FA CUP 3rd ROUND DAY!
The best cup competition in the world kicks off today, we have ourselves a lovely trip to the River Trent to take on the storied Nottingham Forest. Arguably one of the best club names in the game.
What do we expect from them? A big attempt at a performance. They are smack bang in the middle of the Championship, they’ve won their last 3, their players will be looking to shine brightly whilst the whole of the UK is watching on ITV a bit later.
Arsenal will be playing a very young side because there’s no choice. COVID issues, knocks, and some big games coming up will mean heavy rotation. When you have to heavily rotate, you can’t guarantee you’ll maintain performance, so we have to be prepared for the evening to be tough.
Rumours have it that Biereth, Salah, Hutchinson, and Patino will be on the bus. BIG rumours that the conductor of the 2022 hype train, Charlie Patino, could actually make his first start for the club. That would be special, he has everyone at Arsenal buzzing about his talent, and he even has his own song with the fans. I don’t think we’ve been more sure about a second coming since Jack Wilshere.
Outside that, who knows what the team will look like, but my assumption is it’s going to be all about the fringe players. Bernd Leno, Holding, Soares, Tavares at the back. Midfield will probably have to be Patino and Lokonga for the minutes. But somewhere along the line there’s going to have to be some first-teamers you’d rather keep fresh. The Smith, Odegaard, and maybe Benny Blanco spring to mind.
Personally, I’m looking for the same thing I always do during heavy rotation periods. All 11 players dropping performances like they want to be considered for the Spurs and Liverpool games. Healthy squads create the feeling that everyone could start. Unhealthy squads see these games as an imposition. As I said many times last season, players like David Luiz used to think they were above games like this, so they’d not show up. In healthy squads, they all go there to do the business.
IN OTHER NEWS
Ainsley made his move over to Roma to play under the delightful Jose Mourinho. I don’t really have much to say on this outside, I REALLY HOPE HE DOES WELL. It never worked out for Ains, the killer blow to his career was saying no to the right-back role which could have been lucrative for him. Still, going to Rome could be good. That league lacks power, so he’ll have a leg up on the intensity. If he’s playing well, he’ll have to up his concentration. All things he’s young enough to manage.
We’ve been linked to some midfielder in Brazil. Those rumours really do nothing for me. Their league makes Italy look intense, so it’s really hard to work out which players you can bring from over there that would make it here.
Midfield is such an interesting position to recruit for. We need a body for the now, but really, only for emergency reasons. So who are they going to buy cover for? And is it cover, or someone that can challenge Xhaka and Partey next season? Or, will they look for a midfielder that does something different to the other two. Someone that is more of a specialist for certain types of games? Is Arsenal building out two squads of players that do that same things, or are they building out a chessboard of pieces that can cover off the different types of games we struggle in?
Who knows, but if Arteta is to be believed, we’ll find out in the next 3 weeks.
Right, that’s me done, have fun in the comments x
‘the two things this team needs now is an attacking focal point and a technical leader in the middle of the pitch’
Very well said.
The White kit was atrocious tbf, absolutely looked like Spuds and played like them tbf
I’d take Edu, or even Arteta, in midfield before Wilshere.
Brace Yourselves guys , January has just begun . The most I feared was AFCON because Partey is very crucial to how we play and it showed today . With the help of brilliant mind who let AMN leave before adding anyone . When you are down to hoping Xhaka gets fit , you know you are fucked.
People need to go easy on Lokonga though
He’s been out for about 6 weeks, injury and then Covid
This was predictable because he’s rusty and couldn’t have been a 100% match cit.
Then you factor in paring him with a novice, utterly predictable.
I’ll be lying if I said I was angry.
We can beat Liverpool over two leafs and still win a domestic cup.
Patino I’m afraid is not ready, should not have loaned AMN without a replacement, the midfield is threadbare., don’t know who made the decision, there was nothing in our attacking play from the midfield, nkhetia made no runs behind the defence, neither could he hold the ball up . Lokonga has been understudying elneny, backwards and sideways passing, holding was spare with the ball but did nothing with it, just looking to pass the ball back.
What happened?!?!
Midwest
‘ I say get Edu away from the charcoal briquettes and get him working the smartphone. Need a midfielder…. asap.’
Yes absolutely. I would say add a striker because the movement up too was poor. We have to play with tempo & rhythm and be brave, we showed real naivety & nervousness today. Need a top CM.
