I LOVE A NORTH LONDON DERBY WEEKEND.
The banter on the group chat is firing up. The nerves are starting to jangle. There is a LOT of pride on the line.
Spurs look like title contenders. Jose has made them nasty. They’re well organised, they have the special sauce in Kane and Son that keeps you in contention if you keep them fit, they look very strong.
Arsenal is a mess. Our form has been shocking. Big players have shrunk. Young players have struggled to make headway. Our rookie manager is overseeing a bonfire. Can he tame it? Can he do what the big managers do when the chips are down? Can he shift the narrative on the pitch like he has done off it this week?
As Janan said in the latest podcast, most other managers have a history you can point to, with Mikel, it’s faith-based. North London derbies are about faith. Form is rarely a factor. It’s a crazy moment in time when a concoction of wild elements are slammed together in a Büchner flask, and you hope the end product works to your hypothesis.
Mikel Arteta has a job on his hands. I tried to eke out some good news from Arsenal in the week and there wasn’t much to be had. There have been lots of problems to deal with. Stories leaking from the camp seems to suggest a 1997 style come to jesus meeting. Reporters are saying it was constructive and the path forward was clear.
Thursday night might have been against a nothing team, but for me, those are usually the games you worry about. The fact we landed a dominant performance can only be a positive. The players were aggressive, they were bold, they took chances. We need that vibe to flow into Sunday.
Can that carry through to Sunday? That’s the test. I think it’s amusing reading people demanding we play the same way against Spurs. This is why fans aren’t coaches. We’re going to The Lane to shithouse the master of shithousery and I am ok with that because it’s the only option we have. If City can’t blast Spurs away, we’re not going to. If Chelsea can’t score against them, we’re not going to hit them with a blitz. Setting up to lose to satisfy aesthetics junkies would be the rookiest of errors.
The good news is there’s a high probability we’ll see Thomas Partey. That’s huge for Arsenal. We have lacked a press resistant midfielder with his class. Put him next to Mo Elneny and we speed everything up to the level we need. There’s also a shout for AMN to start after his ripping performance against Rapid. Imagine that, 3 midfielders with legs? Game-changing stuff right there.
I don’t know how we’ll play, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Lacazette pick up that link-up role against a team he likes to produce again. I think we need an athletic midfield that can pick up the movement of Kane, Son and some of the creators. Højbjerg has been a key player for them this season, it’ll be interesting to see how we deal with him.
This 90 minutes is all about closing the widening gap at the top. It’s a moment for the squad to show there’s a way forward. It’s a game that big teams would eat up. Are we going to be a big team this season? There’s no better moment to find out.
Before you go, I need you to listen to our latest podcast. We welcome Janan Ganesh into the AO fold with our regular Alex. It’s an evergreen podcast. We talk about Arteta, leadership, football strategy, and fixing the creativity issue. It’s a good listen, so put it in your ears and give me a 5* rating on Apple. THANK YOU X
“He was desperate to become a big coach, he ran around with the idea and did everything to get himself noticed.”
After all that desperation and PR campaigns this is what he was going to offer? Endless cross and hope football.
Arsenal 15th on the table in mid season.
And come on people, being 15th is not even the big deal.The big deal is you look at all the 14 teams ahead of us and you know they are not ahead of us by fluke. They can beat us and most have actually beaten us. We then have Brighton behind us who could beat us too.
Imagine being 15th in a class of 20 when you are suppose to be a brilliant student.
@pete the gooner
But Pete our manager hadn’t vast levels of special sauce , don’t be too downhearted 😀
Sorry has not hadn’t
The major downside is going to be, when arteta does get sacked and a new manager comes into the fold, the likes of xhaka,kola, and ozil will be handed a clean slate and it will take another 2 transfer Windows for the then manager to decide to sell this dross only for him to be sacked by their poor performance again. And the cYcle continues….
Gentlebris
“I know there is scanty % Ozil love here, but man! This guy has a record of laughing them out of Arsenal!”
You could say that about quite a few of them Xhaka for example.
And both of them wouldn’t get into a top EPL team neither Ozil nor Xhaka.
Xhaka is a Europa League level player and he is laughing all the managers out of the door as well
Not worth tuppence either of them.
Ok we know Covid has had an impact all over the place but on 6/12/2019 Arsenal filed their 2018/19 accounts. It will be important when the 2019/20 accounts are filed, which they in all probability will be in the next week or so, to remember those accounts won’t record any activity post 31/5/2020 . Going into the 19/20 year matters financial we’re looking grim and the continued missing out on CL monies , the loss of match day income along with inevitable financial penalties kicking in with the sponsorship deals lead to me expecting a very grim read. What we… Read more »
Arsenal attempted 35 crosses against Wolves. After the game, Arteta: ” I’m telling you if we do that more consistently, we’re going to score more goals.” Against the Spuds, we had close to 50 crosses. I am afraid that is his offensive game plan from now on.
