JOSH KROENKE TALKS A RESPONSIBLE GAME, TIME TO PROVE IT WITH ACTION

by .

I thought it was brave of Arsenal exec leadership to jump on Teams with the fans yesterday. Josh and Vinai fucked up. They have apologised to everyone and they took a whole load of questions on the chin.

The challenge with interview questions is that to be good at them, you can’t be emotional. Arsenal fans have been in an extreme pit of hell this week and I think the tension led to questions the exec team could handle.

We didn’t learn a lot from the call, only the things we’ve been talking about all week.

Arsenal didn’t lead the charge on the Super League, but they said yes. We didn’t break the windows, but we had our hands on the goods. The semantics of it don’t matter, we were involved, the fans busted the ruse, and now we are where we are.

There are a few things that don’t matter.

Trust.

Honestly, who cares about trust? What does trust really equate to for us? It’s not tangible. It doesn’t make my experience with Arsenal that much better. It’s just not that important.

Trust, for fans in 2021 isn’t earned… it’s spent.

The stories spreading through the internet are that the club is going to heavily invest in this football club this summer to make up for what they did.

Hold on… what? As a reward for bad behaviour, ownership is going to invest in their own product to make it more competitive?

It’s absurd logic on many levels, but mark my words, if there’s a £100m summer incoming, no one will care about ‘trust.’

The struggle I have with Josh, Vinai, and the execs that went before is they create these weird battlefields in the minds of the fans.

‘Long-term heavy investment is not sustainable’

Firstly, football in general is one of the most sustainable businesses in the world. How many professional clubs went to the wall during the global pandemic? Not many. Football is robust, it never goes broke, it always survives.

Second point, long-term high-level investment is only unsustainable for clubs that don’t want to do it. One of the big issues in the game is that certain clubs use bottomless pits of cash as their weapon of mass destruction, that won’t stop and will always happen as long as there’s oil in the ground.

Third point… if Arsenal just did things properly, they wouldn’t need to keep investing at high levels in the long term because they’d have a sustainable model that buys low, sells high, and constantly feeds high-quality players into the first team or out the door for big fees to other clubs.

Josh talks a good ‘I’m the only sensible businessman in the room’ game but he doesn’t produce evidence of it in the things he does and signs off.

Signing Willian on a 3-year deal at 32 years old for £250k a week was not long-term thinking. We know Chelsea had £120k a week 2 year deal on the table. We know Spurs couldn’t afford him. We know the player didn’t want to leave London. With all that leverage, we still managed to pay double and give an extra year, and no one suffered the consequences of wasting £39m of money we didn’t have when it came to funding the Gunnersaurus.

David Luiz, on big, big money, at 34 is not long-term thinking. £24m all in to replace Koscielny in season one. Then we went in again after he had a shocking season. Will we go there again?

Auba on a mega new deal, at 31, was not long-term thinking. I understand why it happened, if he’d scored 30 goals this season, we’d be 4th, not 9th… but a disciplined businessman with a long-term view would have sold.

Crying about the mess we’re in when it’s of our own making is unacceptable at this point in time.

Here’s the thing, Arsenal fans constantly complain about investment without realizing we’re one of the highest net spenders in the league.

The problem isn’t money, it’s that we give that money to people that spend it badly. That’s on Josh and no one else.

If there’s money available this summer, then he needs to set some rules for how it can be used.

  • No contracts to players over the age of 28. Harsh, but needed.
  • No players over the age of 24 should be signed.
  • Edu needs to shift players out of the club and raise capital. If we win the Europa League, don’t give deals to the bums that have us in 9th right now. Move them on. Be ruthless
  • Every name we consider needs to come with a scouting report, no more deals with super-agent buddies.

