The league isn't over but it's close to being so. Something just doesn't feel right. At a loss as to how Trossard is a starter? He's been a liability all season long.
You don't win titles without a striker. It's a bit much to think you can. We looked blunt, found out, yesterday.
The thing is even if we had kept ESR I'm not sure Arteta plays him? He is fixated on Merino but I'm struggling to see what he brings? More than Jorginho? Not a chance.
Disappointing how ineffective Martinelli has been yet again. Two years ago he was nearly on a par with Saka but now they are chalk and cheese. Trossard is definitely not the answer there either. In the absence of anything else I wouldn’t mind seeing Sterling play there as he did for England so well before, but longer term this position needs to be resolved.
The irony is that we are stocked on the left, short as always on the right and yet none on the left are quite up to scratch. In theory we need a top class starter on the left and support on the right. Arteta’s new project needs to be ‘Ramsdale’ ruthless with our attack. Add the two previously mentioned. Some more creativity and the ‘lesser spotted striker’ everyone and his dog knows we’re missing. Guess none of that matters if we continue playing tortoise football.
I agree, I've lost all faith in Marti has a starter... He can be a 3rd choice centre forward or second choice winger while we get our starter in that position.
We’re in a tough spot right now, no doubt about that.
We in the midst of a nasty set of fixtures. Even the Forest game at home is looking less favourable than before.
The current set up is struggling to produce, we look short of ideas. I think it needs shaking up a bit. Also Ødegaard indeed cannot return soon enough. Laughable how some speculate we are better off without him.
The Inter game looms large and I’m quite concerned about it.
What shouldn’t be forgotten is the fixtures we’ve already navigated this season, some disappointments for sure such as today and Bournemouth but they have been very testing, more than I can remember last season, in terms of the difficulty one after the other. Combined with some of our most important players not being around, in one sense it’s not beyond the realm of fantasy we would struggle a bit.
However we’ve got to get it together and quickly otherwise we might find ourselves all at sea adrift in the league before Christmas. Arteta needs to switch it up because we look very uninspired at present.
So, Partey at rb is not working at all, our right side turned to play-doh, slow, cumbersome, predictable, and that is just the right side!
Martin is offering nothing at this point, switch him out, yesterday, and no communication at all between players and spacing. Left side offers nothing creatively.
Mid controls space, but no quick passing, one-two's and lane splitting passes onto runners.
WE need a creator not named Ode, another winger and a CF, a CF a CF.
Isaak was a pacy glider, with wonderful touch.
Watch the game again, we wait for a player to come onto us at the back, and when we want to switch the ball, the opposition already anticipates the ball switching and they take 2-3 full strides in that direction, and then we pass it over predictably and into a player in tight coverage!
We miss Xhaka and his bombs fizzing to either side that is for damn sure.
Matt, bad news mate, we ARE out of it.
Solution, buy another holding mid and lb or rb, right Mikel and Edu??
I am really annoyed with today. We looked limp in midfield in the middle and the front of the park. Not sure why we looked so asleep in the first half and barely kicked into 2nd gear in the 2nd half.
We sorely missed Øde which is not a good sign if we have to rely on one player for our creativity.
I was happy to see Ethan subbed in but he didn't have as much impact as I hoped he would.
As for the front line, we really are missing a real striker up front.
I am starting to think that if we really wanted Sesko, then we should have gone all in instead of sitting back and waiting for next season. We should have dropped a serious wedge of money to turn Leipzig's head around from the get go considering this is what we will be doing next season anyway.
So we are now wasting a whole season and looking far from a team ready to fight for the league. Selling all those players to trim down the team is looking sillier by the game.
Agree with what you are saying ,especially Sesko. I just wonder if the FFP situation or whatever it is called now has hamstrung us a bit, not that Arteta didn’t spend last summer of course
I don't think we were ever really in for Sesko because he was a top quality striker, it was more that his release clause was low so he was undervalued and we took a chance but it didn't work out.
For all the talk that we're able to play any type of game, we're so one dimensional when going forward that it hurts to watch. Tets still hasn't figured out a way pass a decent mid block. Why do we always play every game at a sluggish pace
Yea I kinda feel the same about Merino. We as per usual chased the player all summer and not sure why this was such a priority? Funny how TP is able to stay fit now. Merino was going to replace him. We needed a creative Mid, we let ESR walk. I know hindsight is 20 20 but Edu and Co need to bring in more creative players, and a striker for fucks sake
The league isn't over but it's close to being so. Something just doesn't feel right. At a loss as to how Trossard is a starter? He's been a liability all season long.
You don't win titles without a striker. It's a bit much to think you can. We looked blunt, found out, yesterday.
The thing is even if we had kept ESR I'm not sure Arteta plays him? He is fixated on Merino but I'm struggling to see what he brings? More than Jorginho? Not a chance.
Onwards but very frustrating.
Feels like Fulham away last season all over again lol
Disappointing how ineffective Martinelli has been yet again. Two years ago he was nearly on a par with Saka but now they are chalk and cheese. Trossard is definitely not the answer there either. In the absence of anything else I wouldn’t mind seeing Sterling play there as he did for England so well before, but longer term this position needs to be resolved.
