ARTETA POLITICKING WILL BE HIS UNDOING

by .

The day after the game, I’m still seething.

Mostly, because it’s disappointing to watch Mikel Arteta shooting himself in the foot with his decisions.

Yesterday, was another prime example.

The narrative of the loss would have been ‘unfair result, bad reffing (again), unforced errors we can rectify, and a final pass away from being something really interesting.’

Instead, everyone is once again talking about how bad the decisions were this summer, and how much worse it is that Arteta can’t shake the truth about Willian >> he’s awful and should be annexed like Ozil unless his form picks up drastically.

He called it correctly after the game, top teams don’t make the mistakes Arsenal do. Teams at the top don’t breeze past 5 red cards. They don’t give away goals in the first minute as often as we do. I can take that little insight… what I think we all struggle with is a manager that has such clarity of vision for what’s not there, yet has had such an incredible blind spot for the things that are causing those problems.

David Luiz is a good defender, but he always has those mistakes in his locker, that’s why he’s not with Chelsea. We gave him a new deal and we give him lots of minutes despite his history with us being very, very, spotty.

Willian has contributed absolutely nothing to Arsenal this season. When you are chasing a game like yesterday, with the wind fully in your sales, against a team of athletes, what is the logic behind bringing on a player that has no pace, little ability to move around players, with the body language of someone that’s been asked to join a pub team as a ringer when they’re walking the dog over Hackney Marshes.

Why didn’t we bring Martinelli on? What top manager in world football would look at that bench yesterday and think the cherry on the comeback cake was Willian?

We’ve lost more games than we’ve won this season. No doubt it’s a weird season. Many problems have been had. But these self-inflicted should have been left as 2020 problems we solved. They are ego-driven decisions. He is absolutely desperate for Willian to come on and score a screamer so the move can be justified… I get it… managers don’t want to look like they have bad taste. But Jose Mourinho, in the state he’s in with Spurs, isn’t still trying to flog Gareth Bale. He’s accepted he’s not at the level and that’s that.

Politically, his instinct is always to give Willian minutes because he fought so hard to bring him to the club on a disgusting contract from a disgusting super agent that had been advising us badly since he was let back in.

Politically, he has to use Auba, a player the fans love, but one that seems less and less suited to the project the further we go on.

It’s time to stop thinking about the politics of being a manager. He needs to pick the best players for the project, because if he keeps going for his 30+ favourites, he won’t have a job past December next season.

Nicolas Pepe still has a lot of flaws in his game. His control is sloppy, his decisions are still very messy, but he’s been very good over the batch of games. He wants to be there, and at a base level, he has the athletic profile to be in the squad.

Granit Xhaka has many flaws, but next to Thomas Partey, he’s generally been good for the squad.

Our attack is electric when you have the young players out in force, melded together by the excellent Lacazette.

The season finished yesterday, now we need to go full force at what our options look like next season. Who else is waiting in the U23s that we can give a go in the squad? How can we make sure Martinelli is trustworthy in all the games over the next 3 months? How can we ensure Odegaard feels sexy about the plan going forward so he’ll join for the whole of next season? Is Flo Balogun better than Eddie and can he viable as a powerful #9 we lack? Azeez? Patino? Cottrell? Moller? Our season is in the gutter, but the project  isn’t.

There’s something exciting brewing in this squad. We’re a final pass away from decimating a team. A bit more confidence and a bit more force, we’ll be very problematic for anyone we face. It’s fragile though… if you take out key players and replace them with people in their thirties that don’t have what it takes, it’ll all collapse. Yesterday, the introduction of Willian, combined with the nothingness of Auba, completely killed any hope of saving a game we were more than in.

If Arteta refuses to see that, he’s going to run into these same problems next year.

This week has been rough. Win those two games, as we should have, we’d be sitting in 6th place. The opportunity has been taken by the officiating gods, unforced errors, and some pre-December managerial decisions that shouldn’t have been.

Arteta’s coaching staff needs to gather their thoughts and go again, this is the last long pre-season they’ll get, because if we’re this badly out of the mixer February 2022, it’ll be team #Nagelsmann or #MarcoRose on this blog, because the club will have moved on Mikel.

There are standards at Arsenal. They have dropped for an experiment with a young coach with a high ceiling. He has to start showing high ceiling decision making based on merit, not politics.

