ARSENAL SIMMERING | ARTETA MAKES IT CLICK WITH HEAVILY ROTATED 11

by .

It’s not often I make correct predictions, but this week, I nailed it. I said on The Arsenal Opinion podcast last Sunday that we were going to see two victories post-City and here we are.

We are better than Leicester City. They shit-housed us in the last game with a Vardy counter and some shocking VARing. It was different this weekend, that’s not to say the afternoon wasn’t a wave of emotions.

The starting 11, on first perusal, absolutely stunk. It looked like a death wish from a manager that really doesn’t give a fuck about fan sentiment. Willian, Elneny, Luiz, Xhaka, Mari, and Soares didn’t feel like a winning formula… most fans were grumbling in the group chats. Then, after 6 minutes, the I TOLD YOU SO chickens came home to roost. Willian and Xhaka lost the ball, Pablo Mari back-peddled against a surging Tielemans run, Mo Elneny failed to move across, the Leicester midfielder took full advantage and unleashed a brutal low shot past Bernd Leno.

Personally, I was furious. I am an emotional mess during most games, but this starting 11 felt personal. My group chat felt the same.

‘Arteta doesn’t get it’

‘This could be the end of him’

‘He’s addicted to shit players’

My word, was everyone wrong. Badly wrong.

The team didn’t drop their heads, players like Pepe and Willian led by example with excellent drive and efficiency. We controlled possession, we showed patience, and we chipped away at Leicester’s resolve.

Our first goal looked like an Andreas Georgeson inspired setpiece plan. David Luiz hung at the back post, he moved towards the penalty spot, Willian found his run perfectly, Luiz worked a perfect diving header across goal. Brilliant stuff.

Penalties haven’t been good to us of late. There’s always a reason for them to happen against us and always a reason for them to NOT be given our way. Pepe had a penalty rescinded early in the game after a VAR intervention… but he managed to even it out when the same tech piped up on an Ndidi handball in the box. Lacazette stepped up, sent Kasper the wrong way, and drilled home our second into the bottom left. He loved that. The relief was very clearly expressed with a clenched fist.

Our third goal would not have been possible 4 months ago. Nicolas Pepe ran at a retreating Leicester defence, he passed to Martin Odegaard, the Norwegian creator controlled the ball and passed in one silky movement, he found Willian who cut back for Pepe to finish off the goal with a tap-in. It was a very Arsenal goal. Odegaard made it with his speed of thought and his technique. Pepe was embraced by everyone, including the subs. He seems to be very popular. That’s a good thing considering the PR around his introverted character.

We saw the game out from there with minimal fuss. It wasn’t total control. There was a scare at the back post in the 96th minute, but overall, it was unfussy considering where Leicester are in the league.

So the hot takes?

We were ALL wrong about the stating 11 and I am very, very happy about that.

On reflection, with some of that 20/20 victory vision, the selection was defensible.

Cedric Soares has been excellent in 90% of his games, covering for Hector on the right was smart. I’ll say it quietly because vegan twitter is mean… but I think Cedric is better in that role. He’s faster, his defending is superb, and he’s more efficient in the final third.

Lacazette upfront totally made sense. Auba needs to be firing for the big crunch coming. The Frenchman has also been a star this year.

I might have given Dani C that game after his error, but if it needed to be Mo, that’s all we had. Thomas Partey should NOT have started out there.

Nicolas Pepe is in electric form. Willian is one of our top earners, he had an excellent run against Benfica, he was always going to start. There was no world in which Saka played. Both the above-mentioned players were absolutely excellent.

Arsenal rotated so hard it felt like a League Cup run out, yet we still absolutely dominated Leicester start to finish. The bet by the club is clear… they are laser-focused on winning the Europa League… and having the best possible 11 to down Jose Mourinho’s Spurs side.

Back to Leicester.

This is going to sound stupid, but goals change perception. That 90 was not new. We’ve done it in every game since Chelsea in December (bar City). The difference was we delivered a result to go with the performance. Again, the group chat is used as a reference for the madness of being an emotional fan… but the narrative in mine went from ‘BRENDAN HAS ARTETA’S NUMBER’ to ‘OH WOW ARTETA MASTERCLASS.’ What was the difference?

Goals.

No red cards.

No hideous reffing.

Players stepping the f*ck up.

Arteta is bringing careers back from the dead. Our squad now feels bigger because good players are being… you know, good.

The Europa League played a huge role in that. Bukayo Saka’s contribution to that game was the assist for the Leicester game. These players need a focus. Top 4 isn’t on the cards, but now the squad is playing for starting positions in a cup run that could end in a trophy. That has the whole squad sharp. We beat a team pushing for top 2 with a bunch of squad players. That’s special.

