I was like, totally off the train… ready to move on. Now I’m ALL ABOARD and ready to go again. I can’t do a summer of misery. I am back on the project and searching out the light. One last time for the vision.
If we win our next two games, the most we can finish off 3rd place is 9 points.
Think of the ways we’ve punched ourselves in the face this season. Think of the clubs we’ve failed to take points off. Think of some of the rough luck.
Since we added creative midfielders, our 22 game run has us in 3rd place.
That’s over half a season’s worth of data. It is now significant.
So, what happened in that run?
We added ESR. Then we added Martin Odegaard. Those two gave us faster movement in the final third of the pitch. They opened the game up for us.
We also added Thomas Party. Before January 14th, he’d only managed 360 minutes of football. He was our biggest signing of the summer. His form has been a bit messy, but reality is, he should have flushed that out of his system by October.
Then think about what we had brewing in the dressing room. We moved on Mustafi, Kola, Ozil, and Sokratis. 4 senior players, all big personalities, all very disruptive behind the scenes.
Mustafi and Kola went to Schalke, staged a coup, ousted Gross, then relegated the team anyway. Do you think that sort of mindset was easy to deal with?
Mesut Ozil went to Fenerbache and has registered 1 assist in 10 games. Remember when he was commentating on games just to be a pain?
During that December period, we also dropped Luiz and Willian. The expensive free transfer last summer never made it back after stinking up the starting 11 for the first half of the season.
Then think about how we’ve lost games this season. Look at the stupid red cards we struggled to recover from. Look at the unforced errors.
Then the big one… Auba went from a 30 goal a season striker to someone that could barely register 10. Family issues, malaria, a lack of form. We signed Auba to a big deal because goals are hard to come by, then we literally got the nightmare outcome, a different variant of striker that couldn’t score goals.
We lost twice to Everton, Wolves, and Villa. We only picked up 1 point against Burnley.
I don’t think we’ll lose 7 times at home with fans in the ground.
Yet, all the above… and we could still finish 9 points from 3rd.
The mission for next season is clear.
Improve defence. We have the 3rd best defence in the league currently, but 38 goals is hardly peak anything. A chunk of those goals were unforced errors, we can improve there drastically next season with better players.
Score more goals. We’re 10th in the league for that and it’s unacceptable.
Fix the midfield with press-resistant athletes that can move the ball at speed.
Find a ball playing centre back that can pick up the slack of Luiz, but without the errors. He made our attack better and we missed him because players like Holding and Mari can’t pass like him.
Find a right-back that can offer that side of the pitch what Tierney offers the left. We’re very addicted to the left side of the pitch, which makes us easier to plan against.
Find some extra ammunition in attack so we can add now numbers and goals. JACK GREALISH would be nice. Maybe even a cut-price Aouar after he tanked his form and lost out on the French squad. Whoever it is, they need to bring goals and creativity.
Unleash Auba. He should be scoring 25 goals when he’s 35. We need to create chances around him and work to his attributes, which is outrageous edge inside 8 yards.
Limit the unforced errors.
We’ve already gone a large part of the way by moving on David Luiz. His lack of focus and dying pace cost us big last season. Dani Ceballos won’t come back. There are also a number of other players I expect will be moved on. Better players make less errors.
We also need to address the backroom deficiencies. There were some awful decisions last season that a rookie coach shouldn’t have been making. Who is going to help Arteta be better with talent? Who is going to challenge him when he wants to try a false 9 in the semi-finals of an important game? Who is going to make sure average coaching is rectified with people that can create a better working environment?
City had a similar issue when Arteta first went there and took a beating from Wenger in the semi-final of the FA Cup against us. They finished 4th. They weren’t clinical enough in the final third and they made too many errors in defence. Everything else was good. They signed Bernado, Mendy, Laporte (Jan), Walker, Ederson.
Those signings gave them defensive stability, but also control from the base of defence where they build attacks from. They went from conceding 41 to 27. They went from scoring 80 to 101.
I think we’re the poverty version of what City were going through. Too many errors in defence. Not enough edge in the final third. But the bit in-between is generally pretty solid. There aren’t many games we haven’t controlled since the turn of the year. That’s a positive to build from, we’re solid and we hold onto the ball well.