I’ll be back later with a podcast.

409 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Left Testicle

I genuinely don’t know why Pedro is so obsessively invested in the Arteta project. The only thing I can think of is to keep the discussion going on Le-Grove. What other reason can there be?

Mark

Bellerin is a rb and Saliba is a centre back
Neither can play in the other’s position

I didn’t mean they are directly replaceable. Play a back 3 use Cedric as a wing back on the right side. It’s less competition for Bellerin not having Saliba around so he can still be shoe horned into the team.

Valentin

Looks like Arteta having a problem with Saliva stems from the fact that he refused to come back and help out last season winter transfer window. Arsenal tried to recall him, but he refused as he wanted to finish the season at ASSE. When the season was terminated early, Arsenal refused to give him permission to train with them. Then refuse to let him play in the French Domestic Cup final. He came to England, early, but was not integrated in the U23, nor the restart toward the end of last season. Also because he was training on his own… Read more »

Marc

Why would we go back to playing a back three – the few decent scraps of football we’ve had this season have been playing with a back 4.

Marc

Valentin

I really worry that Arteta had burnt any bridges between Saliba and Arsenal. He’s going to be a monster and Arteta has fucked it up.

Valentin

To be frank, we have been poor playing 3 at the back, because Arteta stubborness attempt at playing 3-4-3 without a solid DM nor proper wingers who can stretch the defense.

Marc

Left

“What other reason can there be?”

Well Pedro having to come out and say “guys you know when I spoke down to all of you about you not knowing anything about football and how my contacts give me info you don’t have access to, well it turns out it was all absolute bollocks” could be a reason.

Valentin

From Saliba’s interview, it really looks like this is the case. Saliba’s agent had some nice things to say about Edu, which is in line with Özil’s departing message complimenting his professionalism and respectful attitude. Arteta was left out of both messages, which looks deliberate to me. Unless Arteta is willing to eat some humble pie and apologise for his treatment, Saliba is unlikely to play for Arsenal.
I fully expect another loan or a sale with a small accounting loss.

Mark

Marc
Saliba and Arsenal. He’s going to be a monster and Arteta has fucked it up.

I think you answered your own question above. Adding a monster to your defense allows you to change it up.

The success we had in a back 4 wasn’t with Saliba. Either way that we would have been better off as a team integrating Saliba is my main point and the reviews he’s getting from his performances back that up.

He’s better than Holding, Bellerin, Mustafi, Kola, chambers.

Tom

Chelsea’s got some of the ugliest away kits ever

Mark

Val,
This was what I was worried about losing a Generational talent cos of some egomaniac rookie.

Radio Raheem

Arsenal at 10th is a false position. Really we should be anywhere between 13th to 15th.

WengerEagle

Mason Mount is class, will be a top player in this league.

Samesong

Mason Mount is class, will be a top player in this league.

These are my favourites at the moment

Saka
ESR
Mount
Barnes
Foden

Samesong

Oh and Neto

Radio Raheem

I called that Thiago signing pretty early on for what it was. He isn’t a bad player just not what Liverpool need. Frankly I’ve never really been a fan although I can see what he brings.

As always Radio Raheem knows!

WengerEagle

Samesong

Foden and Saka are the pick of that bunch for me.

Think Foden has the higher ceiling if I’m honest, love Saka though.

Terraloon

Billy Gilmour is a top talent

WengerEagle

Pedro

No, he’s too important to us offensively to play him as a full-back.

Is Cedric out injured/suspended? If so, I’d play either Xhaka or Mari at LB. Xhaka actually did ok filling in there before.

Samesong

WE

Both very good
I do like Barnes as well although he’s slightly older.

Samesong

Harvey Barnes 14 goals 13 assists

Graham62

Peckobill

Agree on your perceptions of Willian and Pepe.

Pepe was the one who needed the love, not Willian.

Terrible man-management from Arteta.

Again!!

Pierre

Valentin
“Looks like Arteta having a problem with Saliva stems from the fact that he refused to come back and help out last season winter transfer window. ”

The most common problems in the salivary gland occur when the ducts become blocked and saliva cannot drain.