Josh should get an advisor that has worked in football at a high level behind the scenes. A Chief of Staff type that can help him with decisions and call bullshit on people that don’t give a fuck. Edu cannot be trusted. Look at his relationship with Kia. Look at some of the financial decisions he’s made with certain players. How did the physio get his job in the medical department? Who vetted that? Who continues to let the contacts people do contacts things that look the same as the contacts person before? Where is the control in the system? What have we learned? Where are the checks and balances that stop this summer being a disaster in which we waste cash again because we’re so damn slow to figure out average talent?

Arsenal need structure, we need to get back to some basic principles, and we need to do things the hard way.

Joe Willock is pulling up trees at Newcastle, sell him. Eddie has prestige on his name, sell him. Sell Reiss, Mavropanos, Torreira, and Matteo. Do not give a new deal with David Luiz. Sell Lacazette at his peak and don’t be tempted by another player looking for that golden goodbye.

Then invest in the future. WIlliam Saliba is going to be one of our 4 centre backs next season, give him games. Martinelli, Flo B, Odegaard, ESR, and Saka are the exciting core of a team we should build around. Arsenal need to build on that ‘U21 minutes’ table we’re top of this season because it makes fans happy and the strategy of growing a team from youth level up is better than one of cobbling together old players that used to be good… ‘one last job for the boys’ is not a sustainable vision. What you want is to build towards the Champions League with young/hungry players, so when you get there, you can compete for 5 years.

I might be in the minority here, but I don’t want to see more of Josh. I don’t care what he has to say about his love for the brand. What I’d like is less talk, more action, smarter thinking. Don’t tell me you’re a loving owner, show me, with an exciting vision, paired with a disciplined plan, activated upon with brutal efficiency.

Arsenal PR needs to sit down with Arteta and use this crisis as an opportunity for him. Let him sell the future, give him better talking points, use the end of season to blood the kids and ‘maybe’ win a trophy. This whole debacle really does shine a light on what Arsenal is at the moment, I know many can’t see it now, but Arteta really is the least of our problems right now.

Time for Arsenal to stop making life so fucking hard on themselves. Make smart decisions, even if they are hard. Move the club forward. Build on the worst season in living memory on and off the pitch.

Josh K has the privilege of fixing the most exciting problem in world football. He’s barely 40. Fix it, and he’ll go from a football insurrectionist to a god. It’s that simple. Make Arsenal great. Give trust to those that deserve it. Get back to basics and stop trying to shortcut sporting greatness.

Time to move forward.

There’s some actual football later today. I’m hoping to see something innovative out there. No strikers, what are we going to do?!

See you in the comments. x

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Gazzap

Danish why? If we lose 5 league games but win the Europa why does the league form matter at all? We’ve seen arsenal regularly doing nothing in the league and then turn it on in Europa.
The Europa form has been completely separate from the league.

Dissenter

Leno provided an ASSIST for that goal.

Nelson

I read that ESL is only on hold. Let’s join ESL again.

Ishola70

Arteta won’t cut it in the long run at Arsenal even if he pulls of a couple of more wins in the Europa League and bags it.

He will be found out again in the longer drawn out EPL.

Graham

Protest tonight was misdirected.

Arteta out should have been the chant.

Gazzap

This move to using ceballos all the time is probably the most worrying thing for me. He really isn’t good enough. I’m concerned he’ll start against Villarreal.

Jim+furnell

The club is a shambles, please let Spotify buy us, at least we’d be cool, let them buy out the contracts. You know who, let them install a manager, not a poster boy rookie, let them invest in youth, Let them spend £40M to get Emi back. Fuck me that was fucking awful.

Nelson

Dis
“Leno provided an ASSIST for that goal.”
————————————————————–

Assist and score all in one!

