It was only a few years ago we were staring into the footballing abyss. Aside from some (welcome) FA cup wins, the club was on a very dark spiral. We were wasting money, we had managers who couldn’t organize and motivate the players. We had some really shoddy recruitment. Our league positions were on a dangerous, downward trend. The prestige of this club was waning and we looked farther than ever from returning to the top. Big games were often big humiliations, the club was legitimately Banter FC. Even spurs started finishing above us which was a pathetic turn of events for the arsenal.
Now here we are. Look at the club now.
Last season we surprised everyone by coming second and being value for it. This season we’ve come back improved in every single aspect. We play better, we play smarter, we score more, we concede less, we win the big games, we can blow teams away and we can throttle teams for a 1-0. We have frankly the best defense in club football right now. Recruitment is mostly excellent. The club is bouncing and the consequence of so many positives is we have taken a treble winning team which cheated 115 times to last last kick of a ball, the final whistle of a 38 game season IF they manage to win it.
That is a *remarkable* turnaround. That we also went quite deep into the CL for the first time in ages and were not humiliated like usual by the old enemy Bayern when we did lose is another statement of progress.
Arsenal FC are now a brilliant football club again. Genuinely brilliant. Whether we win the title or not, this is now a simple fact. If we don’t win the title this year it feels truly just a matter of time until we do. And if city are eventually punished for cheating, then the only team which has stopped us winning the last 2 titles may also be out of our way.
But whatever does or doesn’t happen, thanks Arsenal for turning the club around. The dark clouds are all gone and what’s left is an incredible club that with another few good signings could achieve anything next season.
The thing people need to realize about this arsenal team is that the idea that we’re going to attack everyone hard and score lots of goals in every match is wrong
We are too used to seeing a successful team always playing on the front foot that people have forgotten it’s not actually necessary. Chelsea in 05, arsenal in the old days, plenty of Italian teams etc have all proved this.
Yes we can and sometimes do come out swinging like Mike Tyson trying to thrash teams with lots of heavy and fast knockout blows. But just because we can and sometimes do play this way, some of you guys don’t appreciate how good we are when we switch it up and play like mayweather instead, just throwing a few jabs the. Fucking and weaving for the rest for an easy points victory.
Both are amazing styles and that we are so genuinely comfortable with either (or a hybrid of both) is frankly amazing.
I didn’t see a bad arsenal performance at all yesterday. I saw mayweather easily ducking and weaving. That’s neither bad nor boring - it’s a fantastic way to get the job done away at old trafford to get our second win there in the last 22 years.
Frankly it tells you how far arsenal FC have come when we are 1-0 up at old toilet and defending for most of the match and I felt calm as hell. They were never going to score in a million years. A combination of vastly superior defends vs their forwards and vastly superior tactics meant it was all huff and puff whilst arsenal calmly just did what arsenal do - keep a clean sheet.
I literally fell asleep for 10 mins in the second half (forgive me it was late here lol). That would never have happened a few years back when I’d have been shitting bricks and we would have inevitably buckled.
This arsenal is different. It’s cold and calculated. People always come out to complain when we play a defensive game not realizing that when this arsenal team defends it’s not because they’re playing badly or they’re overwhelmed by the opposition attack - it’s because they can.
We were pretty bad today though. Like pretty bad. I have a theory where if we had played like that versus basically any other tougher team, including Manure with a few more healthy players, we would have bottled it hard. No way that this was a proper performance versus a Manure team with 10 injuries.
They were literally missing their star winger - Rashford, their 2 best midfielders - Bruno and Mount, their only healthy CB was 76 yo Evans with the likes of Lisandro, Varane, Shaw, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia were all out... Also Martial.
It's as if we were without Saka, Rice, Odegaard, Saliba, Gabriel, White, Kiwior, Tomiyasu, Trossard, Timber.
We had a full squad, we have the PL title to fight for versus a team without at least 6 starters and 4 backups. And this is what we produced?!
I've no doubt that against most teams we would have been punished. It was one of our worst games in many months. The sad part is that not only our midfielders and attackers had a shocker, our manager was also frozen on the touchline and was like waiting for the inevitable to happen.
We won the points because our defenders were up to the task + Manure were shit (10 injuries).
The upset was on the cards but we got away with it.
A win is all that matters and we've got 1 more final left, vs Everton at home, but we got so lucky today.
Embarrassing comment. You want to first take a look at our history at OT maybe? With that record and the added pressure of needing to win to stay in the title, it was a great win
I think the reason a lot of people [and you] are so disappointed is because Crystal Palace beat them 4-0, and we didn't. You can't expect a team under pressure and the added weight of history to play fluid and fan-pleasing football on demand. At this point in the season, getting the full points is primary and the performance distinctly secondary. Manchester United never looked like actually scoring. Enjoy the ride, regardless of the final outcome [I am still confident we will win, and if we don't, I'll smile and wait for next season - bursting with pride at how far Mikel Arteta has brought the team.
