Arteta is getting harder and harder to defend.
Another loss. Some mitigating circumstances. A huge self-inflicted wound. The end.
Let’s talk about VAR, because it feels like it interferes with us quite regularly. 15 seconds after we won a penalty, the refs in the sky were called upon to pick apart whether Pepe was offside on the break. They use Microsoft Paint tools to ascertain this, I am sure that in years to come, we’ll find out that the tech is shite, then they make a bad decision. Pepe was level, the discussion should have been more about Ceballos making a meal of a kick to the shin.
In tennis, they have hawkeye, every decision is made from a consistent angle with the same process. This offside tool cannot possibly be accurate when they use random cameras in the stadium. It is absurd… but more to the point, when did an elbow become interfering with play? How did we let it get to this? Who was arguing we needed this level of faux-precision. As we’re talking about re-working football, PGMOL needs to be crushed and something more professional and accountable needs to rise from the ashes. This is not acceptable.
We miss out on that penalty, make 1 mistake, and a low margins game becomes another loss.
A draw and no one cares.
A loss and everyone that said the league is dead goes into Arteta Out mode, but at this point, I can’t blame them. He doesn’t help himself.
If we’re all about Europa, then there shouldn’t have been so many exceptionally important players in the starting 11.
If we’re all about seeing what works for next season, we shouldn’t be giving Eddie minutes because he ‘deserves’ them. You know who deserved minutes through the middle? Gabi Martinelli.
As for the football, it wasn’t as shocking as everyone made out. The build up play from the back was really solid, we moved the ball around nicely, we just had no bite in a box that lacked our two most expensive strikers.
At this point though, it’s hard to keep pointing to nice things that you see, because we lost again.
It’s hard to say, well, with another manager, it’d be worse… because it probably wouldn’t be. We have a better squad now than under Emery or Wenger, and it’s still shite.
The main thing you can point to is that moving towards something way more advance under Arteta. But look, if the thing Arteta is bringing our way is this fucking complicated, then it’s going to need about 10 players to make it functional. At some point, you need something that can deliver better than this for the money we’ve invested in the squad.
I am so deeply into the project that I need to see how it pans out this summer before I fly a plane over the stadium with ‘I WAS WRONG FORGIVE ME’, but it’s starting to look bleak.
I’ve said it before. In business, you need to be able to come up with ideas, sell them, and make them a reality… most people are good at two. Mikel seems to be good at the first two. He’s not producing it on the pitch, and if we’re honest, we’re not even close to seeing what the end goal is if you look across an entire season.
I don’t know how he bridges that gap between ideas and production. This interim mode we have between shite and top 4 is going to finish us 12th in the league.
On a positive note, the shade of shite we’re in at the moment is not pre-Christmas, but it’s still losing us games.
Our defensive structure is still strong, I thought we did a good job with a very physical team yesterday.
If that game had finished 0-0, you could probably excuse being toothless without Auba and Laca… but peel back that story, those two have offered very little in front of goal this season.
Bern Leno looks utterly wrecked.
Auba can’t score.
We still make cataclysmic errors.
There’s no luck that follows Arteta with anything.
Those are a lot of kinks to iron out of the system.
What could save it all?
A Europa League win.
If Arteta had kept our early 2021 form flying into the summer, he’d have an easier ride into next season. He hasn’t. Now, he has to win that trophy.
Not because he’ll be fired this summer, chances are he won’t be… but because he has to start planning for a life with fans in the stadium. They will not be forgiving if this shit happens next season, at any point.
Unai Emery should have been sacked after he lost the Europa League, it was clear where the project was going… but we knew even if he wasn’t there’d be no forgiveness in the system from the fans if things started to tank the next season.
Arteta will be the hero manager that won two trophies against the odds if we beat Villareal and Roma/United. You just won’t be able to argue against him. The first European trophy since 1994.
However, if he loses against Emery. He has actually betrayed me personally… and football.
If he loses in the final, no fan will bemoan United are better than us, it’ll be on Arteta for not finding a way in a huge moment.
Honestly, fuck the Everton game. It was a dead one. Most of you were saying you didn’t care about the league.
It’s all about Villareal.
Arteta needs his team to go into beast mode and pull Emery apart.
This squad is all about the cup.
Can they do it?
Do they want to do it?
This week is HUGE.
PROTEST
Never have I been more jealous not to be in London. Arsenal fans showed up like heroes to protest the owners. It was a magical scene that reverberated around the world.
I don’t know if KSE folk feel shame, they should, a global fanbase soiling your rep by calling you out of being terrible owners is embarrassing.
What do they have to stay for?
Fans hate them.