Nicolas Pepe was literally unplayable today. He floated inside, he ran at players, he used his body really well… he was decisive. This is a player that looked so meek in November you’d have struggled to give him away. Clearly, he’s been working very hard in training and he obviously has a desire to make it here. It was a top-class performance.

Willian can’t help that he’s a Chelsea legend. He can’t do anything about that deal. But if he wants to be good, that is going to work for all of us. He really was top drawer. 3 assists in 4 days, that’s the same as you-know-who managed in the whole of last season. I thought his movement was good, the speed of his passing was much better, and he worked really, really hard.

I wasn’t sure about Pablo Mari. He was a bit embarrassing for the first goal, backing off like he had a bear running at him… but he certainly grew with the game. There was a moment late on when he was running with Jamie Vardy, his timing on the intervention was utter perfection. I would like to see more boldness with his passing, a bit more presence, but most people seem to be raving to me about him, so I’ll back off.

Granit. Xhaka. Take. A. Bow. Honestly, I feel gross writing this… but damn, he was fucking excellent. He’s been so good in 2021. The error early on was erased by a superb performance. He was hacked down 4 times, made 2 tackles, 1 interception, 6 ball recoveries, and he dropped an 87% pass completion rate off 71 attempts. He was fantastic, there were a couple of saucy moments, a kind of Cruyff turn, and a wonderful flick under pressure. He was GOOD.

I was a bit worried about ESR. He was one of two players that left the pitch with an injury before 50 minutes had played out, Barnes being the other. The fixtures are brutal. The Premier League should not have teams that play Euro games rolling first thing on a Sunday. Fingers crossed both players are ok.

The replacement for ESR was Odegaard, I thought he was absolutely electric. He’d been fairly quiet the last two games, yesterday, he burst out the traps. He pressed, he moved the ball very efficiently, and he had that little bit of special sauce we’ve lacked. He dinked a chip to Soares that was simply stunning. He assisted the assistor for the Pepe goal. He’s just the full package. I like that Madrid are leaking ‘JUST KIDDING, WE LOVE HIM’ articles to drive up his price. For me, Odegaard is our priority signing this summer.

You know things are shaping up nicely, because the only negative the ghouls had after the game was focused on who didn’t play. Namely, Gabriel Martinelli. I really don’t think it’s necessary to whine on about young players. He will get minutes. The club loves him, but he has to wait his turn like the rest of them. Some fans seem to hold dual imperatives in their head 1) WE MUST WIN ALL THE POINTS 2) YOUNG KIDS MUST BE BLOODED. It’s hard to do both. Gabi is fragile, loose, and inconsistent right now. We know that kids make it when they are ready, ESR the case study for that. Gabriel will make it, but I think Arteta deserves the benefit of the doubt on this one because every decision he made worked yesterday.

So where are we on the ‘SINCE CHRISTMAS’ trophy?

We’re in the top 4, baby!

2nd best defence.

3rd most goals.

That my friends is progress.

A lot of people think the Premier League table is all that matters. Sure, in a normal season, at a normal club. Arsenal are not normal and we are not in a normal year. Our organisation has been neglected and abused for 10 years. We hired a rookie coach because we’re broke and the view was that he was one of the best talents for his age and we could tap his City standards and grow with him. Mistakes and bad runs were priced into the experience. The terrible run happened, it was shocking, but the club moved on from it because they believed in Arteta’s approach. That means we can’t just look at the league for green shoots. We have to isolate moments in time and search for clues in different places. Christmas is when things clicked. So that table above gives good context as to whether things are truly moving to a new level. The eye test will tell you the football is better. Match reports like this tell you we’re seeing improvement beyond just the starting 11.

Even if you are #ArtetaOut, it’s a stretch to justify firing him because as it stands, he’s 7 points off Chelsea, with Liverpool, Everton, and Spurs even closer. Klopp, the 2nd best manager in the world, is 6 points off Arsenal in our worst ever season. Jose, £15m a year, with THAT Spurs squad everyone said suited him, 2 points off. Carlo 3 points. We’re in a year where David Moyes is besting them all!

Our next 5 games are Burnley, Olympiacos x2, Spurs and West Ham. 5 wins in those games and we’re cooking on gas. Arteta needs a run. Europa is absolutely key to the league. Rotation is too. Let’s see where it goes.

BUT… before all that, listen to my podcast. I’m chatting with the excellent Johnny and Matt. We discuss the smelly line-up, the big performances, and the expectations for the rest of the season.

