Morning all.
Don’t you just love it when after a few ‘poor’ results, footballers decide to issue a rallying speech before the next game. This time around it’s the turn of Thomas Partey:
I think everything depends on us – we have to go [to City] with the mentality to play football and plays we know. And, at the end, we have to try and win. We have to approach it as a game in that we do everything that we did from the beginning of the season and I am sure we can win, if we do that. It’s normal that we feel frustrated after Friday as we could have done better. We worked so hard during the week for the game. We cannot put our heads down because now is not the time to drop heads. We have to keep on fighting, we have to keep on pushing and in the end we will get better results.
He’s right of course but it’s what he and his teammates do on the pitch which matters more than words and for most of the season, they’ve been brilliant. During the last three games they’ve been brilliant too but either side of that has been moments of sloppiness which has cost the team points. It happens though, but when a Premier League title is in the balance, everything seems bigger and worse.
Would the “Gerrard slip” be remembered so well had it not cost Liverpool the title, or Fergie telling the world that his Utd team was better than Arsenal and Wenger’s team would definitely drops points in the games in the run in when in fact his own team dropped points during theirs. Against Arsenal, at Old Trafford! There was the “Gallas” season, not because he was remarkable but because he sat frustrated at what he’d witnessed very early in our game against Birmingham in 2008. 2010/11 – Fergie’s lot were 4-2 up against Everton at Old Trafford but ended up drawing 4-4, dropping two points which ultimately allowed Man City to win the League on the final day of the season. The 2016/17 season was on course to be a really disappointing one for all Arsenal fans. Not because top four was seriously at risk for the club but because the noisy neighbours had a chance of winning the League. In the end, they blew it.
I think that if a poll was created and all fans voted, the majority percentage would show that Arsenal ‘should’ have won more trophies under Arsene Wenger. Had football been played on a level playing field, I’m sure we would have but it wasn’t then and it isn’t now. After all, we should right now be going into the game against City with a 7 point advantage, not 5. And yes, those two points could make a huge difference come the end of the season.
2002/03 should have been another ‘double’ season but in the April, we dropped two points against Villa, two against Utd and then three against Leeds at Highbury in May. Ouch! The season was deemed a failure in the eyes of the media.
Arsene Wenger wasn’t happy:
Of course, we want to win the title but I think the most difficult thing for the club is to be consistent and we have been remarkably consistent. We lost the league to a team who spends 50 percent more money every year – last year they bought a player for £30m pounds when they lost the championship. They will do the same next year and we [have] done miracles just to fight with them.
Well, we know what happened the following year! Whilst I’m not for one suggesting we’ll go the entire of next season unbeaten, we will be better I’m sure. City will spend again, Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and other clubs too but then so will Arsenal and regardless of whether we finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd, the players, manager and coaching staff will be more wise. Just because Mikel Arteta sat next to Guardiola when City won the League, I doubt he had much of a say about the players Guardiola signed or the match day changes he made. It’s easier to make changes during a game when a team is winning than when it’s losing, or just struggling.
When City went to Germany to face Bayern Munich last week, Guardiola had Mahrez, Foden, Alvarez, Laporte, Walker, Phillips, plus a few others on the bench. I’m sure there are many Arsenal fans who love Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson, Reuell Walters too because there’s an emotional attachment to each but have they really suddenly become our saviours?
It’s different with ESR as he’s already proved he’s a cracking player, Leandro Trossard too so yes, there’s a reason to wonder why neither started against Southampton instead of Fabio Vieira but it wasn’t long ago I was wondering why Gabriel Martinelli was being held back but now look at him. It might be similar for ESR who just needs to come back when he’s 100% rather than for example 85%. Why the Belgian didn’t start ahead of Vieira will always remain a mystery to me.
This Arsenal team might go to the Etihad on Wednesday and win, they might draw but they might lose too. Obvious I know but if there are no mistakes, 100% focus and commitment from start to finish then why can’t they get at least a point? If we’re beaten then so be it, if we finish the season 2nd, then so be it but as Arsene Wenger said back in 2003, we’d have pushed the Manchester club all the way. A club which has spent millions of pounds on getting the best players, sticking their fingers up at the rules along the way, and in all likelihood, will carry on doing the same unless the powers that be stop them.
I know it sounds like I’m accepting failure but I’m not, I’m just a realist. If winning the League was so easy, why is it that Liverpool are the only club other than Man City to have done it since Guardiola assembled his multibillion pound squad?
Catch up in the comments.
Unfortunately with the nature of our dog eats dog media leading the story, coming second will be portrayed as failure and the spin that Arsenal bottled it will be the headline .
