Morning all.
Granit Xhaka:
If someone isn’t ready for this game, stay at home, as simple as that. It doesn’t matter your age, you can be 30, 35, 10, 18 – if you’re not ready for that, stay on the bench, stay at home, don’t come here. We need people to have the balls to come here and play because we knew this game is one of the most important for us. To perform like this is not acceptable. It’s very, very sad for us, very disappointing and I feel very sorry for the people who came here to support us.
This is not the way we wanted to go. This is all I can say, to say sorry to them. I don’t have any other words. We didn’t do what the game plan was, not listening to the coach and doing our own things and these games happen. What happened was a disaster performance and like this you don’t deserve to play Champions League, don’t deserve to even play Europa League and it’s very hard to take it at the moment. I don’t know why we are not doing what the coach is asking of us.
Mikel Arteta:
It was a really difficult night to swallow. Newcastle deserved to win the match comfortably, they were much better than us from the beginning to the last minute. We had nothing in the game. They were much better in every department. We were poor with the ball. A lot of things happened during the night, with the substitutions we had to make through injuries, but it’s not an excuse. Newcastle deserved to win the match.
Mikel Arteta is right, Newcastle Utd deserved their win. Everything Eddie Howe’s team was about, Mikel Arteta’s wasn’t yet I think it’s fair to say, their team isn’t exactly full of top quality players. What they had though was energy, commitment and a plan. Arsenal’s plan looked like it was to turn up and hope everything works out in our favour. But there was a plan according to Granit Xhaka and the players were to blame for not executing it.
All of what Xhaka said after the game I agree with, although I’m not overly convinced it was the right time or place for such honesty. I don’t recall him standing out last night because of a top notch performance.
My emotions regarding the club and Mikel Arteta have gone up and down more times than Arsenal has changed league positions this season. How can a Arteta team beat Chelsea and West Ham away from home, go toe to toe with Man City, beat Wolves and Villa on the road, Leicester City too but also lose to a dreadful Everton and Man Utd team, Southampton, Brighton, Totts, Newcastle etc all within a space of a few months? Is it as simple as blaming injuries or players being knackered?
Losing the last two games hasn’t ruined Arsenal’s season, being inconsistent throughout the entire season has. Having such a small squad hasn’t helped. Having a sulky captain on the pitch for as long as he was didn’t help, Not making any signings in January was idiotic if there was money available. Losing Tomiyasu, Partey and Tierney hasn’t helped either but injuries are a part of football, as is having the depth/strength within the squad to cope with them. Mikel Arteta’s tactics will no doubt come under scrutiny but being an armchair expect is easy. Just ask Gary Neville about that. Even so, one doesn’t have to be a genius to know that better rotation of the squad might have helped Arsenal’s season, just as a different approach to certain fixtures might have.
I think Arsenal are weak, both mentally and physically. Yes yes, I know the squad is young etc, after all, that’s all we’ve heard all season but ultimately, age/inexperience can be an excuse for errors but not commitment, energy or enthusiasm. Or belief.
But, just because you or I buy a lottery ticket, it doesn’t mean we’ll become millionaires overnight. Just because Arsenal found themselves in a position to secure 4th place, there was never a guarantee they would and let’s be honest here Arsenal are nowhere near deserving to be playing Champions League football. I really don’t want to be watching us up against the likes of Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern, PSG, Juventus etc etc because in my opinion, they would batter this Arsenal team.
Before anyone suggests another positive transfer window and a few academy players added to the squad will make a difference, if Mikel Arteta continues with the ‘young squad’ theme, I’ll expect next season to be little different to this one. Peaks and troughs whilst waiting for the young to mature. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing the academy players making it into the first team, I really do but by signing young players from overseas, it can do more harm than good. Look at Emile Smith Rowe now compared to a few months ago. I know Pepe is pretty average but I suspect he’s pretty peed off too because he’s barely played. Fine if there’s a better player player in the squad to rotate with Bukayo Saka but there isn’t and the latter has been overused in my opinion and with it, has become less effective. Partey and Tierney – would both be injured now had they had more downtime? We’ll never know but it worries me that if Mikel Arteta can’t rotate a small squad, how the heck is he going to manage a squad the size we need to compete in Europe as well the two domestic cups and Premier League?
