04 Apr 2021 16:05:13
What a cracker by Willock :) out of interest, how many of our loanees do you think will want to come back?
04 Apr 2021 16:38:51
None of them.
04 Apr 2021 17:53:33
What's to come back to?
At the moment not a lot except wages, but who knows what might happen this summer or next season.
I just can't believe the club are simply going to accept 10th place and no European football next season no questions asked.
They've gambled a huge amount of money in transfers on us getting champions league football and champions league money back at the club and I can't see them saying " never mind Mikel, well stand by you, you just crack with your own little unique way of doing things old boy "
{Ed077's Note - maybe you can save the season via Europa League?
04 Apr 2021 18:20:54
I don’t want any of them back, and I also want Xhaka, Bellerin, Aubameyang, Luis and Pepe gone, preceded by Arteta. There is a rotten lazy core at our club, and if not the actual cause, the first 4 named are the so called senior pros who have done nothing to address, and are more likely the cause. Pepe is just a very poor footballer, with someone somewhere pocketing a serious amount of cash, tantamount to fraud, over the fee we paid for him. We need to accept he is a losing position and take whatever we can get back. Finally we need a manager who knows what he is doing, and who knows how to make his players responsible for their abject and ridiculously inconsistent performances. Sadly that’s already two areas beyond Arteta.
04 Apr 2021 18:17:56
Not a chance Ed.
04 Apr 2021 19:36:53
The EL is still an opportunity to gain European football next season Ed077 mate and obviously it's one we have little choice but to throw the kitchen sink at because 10th, 12th 14th in the league does it matter? They are all pretty much failure.
Would winning the EL and securing CL football next season prove Arteta to be more worthy of taking us forward into next season than if we lost in the final and ended up with no European football at all?
Personally I think EL success would be it happened a nice way to say tata Mikel and a chance for the club to realise just how lucky it had been to get away with an awful season by the skin of its teeth and certainly not a reason to think everything was fine.
04 Apr 2021 20:47:58
Out - Runarsson, Luiz, Bellerin, Cedric, Dani, Elneny, Xhaka, Laca, Willian, PEA ( unless we actually play to his strengths) , Nketiah, Kola, Torreira, AMN, Pepe, Willock, Matteo. Add Nelson also.
Oh - and Arteta
Need to do what Emery should have done and I’ve been screaming for us to do. Wholesale changes as death by a 1000 cuts doesn’t work.
Our manager can’t get us to play decent football and doesn’t have the experience
The squad is way better than our current league position but the boss just doesn’t play to our strengths.
We have some good squad but a coach out of his depth.
If we change a couple of players - we are still where we were. We have no money so we might as well sell to but.
I know it’s not a computer game and I actually believe that a decent coach could get more out of PEA and Pepe.
Add Boussima so Partey had a decent partner so I don’t have to watch Granit or Dani or Elneny any more.
That plus our defensive spine of Mavro, Saliba, Mari, Holding and Gabriel gives ample CDs with quality. In fact we could add one to the lust to sell plus Chambers but I’d keep Chambers in the squad to cover Right back.
Let’s get a proper winger rather than PEA
Let’s get some creativity because that CD and CDM choice gives us steel.
Captain - Tierney
Martinelli up front
Saka on the wing
ESR as number 10
COYG - let’s get it done and cleR up some of the weak spots.
I for one was not that impressed with the winter window - we just gave players away. Why celebrate that as brilliant?
I for one have high standards and Arteta isn’t hitting them nor is the squad - we must change and soon.
I honestly believe this squad is vastly under achieving due to the boss and how he sets us up and tinkers. I want wholesale changes so I don’t have to give the next boss a 3 season hall pass which is BS but we like to do that
Yes it’s not Xbox football but we need a revolution not evolution.
04 Apr 2021 22:00:41
I agree the squad is by far better than the league position suggests.
I personally think therw are plenty of teams and managers above us who would love our squad and that for me leaves only one possible explanations as to why we are where we are in the league.
It's difficult to think of another logical explanation.
04 Apr 2021 23:03:31
Couldn’t agree more. Apart from one or two teams, if I put together a combined xi from whoever we are playing I rarely want more opposition versus Arsenal. We have an OK team, not good enough to win the PL or CL, but certainly good enough to be challenging for top 6 and ultimately a good team who are difficult to beat. The fact that we are a poor team, and incredibly easy to beat suggests the set up and style is all wrong, and that is 100% down to Arteta for me. SY4 suggests we should sign a Brighton midfielder, I would go one step further and suggest the Brighton manager as well. Potter may not be fashionable, and he is English which will instantly turn many against him versus some fancy foreign manager, but Brighton also play out from the back, except they seem to do it well, and know what they are doing and play with purpose, they also play attractive football.