Graham

Arsenal have lost nine of their 25 home fixtures in all competitions this season (W11-D5-L9). It is the most competitive home defeats the Gunners have suffered in a single campaign since 1929-30 (9). Arsenal have lost seven of their 17 Premier League home matches this campaign (W6-D4-L7). Only in 1992-93 (7) have the Gunners lost as many PL home fixtures in a single season (42-match campaign at Highbury). Arsenal have failed to score in 12 different Premier League matches this season. Not since 1994-95 (14, 42-match season) have the Gunners failed to net in more different PL matches in a… Read more »

The only very slither of hope I hold on to is that usually when the owners of a football club start to get flack from the fans, the first person to get sack is the manager so….every cloud has a silver lining, doesn’t it?

azed

Arsenal have lost 13 of their 33 Premier League matches this campaign (W13-D7-L13). Only in 2017-18 (13) have the Gunners lost as many PL fixtures in a 38-match season. Arsenal have lost nine of their 25 home fixtures in all competitions this season (W11-D5-L9). It is the most competitive home defeats the Gunners have suffered in a single campaign since 1929-30 (9). Arsenal have lost seven of their 17 Premier League home matches this campaign (W6-D4-L7). Only in 1992-93 (7) have the Gunners lost as many PL home fixtures in a single season (42-match campaign at Highbury). Arsenal have failed… Read more »

Graham

If Stan and josh want to show they care for the club and fans it’s pretty easy just sack the intern this evening and get a manager who has actually managed.

Matt

Whether it’s the start or the end, you can always rely on Arsenal to ruin a weekend.

We have so many problems it’s scary.

Graham

Best bit if Spotify buy us is we won’t need to pay the players as that seems to be their business model.

TheLegendaryDB10

This is a disaster. The biggest problem here is Arteta.

We are at the start of a rebuild with a novice manager at the helm.

We need someone who can lay the seeds of a team and their identity. And that someone has to be experienced enough to know how to forge this bond.

Arteta is not that man.

Does anyone with business management skills approve of such a move? A novice in a key position? I doubt it. So why do it here at the Arsenal?

azed

One point from Everton,Burnley,Leicester
Aston Villa,Wolves,and Fulham at home.

Benjamin

Why would anyone want u’s to be in CL? Ee would be embarrassed every week.

Nelson

Did Pedro said that Arteta is better than Ancelotti. He lost both games to Carlo!

Leedsgunner

Leno says he would think of leaving… he is more than welcome to do so. I hate that he is carrying on like he is doing us this big favour.

What a mess our league campaign has turned out to be.

into the red

This is the team being touted for a Super League of the best in Europe. You couldn’t make it up. Here are some stats from the BBC: Arsenal have lost 13 of their 33 Premier League matches this campaign (W13-D7-L13). Only in 2017-18 (13) have the Gunners lost as many PL fixtures in a 38-match season. Arsenal have lost nine of their 25 home fixtures in all competitions this season (W11-D5-L9). It is the most competitive home defeats the Gunners have suffered in a single campaign since 1929-30 (9). Arsenal have lost seven of their 17 Premier League home matches… Read more »

Kroenkephobe

The club is becoming dead to me. Arteta is acting like an enemy within. Four losses to various species of bin dippers out of four games. Surely he must have some pride and will pack his bags soon.

MidwestGun

Pretty sad when the best thing about the match was the pre-game protest against the owner.

Again, big respect to all those that went.
Pretty clear why we need it to happen…. game was an exclamation point to that message.

Peckobill

Arteta collecting bad records like a kid collects panini stickers

MLC

The board should, regardless of the final result of the Europa League, start a process of replacing Arteta at the end of the season, I know that several players are not good enough, but neither is the coach, imagine if the coach were someone with no connection with the club, certainly he would have been scolded by a large part of the crowd at this point

We’ve definitely improved, on the downward trajectory at least.

Champagne Charlie

Fuck me, more pining after Martinez who literally cried to get out the club. Unreal. He’s having the season of his life and has conceded a whole ONE less than Leno.

We’re not going to be relevant at anything if we don’t address the attack. 43 goals in 33 games, a last minute equaliser against Fulham last time, no meaningful chance in 90 minutes this time.