As for last night’s game, we knew we couldn’t afford to lose yet we were wide open all over the pitch. Yes, we held on for a while but eventually, we caved in and Newcastle Utd got what they deserved. Whilst Arsenal got nothing more than they deserved too.
See you in the comments.
Well that wasn’t much fun, was it?
At the start of the season watching us get ripped apart by Chelsea at home I said to myself ‘I’m going to enjoy the rollercoaster ride’. Back then I was expecting a battle to be level with last season’s 8th position. So with some perspective 5th is an overachievement.
To be in 4th with a 4 point cushion over 5th raises expectations of Champions League, so it does feel disappointing to have rolled over last night when we should have done better.
Europa League it is then. Thursday nights in the pub pre game is the place to be. I look forward to it!
Some observations from the game last night:
Defensively we were solid until Tomi got injured. Cedric was out of position for the 1st goal and played Newcastle onside for the 2nd.
Tavares was very good last night. Very unlucky to be pulled.
Odegaard struggled to control the ball
Nketiah reverted to form
Pepe is a waste of space. Defend the indefensible if you want, but all I see is a cr@p player who can’t be bothered to do track back after losing the ball. I’ll pay for the taxi to Seville…
How did Lacazette cut his head? He didn’t get near to the ball or anybody on the pitch.
https://gunnerstown.com/arsenal/2022/05/17/not-with-a-bang-but-a-whimper-arsenal-tear-up-golden-champions-league-ticket-in-timid-newcastle-display-positive-needs-hopes/
pbarany , I hope that you get the chance to read my reply on the last thread ,
I just hope that on this occasion Xhaka has spoken out of turn for the last time and that Jose maintains his interest . Xhaka is correct we do need a player prepared to go the extra mile and step up when neccessary .
I just hope he realises that he is not that man
For those rushing to put the boot in on Mik I await your suggestions for his replacement.
Arsene Wenger is not coming back. It’s 4 years since his departure and time to let it go.
😉
It’ll be interesting to see how Arteta reacts to Xhaka’s comments to the media because if the past is anything to go by, he should be dropped for the last game.
Morning rico, house, the report you didn’t want to write. Disappointing especially as it’s Spurs who ended the season so much stronger. But as you say, and I think everyone would agree, we are nowhere near good enough to be competitive in the Champion League. Glad Arteta didn’t gloss over how poor we were, he actually looked shocked saying they were 10 times better than us.
Morning Andrew. I think Arteta knew there were no excuses. Couldn’t even blame the ref. Lol
Morning Rico and all
You can blame Arteta or the players if you want but I believe the board has to take a lot of the blame for what has happened, First of all Arteta should have stayed as a coach and not worry about how the club is run, I agree we needed a rebuild of players but he changed 2 many older players to quickly with kids that were not ready and by keep saying they are young and they will make mistakes just gave these players a way out.
Auba let us down big time but Arteta has had a chance to find a replacement but didn’t. Arteta needs to trust his bench players more and if he doesn’t then get rid of them with players he does.
So were do we go from here. I believed we should finish 5th or 6th this season and if Arteta recruits well this transfer window I would be more than happy to eat humble pie but next season there has to be no excuse by the players or coaching staff if we keep playing inconsistent football.
Not doing that Pete , He is like some of our players learning . We can only hope that he does so quickly . He has to realise that he can’t just have a first team and a few extras to slot in occassionally . If they are good enough then they have to be used and no-one is exempt from being left out.