They’re absolutely skint and don’t want to invest.
The Super League is dead.
Football is reaching something like peak. Clubs are spending all the money they have and it doesn’t seem like TV wants to offer more. Even Amazon said not to Super League.
Daniel Ek, the founder of Spotify, threw his hat in the ring to buy Arsenal. He tweeted that he loved to club and he’d be interested if they sold. That’s an Elon Musk move. His own personal wealth is less than Stan’s, but at least he knows how to run a competitive business.
Let’s see where this goes. The hope is that KSE might take the chance to exit. If we were put up for sale, we’d have lots of buyers interested. At this point, it feels like the only way we can move forward because there’s no silver bullet outside investment.
RIGHT, if you’ve never listened to our podcast before, check out this one, because it’s great. I’m joined by Johnny, Matt, and Jay. It’s a cracker. Plenty of heart and good conversation.
Just seen that red card for West Ham yesterday, what an absolute farce.
Honestly, just get rid of VAR. it’s a a shambles.
If Spurs lose today, they will elapse 5000 days without a trophy around the end of this year!
When Silent Stan moved the ‘Rams’ from St Louis to LA he pissed off at least 300,000 people (in St Louis). If you think a couple of thousand protesters at Arsenal are even going to make him blink, you are gravely mistaken !! It doesn’t matter if 50,000 Gooners protest, it means nothing to him because he doesn’t care !!
Cazorla
You got it backwards Wenger was only able to stay in power for so long because of the shambles.above.
If the shambles had ever become credible businessmen, Wenger would have been long gone during his last decade at the club.
If you call being in change of everything football holding it all together, then perhaps he didn’t hold it together very well, but that’s been done to death here.
Arteta is still here because of the shambles above.
Cazorla holding was widely considered a very dependable player and a starter in the beginning of emery’s reign until he got a long term injury which coincided with a sharp drop in our form around Christmas and our defense getting worse. He’s always been this player when he’s fit and sharp with games under his belt, he’s just been injured a while. Has mari improved under arteta? We’ve no idea unless we watched him at his last club (I didn’t). But he got a lot of plaudits for his game in South America so he’s supposed to already be good.… Read more »
The great secret to Arteta’s coaching is to buy more great players to replace players he has completely failed to help improve. It’s not impressive at all
Tony
Correct.
There are still some on here who think Arsene did a sterling job based on the shambles above.
My take on it all is the same as yours. A credible and efficient hierarchy would have ditched Wenger about eight years earlier.
Chris,
Nice stat. I enjoyed that. 60 years (sixty fucking years) since they won the league.
I’m looking forward to a point about 15 years in the future when the last remaining living spud to have experienced it is being interviewed on his deathbed.
I hope there’ll be no backsliding from City today. Winning the rumbelowmilkycarabong Cup thingy has become a rite of passage for them so I expect them to give it the.big one as usual.
Like I said I don’t blame arteta for not making every player elite. Will chambers ever be a world beater? I doubt it. Will el Neny? Ofc not. Will soares etc? Nope But how many of our players look better today than they did in emery’s first season or wengers final seasons? It’s honestly a very small number. Considering we used to lambast wenger for his hands off approach to player coaching and then emery got lambasted for being a bum, you would think generational one would be able to show us several shining examples where players clearly look like… Read more »
Wenger even at his worst was miles better than Arteta and Emery. We absolutely need to get our next managerial appointment spot on.
Wengers problem was he couldn’t coach improvements so he had to depend on brilliant recruitment. But his eye for recruiting the right players went off a cliff. The wasted money and bad contracts were all just a symptom of the problem but the real issue was he stopping buying the right players. Instead of sol Campbell it was mustafi. Instead of Sanchez it was mikki etc etc. if you can’t organize a team properly with proper tactics the solution is to buy players who can manage themselves (Sanchez, Henry, Campbell, cesc, cazorla sorts). Instead we bought flawed players who needed… Read more »
I would.disagree slightly China. Wenger was very good at getting the best out of attacking players. Defense and goalkeeping remained his Achilles heel and eventually let him down.
“Arteta gives ownership the result they deserve…” Not true. The owners have never heard of Everton. It’s the fans who are getting shafted for the second weekend in a row.
Divine sherlock “With 94.1% pass completion I think Eddie should have started in midfield than . As usual looking at stats the wrong way. Judging a striker on his pass completion rate. Whats next” One of the main criticisms from Le Groaners of Eddie is that he is weak at holding the ball up and linking the play. So when I mention such an exceptional stat for a striker, it is an acknowledgement that his hold up play was in fact very good v Everton. He is our best striker at holding up the ball as the the stats confirm.… Read more »
Win or lose against Villarreal, win or lose in the final, doesn’t really matter. There’s enough evidence gathered that Arteta is not good enough to coach Arsenal. We will be handicapping ourselves going with him into a new season. He’s worse than Emery who is widely derided as a ‘bum’ on these pages.
