It’s Monday morning.
Sip your coffee. Take a bite of your cruelty-free avocado toast. Breath.
It’s going to be ok.
Arsenal drew a game. It was a poor result. But these things happen with developing teams. In fact, they happen at the absolute highest level, Manchester City also drew a game that has opened up the title race again.
The Top 4 Trophy is going to be very difficult this season, there are a batch of teams competing for the honour of Champions League football and we are right in the mixer.
We couldn’t be any closer. We are two points off 4th (United). We have a game in hand over them. Spurs are on level points with Arsenal, they have a game in hand over us, but we still have to play them. Remember at the start of the season, the goal was to be within spitting distance come Jan. Well, we’re there heading into February. We are on target.
If I’d given this position to you at the start of the season, what would you have said?
Yes please.
If I’d have floated this as a reality to you after the first three games, what would you have said to me?
GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME WITH YOUR SHIT PREDICTIONS PEDRO. I remember the conversations we had after those first three games.
‘Arteta will be done by November’
‘Our season is finished’
‘The new signings didn’t move the needle’
We shouldn’t have listened to the bedwetters that called time on our season then, so why are we now? Honestly, imagine being around these hysterical drama queens in the real world. No, I can imagine. We’ve all worked with them. They are cowards. You don’t want them on your team because they roll over at the first sign of adversity.
The fans that go IRL are there in the good times and they’ll be there in the bad times when the players need them. I’m so bored of these meek edge-lords that want to call time after every bump in the road.
Europe is the target this season. The fact we are in the mixer for top 4 now and most fans genuinely believe we can make it is because Arteta has changed minds and given us a squad to believe in. The shifting sands of how good we are doesn’t change the actual target. Stating what the target actually is doesn’t mean I have no standards or ambition. I’ve been pretty consistent about how hard this will be even when we’ve been winning. I am extremely ambitious, but being ambitious has to have a little grounding in reality.
We have the youngest team in the league, there are teams around us better equipped for the charge, our squad is painfully thin.
… but we can do it.
I’ve been going back and forth on how likely that will be without signings. If we can get to where we are now with this squad, logic would say we can go all the way… except that doesn’t account for those we’ve lost along the way this season.
We started the season with a striker we thought might return to 25 goals a season form. He’s gone. We replaced him with Lacazette who doesn’t score or hit the target.
We thought Balogun or Eddie might make the jump, neither have, we just have to accept that.
Lacazette is not signing a new deal. He plays every game at 29. There will be an injury or a dip. If we lose him, our whole game falls to pieces.
We also have to be honest about our injuries, we haven’t had many this season, now the squad is creaking. After every loss, one of the biggest pains on my sensibilities is reading people cite Arteta waving his arms as the issue (Conte doesn’t get the same treatment after losing 3 games on the bounce to Chelsea)… against Burnley, we were missing Partey, Xhaka and Tomi. Our squad can’t handle those sort of losses. Those sort of losses are par the course when you are in Europe, but we’ve avoided them this season. That luck might not continue.
Patino hasn’t made the jump. Ains wasn’t good enough in midfield. Jack Wilshere wasn’t the comeback king. It’s clear we need to bolster our midfield with players that will help us move our game forward, now.
Does that happen in January? I don’t know.
A learning I think we have all taken from this window: Teams don’t tend to let useful players leave at the start of the window. If Fiorentina can get 5 games out of Vlahovic this January, why wouldn’t they max him out? If Juve needs Melo as backup for their bench, why wouldn’t they wait until the end of the month to move him on?
Signing players is Edu’s job. Let’s be straight here: He’s never missed when it comes to getting deals over the line. Sometimes they stink. But he never comes home empty-handed. So we have to trust that he has something brewing.
The tension from proper supporters that understand the beautiful game is all on the signings. It’s not on #ArtetaOut hashtags or the weak-kneed bed-wetters that give up at the first sign of difficulty. It’s focused on what we can do to augment a really good 16 players.
Recruit well, the fans get a lift, the players get a boost, we land a needed jolt of squad dopamine post-break.