Admittedly Arteta is inexperienced even us fans know you need to rotate and keep the fringe players interested. He may be a good coach but i suspect he may also be a difficult taskmaster, the way the team bottled top 4 increases pressure on Arteta next season. I can only imagine what will happen should the team stutter in October
Morning Rico. Results make even the sharpest of us look like fools time and again. Never more than with these Arteta teams that take you up and then drop you down with what should by now, be expected regularity. I guess that what is so frustrating for me is how cloudy and uncertain the future looks. I see progression in that we have moved from 8th to 5th (next Sunday notwithstanding) and yet I am still conflicted. I have got on and off the Arteta bus more times than I care to remember recently and though I feel a certain compulsion to decide on a position with the current Arsenal and stick to it I can’t seem to get there.
I look at the performances, regardless of the results. Man City at home stands out and was ironically a game that Mikel was unable to attend due to Covid. We were good that day but still lost and there’s a message there I suppose. The rest becomes something of a blur. I never really got over the loss to Everton and the mere fact that it sticks out among all the other losses shows me just how disgusting it was. I believe I found it virtually unforgivable at the time. I wondered how good any coach might be who had succumbed to that pile of crap that made up that Everton team. And yes, I know we were royally fitted up by the officials too. I could go on, but it would all be about the same thing really. Frustration followed by upset have superimposed themselves on some of the pure nonsense we have managed to dish up on such a regular basis.
But when I think of the losses my overwhelming feeling is of our piss-poor attitude. Some tedious commentator, probably Martin Tyler, described Klopp’s Liverpool as Mentality Monsters at the weekend. It was somewhat sickening but essentially correct. It highlighted that Mikel’s Arsenal are most decidedly not, even remotely that.
So, I am unsure where we are but I know it’s not a great place and I do fear for the next seasons if we continue on the same path. Personally, I am sick of hearing about how young this team is as if it were some sort of badge of honour.
At this moment I would lean toward the new contract as being premature. The Kroenkes might have thought they were being clever but results do make the sharpest of us look like fools.
Can Mikel actually lead the club back to, or near, the top under this ownership and this manager? Somehow, I doubt it because I can’t see us buying the right amount or quality of players in the window. I hope I’m wrong but that’s what this club does to you.
I don’t think anyone is pushing for Arteta out Pete, at least not yet. 😂
But he has a lot of waking up to do imo. If we can’t win a game, don’t lose it.
Hi Geoff.
Kudzi, I agree re next season. Arteta survives or departs is imo dependant on the first few months of the new campaign. For now, the Emirates is happy, but that can change rapidly.
Morning Adam, we’re on the same page. Everton sticks in my throat too. As said in the post, we didn’t miss 4th because of losing to Newcastle, it was because of losing games like Everton, Utd etc. like you, I worry about the attitude within the squad and how easily the level of performance can go up but then so far down again.
Against Chelsea and West Ham, pure determination won the game and not the performance imo, if that makes sense, so they have it in them. Just not consistently.
Potter, thanks for the detailed response.
I think we are in agreement in most points, especially on the carrot-on-a-stick one.
However I’m not entirely sure that KSE will see it as he ‘has to make up for the lost Champions League income’.
The other thing we are not in full agreement is Xhaka. He just became my personal hero with his performance and reaction. I sincerely hope that he stays and maybe even regains the captaincy…
I’m relatively new on this fine blog, but I’ve been quite active in a different community before ‘moving’ here. And I have always advocated to prevent this dilly-dally bullshit about the right direction, team character or what makes or breaks a season. I always said – and Kev is my witness – that we have to lay down the expectation at the very beginning of the season, and hold ourselves (the team, the coach, the management) accountable. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being a visionary here. I work for a gigantic multinational for-profit corporation in the telecommunication industry, and that’s how they do things. Measurable performance, clear expectations, development plans, KPIs…
I also used to say that table position is not the best indicator, as it heavily depends on other teams’ form and performance. So I proposed to set a point tally expectation that reflects reality: should take the trend into account from the late Wenger years, should include the lack of European football and the fact that Arteta was given unprecedented funds to strengthen the squad in 6 (key) positions. I’m not saying all people have the same point expectations, I merely say that up front requirements would prevent a dilemma we are having here that if someone is satisfied with the 5th position and tolerate the late collapse is (s)he a loyal and kind supporter, somebody with really low standards or anything in between.