He’s such a reactive and timid coach who wants to micromanage every kick of the ball. He’s decision making re Willian, Martinez et al is appalling. I’d be scared to let him loose in another transfer window. We’ve passed the critical step and are on a countdown to his exit. If we had a proper footballing structure or invested owners he would be sacked like Mour before the end of the season.
Winning the EL Cup and gaining CL entry would go some way evening the losses Arteta has created in player devaluations, unnecessary big contract signings, EPL placing TV money, hoarding unplayed players who attracted offers etc.
I’ve no idea if sponsors have results caveats built into their contracts our what effects of our current status has on our brand particularly in attracting the next generation of fans.
If we don’t win the EL cup, the next manager will have to come in and help make up Arteta’s losses.
TR7 imo all wengers greatest successes were players who just needed to be set free and didn’t belong in a highly rigid tactical master plan *or* were players who could handle it themselves *or* were players who needed help but had their hand held by team mates who were able to Players like Henry, DB10, RVP, Sanchez, cesc, vieira, petit, Campbell, keown, adams did not need telling how to play. In each case they were either naturally the kinda of players who benefit most from being set free (like Henry always roaming, Sanchez doing whatever he wanted etc) or they… Read more »
18-year-old Camavinga’s current deal expires in 2022
Mustafi is what toure would’ve been if we didn’t have keown and Campbell in his ear 24/7 when he joined
And maybe mustafi could’ve been a toure with their help
It actually never really crossed my mind as I’ve always absolutely hated Mustafi as a player. But now I wonder if he was bought to be a Toure type and wenger just wrongly predicted that Koscielny would be the brains and leader of the organization to help him. Which koscielny couldn’t do not for lack of ability but because he was simply not a leader and he himself needed someone helping him.
Two talented players. One horrible partnership
“18-year-old Camavinga’s current deal expires in 2022”
Bayern will be glad to know.
Ah, the joys of Pierre.
Wenger and Ozil being “hounded”.
That’s because the shambles above them were/are incompetent fools and were unable to act sooner..
How’s it worked out for them both since leaving Arsenal?
We are where we are for a reason.
If we fail to win Europa…Arteta has to be sacked….But we all know he wont.
Only thing to solve this mess is KSE sell, new owner comes in and changes the board, manager and invests 200M+ in new players.
Never going to happen though. We will be 7th or below this time next year.
“18-year-old Camavinga’s current deal expires in 2022”
Or even more likely than Bayern – Juventus will be waiting.
Samir agreed in general tho I don’t think we need 200m to be a top 4 team. We are already should be top 6 at worst. Some smart sales and smart buys should make us a legit top 4 team next season (too much to ask for, I know!)
Then in the following couple of transfer windows a few more smart sales and good buys could have us looking like a genuinely good team for a not that high net spend.
Tho if someone will fork out 200m for us that would be nice lol
Last game, Eddie played against a rookie CB, Ben Godfrey, who didn’t mark him closely when outside the box. Eddie tried to copy Laca and helped out the buildup of the attack. But once inside the box, he was completely useless. Laca can still function inside the box and can score under close marking. Eddie can’t.
Willock mega again yesterday..the right place right time. he knows his role at Newcastle and plays accordingly. But it will be no good bringing him back under Arteta,.he will just flap around again, like most of this team. We badly need a lot of the feisty and focused that Steve Bruce would bring rather than the po – face regime we have inherited with Arteta via late Wegner… and bring Saint – Maximin with .. him..dream on..not going to happen is it..
To be fair to Eddie, he is currently not physically strong enough to be effective against EPL CB’s. He is still young and still can improve.
The stat kings are out in force this morning 🤯 I remember a time when Leon Britton for Swansea had better passing accuracy stats than Xavi and Iniesta.. considering all 3 are central midfielders and pass accuracy is a key part of their game, does that mean Leon was a better player than Xavi and Iniesta? Absolutely clueless statements from the statto’s this morning! Eddie was dross on Friday, looked like he gave up second half. His press (which usually impresses me) went completely half hearted second half. And back to passing, it’s easy to have 90%+ pass completion when… Read more »
Clearly Europa Cup is now the last chance saloon for Arsenal to qualify for Champions League. If we fail to qualify for that competition then I believe that it would be better not to qualify for Europe at all. Much better will be to focus on improving our EPL performance next season and in particular those issues in our error prone defence. There is as has been discussed a lot of dross or unwanted players in both our squad and out on loan and it is imperative that those players are taken off payroll and if possible sold. LOANEES Kolasinac… Read more »
I like how Steve Bruce applies Willock. He is a youngster His style of play is defense first and then run and gun with the ball. Against seasonal midfielders at the start of a game, he won’t be very effective. The opponents are still fresh and experienced. But in the last 20 mins when the opponents are no more fresh, Willock’s energy comes in good effect. He runs free behind Newcastle’s three attackers. His late charge into the box gives him many chances to score.