Xhaka would have played well against Rapid Vienna reserves side as well.
Then we would have got some posters telling us he had turned a corner.
Xhaka is actually crying when each manager leaves because the odds increase that a new manager might not actually play him. He’s on an unbelievable run of 4 managers that have rated him.
‘We knew Mikel was a rookie manager, but now we know he’s a third class human being as well.’
Lmfaoooooo , so accurate
bacaryisgod
“an EFL QF vs Man City and an F.A Cup 3rd round vs Newcastle.”
And how much significance are you going to take in these matches?
Unless we drop into the relegation zone, the board is definitely sticking by Arteta until the end of the season at a minimum.
That means Ozil and Kola will definitely leave at the expiration of their deals. Xhaka is a different story, of course as his deal extends to summer of 2023. I do think that someone will pay something for him but his 100k plus salary might be an issue.I actually don’t mind him being used for Europa League and domestic Cup games as long as he’s kept away from our Premier League matches.
I won’t but they fall in between the Premier League matches I listed.
Where are the diet Pep fanboys?
Yeah, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is
I said, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is
I said, time, time, time is on my side
As said before it’s not a case of either or here.
Yes we have a current manager that looks not to be up to the task but we also have enough cuntish players as well to go along with it.
I get irked when I hear the players are going to revolt again. Too many of them are pretenders.
I’m telling you, the last 2 games and the next few are made for Ozil.
High possession against deep lying defences needs a player who will continually feed the ball into feet of the strikers to pose questions for the defence instead of aimlessly crossing the ball to strikers who won’t head the ball..
These games require patience , 55 or more crosses reeks of desperation. ..
I once worked for a company taken over by a private equity firm. The PE firm came in with this hypothesis that the company is underperforming because of shit senior management. They replaced every management guy with a new one. The company went out of business in 10 months. Learning: If you replace shit with shit, you only get shit Wenger is shit, Emery is SHit and Arteta is shit Ozil is shit, willian is shit. Giroud was shit and Auba is shit Arteta (player) is shit and Xhaka is shit Guendouzi is shit and so is willock. There is… Read more »
I hope that Edu really grows a pair and start having strong words with Arteta. Between the concussion gate and now the push gate, Arteta has shown to the world that he is more concerned about the results and his own reputation than the well-being of his players.
If the discussion results in Arteta getting prissy, then sack him. If he can’t admit that he was wrong on both count and if he can’t see why we can’t score, then he is not going to change nor fix the underlying issues.
Agree Ishola.
If I saw the news that Arsenal had agreed to sell a player in January there’s only 5 names I would be disappointed to hear that about. Our of a 30 player squad, that’s shocking.
Gentlebris, Spot on with the following. I would like to go ahead and add that if the first experience turns bad then just become a commentator or pundit just like gary neville did. The fools in the arsenal board also deserve blame for appointing a rookie manager immediately after a failure from Unai. “But had he had the vision like Steven G or perhaps fat Frank, he would have known that he needed to start out his ideas in a less intense atmosphere where he could make his mistakes without too much sticks landing on his back. Had he had… Read more »
If Brighton win their game in hand we are in 16th place. In 55+ years supporting the club I would have to wrack my brains to think of another time when Arsenal were in such a position (75/76 rings a bell – 17th I think). You can bet your life all the agents will be ringing round now (even Xakah’s!!!!!) to try and find alternatives to this sinking hulk of a ship. Trust me, none of them will show any loyalty to the club (perhaps except those on retirement plans who would not get a gig anywhere else – they… Read more »
The new motto of arsenal football club should be, at least he tried cause that’s the excuse we have to give for our players, everyone was dross (except partey).
Valentin
Concussion Gate and push gate? Lmao, can we just start adding words to gate now?
Another thing – all my friends who support other clubs have stopped taking the piss! A bad sign! Worrying times ahead indeed!
The good news is…we’re going to be giving a combined £24,000,000 a season for Willian and Auba. Or £72,000,000 over three years.
There is not a single thing right at the club and perhaps it would be better for us to be relegated and go bust.
Fuck Arsenal.
Partey gate?
I don’t think that Steve G or Fat Franck would have made the same mistakes than Arteta has been. Their willingness to start at a lower echelon of the game just show more self awareness of their limitations. That self awareness and better judgement is the reason why they are able and willing to modify their tactics, personnel selection and behaviour when things don’t go their way. More than bad tactics, what is sinking Arteta is his strict disciplinarian regime and refusal to countenance that maybe his way is not working. Self belief turns into stubbornness. added with a complete… Read more »
Guns
Add on the signing on fees and agent fees and that’s 100m easy. Maybe more.
All that money for a mid table club.
Btw, I wonder how the new contract negotiations are going with Balogun? I have no idea if he’ll turn out to be a great striker but what motivation does he have to extend his stay with us right now? He doesn’t even know who’ll be his manager next season.