Do a budget version of City’s summer and things could bang.
What we need to do has never been clearer. We’re not a million miles away from being a really good side. But… the summer needs to be perfect. Do I trust Arteta and Edu? Not really, but there doesn’t seem to be another option.
So let’s see.
Also, when I write posts like this, we tend to lose. So I’m bracing for impact on that one. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, see you in the comments x
Fuck sake. We do need 4 CBs , 2 starting and 2 backups.
Benteke should have been sent off anyway
Leno dithers so much. If you are under pressure take time. Tell the players to move upfield and go long.
Playing for a 1nil since we scored, we do it every time.
Pathetic
That was just so coming !
What will The Saucy One do now?
Willian?
What was the point of us with that goal, nobody picked him up
C**t Pepe costs us that goal he can’t control a ball!!!!
Also just kick the fucking ball out Leno
Off.
Such an easy goal to concede
4 *new* CBs
Yeah, Pepe is so lightweight.
Who the fuck the far ref.
Benteke always scores against us
VAR*
Better Saka deserve to be off.
We need Bielsa, Leeds go to Burnley and score 4 none of this 1-0 stuff
We’ve brought this on ourselves
It wasn’t offside. It was a push.
Grealish, Zaha and Tierney. All pussies.
FFS I have had enough of arteta. We definitely need better. Two or three new players signed for big money won’t change our fortunes. A new manager might.
We aren’t good enough and don’t defend well enough to try to sit on one goal leads
How many times do we score and do nothing , we deserve this , no intensity to score multiple goals.
You can’t manage out a game from 40 mins, and it’s so weak to even try
Arteta will blame himself for this too, no need to worry. Crystal Palace now plays better than arsenal but as long as Arteta blames himself, all is forgotten
It’s not the subs anymore. The U style we play sucks .. No substance with the high percent of side and back passes once near to halfway line.
Typical Arteta one goal and go back to a negative football, he should be Burnley manager not an Arsenal manger.
Arteta doesn’t need to apologize. Be ruthless and leave.
I know he’s a decent player and all that, but I fucking hate Zaha.
About time AFC realise we won’t get most VAR or 50:50 decisions.
Instead, we need the quality to score enough to wipe out the dubious decisions
WH shots 8
Arsenal shots 1
We are playing great.
Stay 9th, play once a week, then we will truly see the value Artita gives us. Then move him on by Christmas.
We score a goal and we get nervous ! What a shambles this team is
DUIFG
Too many.
A draw is useless cmon
The CBs cannot handle Benteke
Arteta will go if we finish 9th
Arteta losing against villeral was my final straw I’m sorry not good enough. Arsenal just isn’t ruthless enough this acceptance of mediocrity is what has us in our current situation
Raptora, we’re playing Palace not WHam.
Need to get Laca on and remove Auba
A full week to prepare and this is what Arteta has come up with – no lets just blame the players
It looks like the need the win more than us.
What a shit manager.
It’s really painful to watch this team match after match
And Auba is still on the pitch.
*See what I’m doing Mid.
Hanging in by a thread.
There was huge crash of lightening and my wifi net crashed right when they scored… God trying to tell me somethng.. Typical Arsenal.. dominate and find ways to screw it up
@Andy1886
🤣 didn’t want to tell him. The poor guys brain is frazzled watching Arteta ball all season. 😃 I’m joking Raptora mate
Auba has 10 touches or so in 70 minutes and remains on the pitch. Why aren’t Laca and Martinelli warming up?
Arteta is a one trick poney..give the ball on the wings and cross it in..we dont have the right forwards for that..why the fuck cant we play through the middle ?!
andy,
I have WH on the other TV lol.
Take off aubamayang, confidence is down
Don’t we need a coach for throwing???
Arteta got a look on his face that he deserves ,for all the injustice and angst he has caused to so many ( not speaking of Williams )
Literally any other Prem manager this season would have got more out of this team.
Every time Pedro try to spin the positive to support the Con Artist, he slaps him with a negative performance.
Tomorrow headline,
Arteta gave up the EL to win the league next season.
tyag,
I swear to god I wasn’t as dumb as I am now at the beginning of the season.