Arteta needs top 4 this season or he’s done here.
Spuds are Utd are absolutely shit.. He’s got no excuse
Dissenter
Are you confident about beating Liverpool? I just can’t see it.
If I was Arteta the moment I get back to London I’d have the players doing extra training through the night and if any of them don’t like it, bin the fuckers. No excuse for a performance as shocking as that. Players have let the fans down massively
Patino clearly needs a loan.
Even Wilshere needed a loan before he was ready. Cesc was a freak exception because he had the personality and quality of a veteran by the time he was 16/17.
I said that a few days ago. Who lets AMN leave when we have just lost Partey and Elneny. But this is Arsenal and we don’t do logic.
Cunning plan by Mikel to ensure he gets the CM and Striker that he asked for this January.
We’ll soon be out of the carabou cup as well. No excuses then for Arteta. Top 6 bare minimum or get rid of him
Lokonga is 22!!! Prospect he is not! Dud signing will be shipped out through the back door like AMN. Probably two loans before he disappears to France or back to the Belgian league.
Hopefully whatever midfielder deal they was looking to do now gets sorted. Lokonga and Patino will get murdered in the NLD.
Diss
Not obsessed
Just think it makes sense
Nosies rumbling out of the club regularly how he’s the best in training.
We are now crying out for someone just like him, only younger and fitter. He could be the perfect stop gap until the summer
The response to this result will be important.
I had a bad feeling about this one that we wouldn’t show up. The changes in the line up upset the balance of the side and we looked disjointed. I’m really disappointed because I’m old school about the FA Cup. It’s a shame so many people, including too many managers, don’t care about the competition as much as they should.
We are going to get inconsistency with this side. Enough people are bought into the process so Arteta can withstand any amount of bitching about this one.
Liverpool will smash us if we play anything like we did today.
This is why Arteta rebuilt the back five. We had 3/4 of them missing today. As we play from the back it’s important. It makes us move the ball slowly. Not helped by a pair in Cm unfamiliar with each other. It’s about the sum of all parts.
What this result should do is reinforce the need for a top striker and Central Midfield player and why Xhaka plays.
@ Avi
Plenty posters on here are gonna make loads of excuses for him even if he finished in his favoured position again. (8th)
Yeah no more white kit ffs… completely took the focus off the football…. Besides that showing is obviously going to make it harder to convince players to sign up for the project now. One step forward, two steps back. Same old Arsenal and I know Rome wasn’t built in a day but this is Arsenal and we deserve better!
I don’t buy into the hype *** typo sorry.
AFC
Yours such a thin skinned bully
The other day you wrote that I “needed a muzzle” because I bothered to gently reply a jest full post you sent my way.
If you can’t take the heat, then get out of the kitchen
You can dish it out but you can’t take it one bit.
Not the same side without the SMITH ROWE ELEMENT.
URGENT CF AND MID REPLACEMENTS NEEDED.
Andy
“ Cunning plan by Mikel to ensure he gets the CM and Striker that he asked for this January.”
…or just proves he was right.
As I said the other day after the city performance. It’s consistency we’ve been lacking for 10 plus years at the club and it’s something we really really need to change. No good putting in a performance like we did against City then dropping performance levels next few games running
There are no great young midfielders out there
What happened to all go the clever footballers
It’s just kick and run
The only criticism I have is that we opted to spunk out £50 million on central defense, position that we have two natural internal solutions for.
We neglected the areas with the most need, pretending that just keeping Xhaka was enough, even though we knew Partey would be gone for 4 weeks in the winter.
Lots of learning for the transfer team. I just hope Kroenke’s wallet would still be open,
Dissenter
The muzzle was a joke. You didn’t get the fact I said you were like two families going camping; too intense. It was a joke mate, (two in tents). You are a bundle of fun!
You didn’t get it because you have your head stuck up your narcissistic arse. I remember when you list your temper and threatened me from your cave in Florida!!!
Benjamin
Plenty posters on here are gonna make loads of excuses for him even if he finished in his favoured position again. (8th)”
Then thy can’t be regarded as genuine fans of this club
I mean 1 game a week for the rest of the season now basically. Hopefully the last we see of Cedric, Holding and Eddie. Thought Lokonga was shocking as well. A new CM is critical.
I don’t even want 5th or 6th from this team this season, Arteta need to deliver 4th or fck off
* lost your temper.