Well we have managed to get the 3 points with a very dull 1 nil win. Job done.
A much better scenario than ballsing it up and allowing a very, very lackluster ManUre to draw.
We can be happy to know that this will go to the wire.
But the odds of Cheaty losing this EPL are getting slimmer and slimmer with each game.
We have to hope that somehow Spuds will channel their inner spursyness as much as possible and somehow draw their game. This final option has to still be entertained despite how crazy the odds are.
I find it weird how much time we spend on practicing corners but throw ins are often half-assed. We need to train someone to throw like delap did, he must have got dozen or two of assists from his throws, I'm surprised no manager has try to teach a player how to throw straight/flat and long like rory.
I can easily see Villa getting zero points from their two remaining games, they’ve been running on fumes.
The idea Spurs were going to throw the City game to please their fan base was just a terrible take on professional football, but dangling the possibility of top four before them wouldn’t hurt.
I have felt spurs were going to throw that City game. But I don't think that now. They will play to win. But they will eventually not be good enough. City are just too good at the moment.
1-0 away to a big opponent is classic title winning form. The issue is we are up against a juggernaut. A team wh accrue points like no other in history. To take this to the last day is all we can do. Perhaps a twist of fate yet. We’ve had an exceptional season whatever happens next
Man utd has been anything but big this season. They have lost 18 times in all comps and have conceded close to 70 goals. We won and it was nice but it was a very poor performance today. We didnt even assert ourselves. We played like we were scared and there was no reason to be scared.
No we didn’t. We throttled the shit out of them and restricted them to incredibly few chances. It was a very comfortable 1-0 at old trafford. The calmest win we’ve had there since 2002.
I think we should be extremely proud of our club.
It was only a few years ago we were staring into the footballing abyss. Aside from some (welcome) FA cup wins, the club was on a very dark spiral. We were wasting money, we had managers who couldn’t organize and motivate the players. We had some really shoddy recruitment. Our league positions were on a dangerous, downward trend. The prestige of this club was waning and we looked farther than ever from returning to the top. Big games were often big humiliations, the club was legitimately Banter FC. Even spurs started finishing above us which was a pathetic turn of events for the arsenal.
Now here we are. Look at the club now.
Last season we surprised everyone by coming second and being value for it. This season we’ve come back improved in every single aspect. We play better, we play smarter, we score more, we concede less, we win the big games, we can blow teams away and we can throttle teams for a 1-0. We have frankly the best defense in club football right now. Recruitment is mostly excellent. The club is bouncing and the consequence of so many positives is we have taken a treble winning team which cheated 115 times to last last kick of a ball, the final whistle of a 38 game season IF they manage to win it.
That is a *remarkable* turnaround. That we also went quite deep into the CL for the first time in ages and were not humiliated like usual by the old enemy Bayern when we did lose is another statement of progress.
Arsenal FC are now a brilliant football club again. Genuinely brilliant. Whether we win the title or not, this is now a simple fact. If we don’t win the title this year it feels truly just a matter of time until we do. And if city are eventually punished for cheating, then the only team which has stopped us winning the last 2 titles may also be out of our way.
But whatever does or doesn’t happen, thanks Arsenal for turning the club around. The dark clouds are all gone and what’s left is an incredible club that with another few good signings could achieve anything next season.
ONE HUNDRED PER CENT!
The thing people need to realize about this arsenal team is that the idea that we’re going to attack everyone hard and score lots of goals in every match is wrong
We are too used to seeing a successful team always playing on the front foot that people have forgotten it’s not actually necessary. Chelsea in 05, arsenal in the old days, plenty of Italian teams etc have all proved this.
Yes we can and sometimes do come out swinging like Mike Tyson trying to thrash teams with lots of heavy and fast knockout blows. But just because we can and sometimes do play this way, some of you guys don’t appreciate how good we are when we switch it up and play like mayweather instead, just throwing a few jabs the. Fucking and weaving for the rest for an easy points victory.
Both are amazing styles and that we are so genuinely comfortable with either (or a hybrid of both) is frankly amazing.
I didn’t see a bad arsenal performance at all yesterday. I saw mayweather easily ducking and weaving. That’s neither bad nor boring - it’s a fantastic way to get the job done away at old trafford to get our second win there in the last 22 years.
Well said, Ryan. Fans tend to forget that football is a funny old game.