The irony is that we are stocked on the left, short as always on the right and yet none on the left are quite up to scratch. In theory we need a top class starter on the left and support on the right. Arteta’s new project needs to be ‘Ramsdale’ ruthless with our attack. Add the two previously mentioned. Some more creativity and the ‘lesser spotted striker’ everyone and his dog knows we’re missing. Guess none of that matters if we continue playing tortoise football.
I agree, I've lost all faith in Marti has a starter... He can be a 3rd choice centre forward or second choice winger while we get our starter in that position.
his game has not evolved
We’re in a tough spot right now, no doubt about that.
We in the midst of a nasty set of fixtures. Even the Forest game at home is looking less favourable than before.
The current set up is struggling to produce, we look short of ideas. I think it needs shaking up a bit. Also Ødegaard indeed cannot return soon enough. Laughable how some speculate we are better off without him.
The Inter game looms large and I’m quite concerned about it.
What shouldn’t be forgotten is the fixtures we’ve already navigated this season, some disappointments for sure such as today and Bournemouth but they have been very testing, more than I can remember last season, in terms of the difficulty one after the other. Combined with some of our most important players not being around, in one sense it’s not beyond the realm of fantasy we would struggle a bit.
However we’ve got to get it together and quickly otherwise we might find ourselves all at sea adrift in the league before Christmas. Arteta needs to switch it up because we look very uninspired at present.
Fuck Liverpool and City. Cunt teams
City losing is a great result.
I’m really not worried about Liverpool and I know we will find our form
So, Partey at rb is not working at all, our right side turned to play-doh, slow, cumbersome, predictable, and that is just the right side!
Martin is offering nothing at this point, switch him out, yesterday, and no communication at all between players and spacing. Left side offers nothing creatively.
Mid controls space, but no quick passing, one-two's and lane splitting passes onto runners.
WE need a creator not named Ode, another winger and a CF, a CF a CF.
Isaak was a pacy glider, with wonderful touch.
Watch the game again, we wait for a player to come onto us at the back, and when we want to switch the ball, the opposition already anticipates the ball switching and they take 2-3 full strides in that direction, and then we pass it over predictably and into a player in tight coverage!
We miss Xhaka and his bombs fizzing to either side that is for damn sure.
Matt, bad news mate, we ARE out of it.
Solution, buy another holding mid and lb or rb, right Mikel and Edu??
There was a person who argued with me about the value of Odegaard … wonder what they think now. Tross needs to come off the bench.
He’s dross when starting games
I don't remember who you were arguing with but it odd that both raptora - who is anti-ode - and Habesha are absent today.
If results hold with both Pool and City losing then it will help salve the wound of todays loss
From gooner twitter -
Martin Keown on Ødegaard: “He can’t come back quick enough. I’m told he’ll be back for Wednesday.” [TNT]
So if City win at Bournemouth, is it safe to say that Chelsea away is now do or die?
Is a 10 or 11 point deficit by early November too much to claw back against the City juggernaut?
Here’s hoping the football gods are on Bournemouths side. They played well against us and also Villa last week. Maybe, just maybe….
United were 12 points behind Newcastle in 95/96 after 23 games of a 38 game season. That’s the record.
It was the Keegan “ I would love it if we beat them” season.
We also came back from 11 to United in 97/98.
We are battling uphill, into a serious headwind but I won’t count us out officially just yet.
I am book marking this cry for help and attention …
Imagine thinking of giving up on the league before winter
Maybe its time for warm weather training in Dubai, we came back from that on fire last season.
We have got mainly away matches this month, going to be a long Nov if we don't get our shit together soon.
I am really annoyed with today. We looked limp in midfield in the middle and the front of the park. Not sure why we looked so asleep in the first half and barely kicked into 2nd gear in the 2nd half.
We sorely missed Øde which is not a good sign if we have to rely on one player for our creativity.
I was happy to see Ethan subbed in but he didn't have as much impact as I hoped he would.
As for the front line, we really are missing a real striker up front.
I am starting to think that if we really wanted Sesko, then we should have gone all in instead of sitting back and waiting for next season. We should have dropped a serious wedge of money to turn Leipzig's head around from the get go considering this is what we will be doing next season anyway.
So we are now wasting a whole season and looking far from a team ready to fight for the league. Selling all those players to trim down the team is looking sillier by the game.
Agree with what you are saying ,especially Sesko. I just wonder if the FFP situation or whatever it is called now has hamstrung us a bit, not that Arteta didn’t spend last summer of course
I don't think we were ever really in for Sesko because he was a top quality striker, it was more that his release clause was low so he was undervalued and we took a chance but it didn't work out.
Sesko is no good sir. Wake the fuck up.
For all the talk that we're able to play any type of game, we're so one dimensional when going forward that it hurts to watch. Tets still hasn't figured out a way pass a decent mid block. Why do we always play every game at a sluggish pace
Yea I kinda feel the same about Merino. We as per usual chased the player all summer and not sure why this was such a priority? Funny how TP is able to stay fit now. Merino was going to replace him. We needed a creative Mid, we let ESR walk. I know hindsight is 20 20 but Edu and Co need to bring in more creative players, and a striker for fucks sake
The Emi fiasco likely led to this