Would you guess how many bloggers were interested in coming up with a pre-season point tally expectation giving a single feckin’ number from that (once) flourishing big community? Just one. He said 35-35 point in each half season, while I proposed the 72-75 points I have reiterated a couple of times here in Highbury House already (meaning under 72 points Arteta to be replaced, above 75 should be given a new contract, and keeping him without extension in between).
However the actual numbers are less important. We could have ended up #6 or reached the third position depending on the consistency of the other top teams. But at least we had quantitative expectations. Now there is – subconscious – pressure on most fans, because they have to demonstrate loyalty and positivism by finding compelling arguments that the club is going to the right direction even though Arsenal lost 10 games each in Emery’s two (partly incomplete) campaigns, while lost 13 in Arteta’s both full seasons.
Pbarany, my expectation was 7th, perhaps 6th at a push which was purely based on the previous disaster of a season and the amount of new players. Throughout the season, I’ve always maintained that if Arsenal sacked Arteta yesterday, I wouldn’t miss him. As for fans, if they are anything like me, they are supporting the players first and foremost and of course, Arteta says all the right things to keep them/us happy.
The process, what actually is it I wonder? So often I can’t tell unless it is a case of replacing most of the squad he inherited. If so, he’s doing rather well. My big concern is that whilst we wait, wait, and wait some more, players like ESR, Saka etc will look elsewhere to achieve better things.
I think as was said earlier, if by the time the WC comes around, Arsenal are still plodding on at the same rate as now, someone else will become the Arsenal manager.
Pete @ 10.16 & 10.24
Great comments.
I think we see similar problems but I will never agree on your stance on Xhaka . My opinion comes from having watched him for too many years , He always has struck me as one of those players that thinks he is better than he is and is always prepared to point out other peoples mistakes and rarely admits to his own. Most dressing rooms have them and i have met a few.
Apart from when he playing the ball backwards or square he has a great knack of giving the ball away and rarely gets it back and when he does he is prone to being stupid and giving free kicks and collecting cards.
He doesn’t control games he often lets them drift for long periods and he is not a leader .
We can do better and should have about 3 years ago.
I am sure that there is a stat that says I am wrong but then Denilson had the best passing stats for a few years and look how effective he was.
Spot on Potter.
Whether or not you agree with Xhaka loosing his captaincy, I don’t see how the younger or new players can look up to another player who is prone to collect red / yellow cards.
I am not sure we have a true captain in the squad we have,
Thanks Kev
I’m with Potter on Xhaka. Since when has he become the voice of reason? A few decent games and he’s criticising his teammates. He needs to have a look in the mirror.
I still think we will continue to have a fifth column in the dressing room until Lazygitte and Xhaka move on.
Come on Rico, don’t be coy. & Pb too. Who should replace Arteta?
I read a rambling column from the ex Gooner editor Kev W, suggesting Diego Simeone. His teams are like watching drying paint. Make Mourinho’s tactics look gung ho.
#I don’t think anyone is pushing for Arteta out Pete, at least not yet.’#
Simeone is the epitome of the old Argie method of rotational fouling using spoiling tactics and shutting down games and stifling his opponents. Incidentally Partey was extremely good at it but here he has no partner to carry out the dirty work and gets lost on his own.
Potter, we agree on so many things, that disagreeing on Xhaka should not be an issue at all.