We’re nothing short of terrible in attack. The 3 best attacks in the PL are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the table this year. I am shocked.

Gazza

We seem to make a mistake every game to give away a goal, however we play boring football with no identity so cannot not blame Arteta

Radio Raheem

No need fretting over Roma they’re shit.

Words+on+a+Blog

Arsenal: superlative super leaguers playing super football and owned by the super Kroenkes and managed by super-saucy Arteta.

Keep the faith guys.

At least we’re not managed by that bum Emery.

azed

Leicester hadn’t won away at Arsenal since 1973 before this season.

Wolves not since 1979.

Burnley hadn’t won away at the Gunners since 1974.

Everton hadn’t won away at Arsenal since 1995-96

In Sauce we trust

@Champagbe Charlie

I know, I’m beginning to pine for Chris kiwomya, that’s how bad we are upfront

Spanishdave

I am done until Arteta goes it’s so depressing

La croqueta

So many of us said selling emi and giving leno the no.1 shirt (EVEN THOUGH WE WON THE THE FA CUP WITH EMI) was a big mistake. We were told stop being ridiculous Leno is clearly the superior keeper. Any apologies?

Peckobill

Honestly what are reasons for sticking with arteta ? A non negotiable put on himself should surely be this feeble league campaign

Hell I’d even ring gus Caesar up and ask if he’d like to start upfront for our next game

Pierre

VAR deemed Pepe offside by drawing the red line using his elbow , which is a little confusing as I didn’t think you could score with your elbow( unless the rules have changed) .

Alternately, Everton’s goal was deemed good despite the red line showing Richarlson’s head was offside , of which I’m sure you can score with ( unless the rules have changed).

It’s Europe or bust now , would rather lose tonight than on Thursday..

Lacaqualidie

Peckobill
April 23, 2021 22:10:45

Arteta collecting bad records like a kid collects panini stickers
——————————-
But there was always that rare sticker called the Europa League that was a proper bugger to get.

Ishola70

MLC

“The board should, regardless of the final result of the Europa League, start a process of replacing Arteta at the end of the season”

Agreed. If we win Europa League thank him but move on.

It will be the FA Cup win scenario all over again.

People have got to realise that winning cup games in secondary competitions is not on the same level as consistently doing well over a whole season in the EPL.

Peckobill

Laca
The one you never did quite get

Matt B

About as bad as anything I’ve seen all season. Arteta’s coaching was never in doubt– I get that he’s widely regarded etc. but it’s never been about that, its always been about his questionable decision-making and poor man-management. 1. Why piss-around with the goalkeeper position the last few games? 2. Why play around with Pepe as he comes into form? 3. Nketiah? Appalling performance tonight — why? 4. No Balogun? 5. Not starting with with Martinelli after these last few games? 6. Why play about with the right-back position when its so obvious Chambers is best? So yes, I get… Read more »

Words+on+a+Blog

It’s the combination of ridiculous VAR decisions and ridiculous Artetaball whic is so infuriating and depressing.

Plus the knowledge that, no matter how low we go, the Kroenkes will still be there, feeling our pain – whether it’s a cold night in Stoke or a shitty warm night in North London

into the red

Well, Arteta spent more time sucking up to Kroenke the last few days than saying anything remotely interesting, so this is the result of his thinking – bland corporate football, played with zero motivation or passion. Don’t rock the boat, eh boys, keep the greenbacks rolling in.

The thing is you just know Leno won’t be dropped

David Smith

As predictably bad as we are, am I the only one who thinks we are getting a really harsh deal from officials/ VAR these days?
Luiz -maybe not worth a new deal, but I think overall, we seem better and more stable with him , think we will miss him in Europe

azed

$10 says Pedro blames this defeat on the distraction caused by the super League.

