387:844
Pablo Mari back in the XI after one half of U23 football. But Saliba can’t get a look in. Arteta prioritising the guy he signed off on. He’s so full of shit.
Song made a dash and scored. Spores 2-1 up. LADK paid for playing up. Goalkeeper was near half-line
If balogun doesn’t start it will show how poor areta judgment with young players is.
What’s the point of that line up? We know what the likes of Mustafi can, and can’t, do.
Left
Not only do we know what he can and can’t do we actually know what he’s going to do which is leave on a free in 7 months.
Judging by that line up I’d say Xhaka is playing Sunday.
Zorya Who still holding Leicester at 0-0
Particularly LASK players are positioned very organized.. Difficult for Spurs to go past at all levels
If Smith Rowe, Balogun and Azeez can’t get a game in this dead rubber when will they?
Why the F are Maitland-Niles, Nelson, Elneny, Laca, starting?? No ESR, Balogun, Azeez!? FFS WE HAVE ALREADY QUALIFIED
Haven’t we qualified from the group? If so we should be playing our ladies, thus, Mari deserves a start.
I sneeze Azeez, in this weather why not?!
Very interesting lineup by SENOR Mikel ..: Curious where Maitland Niles will line up
Welp – at least Son played 80 minutes away in Austria today
Lacazette playing the NO.10 role, pity we haven’t a player who can naturally play that role ..
LASK EQUALIZE
I would imagine it will be 4-2-3-1 with AMN in midfield.
Arteta is simply shit scared using young players.
Would he have played Anelka years ago ?
No way he can’t see a talented player if it stares him in the face.
He hasn’t a clue
welp that was short lived. penalty to spurs
Esr should be played ffs
Looking forward to this game , normally find the EL cup a bit meh but this season they the only games I think we going to win and not going to be fucking pissed off until the next game
LASK EQUALIZE AGAIN 90+2
I think Arteta decided against using the kids because he wants to build the very fragile confidence of the squad. A loss tonight wouldn’t do him any favors, clearly he is feeling the heat!
2 pens and Spurs still can’t win. Funny
Sup Ladies? Lask… Spuds match was entertaining. Bit of a troll fest in Le Grove lately… rehashing the same shit that has been rehashed on here for 10+ years. No thanks.. But that’s the state of us right now… the more things change the more they stay the same. Still looking for a better manager, better players, and more importantly a better owner. Turns out there is no magic bullet .. it’s gonna take a complete overhaul at all levels and turnover of most of the senior players most likely and in a timely manner. 5 year projects.. don’t really… Read more »
Playing at home in blue, such bullshit.
Chambers on the bench? Hopefully he can gain enough fitness to be sold in Jan.
Good to see some fans.. again.
Why hav’nt we got our true colours on?
Arteta has no class he doesn’t wear club gear
Sack him
Marc Faber @ 14:49:42
I like that post. Yes we do have some players who are not up to par in the team (namely Xhaka, Mustafi, Kola), some underperforming players in Laca, and Holding but the staff at the club is also underperforming.
This really is not helping get our club back on track.
There is a lot of work to be done on and off the field.
Come on The Arsenal!!!
On another note: good to see the Gooners back in the ground. Finally some real atmosphere and none of these crappy recordings!!
AMN in midfield, I never thought I’d see it again
Yeah not a fan of the Blue, to be honest in any shade.
He’s not wearing our colors.. again.