Floom

I’ve said from day dot, Arteta is shit. Yes, I wanted him, yes I thought it was the best move. I was wrong. Arteta can’t pick a team, that 4-2-3-1 stinks, Emery who you rinsed out of racism ended 5th and got to a final with a worse squad. Arteta sucks dick

WengerEagle

Mad how Jorginho is still on pens when Werner wins it and hasn’t scored a goal since November.

Rich

If Tierney is still out?

Saka at left back

…….,…….Leno….
….Holding Gabriel
Bellerin………………Saka
….Ceballos Xhaka
Pepe Odegaard Smith-Rowe
………..Lacazette

Nelson

It toke VAR more than 3 mins to decide that it was a penalty. Imagine that if the other team has scored during that time.

WengerEagle

Just me or that pen a bit fortunate for Chelsea?

Looked like Werner drove his knee into Ramsdale rather than the keeper initiating the contact.

Olis

If we’re looking to dominate the ball saka isn’t the worst choice at left back meaning we can play odegaard, ESR and pepe. He’ll be playing as a winger anyway. Xhaka can cover across and Gabriel will be the last cover after that.

You could see how the football went up a level once odegaard was interchanging with ESR and getting on the ball.

Winthorpe

Billy Gilmore is the best of the bunch

Rich

Werner played for it, but i thought it was a penalty

But I though Martinez on Lacazette yesterday was a penalty as well

So who knows?…..

Nelson

I like Rüdiger’s own goal. Just looks so funny

The Godfather

Just curious, if Salah’s foul was deemed a PK,
Why wasn’t that also a red card?
The defender made no attempt for the ball.
This league is such Crap

Nelson

I think he was not the last man though.

Ernest Reed

“The season finished yesterday, now we need to go full force at what our options look like next season.”

And sucking on a bag of rancid eggs ought to make one feel better too!

You have got to be f’n joking with that one, Pedro? Sit back and buckle up princess, the ride has just begun. Enjoy it all Pedro, this ones for you!

Winthorpe

Yeah
The refs are shit so let’s insult the entire league
Tip top logic there godfather

Jonas

I agree that the players that are not going to make the project going forward he needs to give them less time. Hopefully in the summer we can get the players we need. Agree the decision making in the main on Willian has been dreadful. Pepe though has been one of our brighter lights superseded in consistency by Saka, so knock him all you want but goals are not coming from too many places. Lacazette is doing a job but we need more than he can actually give. Auba is struggling in this system. Realistically we need to get through… Read more »

Tom

People worried bringing refs from abroad would jeopardize the uniformity of foul calling, while this PGMO bunch look like they come from different federations.

Graham62

The one good thing about VAR is that has shown just how shite our referees are.

The current situation cannot be allowed to continue.

Drastic changes are needed.

Sean Mukiza

“Our season is in the gutter, but the project isn’t.”

Come on Pete, this project is shit. How many negative records has this Arteta guy broken?? Poor decision after poor decision, Terrible taste in players, stubborn, arrogant, not learning from his mistakes, massive ego for a rookie coach. He wasn’t even a big name player. The excuses being made for Arteta are getting ridiculous now. We are going absolutely nowhere with him mate.

See the season out & get rid of him and Edu. Hopefully Stanley & Josh can leave as well.

Sean Mukiza

Everytime Villa went forward they could’ve scored. We are not anywhere near “that final pass going through” Mate we are rubbish.

bacaryisgod

I’ve had some minor run-ins with Pedro in the past, but not quite sure what he wrote in this last post to upset some of you.

First, look at the headline ‘Arteta Politicking Will Be His Undoing’-not very pro-Mikel there. He goes on to discuss his blind spot for relying on players who are letting us down in order to justify signing them or renewing them in the first place. He also says something exciting is brewing in this squad. That something is Saka, Smith-Rowe etc. Nothing wrong there.

Zacharse

Sakas the only one of our attack that looks ready to score each time he gets good position. Unfortunately imo its a case of a not being good enough. Auba was on that level for a while but aint anymore. Laca needs 3-4 clear chances and same goes for pepe though laca has quite a bit more control. ESR shoudltn have to be relied on for that, his passing game is more than adequate if our attack could march it. Hopefully Ø knocks pepe outta the side and we have 3 men behind laca w great creativity & control. Thats… Read more »

Mr Serge

My god the moaning on here is ridiculous you lot would want pep our

Matt

Pedro

Agenda’s aside, can you just clarify what exactly you are ‘brewing’ at Arsenal? You keep mentioning it, so be so kind to add some specifics of what you see that is good enough to make you think we will be better next season – I’m even allowing you to right this season off.