Rico, I don’t think it’s only Saka and ESR (at risk). I fear that even the best academy starlets will leave for free to direct competitor, because of no chance for playing time in the first squad. A few games back I heard the commentator saying how uplifting it could be for the U18 and U23 players to see Arsenal taking Chelsea apart with ESR, Nketiah (2) and Saka scoring the goals. However that is completely misleading. Bellerin, AMN, Willock and Nketiah are all Wenger ‘discoveries’, ESR, Saka and Nelson are from the Emery-Ljungberg tandem; the academy players that were given first team minutes by Arteta in his 2.5 years tenure are only Balogun and Patino. (Hell, even Balogun was named on the bench by Emery.) So we will likely lose top academy talents and third-choice senior players. Like Tavares if we’ll indeed sign a new left back and maybe even Lokonga, who came as the best (young) midfielder in Belgium, and Nelson too, who is way better as Arsenal fans think, and could have been much-much more if given the support and opportunities.
Pete, there are a lot of competent coaches who could have been interested in the Arsenal challenge. I cannot guarantee that all would have accepted the mission – especially those who are in the middle of something big – but here is a sample:
Stefano Pioli (would probably stay with Milan), Gian Piero Gasperini (is with Atalanta for 6 years now, made a serious team back from mid-table mediocrity, could be interested in the PL), Zinédine Zidane (currently unemployed, could be interested in competing with Pep and Klopp), Luis Enrique (I doubt we could have afford him), and I’m sure Edu could have brought someone from South-America, too. And we could (should) have beaten MU on Ten Haag.
When you look at our squad we have an age and experience problem. These are the players over 26
Bernd Leno 30
Alexandre Lacazette 30
Cédric Soares 30
Granit Xhaka 29
Mohamed Elneny 29
Thomas Partey 28
Rob Holding 26
Nicolas Pépé 26
Arguably the only one of these that should be in our starting line-up is Partey. Unfortunately he has struggled to stay fit. Elneny and Holding are solid enough for squad players but the rest need to go, and most of them know it.
Beneath that we have 4 24 year olds
Ramsdale
Tierney
Gabriel
White
2 of those were unfit for yesterdays game and 1 was missing.
That leaves us with kids and they blinked under the pressure.
Next season we need to have some experience in the side that actually deserves to be there.
It looks like we have a young full back, a young winger and a young keeper already sorted. By my reckoning we need (at least) a centre forward and a Midfielder in addition to replacing those that leave.
In the rush I forgot about Leonardo Jardim aw well as Ernesto Valverde, and if Joachim Löw is half as good as a club coach than as a national team manager he could also elevate Arsenal to the next level. All of them are without club at the moment, and I doubt they would demand higher salary than Mikel.
There is Frank de Boer who could be a secret candidate. Or maybe we can lure Marco Silva to Arsenal at the end of the next campaign…
Honest Pete, I’m not after Arteta’s sacking right now. There would be no point because he’s just signed a new contract. I’ve not even given a thought as to who would replace him and tbh, I don’t think I know enough about managers in the game to make a suggestion really. Look at the PL alone, one man can raise his team up to beat us but then lose the next few.
As said in the post, my emotions over him and the club go up and down all the time. But what I would add though is I expected 7th or 8th so 5th is better than I expected. I just wish we weren’t so toothless in defeat.
Pbarany, I’m not sure it really matters who gave which player his break and if Wenger, Emery or Freddie were still here, would those same players now be doing any better for Arsenal right now? We don’t know but what we do know is that not all of them are in Arteta’s and we can only live in the here and now really. To a degree, players need to take every opportunity they have to leave Arteta with no choice but to play them. Saka and ESR have done that.
Next season should be better for the academy players on the cusp of the first team because they’ll get their chance in Europa.
I worry about losing players because they get tired of waiting for something better than where Arsenal currently are.
Hobart. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. The balance young to old/experience isn’t right. Every great team needs an experienced/mature in terms of the game, core.
Very diplomatic Rico.
@Pb I get the names you’re offering up. Some are unemployed for a reason. Others are cheque-book managers.