ALSO, if you are a father, check out season two of Johnny’s How’s Your Father podcast. He’s hilarious, his guests are elite, and you should always support a fellow Gooner in a creative industry.

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Play

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andy1886

Good win, nice to see Pepe on his game.

grooveydaddy

Yo

grooveydaddy

Tr4phy

grooveydaddy

Oops

grooveydaddy

Where has *this* Willian been all season?? (Or at least since the Fulham game…)

Gonsterous

Top 8??

Off to read the post

Jamie

Nice positive piece today.

I’m onboard with everything except the ‘since Christmas’ table which, let’s be honest, is a nonsense.

Also great that the squad gets a much needed rest this week.

Great result yesterday!

Graham

8th place which is the new 4th – our new aspiration

Karsa

Definite progress and it’s good on the eye.

AFC Forever

Jamie Take your point however I think Pedro is just using the table to demonstrate the improvement. I think we also have to be honest about what we are seeing on the pitch. Eyes tell you more than anything else, providing they are open of course. Comparing us now to where we were a few months back shows quite a contrast. Our lack of attacking threat and creativity was our Achilles heel but that has definitely improved. We probably had too many players underperforming and missing, for example, pre Christmas players like Pepe, Willian, Aubamayang had been pretty poor, to… Read more »

Graham

I don’t really get the people who were upset Willian played well. Regardless of how he performs he gets picked and will for the next three years so I am pleased he is trying to earn some of his vastly inflated and ludicrously long contract.

Nelson

“He was hacked down 4 times”
_________________________

Xhaka has developed a new skill. In the past, he lost the ball because he was too slow. Now, whenever he finds that the tackle arises faster than he could pass the ball, he simply uses his body to protect the ball. He’ll fall down with his body on top of the ball when he feels any contact of the opponent.

D3SH

Agreed about the “since Christmas table”. People always used to roast Wenger when he said we were the best team Jan to Dec. Let’s not be hypocritical and use similar “creative accounting” to puff up Arteta – we’re still low in the table. Let’s judge things after 38 games.

Gonsterous

since christmas table??? Jesus, using that logic we can also term willian World class as he got 4 assists in 2 games. Fulham and Leicester and maybe we can also start labelling Xhaka world class by using only games where he has dominated, maybe we can sell both for 100m each. You can pick and choose what you want to see. Thats not how football works. Were we finish at the end of the season, is where we are meant to be. The table doesnt lie after 38 games. Its why wenger never won another PL title, because he kept… Read more »

Nelson

One thing me and Pedro are on the same page. I want to sign Odegaard this Summer.

Emiratesstroller

As I posted yesterday I thought that Arsenal played well despite our usual early defensive nightmare. Perhaps the most significant outcome yesterday, which has not been really discussed is Arsenal’s low foul count. When a team does not concede fouls particularly in dangerous areas as we did in the last game against Benefica it is a major plus. Pedro has focussed today on the performance level of Xhaka. I have said consistently on many occasions this year despite all the criticisms that Xhaka has played consistently well and playing alongside Partey will make a huge difference to the team’s performance… Read more »

Uwot?

Oh dear oh dear oh dear,the” usual suspects” nowhere to be heard.The backstabbers laying low til the next hiccup.Must be killing them.Sad to say that when you cannot get joy out of a deserved Arsenal victory but look for tiniest flaws instead.But Thats the caliber of homespun critics that makes up the Arsenal fan base.these days.As Pedro pointed out like it or not there is PROGRESS.obviously just not fast enough for some.It was always going to be a rollercoaster this season.like it or not.

Uwot?

Nelson.I call that clever from hacker.He’s worked it out.He has that deficiency ( slowness) & has finally come up with a solution.Perhaps not ideal.But he draws the foul & we retain possession.Better than f**** ng it up all the time.

AKenyanGooner

For a moment I thought Willian was Saka in disguise. Have to give it to him. He did really well. This is the Willian i think we hoped to see from day one.

Curious how Arteta approaches next weekend’s game now that Saka will have been rested. Pepe is in such a rich vein of form.

Nelson

There are two targets in this season to rebuilt Arsenal after the mess left behind by Wenger and Raul/Emery.

– get back into the Champion League
– establish a system/identity to go forward.