I omitted Maitland-Niles from offload list.
With or without Europa games, I don’t know how to reduce Leon’s errors.
Willock needs to stay at a club like Newcastle next season so that he can learn the basics of positioning and defense of a B to B MFwithout the pressure of returning to An Arsenal in turmoil. Then with his goal scoring talent and good pace and strength he should become an effective premiership level player.
#Leno
China1
Agreed but when was the last time Arsenal made a smart sale and purchase? The manager and everyone above him are incompetent.
When was the last time we bought someone and they’ve gone on to improve and increase in value?
“With or without Europa games, I don’t know how to reduce Leon’s errors.”
Have a competent back 4?
Samir,
Our last good sale was Iwobi. Probably our best in years.
You can argue Auba was worth it before this season.
ET you always say this and completely ignore 2 key points 1) being out of the EL will cost us 30 odd million. Our performances might be a little better if we have that 30m invested towards a worthy player, don’t you think? 2) the EL is only a distraction from the PL if you let it be with a lack of rotation. Most of the group stage games are against pub teams. To this day I find it unreal that people would turn their noses up at the money and back door chance of CL qualification (and a trophy)… Read more »
I know it’s heretical to state this but I hope we get well beaten by Villareal. If we beat them and win the Europa Cup we get back in the CL and Kroenke might feel he can claw back some much needed dosh. If we fail it might encourage him to sell. I know which outcome I would prefer.
Wenger was good at tactics, his flaw was his stubbornes to play positive football even when it was suicidal.
Near his end he did try 343,
If im Not wrong he played Arshavin as a false 9 before Pep did the same with Messi,
Played Santi as a half 8, Pep is doing the same with KDB,
Played Coquelin a RB as a DM, Klopp uses Fabinho who was a RB as a DM.
ET when arteta doesn’t get sacked and starts the new season without any European football, the league will have taken even higher importance and he will revert to type picking his old favorites for every game until he’s sacked because he’ll be too scared to give the young outsiders a chance to show their value in the other comps
I’ve said it a million times. Wanting to be outside of Europe entirely if we’re not in the CL is totally insane
Me thinks that we will sign Fulham loanee Anderson from Lyon July swapping with saliba…
Guaranteed to happen.
Art bring fancy saliba 4 sure
ES This isn’t football manager and whist now doubt that some players will leave the suggestion that you can just rip away the experience beggars beielf LOANEES Kolasinac. Agree he has not ready added anything but I read two reports one in Sportsrac say he had a 4 year deal that ends this season another that he has another 12 months. If it is a 5 year deal any fee would be nominal and even then he would want a pay off because as a free agent when he signed in the first place he will be getting something at… Read more »
Pierre
I dont care what you label people who dont agree with you , Le Groaners or Moaners or Anti football . That doesnt really prove your point , if it was Lacazette yesterday I wouldve still criticized it . I thought we were moving past that style of play where the striker has to hold the ball. But I guess thats down to Arteta and not Eddie so my bad . Still not convinced with Eddie , shouldve taken a loan like Willock and proven himself.
Terraloon
“Guendouzi. Ithink he will be coming back. Not because Arsenal will want him it’s because of his ever worsening reputation”
What’s he done lately then to worsen this reputation?
Arsenal are absolute fools to bin off a French U21 captain and not consider him for a squad place when he has shown some promise when they have such a shit overall central midfield.
His contract is running out anyway.
If he comes back and indicates that he wants to mend bridges then Arsenal should renew it.
Emirates stroller would rather have us be out of UEFA Europe completion against Dundalk but be competing midweek in the European super league. That flawed position has been debunked and rebutted repeatedly but he still keeps making it. Europa league is worth some money to the coffers. Europa league carries some prestige in itself, albeit it less that the CLs Europa league provided opportunities to keep a large squad happy and involved. How anyone can defend a position of Arsenal being out of Europe since 1996. We are approaching Thursday’s game without form. It will take a near miracle to… Read more »
Dissenter
“It will take a near miracle to get a result at Villarreal and away games have been our strength in the EL.”
