17 Apr 2022 17:20:24
Would we have lost those 3 games if Tierney, Partey and Tomiyasu were available? - quite possibly not.
Would ManU have won yesterday without Ronaldo's goals? - quite possibly not.
Would Spurs win without Kane and Son? quite possibly not.
So with 3 senior players missing I've decided our players are doing ok in the circumstances ⚽️ ?
75% of the possession and over 20 shots on goal yesterday, just imagine how that would translate with a lethal no.9!
I've read such hateful comments on social media against the players, some of who are still in their 20s for goodness sake, but I was so happy the fans at the ground kept up the singing, well done ?.
17 Apr 2022 17:46:07
Correction: some of whom are under 20.
{Ed014's Note - makes me glad I don’t do social media. Nice post Sally
17 Apr 2022 18:15:52
Doesn’t put anything right though Sally, we are miles and miles off Chelsea - forget City or Pool and the worrying thing for me is Spuds West Ham Man U and a Leicester without a huge injury list are very much equal with us, Would be very easy to finish 7th or 8th.
17 Apr 2022 20:18:28
Yes I agree Oxfordshire - it doesn't make everything right, just puts it in perspective I reckon.
Not many clubs have to deal with 3 major players out long term all at the same time so I believe our expectations for the rest of this year have to be measured accordingly. Just my opinion though and I expect others feel differently.
18 Apr 2022 01:32:26
Understand that Sally but putting it in real perspective
C Palace
Brighton
Southampton
Seriously, the three players you mentioned shouldn’t have made a jot of difference .
Please let’s not hide behind injuries .
18 Apr 2022 08:01:39
If three injuries are enough to derail your whole teams ability to go out and proactively perform to chase your pre season goal and further the clubs ‘process’ then somebody needs to answer some serious questions. Everybody gets injuries. There have been teams relegated with more than three key players injured in their squad and they don’t make excuses.
Also, Sally I just can’t take the age of the players as some sort of explanation of yet another capitulation. They are not new to the sport, they are all Snr Internationals now and have played high level all the way up the ranks, else they would not have made it this far. The passivity that is cultivated in this club the last two decades is incomprehensible. As a fan you watch rivals slip up and you go to the game or pub or even your couch energised and up for the game, only to consistently see this, and other Arsenal sides fail to show the determination or desire to make it count. Each and every time, and it must be in the twenties now that it’s happened, I could turn to you after the first ten minutes and tell you we would not win based on our desire and energy levels from the outset.
As a fan you are deflated that your desire and enthusiasm is not being mirrored by the team you continue to follow after each of these recurring instances. It seems no matter who gets shunted out, or in, this club lack the drive to recognise and execute when it matters.
It is true that they are young. And if I am wrong then the next question that should be asked is whether they lack the collective footballing intelligence and inner drive to play for a top club, because to play so ineptly vs palace can happen, to do it at home to Brighton is maybe forgiveable on form, but to go out for a THIRD time in a row, when your bitter rivals have lost at home offering you a chance to reclaim momentum and also put the pressure back on them needing to finish ahead of them to reach your objective, is just plain ineptitude.
Not just because it happened, but because in each of the three games they didn’t show you that they’d learned, they did not show you that they cared or were in a mood to set thing’s right and that they had the footballing acumen to know the significance of the result.
Each three games were flaccid disjointed collective performances with panic in attack and no confidence in defence. It is my opinion that these players confidence is now extremely low as a result of the managers approach and his panic (haphazardly throwing every attacker we have onto the pitch in the last ten mins of each of the three games) shows the desperation. Twenty shots do not represent the quality of chance created or threat of actually scoring.
This team come out slow, play for 7 mins before halftime, play for ten mins after being scolded at halftime, then relax into passivity until the last ten mins then push again. The Brighton match is testament to that and I challenge anyone to say different. How can you play hard intense football and attack when it’s nearly too late and not do it from minute 1 and tire as your opponent tires as the 90 mins go by like any day don’t team will do as a prerequisite. You EARN the right to dictate how the game will be played in the first twenty minutes of any game. You don’t hope you can ride it out and by some miraculous intervention you will be allowed to play your way without having acquired some hard knocks and sweat on your brow before then.
Their is a lack of drive in this set up, the excuses are too readily made and received. We had no additional games this year and exited the fa cup early so I’m not having that their ‘tired’ either. Arteta speaks like a pundit after games. ‘We did not do this well enough’ ‘we did not execute in the final moments’. Yada yada yada. Monotone robotic explanations telling us what’s blatantly apparent that we already witnessed for 90 minutes. That’s ok, it’s nothing to crucify him for, but the fact he openly states he recognises it and claims it’s not acceptable, only to pick an 11 and prepare them to go out and repeat the same performances with the same results when it’s suppose to be critical should be very worrying to fans as a collective and also to any self respecting owner with on field aspirations.
On current form, attitude and application, this side will lose at least another 3 games before the end of the season.
It’s coming up on twenty years since we last won the PL. Liverpool we’re ridiculed for nearly going 30 but after twenty were not as far away as we are now.