Matt B

CC: Totally agree about our attack but why was Nketiah so lacklustre? It was his opportunity to shine. That says something about Arteta for me, especially when there was no Martinelli from the off…

Ishola70

Matt B

“Sadly and with resignation, I’m Arteta out…”

Said with Dragon’s Den precision.

bacaryisgod

Leno: I feel badly for him. If Martinez hadn’t shown himself to be superb last season then Leno would have received far less criticism this season. He was looking good today but that was a freak mistake. Martinez isn’t coming back and whatever budget we have needs to be spent in other areas. We should get behind our keeper because confidence is everything in that position. Xhaka: He’s vulnerable when isolated against a quick striker. Teams will continue to exploit his. We have to take our chances with Cedric vs. Villareal even though it’s not ideal. Arteta: He’s going to… Read more »

Peckobill

Can’t understand why he Pepe off either he wasn’t brilliant but he was by far the best of the attackers tonight though , plus a player more likely to score . I really like ESR bug thought wasn’t as good as normal and should have been the one to come off

Matt B

DS: Yes, I think we’ve been unlucky with VAR but the only reason we lost that was due to a mistake by Leno. It seemed we were on course to win. No thanks to Luiz, our defenders were fine tonight

Lacaqualidie

Pecko – but there was always that kid in the playground who had two of them and he wouldn’t take 20 cards of dross in exchange for one of them even if he needed all 20.

We were all glad when the latest fad changed to marbles or yo-yos.

Mr Serge

Nketiah is garbage

Mr Serge

Var is ruining the game

Benjamin

He’s going to get slammed for another historic record being broken but this game was not on him.

All on him, all day long!!

Words on a blog

Watching this depressingly insipid performance, the thought springs to mind: what is so fucking generational about Arteta’s coaching?

Br0wnie

Eddie gets a big chance tonight and doesn’t show much against a team on it’s heals a good part of the night. No Balogun on the bench. It was a perfect opportunity to get him minutes today. What the hell is with that? Is arteta playing a game of chicken with him? If you sign you play if you don’t you don’t? I don’t like that one bit

Ishola70

Words on a blog

“what is so fucking generational about Arteta’s coaching?”

Nothing really.

He manages and plays tactics like a rookie really.

Plays the percentages game either end of the pitch.

Very rarely gets the team to actually control matches.

SWG

We are a fucking mess, it’s as simple as that. The players are a bunch of fucking idiots.. one week it’s Leno, then it’s Xhaka, then it’s Cedric, need I go on anymore? If it’s not one it’s any one ofthe other 5 muppets who play most weeks. Moving on from the personal blunders, the football is so fucking average. If our youth products ain’t quite on it, we look like a team just above relegation. Partey seriously ain’t the answer, I was so excited when we signed him but on his off days he’s one of our worst players!… Read more »

MilanoGooner

What’s with the Arteta fetish of sacrificing the Right Back when chasing a game? Another one of his weird in-game management theories that are just hard to understand

Dissenter

Ceballos is an utter disgrace
If an opposition player went down with negligible contact, I would be livid
I know people will say that Richarlison would have gone down the same way had the shoe been on the other foot but damn…that looked very much like a dive.

The referee was fooled and proceeded to do abracadabra with the offside line to cover his blushes upon review.

Champagne Charlie

Matt B

Don’t agree, think it’s very much the case of Nketiah showing his limitations. Puts in effort but his quality is lacking.

I’d prefer to see Martinelli, but arguably not tonight given midweek is so important and both the senior guys are already out. Plus Gabi’s game right now is about him going 100mph, anything less and he’s less effective.

I’ve commented on our poor options in attack for some time, I simply don’t think they’re a good mix at all. The ‘best’ of the lot are fresh out the academy which kind of says it all.

Matt B

Bacaryisgod: Agree with a lot of that.

Partey: Very, very good yes, but also annoying. His shooting is shite. Some geezer on here a few weeks ago was moaning about Xhaka being shit and not scoring. Partey is unlikely to score a goal anywhere near as good as that which Xhaka has scored for us

Peckobill

Laca
It was always the fat kid as well for some reason

Matt

SWG

Spot on with most points.