Arteta used the nine players out excuse then said he didn’t want to use it as an excuse. All Premier League teams are dealing with Covid and AFCON. He can’t use that one.
Charlie Patino needs another 1-2 years before he’s 1st team ready.
Hype isn’t justifiable. He did nothing to show me he’s ready.
AFC
My “muzzle” was also a joke . I literally put an emoji there to indicate that
Wasn’t that apparent. I expected you to brush it off but you didn’t
Anyways, have a wonderful Sunday, what’s left of it.
We need to recognize that he’s doing something great. Something wonderful is brewing at the club. It’s just eight losses. The post Christmas 2020 table shows that. Remember, data speaks volumes.
Arteta will win is the champions league next season as promised, because there’s so much promise in this team and the way we play.
Well Arteta got that spectacularly wrong. Thinking we can play a second team with a sprinkling of first teamers against an up and coming team well up for a cup upset. They just didn’t look like they cared that much. i thought they were content to play for penalties.
Well done to Forest, that was a very well executed goal,
Proof we don’t have a squad, and when we do have to use reserves, Arteta can’t organise or motivate them. Even with the available players, the formation was absurd, and totally lacking in commitment or desire.
6 out of the starting 11 were out today and this is what happens massive difference between our first 11-13 and the rest
We got what we deserved today we need a couple of reinforcements in asap
I don’t even want 5th or 6th from this team this season, Arteta need to deliver 4th or fck off.
👆agreed
AFCF – Yes, we need a CM and a Striker, but also the team we put out today should have been good enough to do the job. We were far below par and looked ill-prepared for the game.
Tavares next in line for Artetas mismanagment!
@Andy1886
Totally agree with you.
Yes, we were appalling.
Djed Spence should be on our shopping list.
We lacked upping any tempo. Failed to control the game.
Piss poor in the final third. Got what we deserved. All the players need to be held accountable!
Not surprisingly a reality check regarding Top 4 as well… Would love to reach 4th at the end of season but this SQUAD is far from ready to manage PL alongside CL, with major drop in level at a number of positions between first 11 and the rest…
2 times in 26 years we get knocked out in the third round
Last time (Forest again) the board told Wenger they were not going to extend his contract in the Summer
Same conversation needed tomorrow.
Zero shots on target. Move Nketiah in this window for some money. Tonight encapsulated his career here and shows why Chelsea binned him early
Mr Serge
‘ 6 out of the starting 11 were out today and this is what happens massive difference between our first 11-13 and the rest We got what we deserved today we need a couple of reinforcements in asap’
I’m not sure I fully agree with that
The midfield players out are temporarily out missing another 3 weeks
Then we opted to send AMN to Roma early.
Why didn’t we keep him for this game and then send him off on Monday?
I think some shoddy planning has contributed to this
Dissenter
‘ If you can’t take the heat, then get out of the kitchen“
What does this even mean? Kitchen? This is the internet mate, it’s where anonymous people can be whoever they want and act hard like you. You seem to have a spring in your step when Arsenal suffer.
Shocking performance-especially after the City one.
Hopefully Arteta can show this performance to some players and tell them that is why they have no future here,Nketiah,Holding,Cedric and Nuno if he doesnt start showing more than he currently is.
I dont have much hope for the Carabao cup after seeing Liverpool’s performance today.
Some activity in the transfer market now,surely.
Dissenter
You don’t think wilshere would come in and do a superior job there for 1-3 months?
Who would be your top 3 choices for that position alongside partey long term?
GrahamJanuary 9, 2022 19:36:10
2 times in 26 years we get knocked out in the third roundLast time (Forest again) the board told Wenger they were not going to extend his contract in the SummerSame conversation needed tomorrow
Ffs sake stop posting lol
Nothing to do with being a young team.
This was all down to attitude and mindset.
A group of 11 seventeen year olds with the correct mentality could have done better.
Question: Did Leno speak or gesticulate to anyone today?
Got to get rid asap.
Benjamin,
Agree. Tavares being subbed so early would have been embarrassing for him – needed Arteta to put an arm round him.
If no CM comes in this window or Striker, kiss top 4 goodbye this season
He won’t reintegrate Auba cause it’s against his “Principles”, he’ll be admitting he’s a cock 😂
@Graham
I think Arteta knows he’s under pressure this season mate and I think he knows he needs 4th minimum to save his Arsenal career. 250 million spent to finish 6th or worse will see him sacked. He’s had almost 3 years.