I don’t follow Arsenal with the expectation of winning trophies as if it were some god given right. But after 32 years following this club religiously, and not being able to give them up even if I wanted to, I know the difference between a side or player that’s putting it all on the line for the badge and ones that aren’t, whatever reasons anyone might want to make in their defense does not interest me if I don’t see that minimum of recognition on their behalves of what it means to be handed that jersey.
I can’t recognise this club or our fan base anymore. There were glimpses this year, away from home and the Wolves game at home, but overall the discconect between fans when it comes to accountability and ambition is stark.
Personally, I’m taking a break from it now and not managing my day around making time to watch every game or travel to games to watch such underwhelming displays, both managerial and player wise.
Just one persons opinion.
18 Apr 2022 09:30:22
What an excellent, heartfelt post Shambo.
I totally agree that after 10 minutes the results can often be predicted, for whatever reason. It's very frustrating!
It seems to me that when we have a settled first team it shows, but as soon as that squad is changed it becomes totally unbalanced. Something to be really concerned about I reckon.
The fact we had 20 shots on goal makes me think we are getting past teams ok. It's obvious neither of our recognised strikers are going to set the world on fire this season, hence my expectations.
Will we ever reach the dizzy heights with Mikel, Edu and Kroenke? Ed002
tells us time and time again the club is a mess so I suppose I have to say no, although I've always had a feeling Mikel might just do it. But I have enjoyed some of our football this year and I don't see many players swinging the lead. Whether they are good enough is another matter. Perhaps our Invincibles left a legacy
impossible to follow, in terms of expectations.
This transfer window is going to be interesting, especially if we miss out on the CL!
18 Apr 2022 09:47:14
One of the best posts I have ever read on this site
Brutal but oh so so true
Well done Shambo.
18 Apr 2022 13:02:03
Have to agree with Shambo, a great post. I have said this before, but from the 2nd half of Wengers time onwards, we have played the exact same “side on style” possession is king type of football, that ultimately bores the life out of me.
Every game, no matter who the opposition is, we set out the exact same, like a training game, 5vs 5 etc. have you noticed that in the games we go down to ten men ( normally thanks to Xhaka) we struggle and lose, but when other teams go down to ten, we still struggle. That’s because we play the same way, minute one, to minute 90, except when losing when for the last 10 minutes we massively up the tempo, which history has shown us, is successful, as we were in the Wolves home game.
Yet the very next game, instead of coming out and playing that high tempo, dominating style, right from the start, we are back to pedestrian, slow play. We are also the “big 4 team” every struggling club loves to play, as we seem to give them a massive confidence boost by letting them beat us. Southampton must have been delighted when they saw they had us after being mauled and humiliated by Chelsea, and yes, we lived up to expectations, just as we helped Brighton get over their slump the week before.
This weakness is not the current teams fault, especially the youngsters, as it’s been the same for over a decade. However not using the benefits of a young, fit team, by playing a high tempo high press for the majority of the 90 minutes is a failing of the manager. Good teams, like us, struggle with that style, and so not so good teams, like a Brighton or Southampton ( on a bad run) really struggle.
Football has been a godsend in the last couple of years, and I have loved watching the premiership, with many an excellent game. However the only time I now decide not to bother watching a game, is when it involves us, which is really sad. I went to the Wolves game, which was excellent, as the atmosphere was brilliant, but otherwise, I now avoid watching us play, as it’s just boring and predictable football, and just like Shambo says, like a rubbish whodunnit, within about 5 minutes, you know exactly what’s going to happen, we will huff and puff, dominate possession but create nothing, then the other team will break, and score.
It’s been like that through Wenger, Emery, and now Arteta. Yes there are signs Arteta is trying to change things, and at times this year we have moved the ball forward with more purpose, but we always seem to take one step forward, and two back. Perhaps we try and play a style which is overcomplicated and therefore easy for us to dip out of form so easily.
However, until we up the tempo, change things, I will sadly continue to watch other things when we are on the telly.
{Ed014's Note - totally agree with both you and Shambo, our mentality has been woeful for so long.
We’ve played some great stuff against the likes of Liverpool and City then just revert to type in games where we should play exactly as we did vs those two.
I’m another that really doesn’t bother with watching our games anymore, as soon as we started the game as we did against Palace, that set the tone for the remainder of the season and I honestly doubted we’d win another game and I really don’t see that as anything but a harsh reality!
It sucks to watch how weak we remain. We need, most of all, a true leader for our pack on the pitch. A PV or RK type player who won’t stand for this soft shite!
Lacazette rolling around on the pitch squealing and the totally inept Aubamayang are not an example of a captain I ever want to see again.
18 Apr 2022 15:06:36
I'm so sad you guys have given up watching our games. I quite understand your reasons but it just seems a shame.
18 Apr 2022 19:32:58
It’s not something i'm proud of Sally but I think Epping and Ed 14 will share the sentiment that it’s got to the point now where I ask myself whether it’s worth it. You work 5/ 6 days a week, have responsibilities, football and your club are supposed to be something that bring you joy at best and satisfaction or pride at minimum.