We could still get into the Champion League. All the players understand and trust Arteta’s system now. Last game, we played like a team better coached than Rodgers. No wonder it caught the eye of an ex_Barca president.

shaun

That was a good result and not what I was expecting, but a great result as I hate the foxes nearly as much as spurs and that RAT FACED SMARMY F…….. DIDN’T SCORE so really happy about that ,that team seem to have more purpose , Cedric and Pepe linked well and the right side looked dangerous , special mention to my most hated XHAKA although i think someone needs to check his bloods , his closing down and his harassing of the opposition was great to see and he has that trade mark take it in the ass foul… Read more »

The Bard

Good post Pedro. If you can’t enjoy yesterday’s game then you’re watching the wrong sport. We showed a lot of character after the first goal and as the game wore on there was only one team in it. Pepe looking like a player. Cedric is a better footballer than Bellerin, he was excellent. It was suggested by the commentators and media that Willian didn’t want to move from Chelsea which might explain his poor form. He was better yesterday. We look like we now have a decent squad now rather than a decent 1st XI. No doubt the moaners will… Read more »

Rich

I wasn’t wrong about the starting eleven

Rotation was necessary, we can’t have the same eleven starting 3 games a week

Nelson

Completely agree about signing Odegaard, he looks a class act, with a very high ceiling

andy1886

@Shaun, I think you’ve got it right with that last comment, I expect that Pepe was on the right in place of Saka who will be back sooner rather than later while Willian will keep his place on the left. Not what I would do but MA seems determined to get Willian on the pitch.

Nelson

andy

Willian is much more suitable than ESR on the left.

Thorough

Xhaka gave the ball away and we conceded a goal. Yet I see people shouting ‘HE had a great game’.

Funny enough those are the same set of people that’ll say ‘You see, Arteta knows best, Saliba gave a goal away and he’s not ready’ totally forgetting he had the highest rating on who scored.

I’m not against bias but just don’t come shouting people are moaning when you’re running an agenda.

Leedsgunner

I remain unconvinced with Willian, but happy to say he had a good game. He needs more of those.

Pleased for Pepe that we won and he had a performance to match but he’s been playing well for a while now…

In the games we lost to Wolves and Villa he was one of our best players.

alexanderhenry

Lots to be enthused about and in a sense it’s now all about how we’re shaping up for next season which will be a ‘proper’ season with an uninterupted fixture list, proper off season and fans in the stadium etc.
We were excellent yesterday- quick to the ball, closing down effectively, passing quicker.

Bob N16

(from last post)China, of course Arteta deserves our criticism. I like many others was mystified by Saliba’s misuse and now I am struggling to understand why Martinelli has not had more opportunities. We do have to acknowledge that particularly with Martinelli, he plays in a position where with no injuries we are well stocked. Towards the end of last season three of our players were in the top 10 teenage prospects in Europe. Saka has clearly thrived, Saliba showing what he can do in Nice and Martinelli, let’s not forget, has played sparingly after a serious injury lay off. Progression… Read more »

Emiratesstroller

Thorough

Every player makes mistakes, but despite your negative post Xhaka has played well since the start of the year and I am sure when he plays alongside a fit Partey the combination will provide both solidity and control in midfield, which has been missing in our team for a
very long time.

The fact that Arsenal conceded “low digit” Fouls in the game is a major improvement in our
game management.

Emiratesstroller

Arsenal’s foul count in yesterday’s game was just THREE!!!

When was the last time that was the case?

S Asoa

“ Arteta is bringing careers back from the dead. “ – where he had buried them. Naturally, the dog knows where he hid the bone

Mentioning Williams in same breadth as Pepe of yesterday, sounds like my lover’s mate is my friend too. But yes, Williams was not throughout his self except for a few out-of-habit backpasses.

Martineli of 10 goals in 11 starts when things were normal for him !

Doublethink

Anyone else unsure about Odegaard’s suitability to play as a number ten in the premier league?

Leedsgunner

Arteta being linked as Koeman’s replacement… 😂. Anyone else read this?

Biggles

What happened to the real Pepe? I don’t really care, I prefer the impostor, just curious… We played well and got a result that to be honest, to I didn’t expect. Willian and Pepe should be playing like that given the costs involved, but I was also pleased with Cedric. If he keeps this form up, I’d have no qualms about selling Bellerin, who I think will never get better at Arsenal. I think a change of scenery might kick him up a notch mind you. The big issue with the since Christmas table is that 1) we’ve been the… Read more »

DM

Saw something v interesting when looking through the BBC stats this morning…

Granit Xhaka, 90% pass completion rate this season.

He certainly has his limitations but that is seriously impressive.

S Asoa

Ack – Tim of 7am “ Willian was good. That doesn’t mean that he’s been a good signing. He last assisted in the League in November and while I know a lot of people are strutting (Arteta among them) about his “assist” in the EL that was literally all he did in that game. So, just like one swallow doesn’t make a spring, one good game doesn’t make Willian a spring chicken. And it definitely doesn’t mean that people who have been frustrated with his overall play were wrong. He’s had exactly three good games for Arsenal this season: one… Read more »

Emiratesstroller

Leedsgunner

Yes it has been reported, but I would suggest unlikely to happen.