It’s a black and white world , there is no grey and being objective doesn’t sell papers or create a narrative that gets the switchboards of radio stations lighting up like Blackpool’s illuminations.
We have to remember that Arsenal supporters are a minority of the population and every other club’s followers will take delight in putting the boot in and the likes of Talk Sport will be at the forefront of the parade of critics and giving them the opportunity to air their bias.
I still believe that City will drop points but I fear that they won’t do it until we are out of the picture then their attention will be on Champions league and their treble.
Spot on, but then some of own fans join in too. Look at the abuse Saka had after missing the penalty. Assuming it was an Arsenal fan of course.
Much of the problem is that just because a club is top in February, it’s often assumed they will go on and win the League but football isn’t like that and neither is life. Who’d have thought Saliba would get injured, or Partey would suddenly think he’s Messi outside his own box or indeed Ramsdale would do what he did at the weekend.
It’s easy to forget these guys are human..
G’day Rico.
Rather than reading to platitudes from one of the more obvious culprits, Partey, would be more interested to know what Arteta and the squad are doing to improve the apparent lack of focus, evident in the last three game, which has thrown away six valuable points
Lots of so called fans are easily led and accept the narrative and cant think for themselves . Durham especially will glorify in his denegration and the less discerning will swallow hook line and sinker .
We have to prepare ourselves for the media onslaught but of course the team could spike their guns by firing our own .
we are the only team to go unbeaten in the last 10 games I believe and although we have drawn too many another one would not be a bad result .
Sorry that should be “I would….”
A’noon Rico.
A disappointing result against the Saints on Friday. Unfortunately (luckily) I was running late so missed the Ramsdale howler. In the 2nd half I swear we didn’t have a shot on target until the 75th minute.
We’re scoring enough, but the defending was error strewn. We’ve got complacent. I get the feeling the players have been focusing on the City game for a while.
To be fair to S’hampton we were lucky to get a draw. They played well.
Have to wonder what is happening with ESR? Vieira wasn’t great (he doesn’t deserve the pile on he’s been getting), so there was an obvious solution.
Arteta could be protecting his injury? Could have done something silly in training? Hard to say, but it could be terminal.
Afternoon Cicero, that’s what went through my mind too but I doubt they made mistakes on purpose. I think they’re probably as cheesed off as we are..
Afternoon Pete, the Southampton game is the one which really frustrates me because we were at home. The errors were sloppy but we still had plenty of time to come back.
A plane carrying the Arsenal women’s team back from their Champions League semi-final first leg with Wolfsburg burst into flames on the runway on Sunday evening.
The incident occurred at the Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport after a bird flew into the engine shortly before it was due to take off, causing a loud bang.
Flames immediately started to come out of the left engine of the Boeing 737, and the pilots on board quickly evacuated the passengers, including Arsenal’s first team squad, to safety.
Arsenal have released a statement confirming they returned home safely this morning.
The statement read: ‘Our aircraft developed a technical issue prior to take-off in Germany on Sunday evening. ‘As a result, we remained in Wolfsburg overnight on Sunday before flying back to England on Monday afternoon. We would like to thank the staff onboard the aircraft and on the ground at the airport for their assistance.’
Mikel Arteta’s side are putting all their focus into Wednesday’s monumental clash at The Etihad stadium in a match that will have a big say on the destiny of the Premier League title.
But off the field, sporting director Edu is putting plans in place for the summer window and a return to the Champions League. And despite signing Jorginho in January, the club are in the hunt for more midfield talent.
Indeed, Moises Caicedo is still reportedly on their wanted list after seeing a January bid rebuffed. And he could be joined at Emirates Stadium by another top young talent in 20 year old Gabri Veiga.
The Celta Vigo star is enjoying an excellent season in La Liga with nine goals and four assists from 28 appearances.
However, the Spanish press believes it is inevitable that he will be sold this summer – and it seems a huge offer from Arsenal is likely to win the day.
And AS believe a £35m (€40m) offer will be enough to secure the signing for Arsenal. The Spanish publication also claims they will be delighted to accept such an offer too, with Arsenal clearly streaking ahead of Manchester United and Manchester City in the race to sign him.
The 20-year-old is seen as one of La Liga’s brightest prospects, having played 46 times for Celta, scoring nine goals.
Blimey, that sounds a bit too close for comfort. Must have been scary..
Transfer gossip in April… 😀
Totts have now sacked Stenilli…
They have now got two Directors of Football, they will work together with Levy to identify and appoint a new manager.
There is an old saying that “the camel was a horse designed by a committee”
I think one has either been sacked or resigned after his long ban.
New post up now