Arsenal FC are almost like a toxic relationship where your missus is gaslighting you at this point.
There’s just so much wrong. I mean take the fan base, if you don’t believe that there has been a deliberate devide and conquer agenda amongst fans starting with Gazidis and up to present day then I really don’t know what to tell you. Arteta was not appointed for his managerial experience or nous. His main appeal was that he could (and would go on to) divide opinion amongst fans if our past trend of decline continued (which it has) . There would be outcry from the hardline (considered negative and cynical) fans, like myself, and the side of the fan base who have excepted the decline and are putting their faith in a new dawn or in this case ‘process’. The latter will most certainly afford an ex player and captain more time than he should be given and the former, myself included, will call bull on the appointment and end up possibly ridiculing a player and person we really respected out of misplaced frustration. It’s happening since his appointment despite a great FA cup win.
While we have been squabbling over whether Emery or Arteta should be in or out, nothing changes.
I do believe Arteta has united the fan base much more, but I think he should be asked why he left training camp in Dubai in January to meet face to face with the Kroenkes if not to personally relay the importance of investing in a striker and CM before the window closed. If this was, in fact, overlooked in favour of securing his own yet to be announced new contract, you’ll know what type of future we can expect.
As fans we are left to wonder and then dispute who’s pulling our legs.
Remember we could never be sure whether it was Wenger or the board holding back on signings? Now it’s the same with Arteta. At least Emery spoke out about his displeasure at players being bought who were not his. Seems to me the Kroenkes value managers who will manage our expectations and emotions more so than one who’ll manage a competitive football team.
I’m rambling now. But I could talk for hours about the malign of the club. And again it’s absolutely not because I think we should be in finals or winning trophies every year. It’s because we are a shadow of what drew us all in in the first place. Rocastle, Wright, Adams, Seaman, Bergkamp, Vieira, Henry, Pires. World class once in a generation or lifetime players and they were brilliant.
But your Mersons, Parlours, Gilberto’s, Petits, Lauren’s etc, they all had the club in their blood. Look at how they represented themselves in the colours and Listen to how they still speak today. I think the last player we had who had that mentality was Mertesacker, and he hadn’t the quality to match his devotion to the club so still remains underestimated.
I look at the captains in the last 7 years and i'm lost.
Epping touched on it also about high intensity play and players and he’s bang on. We don’t get in behind sides, we NEVER go through a CB pairing with a through ball and we very rarely have a back four running hard or scrambling back to prevent us from breaching their lines. We play with the handbrake on, instead of punching a hole in opposition sides we play one pace lateral passes in front teams who we allow to fall back and take up positions even when the chance of a counter attack does present itself. It’s awful stuff.
The manager is managing as we play. He won’t take risks. Martinelli is our most dynamic player, why he still makes runs in behind when nobody looks to play him in is beyond me, why he competes for headers with defenders a foot taller than him when others won’t do their basics is beyond me. Yet the manager will not try him as a CF. He actually used him as a LWB vs Brighton for the second half. Saka has proven himself dangerously effective at LWB but nope, let’s continue predictably overusing him on the RW as teams continue to double and treble up on him and kick the legs off him and play Martinelli at LWB.
And for what? Because Laccazette can hold up or retain 1 out of every ten duels he has with defenders?
Put Martinelli there to disrupt or pull players out of position and free up Saka, ESR and Odegaarde and dispense with this myth of Lacca holding up play and allowing us to cross the ball into nobody even when he is actually effective at it. I mean what are the tactics there for Christ sake? And we all sit in the stands or at home and drink it up because this is what we’ve become accustomed to. We’re used to the slap in the face and banter from media and rival fans.
We’re laughing ourselves at this stage because if we don’t we’ll have to start calling for change.
And who has the time for that, or the aggravation that comes with it from fellow fans who’ll label you a neigh sayer.
Best to put focus into the things that you can rely on to bring you joy, or have the prospect of doing so. Because this club is not that and won’t be again until there’s systematic change.
18 Apr 2022 20:26:03
Once again excellent post Shambo.
We have players Saka, ESR, Martinelli and Pepe who would skin defenders if they were allowed of the leash.
18 Apr 2022 20:45:33
Last year's Europa league semi final 2nd leg against Villareal is a clear example of how not to play with the handbrake on when you need to score.
18 Apr 2022 20:53:17
Feels like they are over coached Bill.
You bought or signed Martinelli and Pepe based on what they were doing so well and then you coach snd play them differently and make scapegoats of them when they don’t please you.
One thing I have grown tired of is this thing of players needing time to settle or grow at this level without testing them as you would another player AT THE LEVEL. It’s the biggest load of bollox I’ve ever heard and we are the biggest perpetrators of it in football.
Salibas handling is just baffling to me.
{Ed014's Note - don’t get me started on Saliba! ??
19 Apr 2022 07:14:17
Haha saliba again ed14
Get a room mate.
{Ed014's Note - he’ll displace White with no trouble at all.
19 Apr 2022 08:26:15
Gotta agree with you there ED?.
{Ed014's Note - I just don’t see it any other way Bill.