Arteta to blame obviously. (not joking)
@Soham
My god you’ve worked out Arteta’s generational tactic. The only one he has 😃 now you too are generational
Vickingz
Bellerin is the coach for throw ins ! 🙂
The Euro Conference League dream is dying as we speak.
still time Mikel, to make history.
@Raptora
Don’t worry mate I know the feeling lol.
Odegaard is a boring player. His performances have been very average. That can improve, but he’s not a player I get excited about
Would not want that Saha think he would scare the kids?
Holding and Chambers should go too
We’ve not played since what last week Wednesday by the way, such a flat performance, puts into perspective those who think a year without Europe will have us doing better
They just said aubamayang has only 2 touches this second half, just not good enough.
Partey is aweful most of the time.
Squad playing noticeably worse since conceding. Show some heart please.
Eddie Howe would’ve finished 5th or 6th in saucy one’s place.
Auba is useless
Martinelli and of course Xaka coming in.
Just wait for the Williams throw of dice !
Auba turning in a real captain’s performance.
Xhaka and Martinelli to save the day
Why still side and back passing. Ffs
“Christian Benteke has had four shots in this game – one more than Arsenal have. The Gunners are still yet to register an attempt in the second half.”
Not looking good then. Think I’ll skip getting back on that train with Pedders.
Roy has taught palace how to defend Chambers and pepe creating nothing down the right
Arteta is making Auba’s touch look shocking, he can’t pass it 5 yards either because of Mikel.
Arteta getting a spanking from Rwoy.
What does Odegaard do to be worth playing time.
Love Gabi, not a fan of his peach fuzz though.
Even if we win this the game is representative of the season, no killer edge, happy with possession. But not threat.
13 mins for martinelli when we need to win. Ye I’m done, fuck you arteta. Odeagard isn’t even our player you tit
Results aside, it’s not worth watching us play.
This is the type of football Arteta serves up 90% of the time
So so poor I am done
Extremely fortunate to bag the win against Chelsea. Then playing well and take the lead here today, then totally stop playing. It’s so meek. As Pedro likes to say – Arteta is fine margins… but that’ll never get you above 6th place in this league.
With all due respect, Holding and Chambers should be in CP defense, not Arsenal whatever our league position
Wilf Saha looks a shadow of the player he was, pulls some scary looks though like Grace Jones in that Bond film
Chambers at RB when Soares was dropping 7.5 performances is a real head scratcher.
Some will tell you he’s playing Chambers to raise his value, then sell him which would be a decent move to be honest.
Truth is that the AMN fiasco will repeat with Chambers.
Dream10 yes I agree it’s so shit to watch us toil week after week A is out of his depth
Outside of Xhaka (who must hang for crimes against Arsenal) no player should be judged against this season (OK you can hang Willian as well) they are playing under possibly the worst manager the PL has ever seen.
We don’t have a PL winning squad by any stretch but there is easily enough quality to at least compete for 4th.
Move the fucking ball forward. Jesus
Odegaard as fucking boring as player as Arteta was.
No shot on target second half lol.
CC
Stop your akb shit for once you sack of shit
Gotta say Pedro, that for all the talk this week on positivity and then to watch yet another Arteta Masterclass, what exactly will be different come Matchday One next season?
You can change the players all you want and inject a billion pounds, but be it far from me to state that with the same person managing the squad – same old same.
Fact is we play awful attacking football under arteta though we have a flawed squad there is some ability and he manages to get the players to play less than the sum do their parts. Have we played such rigid stilted flaccid attacking football since the 80s
at least we did a few cut backs under Emery.
Imagine if Arteta was managing a side like Newcastle. They’d be saying hi to the championship.
With the left foot Auba.
CP has the upperhand too. Unbelievable.
The one trick pony could perform his one trick.
Auba should stick to Tiktok / Instagram.
When does the sauce start kicking in Pedro?
Emery is the better manger by miles, he schooled the Con artist over two games wit an inferior squad.
That put the comparison to rest.
Another chance to try and creep into Europe tonight but you can always trust when there’s a game that matters arteta will fail
Auba will go to Chelsea he’s not interested.
Who could blame him
Crass
LT,
We’re just waiting for the BANG lol