I wouldn’t go that far.
Villarreal are not a top Spanish side and if Arsenal apply real direct pace against them then they can cause them problems.
But as said before any result would not surprise me. Win, lose or draw. No idea what is going to happen.
Fewer games to play will mean that Arteta’s selection headaches will get worse because he won’t have the benefit of more games to tinker or experiment.
Fewer games to play also means that Arteta will have more time to over-coach certain players and confuse them more.
When Gabriel first came from Lille, his natural talent was superb. His performances have slowly dipped with the benefit of Arteta’s generational coaching.
Alcacer and Chukwueze are the type of players that give Arsenals defenders boxer stains
You heard it here 1st!
Ishola
Villarreal aren’t a top side it we are going there without a fit senior striker, a goalie that provides assists for innocuous crosses and uncertain central defense.
We are taking a home loss to Everton and scrappy draw against Fulham to Thursday’s game.
Mid-level Spanish clubs have dominated the EL because they have more know-how and guile than mid-level premier league clubs [like Arsenal under Arteta]
We’ll be in trouble If we didn’t get a definitive result like a win on Thursday, I fancy Villarreal to win or draw at the Emirates, next week.
* Villarreal aren’t a top side but we are going there without a fit senior striker, a goalie that provides assists for innocuous crosses and uncertain central defense.
We are taking a home loss to Everton and scrappy draw against Fulham to Thursday’s game.
I will say one thing about the Villarreal game though.
If Arteta tries to be cute and out tactic them and play cagey he is likely to fail.
Villarreal are a workman like side with plenty of experience in their side and have a bit of nous. More nous than Arsenal.
What Arsenal have that Villarreal don’t is real genuine pace in the side uptop coupled with some youthful exuberance.
Arteta has to let the players off the leash again like against Slavia Prague though of course Villarreal will be a tougher nut to crack than the Czechs.
Terraloon
There is a promo video on Utube about the finishing and passing accuracy of Balogun. Do have a look. He does it all, cool as a cucumber.
Think Arteta hates the guts of the yank
S Asoa.
Have seen him playing games at junior level but to coin a phrase it’s a whole different ball game.
He needs to be subjected to the rigours of men’s football.
We will never know about Balogun, unless he plays – which Arteta don’t want to.
Villarreal aren’t a top notch LaLiga side but at the moment are Arsenal enemies close to a top notch PL team?
Villarreal are experienced and a solid they rarely let in more than they odd goal two and yes Arsenal have more pace then them please please don’t make the mistake that this is going to be anything else other than a very tricky tie
Divinesherlock
“. I thought we were moving past that style of play where the striker has to hold the ball. ”
Yeah, having a striker who can retain possession is pointless, as is having a striker who passes to a team mate.
I am not a friend of stats. But…
Joe Willock stats 2020-21
Appearances 28: Goals 7 (3 for Arsenal, 4 for Newcastle).
Granit Xhaka stats 2020-21
Appearances 41: Goals 1
Mohamed Elneny stats 2020-21
Appearances 36: Goals 2
Dani Ceballos stats 2020-21
Appearances 37: Goals 0
Thomas Partey stats 2020-21
Appearances 26: Goals 0: Shots spanked over the bar: 194
Maybe the stats is telling us something.
do we have a buy back clause for Emi?
Terraloon “Villarreal are experienced and a solid they rarely let in more than they odd goal two and yes Arsenal have more pace then them please please don’t make the mistake that this is going to be anything else other than a very tricky tie” I don’t think anybody is saying anything else other than it’s going to be tricky. What was pointed out was that an avenue for Arsenal to win the tie would be to unleash the forward line and that genuine pace can be a problem for Villarreal not that it is going to definitely win the… Read more »
Willock
13 starts in the prem /europa
10 goals/assists….
Better to sell as we don’t want a midfielder who scores and assists , similar to not wanting a striker who holds the ball up and retains possession by passing to a team mate.
Pierre
At this moment in time Willock could be played as an ACM. As others have said he has a good knack of making late runs into the box and has a sniff for goal.
What he hasn’t shown is anything like the more overall game of being a CM starter.
Rotating with Smith Rowe in the ACM position?
Let’s be real arsenal should be way too much for Villarreal over two legs
The reason we might not be is because we are underperforming horribly. Not because this is some elite style opposition we should be afraid of
The only team I’m afraid of in this leg is arsenal because we all know how capable the club is of self sabotage.
Villareal are not a bad team but losing to them over two legs would be a very clear failure and underachievement. No excuses I’m afraid
Smith-rowe, saka, willock, biggest clubs in Europe must be desperate to buy them.