Matt

*clarify what you see ‘brewing’

Zacharse

Matt
Even after a catastrophic week we are the 3rd best d in the league if i understand right

When Partey gets healthy we have PV replacement we’ve been waiting for 15 yrs, no matter who u partner him w things will change. We’ve all seen over and over again how it takes a year minimum for someone from a foreign league to settle properly…

Our youth coming through look on the level of the best in europe

Out glaring weakness at the moment is the axis of auba laca willian and nketiah

Hows that?

Zacharse

Imo this summer we need a laca and xhaka replacement and we’ll be a proper threat

Matt

Zacharse

3rd best defence is the league. What good is that when we sit 10th and will likely slip further when the teams below have played their games in hand.

We have two promising youngsters is Saka and ESR. One who is known for being in no injury prone, which leads nicely to your next views, who it seems can’t finish 90 minutes.

I won’t even address the auba and Willian situations that will be problems for years to come.

Yeah, we’re golden.

Matt

*next viera

Nelson

Wonder whether anyone watches the SuperBowl?

andy1886

@Nelson – Yup. Watching it now.

Matt

This time last year I was was sat in a sports bar in Montreal knocking back beers and eating ribs watching the super bowl. Fast forward a year and I’m sat on my sofa in lockdown England.

Nelson

Andy

I still think Chief will win it.

andy1886

Nelson, I agree. A game too far for Brady and the Buccaneers.

jel

this is absolutely spot on

Chris

Write Brady off at ones peril. This is looking like it will be a cagey and tight game. Nobody has been here and done it more than Brady.

andy1886

Gronk in for a TD.

andy1886

As a Steelers fan I’m never going to support ex-Patriots…

Chris

That’s a big moment there for KC. Huge stop.

Tampa Bay really needed to run that in there.

andy1886

Bl**dy Gronk & Brady again.

Chris

Brady to Gronkowski again, in the SB. Feel like I have gone back in time!

Chris

Kansas City have given so many silly penalties away, it’s really costing them right now.

Still a long way to go, KC came back this time last year after all

andy1886

Yup, still have my fingers crossed for the Chiefs.

zacharse

Matt

your dismissal of our defense is your opinion. But like i said it’s 3rd in the league and that’s a big improvement and a foundation to work from. as is partey (should he sustain fitness) so are saka and ESR. Saliba, AMN, azeez, smith, etc. that;s my opinion
you asked a question, i answered it. doubt pedro is thinking much differently.

Tom

Is Luiz playing corner for Chiefs ?

Nelson

I thought that Gronkowski has retired. Probably Brady has convinced him to come back.

Nelson

Looking forwards to the half time show.

Aussie+Gooner

I now look forward to an Arsenal game with as much enthusiasm as I look forward to a trip to the dentist! Very sad. I want an Arteta fanboy on here to justify bringing on Abu and Willian given their current form. Lee from AFTV suggested that even Arteta’s wife would make him sleep in the spare room for that decision!

andy1886

Nelson, he did a couple of years back. Ex-Steeler Brown (left under a cloud) gets the third TD catch.

Get your act together TB.

andy1886

TB? I Mean KC.

Sly

Brady show
Don’t see chiefs coming back

Nelson

KC came up before. I am still waiting for Brady to flow an interception.

Tony

Arteta is more like Manuel from Falty Towers every week?

Interviewer: Mikel why did you use Willian instead of Martinelli against Aston Villa?

Arteta: Que?

Tony

Marc/Valentin
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-transfers-william-saliba-arteta-23457876

Agreed that it’s the Mirror reporting but doesn’t make good reading for Arteta.

The Godfather

Guys it’s called denying a clear goal scoring opportunity … has nothing to do with last man

Tony

Pedro My agenda is a better Arsenal. If it were anything sinister, people wouldn’t read’ You created your persona when you started the blog to fight for Wenger’s dismissal. Other than AKBs we all bought into it because it was an Arsenal vehicle than many of us needed to keep our sanity as we witnessed the ‘Fall of Wenger’ from late 2008 onwards. Unfortunately, your comment, “people wouldn’t read” is becoming reality with many of the top posters having left the blog because you lost the plot with Arteta prior to Emery’s hiring. When this was mentioned before you said… Read more »

Tony

Just wrote a post that asked posters what they considered a severe enough reason to change the manager.