Graham 62 agreed Leno is pants so beta male he needs selling
Earnestly, I expect a couple more losses.
The sack is inescapable for Arteta. I remember when we used to lose just a few games in a season. Either strengthen the team so that we don’t have to play these crap players, or die on your own sword.
Tavares and Lokonga – what absolute mediocre players. On a low key, White is trash too. The only stellar signings were Ramsdale, Tomiyasu and Ø. The others wouldn’t get into a serious top four team (which we are not).
What today showed was how foolish the decision to let AMN leave on loan…… It has left us woefully short in the middle, a 3rd round FA cup tie away to a championship side is not the time or place to give Charlie Patino his first start . I suppose that’s the end of Tavares now for 12 months or so going by Arteta’s previous history. No point in writing off players like Martinelli despite being bossed by a championship player..it doesn’t make Martinelli a championship player you know because he failed to make any impact whatsoever. . I was… Read more »
Complete lack of leadership on the pitch today. Every player at fault for the loss to be honest.
White seemed easily bullied by the big Forest players.?
White ?
G62, Agreed, talent not in question but a huge question mark over the attitude today.
Tavares had a shocker but I can’t see Arteta bombing hum out for that
Lokonga and Patino are fine players but they have very fragile confidence. Playing them in an away game was the mistake. They are different players at home with the crowd behind them and that’s where they should be used to grow their confidence and ability.
We have a real issue with player’s who are able to perform outside the Emirates and that is a strength of Xhaka who is not cowed by big occasions or away fans. It’s just a shame he is slow and the refs hate him.
@TT
Agree. I put the blame more on the players than Arteta. You should know what it means to play for Arsenal and the maximum effort put in, in every game, whoever the manager is
You guys need to pray that Tomi stay fit for reminder of the league games. Same with Saka, Gabriel xhaka and Partey because we in deep trouble without any of them missing a couple games
They’re the core of this team, our back up players are absolutely very poor.
Pierre, Eddie was very poor too, Martinelli wasn’t any worse that’s for sure regardless of how desperately you try to spin it.
Pierre I usually agree with your assessments but Eddie was very poor and gave the other attacking players nothing to work with.
I don’t think he’s actually that poor but like I said before I think he is no longer interested in playing or working for Arsenal. He didn’t even look like he was trying or bothered so its best for both parties to get rid of him as soon as possible.
This team missed laca and xakha. Not a popular opinion but it’s true
Unoni
I think going after a player that couldn’t cut it at Westham and Bournemouth is a bad idea.
Jack is done.
I doubt whether Arteta is over-fussed about losing. Particularly with an away game against Leicester next, what a burden that would have been in the struggle for a top 6 finish. His probable final instruction was ‘Take it easy, we have tastier fish to fry’.
No,.I don’t rate the Carabao Cup, but Arsenal have only Liverpool between them and the final, and Klopp will be telling his players the same, ‘Take it easy, we have tastier fish to fry.
No half-hearted display from Arsenal, then. And a final under Arteta’s belt.
This team missed Henry,Viera , Betgkamp , Freddie, Gilberto,Tony Adams, Pires…..to name a few 😁
Eddie shouldn’t be playing at all
Arteta has been sentimental about the fact that a young player he’s backed prefers to walk out for a princely sign-on bonus that commit his future, after much persuasion
Maybe he’s trying to be consistent because he still has Laca as a leader in the squad but no one is asking Laca to extend his contract with us.
How do you force players to leave when you keep playing them?
Andy
I suspect preparation was affected by Covid. When you look at the bench you could see how short we were. As you said earlier, let’s hope that makes us go and get a couple of top players.
Just poor selection by Arteta playing Lokonga more or less on his own in central MF against a fast physical side. Perhaps Chambers or White alongside Lokonga as a double Pivot would have worked better. Arteta just blamed his players not his selection.
Pierre
Eddie was poor today mate.,He even missed a sitter with his head that may have cost us the game. I said before he’s a penalty box player his link up play isn’t great.
Couldn’t understand the tactics after Forest scored.
Where was the urgency?
Why Kolasinac?
From a throw in, no movement in and around the box.
The players just went through the motions….the entire match.
No FA Cup
No Europe
2 to 3 games in league cup left
Top 4..no excuses
Just do your job arsenal
EB, I’m sure the away fans who made the trip today will be absolutely fine with Arteta telling the lads not to try too hard.