Frankly it tells you how far arsenal FC have come when we are 1-0 up at old toilet and defending for most of the match and I felt calm as hell. They were never going to score in a million years. A combination of vastly superior defends vs their forwards and vastly superior tactics meant it was all huff and puff whilst arsenal calmly just did what arsenal do - keep a clean sheet.
I literally fell asleep for 10 mins in the second half (forgive me it was late here lol). That would never have happened a few years back when I’d have been shitting bricks and we would have inevitably buckled.
This arsenal is different. It’s cold and calculated. People always come out to complain when we play a defensive game not realizing that when this arsenal team defends it’s not because they’re playing badly or they’re overwhelmed by the opposition attack - it’s because they can.
We went to old trafford at the business end of the season and got a pretty calm and easy 1-0. Not sure what anyone is complaining about frankly.
Think that’s only our second old toilet league win since 2002
And people think that ain’t good?
We were pretty bad today though. Like pretty bad. I have a theory where if we had played like that versus basically any other tougher team, including Manure with a few more healthy players, we would have bottled it hard. No way that this was a proper performance versus a Manure team with 10 injuries.
They were literally missing their star winger - Rashford, their 2 best midfielders - Bruno and Mount, their only healthy CB was 76 yo Evans with the likes of Lisandro, Varane, Shaw, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia were all out... Also Martial.
It's as if we were without Saka, Rice, Odegaard, Saliba, Gabriel, White, Kiwior, Tomiyasu, Trossard, Timber.
We had a full squad, we have the PL title to fight for versus a team without at least 6 starters and 4 backups. And this is what we produced?!
I've no doubt that against most teams we would have been punished. It was one of our worst games in many months. The sad part is that not only our midfielders and attackers had a shocker, our manager was also frozen on the touchline and was like waiting for the inevitable to happen.
We won the points because our defenders were up to the task + Manure were shit (10 injuries).
The upset was on the cards but we got away with it.
A win is all that matters and we've got 1 more final left, vs Everton at home, but we got so lucky today.
Embarrassing comment. You want to first take a look at our history at OT maybe? With that record and the added pressure of needing to win to stay in the title, it was a great win
Raptora is a reactive childish fan
His tales are usually puddle deep and built on PlayStation days
I think the reason a lot of people [and you] are so disappointed is because Crystal Palace beat them 4-0, and we didn't. You can't expect a team under pressure and the added weight of history to play fluid and fan-pleasing football on demand. At this point in the season, getting the full points is primary and the performance distinctly secondary. Manchester United never looked like actually scoring. Enjoy the ride, regardless of the final outcome [I am still confident we will win, and if we don't, I'll smile and wait for next season - bursting with pride at how far Mikel Arteta has brought the team.
Was it 9 consecutive away win? Wow...
Was not a walloping but very good
Well we have managed to get the 3 points with a very dull 1 nil win. Job done.
A much better scenario than ballsing it up and allowing a very, very lackluster ManUre to draw.
We can be happy to know that this will go to the wire.
But the odds of Cheaty losing this EPL are getting slimmer and slimmer with each game.
We have to hope that somehow Spuds will channel their inner spursyness as much as possible and somehow draw their game. This final option has to still be entertained despite how crazy the odds are.
I find it weird how much time we spend on practicing corners but throw ins are often half-assed. We need to train someone to throw like delap did, he must have got dozen or two of assists from his throws, I'm surprised no manager has try to teach a player how to throw straight/flat and long like rory.
Win like that-- you earned it.
I can easily see Villa getting zero points from their two remaining games, they’ve been running on fumes.
The idea Spurs were going to throw the City game to please their fan base was just a terrible take on professional football, but dangling the possibility of top four before them wouldn’t hurt.
Its pathetic seeing people going in for Partey while the whole team underperfomed
Overall really low key performance but job done. Partey reminder that when he’s off form he can be a real liability
I have felt spurs were going to throw that City game. But I don't think that now. They will play to win. But they will eventually not be good enough. City are just too good at the moment.
Now for Liverpool to beat Vila to make it more spicy
Spurs will have to think twice
1-0 away to a big opponent is classic title winning form. The issue is we are up against a juggernaut. A team wh accrue points like no other in history. To take this to the last day is all we can do. Perhaps a twist of fate yet. We’ve had an exceptional season whatever happens next
Man utd has been anything but big this season. They have lost 18 times in all comps and have conceded close to 70 goals. We won and it was nice but it was a very poor performance today. We didnt even assert ourselves. We played like we were scared and there was no reason to be scared.
No we didn’t. We throttled the shit out of them and restricted them to incredibly few chances. It was a very comfortable 1-0 at old trafford. The calmest win we’ve had there since 2002.