Dissenter

bacaryisgone
Regarding Leno,
It’s not a freak accident when it’s been part and parcel of his game. That was ingrained into Leno as at the time we got him from Leverkusen.

Mark

Martinelli came really close to scoring. Why did he only get subbed on after 73 mins!!! Nketiah has not been played for weeks. All of a sudden, when Martinelli looks like he could get a run. The tinkering idiot suddenly decides Eddie is the answer, over Martinelli 🤔🤔🤔 I’ll say it again Arteta doesn’t know how to use what he has and in no way does he get the best out of this team. Another ‘ Generational’ negative record set by Arteta! Seasons not over yet. No European football next season, gonna be hard to spin as to exactly why… Read more »

I wonder if the football pundits will now admit Arteta is not the right man

Pierre

We could have done with Mesut Ozil out there today, not enough guile and composure I’m afraid.

Matt B

Diss: ‘…Cebellos a fucking disgrace’

Are you serious? We obviously watched a different game. Forget the nonsense kick on the shin, he was excellent tonight

Ishola70

You could see in that first half that Everton were beginning to take control of that central midfield. You actually saw three Everton midfielders combine in the centre of the pitch to give them a base to work from. Now Everton were not really good overall and Arsenal forced them back in the second half but the warning signs were there in that first half with Everton claiming that central midfield and they are not even a real top side. We hardly ever see Arsenal under Arteta claim a central midfield. People so underestimate the importance of giving yourself that… Read more »

Dissenter

Willian will forever be the anchor around Arteta ‘s neck.
Maybe.he will explode in the UEFA cup final and score a hat trick against United.

Words on a blog

Arsenal: an average mid table team managed by an average mid table manager

andy1886

Fishing Pierre?

Or maybe he’s tearing it up in Turkey, I haven’t bothered to find out.

Matt B

CC: Kind of get where you’re going, although I thought our attack was pretty good last year with Auba. Would you let Laca go this year?

Ishola70

Pierre
“We could have done with Mesut Ozil out there today, not enough guile and composure I’m afraid.”

Never saw Mesut Ozil along with others control an Arsenal central midfield Pierre.

A bit further up yes in matches but never in the centre of midfield.

Pierre

Charlie
You need to start questioning the manager.

Before Arteta arrived , we scored goals.
After Arteta arrived we have struggled to score goals.

Work it out .

Words on a blog

I have to say: everything about Arsenal is so depressing at the moment.

It’s really, really hard to see how we move
on from the rut we are in.

S23

Another timid performance,poor substitutions time wise and the portal of doom that is Willian. As we all know it is all on the EL and I really dont see us pulling anything off there. Mr Arteta’s limitations and inexperience have been laid bare and he should be moved on at the end of the season ,quietly out of the back door. I feel the stadium will be a bear pit once the fans are let back in,and rightly so-the level of performance/committment is non-existant and these apparent professionals should be reminded of this and the standards we demand. New owners,new… Read more »

Ustyno

Arteta won’t be sack this season but come next season if after the first 15 games and we have 5Ls he will be gone because he won’t made it up with 10Ws not even Pedro’s flip flops commendation will save him

#kronkeout

Lacaqualidie

Pecko – I’d give my eye’s teeth to be a primary school kid again. I could walk down the high street with my mum as she went shopping in an Arsenal strip and not feel like a full kit wanker!

Ishola70

When we were a serious side in the past the first thing we used to do is claim central midfield.

It was like fuck off this is ours. We own this patch of the field.

And all that lovely attacking football that people only remember came from having claimed that central midfield.

Ishola70

Never see it now.

Jay

What does the bang average Smith-rowe offer?

Pierre

Andy
Look at our results since Ozil was discarded…18 league defeats in 12 months.