I listed about 20+ reasons from losing the club millions in player devaluations being enough for me

Tony

Unfortunately Pedro deleted the post

Tony

The aforementioned post wasn’t demeaning to Pedro or the club nor did it contain any swearing or digs at other posters.

It asked questions of Pedro and Ateta.

As I said in my earlier post, Pedro. You are better than that.

For me now going forward I want Arteta gone with Edu.

Rangnick or Overmars (The latter I wanted after Dimond eye) as the TD/DoF where whoever takes over from Edu finds a suitable manager equipped to have us challenging for top honours in the next 3 to 5 years.

Tony

I’ll put it to Le-Grove again:

What in your mind is a sackable offence(s) that Arteta has committed?

Guns of SF

I dont like either team …..
But I guess what goes around comes around. Chiefs beat my 49ers last year so ,, there

Guns of SF

Tony I think its multiple offences. taking them one at a time, it may not seem that bad, but add them together then it becomes easier to see. Poor player management Poor player development Pining to become manager when he was not ready- and his uber ambitious dickhead personality too advantage of the high the team was on Not changing tactics as the ship was literally sinking Still struggling to get the team firing and consistently scoring Not being able to get the best out of Auba this year Signing Willian/ not being able to get the most out of… Read more »

DivineSherlock

So annoying looking at the table , all the self inflicting defeats aside we would have been nearer top4-6 . Arteta should be introspecting hard , shake the over 30 age group . This is where a football director comes in , advising a young manager on shit that he is doing wrong but Edu cant , because he enabled the very same decisions himself. Buying Willian , extending Luiz , selling Martinez . Sadly I hope this doesnt affect the Europa.

Nelson

Damn! The owner of the Buccaneers is the Glazer family, who also owns the Manure.

Guns of SF

The team has done well in spurts this year but consistency is still lacking.
This season is over, and I wonder when Mike will start to play the kids more.
There is something fishy abut his consistently playing Willian… etc Luiz
EL places are still in play, so I can understand it to a degree but
balogun and Martinelli need to play more.
Give them experience, now is the time! Not that we are in top 4 or fighting for it, If not now, then when??

Guns of SF

I hate tom brady that cheating cunt.
Even though he is from around San mateo,. Rich white privileged cunt.
Cant stand Gronkowski too. A brain dead dumbo

Tony

Guns of SF
Agree with your thinking although for me losing millions off player values would be big enough.

Can’t think of a manager’s situation other than the market trading where a manager losing that kind of income and he/she would keep their job.

HerbsArmy

If you need a fool-proof blueprint for how to run a football club, look at Liverpool over the last 60 years. Liverpool didn’t equal Arsenal’s eight titles until 1973, and they only won their first European trophy that year too, Arsenal won theirs in 1970. So, in the summer of ’73, Arsenal were ahead of Liverpool in the trophy count by proxy of having won more FA Cups. Fast-forward 48 years, and even after going 30 years without a title, they are still miles ahead of Arsenal, and the gap is getting bigger. And that’s without including their European Cups/CL… Read more »

Captain Tierney

Tony

You also have to look at the other side of the coin.

Lets not forget Arteta has also helped raise certain player values.
Saka, ESR, Joe, Xhaka, Holding, Tierney, Emi, Elneny.

If you say it’s the players quality not Arteta that has raised their values then the same argument can be made for the reverse situation.

Zacharse

Tony man. What the fuck is your point? You want pedro to be your friend? He writes a free blog. Gambon left. Who fuxking cares if you and some other posters here have differing opinions. Certainly isnt going to make a difference while stadiums are empty

Sid

Partey is nowhere near replacing Viera, nowhere near guys like Essien, Diaby
He is close to Obi Mikel or marginally better than Song

Guns of SF

Sid,

Diaby? really….

I mean I loved the guy and he was heading that way it seemed, although more offensive minded than PV, but the fella hardly played for us after the injury

Tony

Zacharse
If you don’t understand the point, then I can’t help you.

Gambon was just an example of many good and interesting posters who have left the blog.