I am interested to see how Ten Haag does at United. He has the same problem Arteta had when he began at Arsenal – a poisonous dressing room. Ronaldo is in charge at the moment. They saw off Ole and Rangnick. It won’t be easy and he is unlikely to be given time.
If we are truly building for the future then continuity will be important. Mertesacker’s work with the youth team is starting to reap rewards and any new coach shouldn’t be allowed to rip the plans up and start again.
I think Mik has done pretty well this season, although he has made some errors. Throwing the FA Cup game to Forest was straight out of the Wenger play-book. Maybe it gave us an extra 3-6 points. I’m not sure it was a good move. Relying on Laca and Eddy to get our goals was a big misjudgement.
Overall I’d give him 7/10. If he’d made CL 8/10. Right now I don’t see better options, but if he c@cks things up next season he’s not indispensable.
The BBC sport article by G Balague on Arteta was badly timed imo.
😂 Pete, not really, just honest. It’s easy to pluck names out of a hat but whether they’re right for Arsenal I’ve no idea. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that for a while.
By the way Pete, I think the rest of your comment above is fair.
I think nobody is after Arteta’s sacking right now. That ship has sailed, and we indeed must live in the here and now.
All I’m saying is that a half decent club would have done things differently.
Regarding the ‘who discovered whom?’ topic I am not implying that these players would be performing better under Arteta or Emery. (Actually I believe that Nelson would be an England national if kept the support and minutes under Wenger, but that is just a theory, so you don’t have to believe it.) Nevertheless my point is, that people are saying a lot of nice things about Arteta, his strengths and the benefits he brings to the club. Some of it undeniably true (I acknowledge them even though I might seem to focus only the negative side), some of it are debatable, some of it are probably false, but the point where Arteta is leading a youth revolution and relying on the academy happens to be a bald-faced lie.
Hallelujah, at last the baggage arrived this afternoon. Three days in the same pair of socks and pants as well as the same shirt is too much. As my razor was in the case I was forced to spend €10 on a barber’s shave. Actually it was quite pleasant and relaxing.
Off out for dinner in a nice restaurant tonight without fear of offending my fellow diners. 😉
Only one more game to suffer this season, let’s all hope and pray for a better 2022/23.
We spent 77 days in 4th place. No other club has been in 4th place for so long. Now just a miracle. Yesterday, we lacked ambition among other things. let’s wait
TMI Cicero. 😂
Only one day counts though Jm and it seems we’ve blown that..
For a neutral what a finish to the season 1st and 2nd up for grabs then 4th and 5th up for grabs and finally 6th and 7th are also battling it out
That’s a fair point, Geoff.
It is/was an exciting season. Too bad we are not on the happy end of it, but you cannot always have a happy finish. 🙂
I’m sure if we wouldn’t be so close it wouldn’t hurt half as much (and probably Arteta wouldn’t have his contract extended either).
But the team that trashed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge would have torn Newcastle apart – I have no doubt about that. So it cannot be the question of team capabilities, rather fitness and motivation.
Morning Pb
I don’t recall reading that opinion, but there is plenty of guff flying around.
Arteta only started leaning into the youth players when the senior ‘pros’ effectively went on strike in 20/21. The Chelsea game in December 20 specifically. Saka & ESR were outstanding that day.
The revitalisation of the academy has been a long term project. It was neglected for a years under Brady and Wenger.
Pb: #the point where Arteta is leading a youth revolution and relying on the academy happens to be a bald-faced lie.#
Pbarany We are going to finish were I recon we should have and that’s a plus but it’s not so much about loosing that hurts it’s the way we loose. and the inconsistencies and bad coaching through out the whole season not to mention the mid season transfer market.
This season is not over yet after all Totts have Totts in them and anything can happen.
Morning all, new post up.
I’ve accepted its Europa for Arsenal, and I hope Totts do too. Then they might slip up.
I hope I am wrong but Depending on who we get in this transfer period I can still see ESR leave for more game time