It’s what you all wanted and look at where we are now.

andy1886

Okay Berndt, you’ve had a bad day but at least you’re not Ryan Giggs…

Words on a blog

Maybe we and Sours should announce that we are seceding from the Premier League, the Champions League and the the Europa League and form a North London Superleague?

Lacaqualidie

A bit harsh Jay. ESR was a standout earlier in the season. But by god do we need an overhaul and I think that includes Arteta.

andy1886

Pierre, Ozil wouldn’t have made a difference though, ESR has done more in six months than Ozil did in his last two years.

Even with the players we have we should be doing much better than this.

Gazza

Awful Awful football even our so called saving Grace is a major let down tbh..

Champagne Charlie

“although I thought our attack was pretty good last year with Auba. Would you let Laca go this year?“ No it wasn’t, we scored 56 goals last season in the league which is terrible. We scored 70 goals the season prior and then gutted our attack of Ramsey, Mkhi, Iwobi, Welbeck for Pepe….then Willian. I have no issue with any of those decisions in isolation, but you can’t tell me we’ve replaced what value/utility they brought to the team. We have talent that should be returning better than we’ve seen, and that’s on Arteta failing to strike a balance, but… Read more »

Cotswolds

Words on a blogApril 23, 2021 22:24:34
Watching this depressingly insipid performance, the thought springs to mind: what is so fucking generational about Arteta’s coaching?

It’a really difficult to go there, I so wanted arteta to be ‘the one’. It is similar to Lampard I imagine, the inevitable hope is slowly murdered by the trickle of reality. Yet, it will get better. And then a grown up takes over and everything fires. Who is the grown up ?

Champagne Charlie

Pierre

I hold Arteta accountable for giving Nketiah game time when he’s bang average. No tales of him being underrated today? Didn’t think so.

Almuniasaynomore

My God the verbal gymnastics to protect/ excuse Arteta are vomit inducing. The protest outside the ground upset the players focus( he actually created this excuse himself before the game even started) He’s a great coach just not a great manager (he cant put a football team on the pitch that can actually play well and win,so he’s not a great anything) He’s focusing on the EL ( when the fuck did he decide this? When arsenal had capitulated in everything else?) It’s on the players not him( do I even need to explain this? If so go look up… Read more »

Jay

Eddie Nketiah is a championship bench warmer at best.

Champagne Charlie

Arsenal have failed to score in 8 out of 17 home games in the league this season.

But…Leno, Luiz, Xhaka or whoever else is on brand.

bacaryisgod

Pierre-

Ozil’s absence has nothing to do with our current form. I respect your loyalty to him but his productivity had slumped well before he got dropped.

How about telling us how Ozil has done since leaving Arsenal instead of how Arsenal have done since leaving Ozil out?

Valentin

Arteta is the reason for those insipid, boring, backward passing, poor performance. Setting up the team so wide just play into Everton hands. When Martinelli replaced Nkethia, he was also starved of any services. We can blame Xhaka for losing Richarlison, but he is not a left back. Playing him was always ending up in a goal conceded after being skinned by a speedy attacker. It just took longer than expected because we had not yet faced a team that the nous and ability to attack on that side. Leno was due a clanger, so hopefully he has done his… Read more »

bacaryisgod

Make no mistake about Arteta. He’s done a horrible job in so many ways this season. I can’t figure out if it’s primarily due to inexperience or a deeper personality flaw. Regardless, only a Europa League win should save him at this point. I would find it hard to advocate for his sacking him this summer if he gets us past both Villareal and then probably Man United.

WengerEagle

Well Piere you got what you wished for tonight with that line up.

Eddie predictably, was crap. What do us morons on Le Grove really know though, eh? Lol.

Samesong

I like Pierre posts but that stat thing about Eddie was very misleading. He offers nothing on the pitch. I’d rather see Balogun all day long.

People have a good eye for players and Eddie from what I have seen is no Ian Wright.

Maybe its the system we play? I don’t know but his level still England and u18s level could not be transfered to first team level.