Arteta is growing into his job at Arsenal and has the backing of senior management and Board.

He would be ill advised to go to Barcelona a club in serious financial difficulty, and also in
football decline.

Everyone knows well that managers/head coaches who join Barcelona have a very limited
timescale to deliver results.

S Asoa

Mark Vallis post- “ A good performance in the end, following yet another dismal start. I really wish that wouldn’t happen time and time again. I can quite see why Arteta wants Tierney to play high up the pitch. The only downside being that Xhaka inevitably fills in at left back. An accident waiting to happen. In this case it only took 6 minutes! Xhaka is the polar opposite to ESR. Whereas Smith Rowe knows what he wants to do with the ball before it even gets to him, the Swiss Tractor wants 5 touches and still hasn’t made his… Read more »

DigitalBob

A very solid weeks football after that City loss. I expected two wins and we delivered albeit the first in typical nervy arsenal style. It was good to see our rotated attackers are still hungry and up for the fight yesterday, I was a bit worried Auba and Saka would have to come on for a saving the day cameo, but we saw it through. Burnley at the weekend should be another win, they are not a good team and we have enough quality to win convincingly. I also expect Arteta to exercises those demons of last years Europa defeat… Read more »

Uwot?

We’ve had a b’stards run of fixtures which haven’t quite finished yet.This hasn’t helped in moving up the table more rapidly.But the potential is there for all to see.

andy1886

Uwot – “We’ve had a b’stards run of fixtures”

Not really, we’ve been better recently for sure but no need to try and twist the facts. Of the 12 games in Pedro’s table we’ve played 7 teams in the bottom half of the table and five in the top half (of which we’ve won two including yesterday’s game).

Certainly not a “b’stards run of fixtures”.

DivineSherlock

Pedro

We struggled for creativity during the start, all the while Arteta never used ESR before Christmas. When Martinelli came back from injury he was used asap , he showed what he can do . And not playing him now doesnt look good on him . If not playing ESR was wrong so is this . Dont sugarcoat it even if we are winning.

Nelson

Pepe has finally rediscovered his fast run through defenders. He would be our “Marcus Rashford”. He could draw a lot of penalties in Manure’s style.

Dissenter

The situation at Barcelona has taken a turn for the worst
Police raiding the club;s office to investigate claims that the club were actively seeking to smear Messi.

How can a club descend to much lows against one of their greatest players ever?

Dissenter

I’m not worried Arteta will be going to Barcelona anytime soon.
That place is like a morgue these days. Arteta is ambitious so he can’t be that stupid.

Kroenkephobe

Xhaka, Willian, Elneny and Mari were all at fault for their goal. A classic clusterfuck but no need to complain because we won. Getting on one or other of those 4 player’s backs to the exclusion of the others is harsh and could point to ulterior motives. Where was KT for their goal? I’m not criticising him but usually he’d be there leading their player to the corner. Was he upfield? Rumours of Barca interest need to be taken semi seriously at this stage. Time to at least draft a shortlist of replacements were Tets’s alma mater to come knocking… Read more »

grooveydaddy

ESR (and Balogun) have deleted their SM accounts.

Fan abuse??

Freddie Ljungberg

“Pepe has scored five goals in 10 Premier League starts, and has scored three goals and provided three assists in six Europa League games for the Gunners so far this season”

Let’s just hope he doesn’t get benched for Willian again like every other time he’s had a good game. We really need a consistent Pepe going forward and we’re never going to get that if he gets yanked around like he has been.

DivineSherlock

Emiratesstroller

Whats your take on Martinelli situation?

Thorough

Emirates troller.
And that’s fair. However, when people start hailing Saliba despite making a high profile blunder you’ll be magnanimous enough to apply the same rule.

AFC Forever

Andy1886 I think Uwot may have been referring to the ‘bastard run” meaning the intensity of fixtures and the travelling. For example travelling to Italy and Greece in between Man City and Leicester. Now we have the same scenario with the Spurs game, returning Friday. This is why rotation is so important and why better squads are able to cope better, eg Man City. There are many teams who don’t have to factor in Thursday night football and the effect that has with regard to recovery and preparation – it was one of the reasons cited for Leicester winning the… Read more »

SpanishDave

Good result
However on many occasions we still seem to pass sideways and back even when we are not under pressure.
Laca had the ball and a two v two situation and turned around and passed it back, Leicester then had time to regroup
We need to quicken up going forward we have the players to do it but very hesitant too much of the time.