Fuck it up? Well, you fear legs will tire as players realise their workload is going to be very high for the rest of the games.
There are 17 more games this season, that’s 51 points. Top 4 is firmly in our hands. The club can shape the end of the season if they invest.
The big question is – will they?
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST. This one was heated. You’ll enjoy.
Why will Dusan Vlahovic want to join us when the plan is to challenge for EPL in 2 years and no timeline on winning it. He has more chance of winning in Juve than ar arsenal.
Pierre Only you could turn having quality options like Odegaard, Smith Rowe + Martinelli competing for 2 places into an issue. I’d imagine Arteta is advised by people who are much more qualified than him on player availability. Only recently you were making a drama out of Smith Rowe not playing, then it turns out he’s carrying a knock, now your complaining that we’re risking him…. You were saying how you were worried about Patino, and how Wenger would have had him playing, but then Patino comes in against Forest, and physically he doesn’t look quite ready I think you… Read more »
If we fail to finish in the top 6 again then he has to go for me.”
I don’t think he will be, which for me is concerning.
Arteta does just enough to flatter to deceive which may mean he’ll hang onto his job a lot longer and then when the penny finally drops we’ll be 4-5 seasons further removed an have to start all over.
No point in signing anyone now if it is just a stop gap.
By the time we play Wolves we will have a full squad that were doing perfectly well before christmas and can settle back into a rhythm in 16 days time.
Aubamayang will probably be reinstated to the squad and the rest are pefectly good enough to challenge for a champions league spot….won’t be easy though.
Rich “They won’t always get it right, but being captain hindsight and saying we should have done something different, after it’s happened, is the easiest thing in the world to do” Who could have predicted that loaning AMN was a mistake Who could have predicted that a player who hasn’t had a training session would break down Who could have predicted that the signing of Odegaard would mean less game time for smith rowe. Who could have predicted that Patino would be regarded as “not ready” after being thrown in the deep end v forest. Who could have predicted that… Read more »
we know now that Lokonga is a back and sideways passer an Elneny type of player, he needs
to step up in the coming games .. I have a good feeling about Jovic being able to adapt quickly
to the EPL
Pierre You are Captain Hindsight There’s no guarantee that loaning out Niles would improve results, it could have made them worse, it could have made them better, but I suspect we’ll never know Plenty of players who’ve not trained coming back from an injury, have managed to come through unscathed, unfortunately this time that wasn’t the case Smith Rowe has played loads this season, he’s been carrying a knock, and as soon as he’s returned to fitness, he’s come straight back into the team, here’s an example of a player who’d been thrown in straight away after returning to full… Read more »
Pierre There’s no guarantee that Tomiyasu would get injured against Liverpool, Smith Rowe hadn’t been in full training either, and he came through fine There’s no guarantee that selecting Holding instead of Tomiyasu changes the result Think of the Butterfly effect, Holding’s lack of pace against Liverpool could have caught us out cold, Sambi + Tierney running back, could gave both done their hamstrings in the process It might have gone the other way, and we might have beaten Liverpool, but there’s no guarantee Tomiyasu wouldn’t have aggravated his injury against Burnley, gone down injured, and Burnley get a 0-1… Read more »
This Vlahovic search was overblown, but that’s what happens when Mikel Arteta seems to want a particular player.
We should wait for the summer and go after Armando Borja, the Chelsea loanee at Southampton.
Armando Broja is 6’ 3”And is only 20 year old
Chelsea wat a bidding war to sell him. Let’s join that war and blow west’s and Southampton out of the water i the summer,
Rich
‘ There’s no guarantee that Tomiyasu would get injured against Liverpool, Smith Rowe hadn’t been in full training either, and he came through fine’
Stop it Rich. You’re always trying to do this wiseman act here.
When you play so many players coming out of injury without full tracings, you are courting disaster.
The rule used to be see how the player handles a full training session, then make up your mind.