Sid – you are repeating your song extracts – yesterdays debacle with Partey should now lead to ‘Look at the Fool’ – Tim Buckley.
Danny
I know people don’t think we could go down but if our players stop playing (it appears they have)…we will obviously start losing all our games. Those players will either sit on their contracts (why not) or leave.
Personally I don’t care. Arsenal are like any business that believes it’s above itself. Our delusions have got us here.
Guns
At this point, if it meant the kronks got fed up and sold us, maybe relegation would be a blessing. Factory reset.
Someone like dangote then picks us up and off we go.
Ah look supernob is back.
Repetitive with the same old brainless insults again.
Change the record you melt.
Arsenal are in a mess, but it is simplistic to blame the Manager and certain individual players as far too many who post on here are habitually doing. Our problems and decline have been ongoing now for more than a decade and to pin the blame every time we lose a match on Arteta is ridiculous. The current situation is a collective of owners who sit in their ivory tower in US. A board of directors who were until now not involved in decision making and past their sell by date. Senior Management who were exceedingly poor, a coaching and… Read more »
Of course the result was dismal and seeing Arsenal of all teams struggling to create chances is a new low. But lets not forget the same Spuds side beat City 2-0 last week with the exact same game plan. All of their players are in excellent form and playing with a lot of confidence. Even Dier is putting in good performances. On the other hand our best player is in his worst form in 5 years. Partey played with an injury and we all know we cant create to save our lives. Of course this doesn’t and shouldn’t hide the… Read more »
To supreme leader courtesy of @NORG
Look at the fool that love made me
Look at the fool that love made me
Look at the fool that love made me
Why is there all this negativity? Are we forgetting that Fulham, West Brom and Sheffield United all lost this weekend as well
Emiratesstroller
You’re like s broken record, .
It’s fans like you who are responsible for Arsenal being so shit.
Superrob Why don’t you go easy on calling everyone cunts. Everyone has an opinion. Why do you think you’re entitled to call people cunts if their opinion doesn’t match yours. Whether you believe it or not, everyone on this board is an Arsenal fan. You might think other people aren’t because they don’t follow the club in the same way that you do but that doesn’t make them any less of a fan. You struggle to understand why people are kicking off and moaning so much, but other people find it just as difficult to understand your perspective on it.… Read more »
ES
“The only way out of this mess is to find an owner who will devote time and effort in similar fashion to those who run Liverpool”
Or like the Spurs owner?
Sid
Of course we could go back to the Stones – Arteta singing from the touch line
‘I cant get no – Satisfaction
Captain Tierney
“The same time should be given to Arteta because after all our project is ARTETA himself.”
That sounds creepy.
And is also probably wrong as well. Wrong thing to do.
Project Arteta.
Jesus be.
We are heading for the shitter for sure.
There is no way you put a rookie manager before Arsenal FC itself.
Or imply that Arteta is Arsenal FC.
It was bad enough when people were kept saying Arsene Wenger was Arsenal FC let alone a rookie manager.
Trust the process ….
More like, what is the process?
Rob I disagree with a lot of peoples opinions and comments on here, but I don’t doubt that they are an Arsenal fan. Nobody is that sad to spend hours on a blog ranting and raving and arguing with people if they aren’t a fan. Not everyone follows the club in the same way but the one thing everyone has in common is that we want arsenal to succeed. Of course people have their agendas and a lot of people want rid of Arteta now, but if by some miracle he got on in to top 4 this season, I… Read more »
SuperRob I mentioned relegation as possibly the only way we can get rid of the kronks and start fresh. I don’t really think we will be relegated as before that happens they will sack Arteta and bring in someone to keep us up. The situation at the club is dire. We controlled the game yesterday because we were allowed to. We put 50 crosses in, mourinho could see we were never going to score against them with crosses. He knew there was no plan b also. We won’t get a positive run of results with our current manager unless radical… Read more »
We do not have a player in the squad that can take a defence on (no, Özil isn’t that player). We have players that can put in a cross but nobody outside of Laca that can get a head to it anyway. We are now suffering from a lack of confidence both as as a team and with individual players but next game that could, hopefully change. The confidence thing is in Arteta’s hands, he has to find a way of firing up the players Although in here the large majority of posters are Arteta out, that is not the… Read more »
if AMN was Spanish he’d be starting…
I was not expecting any points against Spurs before the game so honestly the fact that we lost to them doesn’t bother me much. On the contrary I think we played much better in comparison to our recent performances against the likes of Villa, Leicester, Wolves etc. Sure Mourinho allowed us to have more of the ball as part of his ‘tactics’ but still we played with more purpose. The two goals conceded by us were scored by easily two of the best 5 players in the league and overall Spurs had just 3 shots on target. I have always… Read more »
It’s so good to watch a proper game of football not he turd that Arteta is serving up