On the other hand you could be talking a load of rubbish…
AFC
Other than the Brentford game COVID and injuries haven’t really impacted Arsenal to ouch up to this point in time.
As was pointed out other than Patino every Arsenal player has made PL appearances..
No squad depth or quality added to the absences which were planned or known (AFCON) an£ it all implodes.
The real casualty today is likely to be confidence
AFC
3Tierney
9Lacazette
21Chambers
22Marí
31Kolasinac
32Ramsdale
Not really weak all are PL experienced and paid decent money
Andy1886 – I think the clue is when he says “away game against Leicester”
We really needed a Gerrard, Vierra or Kean type figure out there today to rally the troops. Just no leadership when it was needed.
Couldn’t care less about the result to be honest. Too many playing that should be out of the club what did anyone expect. Nobody at the club cares about the FA cup. Move on.
Hopefully we will see ESR slowly claim his deserved starting 11 place back within a few weeks.
I get that he has dug his heels in here but flaming Martinelli all the while giving Nketiah a pass for criticism because he completed 18 five yard passes is reaching new levels of shamelessness even for him.
On the other hand you could be talking a load of rubbish…
Theres no shame going out to leicester as long as we perform but to get beat by Nottingham forest like that is embarrasing, and the away fans deserved a better performance from the team today.
Arteta, the gift that keeps on giving records that no one wants. 1st time being kicked out in the 3rd round in 26 years. 0 shots on goal against a championship side. In 2 years he has yet to put together an attack that can score goals. Well, another avenue for European football next season shut down. Europa Conference League for the Carabao cup winner. This manager will not get this team anywhere and if his contract is extended it means for however long that is additional time for no silverware or European football. For TWO years people on this… Read more »
Only Pierre would shift the blame from Eddie to Martinelle..lol This spence fella would have chewed him alive and spat him off xhaka , Wilshire would have added nothing,.we would have conceded early on and lost the plot One player missed today was ESR! Cant believe some are blaming Leno, he wasn’t misplacing passes left right and centre He wasn’t loosing 2nd balls in the middle of the park The whole team didnt show up today and Arteta in game management was shit again to say the least Nuno off at 35 mins Kola on at 92 mins That’s elite… Read more »
Oh and there was a massive lack of leadership out there today
G8
Xakha and wilshere would have added control and intent
There was none from that midfield
I’m gutted to be out of the cup this early. Tomorrow we can use it as a positive for extra rest for the league etc but right now it stings.
I’m not excusing the lack of application and dynamism from the team today but the lack of quality out there today just goes to show how far away we are from having the finished article of a squad.
I’m sure we will go big in the summer for a striker etc but we shouldn’t ignore improvements in our squad depth also.
I’m finding it hard to get too upset about today’s loss. At the end of the season, this won’t count towards Arteta’s evaluation. We make 4th he’ll be offered a new contract and if we finish below 6th, he should be out. The board will have a really tough decision to make if we come in 5th or 6th because he’ll be entering the final year of his contract.
Amazing how quickly opinions changed about Lokonga
He’s not a shit player.
He’s a player coming back from a long hiatus from injury and Covid who had ti hold the midfield alone because he was paired with Pacino making his first start.
Perspectives please.
We missed Xhaka today massively
Xhaka and Patino or Xhaka and Lokonga would have worked today.
Andy1886
On the other hand, you could be talking a load of rubbish
Use your head, man. If you had limited resources, you’d use them where they were most effective, not randomly
MD:What are you on about — the gift that keeps on giving?
We’ve won it 14 times ffs and Arteta won it in his first season
It’s not surprising we were disjointed given the amount of changes to the line up. I know some teams can fluently adapt to wholesale changes, like Coty, but we are not there yet. Put Patino next to Partey and he will look far better, and criticism of him is hard to take seriously today given it’s his first senior start and a tough assignment at that. It’s tough to take and I hate going out of the cup but ok going to take some perspective. Let’s go all out for the league cup and fight with everything we have for… Read more »
Diss
I agree. But I do think a large section of the fan base got a little carried away with lakonga on first viewing. Jury still out for me. I’ve not seen enough of what he’s good at to really gauge. Still very much in the Guendouzi mould for me of “what is his thing”
Big lad. Can move about the pitch. Not sure if he’s got the ability on the ball and personality to boss a midfield yet.