Kroenkephobe

Winthorpe Pepe is transformed. Tracking back, block tackling in midfield, genuinely challenging for loose aerial balls and cleverly going down under the slightest of contact (aka conning refs and linos). And on the offensive side, his first touch, composure, positional awareness and link up play with others esp. Laca are vastly improved. And not so many daft shots. Other teams might soon go back to fearing him and double marking resulting in more time on the ball for others He’s now looking good on either side and in the middle. Massive improvement and he’s clearly a popular geezer in the… Read more »

Anonymous Commentator

Arteta is not now a genius for doing something people have been asking for for literal months on end.
I’ll take the win, arteta has much more to do to prove himself at any level.

AFC Forever

Grooveydaddy

“ESR (and Balogun) have deleted their SM accounts.Fan abuse??”

Let’s hope not. This is the problem with social media, threats of violence and death threats are seen as ‘banter’ when it’s not. The mental health charity I work with believes social media is a real problem, recently men aged 25-40 has had a sharp rise in suicides. When you target someone with your ‘banter’, telling them to die or threatening them with violence, remember they might not be in a good place. Nothing to do with ‘manning up’ the sector with the highest suicide rate is construction.

AFC Forever

Kroenkephobe That’s true. Pepe probably needed time to settle and get used to the English game. Pires was saying how much of a culture shock it was with the fouls waved away and the lack of protection. Pepe certainly used to go to the ground too easy but whether he’s just adapted or bulked up, not too sure. He is a nightmare to play against, that poor lad was in a different postcode yesterday. His close control and speed in which he moves the ball takes players out of the game. Ndidi was a lucky boy with that deliberate trip,… Read more »

Uwot?

Dissenter.Because they are a scumbag club with next to no morals.Obvious in just about everything they do.Hope they go to the dogs.

AFC Forever

Winthorpe, it is hard not to disagree about Cedric. We should remember that at Barca Bellerin was a winger, he’s not a natural defender, unlike Cedric who is a bit more aware in that respect. He can also play on both sides. Not bad for a free signing.

Samesong

The mental health charity I work with believes social media is a real problem

Would think people like you would of lead by example, clearly not. The way you laid into Diss yesterday telling him to F off and calling him names was really unnecessary.

I don’t recall Diss ever saying a bad word to you.

See theres Arteta defenders and there’s people that just stick up for the truth!

Uwot?

@ Afc forever-exactly.

Buckagh

Pedro
First up I always read the post and appreciate the hard graft that it takes to deliver, many thanks
Enjoyed the game and result it was a surprise, competition for places is always a good thing
I’m not Willians biggest fan but I’ll take that effort anyday, overall it was a solid performance

andy1886

UWOT/AFCF Fair enough, apologies for my misunderstanding then.

Emiratesstroller

Divine Sherlock Martinelli had a very nasty injury last season and I think that Arsenal and Arteta are taking a “cautious position” with him this season. Despite his energy levels when he played he did not look particularly sharp.Personally I would have given him more game time from the bench. However, I don’t think that Arteta has written him off as some who post on here suggest. I think that he will be very much in plans next season. Arsenal have already got playing regularly two youngsters in Saka and Smith-Rowe and I think that is the optimum number I… Read more »

Gonsterous

The fact that people and pedro are so quick to heap praise on arteta and start crowing him with false glory is why so many people here are critical and look at the negatives after a win. The fact that pedro had to share a since Christmas table goes to show how far we are going to support the theory that arteta will turn us around. I’m just trying to be realistic. For comparison, we can take xhaka for instance, we know he’s never going to be good enough no matter how many great performances he has, because at the… Read more »

I hate Green Bay

Its amazing how blinkered the usual idiots are, ignoring statistical facts because it doesnt show what they want to see,
Before christmas.
P 14 W 4 D 2 L 8 Average points per game 1.0
Since Christmas
P 12 W 7 D 2 L 3 Average points per game 1.9

If you morons cant see that as statistically significant, then I give up. I have a low tolerance threshold for stupid people

underrated Coq

Very good win yesterday

However long term I still doubt Arteta’s got what it takes to be a great

S Asoa

No comments

S Asoa

Mirror Now reports Balogun has deleted his Instagram Account and all references to Arsenal
“ Over the weekend, Balogun didn’t feature for either the seniors in their win at Leicester – he wasn’t on the bench either, nor did he appear for the Under-23s in their 4-0 defeat at Liverpool.