Arteta makes too many of these bone headed decisions
*When you play so many players coming out of injury without full trainings, , you are courting disaster
‘ No point in signing anyone now if it is just a stop gap. By the time we play Wolves we will have a full squad that were doing perfectly well before christmas and can settle back into a rhythm in 16 days time.’ Agreed If I were Josh Kroenke,I wouldn’t spend a single dime this January. We don’t play again for two weeks and the squad will be back up to full strength …and yes, Aubameyang does need to be re-integrated back into the squad. This manager pushed for the club to give him a 300-350k weekly wage deal… Read more »
Pierre I want to point out the following to you. 1. The only game that Arsenal have lost since the defeat against Brentford which we were expected to win was against Everton. The defefeat to Man Utd at Old Trafford would in normal circumstances have been expected. 2. Arsenal have lost 4 other games to Man City [twice], Liverpool and Chelsea. No-one expected us to win those games and we were a couple of minutes away from a draw against Man City. 3. We have drawn just 3 games this season all of which were disappointing, but an occupational hazard.… Read more »
Dissenter Stop trying to stop me doing the wiseman act…. Counter what I say, dispute what I say, but don’t tell me what I can and can’t say, I’ve never told you to stop spewing your nonsense, as far as I’m concerned, you can spew as much nonsense as you wish…. My point that Smith Rowe hadn’t been in full training, but came back in and played 2 games in 3 days unscathed, is a valid one If Tomiyasu says he wants to play, and the medical team say he’s ok to play, then I’m not surprised we played our… Read more »
Lot of chatter on whether Arteta should be immediately offered a new contract ( which he will accept with alacrity) , or should be fired / contract to run in June.
Incidentally Arteta is flying to USA to meet Enos Kroenke before joining the team in Dubai.
Anybody knows if there are bets on whether he is taking a realistic wig he bought in Barcelona as an offering?
Should come with the contract if he did. Remember the watch bought out if fines money and gifted to Gazidas?
Man has always been a toady like most bullies are.
?
PedroJanuary 24, 2022 17:54:46 Ernest, they gave him 150m, told him to get Europe this season, he’s on target. ————– Really? From what I recall the ‘Generational One’ was given close to circa £250 million to spend during his current tenure as manager(circa late 2019) of AFC,taking into account his level of responsibility was elevated to that of, or equal to the status of Edu’s position as Technical Director of Football after his FAC win. Target in his first full season was to get us back into Europe by hook or by crook.He did neither by any machination..See Willian statements(for… Read more »
Given the Edu statement with Sky Sports in Sept 2021 after the August transfer window-the bar and expectations has been clearly lowered more so, than ever before.. I’m sure Emery and Wenger would have sunk into deep depression behind closed doors..Certainly their sheets would have been soiled beyond comprehension, for weeks on end,if not months,learning that time,space and money had and has been afforded to an Iberian novice or apprentice-with no managerial track record to boot.Whose only claim to a high profile assignment or ‘project’,was to be a water carrier for an Iberian Generalissimo(who had earned that title through his… Read more »
So,my point is,who’s embellishing the targets for this season or who is being economical with the truth or the facts on the ground?Who is setting or creating the six phases for this current season?
I’m all eyes and ears to witness your citations.
PS Your statements regarding the following is not entirely borne of fact, if we look at the actual figures:- PedroJanuary 24, 2022 17:09:50 “our points haul over the last 15 months makes us a top 4 team, we are 2 points off top 4.” ——- The reality is-MA took over the managerial position circa 12/19… So since his managerial tenure- 22 months in a few days,we’ve finished over the last two and a half seasons in the following final league EPL rankings.. -Eighth position. – Eighth position and pole axed out of Europe for the first time in a quarter… Read more »
Where Arsenal are 2 points from 4th-in 6th position tied on 36 points with Spurs in 7th position(with a + 6 Goal Difference separating us and Spurs having a game in hand),but we have Wolves in the slipstream positioned in 8th position with 34 points- 2 points from 6th. One could say,we are also 2 points from 8th place-non? Given we were one of the highest spenders,if not the biggest spenders this summer in the EPL-circa £150 million,does being 2 points from Wolves in 8th place-look like we are on track,or spent the funds wisely in the rightful positions.Given we… Read more »