He also completely purged his Instagram account, deleting all references to Arsenal, his career and every previous post. Why he’s done so isn’t clear, but that hasn’t stopped the online conspiracy theories.“

AFC Forever

Samesong I suggest you don’t comment if you don’t know the facts. The abuse I have taken has been ridiculous. I have been threatened with objects in my rectum, yet I took it on the chin, pardon the pun. Then there was the snide remarks to other posters behind my back insulting me. I continued my best efforts to exchange comments with him but I finally gave up. The childish names, like AKB, Untold something, Superfan etc, are okay they are just childish. I gave up being polite. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so rude but he riled me yesterday.… Read more »

Samesong

AFC

I’ll comment when I want thank you until Pedro sees fit ban me for something.

I was the first to condemn Buzzys comments on wishing death to the manager.

All I was saying is for a person of your stature working for a mental health organisation, thought you would of conducted yourself a bit better.

Radio summed it up very well ignore the abusers

And Don please dont give advice the one who has been banned how many times??? 😂😂😂

Danny

he had an excellent run against Benfica
———————-
Pedro – an “excellent run” is Geoff Hurst against W.Germany, Maradona ’86, Cruyff ’74, even Wilshire against Barca……..

AFC Forever

Samesong

Yes, I agree I should have conducted myself better.

Jaroda

Amazingly for our worst season ever, we still have 3 points more than at this stage last season….

AFC Forever

Winthorpe,

Yes, I can’t disagree again. During the Benfica game when Arteta made the subs I was surprised to see people claiming Saka was going to right back, just before he laid on the winner. The system we play is not dissimilar to the way City play, it’s fluid and we don’t have full-backs as we used to in the days of a traditional back 4. Unfortunately, Bellerins delivery lets him down and because he isn’t a natural defender he sometimes doesn’t see danger. In both those areas I think Cedric is better.

Davey

Does any Arsenal fan out there rate Bellerin over Cedric for right back- just curious

Samesong

AFC

I’ll be straight up with you right now so we can move forward. I find you annoying at times but also some of your posts make sense when your’e not in Arteta defence mode.

I have no opinion on the manager at this very time. So I am on the fence.

I just want to win games by hook or by crook

And yesterday’s win brought a smile to my face.

Tom

Small margins has been the underlying trend in our season thus far and both Leicester games illustrated this better than any other. We were better by a mile in the reverse fixture but lost to a sucker punch and we were better yesterday but let’s not kid ourselves we easily could’ve lost this one as well. I picked Arsenal to win and didn’t have a huge problem with the line up for obvious reasons, but the game could’ve been over in the first eight minutes tbh. Arsenal defense for the first goal was diabolical. Mari gets a lot of criticism… Read more »

Pierre

I suppose ESR getting injured solves the CAM conundrum, for the moment anyway . Let’s hope he’s not out for too long. I’m not sure why there have been question marks about the strength of the squad . As far as I’m concerned , squad strength isn’t an issue.. Our 2nd string have always done well in the cup comps over the last few years and been given little credit for it, not on Le grove anyway. To me , in Arteta’s mind , there are possibly only 6 definite starters when we have a fit squad . They are… Read more »

Tom

Arteta was ridiculed for bigging up Willian after his Benfica performance and I threw my obligatory barb at his —Willian created the Tierney goal— comment in as well, but it was good management if you’re honest. Willian is on big money and not going anywhere, so helping him rediscover any semblance of his former Chelsea form, whether by actions or words, is a good thing for Arsenal.

DivineSherlock

Emiratesstroller

Not sure how you make Martinelli fit and sharp again if you only pick him on the bench , also team was 3-1 up against Leicester . He could’ve used those minutes instead of Auba. The narrative that he is not ready is bs though. If fit he should be competing for a start or as a sub.

Kroenkephobe

Green Bay If you morons cant see that as statistically significant, then I give up. I have a low tolerance threshold for stupid people You also called people on here yesterday a “deluge of cunts”. It’s not the sign of a hard man nor a clever man to use language like this. Is it an outlet for your stress or something? Either way you should give it a rest because it makes you seem ridiculous and the opposite of what you’re trying to project. We’re all Gooners on here after all. My advice? Stick to the football and your dislike… Read more »

Rich

Most games are decided by fine margins The more quality we’ve got in and around both penalty areas, the higher chances we’ve got of pushing the margins in our favour I think we’re well setup, it’s individual errors, and our capacity to shoot ourselves in the face, that’s hurt us this season, along with the lack of creativity in our midfield before Boxing -Day What I think will come back and bite us in the second half of the season, is our lack of competition at left back If anything happens to any of our three full backs, we’ll be… Read more »

Gonsterous

Pedro

I enjoyed the win but I’m not running out screaming arteta is saviour, because he’s definitely not.

Arteta is in it for himself, great for us in the short run but by the time he leaves, we will be left with a bunch of pensioners, and no top prospect youngsters at the club.

Then you can petition another wannabe and re run your old slogan of trust the process.

Tom

Pedro,
Piecing together it was not.
There’s a difference between going over the entire 90 minutes looking for any situation an opposing team could’ve done better against us and maybe scored.
This was the opening minutes of the game and had we gone down by two we probably wouldn’t have come back.

englandsbest

Great stuff, Pedro. Essentially a paean of praise for Arteta. About time, too. He is the best thing that has happened at Arsenal since the great Wenger/Dein combo ended. Howls of derision from some at the mention of Wenger, but between them they brought us the best football ever played by the Club The question has never been ‘How soon can we be rid of him?’ Anybody with judgement never doubted the quality of the man. The real question is: ‘How long will he stay?” My way of answering is this: Arteta would never have left Man C for any… Read more »

Leedsgunner

With regards to the summer and recruitment I have two thoughts. Money is going to be tight, and I think if we want to spend big we will need to sell big. Personally I would suggest our greatest need is to improve our midfield with someone who can complement Partey… but I think other areas will need depth and improvement. Bellerin for Firpo (and some cash say £15m) seems reasonable. Bellerin has been a good servant to the club, and if he wants to go home and provided we can get decent amount of value in return I don’t begrudge… Read more »

Leedsgunner

*doing that…

Tom

Let me ask you this Pedro, if you concede a goal in a manner we conceded the first one , do you want the ball straight from the restart right back at your keepers feet with Vardy running at him ?
Because unfortunately our players thought this was a good idea, apparently.
It’s not nitpicking against your own team, it’s just pointing out obvious mental mistakes we keep making .

Emiratesstroller

Divine Sherlock

Martinelli is a very courageous lad and he went into some very hard tackles and it looked on
at least two occasions that he might have got injured.

I don’t know what the medical advice has been but perhaps the manager has been advised to handle him very carefully this season.

As I posted earlier I would be careful with him this season.

Kroenkephobe

Leeds Good piece. I can’t see beyond Bissouma for that midfield position. Has a real presence, good passing and is toughened to the rigours of the PL. Berge? I hear you but I think he’s a bit of a down grade. Agree on Eddie – I could see him doing well elsewhere but he doesn’t fit in with the way we play up front. By the way, Laca gave a master class yesterday on how to play with his back to the goal. Made me all nostalgic for Alan Smith. I know it’s only WBA, but I reckon AMN’s stock… Read more »

Leedsgunner

Martinelli is a boy with fight and immense talent. I want him to last the distance and not end up broken like Wilshere. It’s a marathon and not a sprint… he needs to be patient and learn learn learn.

DivineSherlock

I think Martinelli offers more on that left side than Willian or Pepe /Aubameyang . Even Tierney said so earlier in the season that he was a handful in training. I’ll admit I have a bias and would love to see him play sooner rather than later , maybe you are right and medical team might have to do something with his less playing time .

Kroenkephobe

Tom
For a side supposedly packed with creativity, we’re absolutely piss from kick offs. The other fallback is to work it back to Holding who then leathers it diagonally to the overloaded left wing position where it either sails over someone’s head or gets cut out by their RB. The antithesis of what they try to do for the rest of the game.

Leedsgunner

Kronkeprobe I reckon Brighton will want £50m plus for Bissouma though… and I reckon teams with deeper pockets will go in for him; hence me suggesting Berge. Right age profile, ex Barcelona, plus I believe he and Odegaard are good friends from their time in the Norwegian national team. Of course we could afford Bissouma IF we sold the likes of Nketiah, AMN, Chambers, and Elneny smartly and ploughed that all that money straight into the first team…. in fact I would love it if we did that. I rather one class player than three or four average ones. When… Read more »

Guembusy

People who feel that the “since Christmas table is nonsense”, will change their mind if we could have the “until Christmas table” in parallel. Only blind can’t see the progress.

Tom

Not to flog a dead horse but there’s a reason most teams , even Man City, put the ball up the pitch from the kick off. Your body and mind might not yet be up the speed so you want the ball far away from your own goal. Even more so when you concede an early goal due to some calamitous defending with half the players throwing their arms in the air looking for scapegoats. Then you stand around dejected for two minutes looking at your opponent celebrating, and then send it right back into the danger zone from the… Read more »

Kroenkephobe

Leeds,

Fair comment. I had Bissouma at about 30 (but I shop at Lidls rather than Waitrose) . Selling is almost as important as buying this summer – need to start next season with fewer makeweights in the squad.

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