Morning all.
A game of two halves? Yes because the second was certainly played with more energy.
Arsene Wenger, throughout his Arsenal career, seldom gave players over 30 years old a long contract, if any contract at all. Don’t get me wrong, he gave a lot of players contracts who in hindsight he shouldn’t have but his over 30 ruling was probably smart. Willian and Aubameyang are both robbing Arsenal right now as neither player deserve to be in the Arsenal first team. At least Willian looks like he’s trying at times which is more than can be said for our captain. Yes, our captain, the one who should be leading this team by example, not setting the wrong example. His body language, lack of conviction, in fact everything about his presence on the pitch stinks right now.
Granit Xhaka. A lovely bloke and all that I’m sure but he’s simply not what Arsenal need in midfield. I hope Arsenal don’t try and sign Ceballos either. Four players who were really ineffective and inefficient yesterday and have been since the season kicked off.
The clash of heads between Jiminez and Luiz was horrible. Just hearing it made my stomach turn. Reports suggest the Wolves man underwent surgery for a fracture. As for Luiz, I’m still trying to understand why he continued. Why he was allowed to continue and certainly why Mikel Arteta didn’t just do the sensible thing by bringing Rob Holding on instead. Strapping up his head and soldiering on might look brave but this is 2020 and a lot of things have been learned since the 80’s.
As for Arsenal’s football, it was a case of same old, same old. It’s only natural that the media will be questioning Mikel Arteta’s managerial abilities. Same goes for the fans too and wouldn’t it be easy for the board to sack Arteta this morning? But why would they? Edu isn’t stupid, he played the game long enough to know that this Arsenal squad isn’t good enough. If anyone thinks Klopp or Pep could do any better with the players Arteta has at his disposal, I’d love to see them try. As said before, the first thing both would do is sell half of them because they are not able to play the high tempo football both demand from their players. But I do think Klopp would play Reiss Nelson instead of Willian. Willian in my opinion should be the player involved in Europa and Nelson should be starting Premier League games and just because Willock didn’t have a particularly good first half, I hope Arteta doesn’t give up on him. Back him, believe in him and let him grow in the first team because he’s our future I’m sure, as is Nelson.
‘In football, time is very precious and people are very impatient. But if you don’t respect the processes and you ask certain people to do certain things when the foundations are not there, it’s a really dangerous thing to do.’ – Mikel Arteta
Take from that what you choose but I see it as him saying he knows what he wants to do with this squad but some of the players he has simply aren’t up to the task and who could honestly disagree?
The worrying thing is our attacking unit, it’s little short of rubbish with a striker who looks like he does give a s**t anymore. Aubameyang of last season would have have scored yesterday and in previous games but he’s just not moving and not trying. Drop him? For who? Lacazette, Nketiah or Balogun? Honestly, out of all of them I think it’s Balogun who would be the biggest threat to defenders but I’m guessing as he’s never played a PL fixture. But could he be any less effective than Aubameyang?
The alternatives often seem to be the solution but not always do they prove to be the answer but personally, I’d rather see someone playing who trying and giving absolutely everything than a guy who thinks it’s acceptable to just walk about with a miserable look on his face as if he doesn’t give a toss. It’s disrespectful to the club, Arteta and the fans.
See you in the comments guys.
Morning Rico. Ultimately, any manager stands or falls by the decisions he makes.
Morning Adam, all.
He does but how does Arteta turn a squad which at best, half are average, into a great team?
Morning all.
Arteta can only use the players he has at his disposal and not many fans would agree we have a squad that’s good enough to compete.
That said, he’s not getting the best out of what he has so must change things up and if that includes sacking Auba, so be it imo
Tough times ahead but we all knew that’d be the case
Arsenal is in big trouble this season. The players ( over half of them ) are not good enough. The Coach is not good enough to handle a club as big as Arsenal. The obvious thing is to sack the Coach and put a more experience Man in charge before it becomes too late., If this action is not taken , a relegation dog fight will soon start .In the interim, some players like Auba, Willian, Laca,Bellerin etc needs to be dropped. Things are getting out of hand fast, Arsenal has never had it so bad. Five defeats in ten games and still counting Cos another defeat awaits us this weekend in the first north London derby.
How does he get more out of the likes Aubameyang though Scott? I’m not trying to absolve Arteta in our struggles but for goodness sake, these blokes should want to play and perform. Aubameyang is a disgrace right now.
I might sound bonkers here but I don’t think Toots will beat us.
Rico, I genuinely don’t know.
You know my thoughts on motivating players-it’s not up to the manager imo
Professional pride, the fact they’re representing this great club or even personal pride should be enough to miracle these guys.
If they don’t want to put in, bench them.
Play the kids and I’ll bet the fans will support that and show more patience than they are now, generally speaking.
All I ever ask from players is effort.
If they are out of form then fine, as long as they’re having a crack.
Some don’t seem to be, so replace them with someone who will.
A telling stat is that Pepe is being considered everything from absolute shit to just over rated, yet he has scored the same amount of goals with more assists in all competitions than Auba.
Rico, I really think the NLD will show some of these guys for what they are.
If they fire, then the question must be asked why they can’t lift more regularly.
If they can’t lift, then what are they doing at the club?
Biggest game in years, imo.
My thoughts are similar Scott. It’s easy to spot which players want to play and who don’t.
Doesn’t surprise me re Auba, Gabriel has more goals this season than him.
Morning rico, good thought provoking post. This squad were not so bad they couldn’t win the FA cup against good opposition. They have then had Gabriel and Partey added, Gabriel had been star man numerous times. So they can’t suddenly be useless players. After the cup final and then transfer additions, most of us I think, and Arteta, were pretty optimistic that we would do well. We know we need that inventive midfielder, but we could have bought Aour and he been injured first game, like Partey!
Five league defeats by November, something somewhere deeper down is wrong?
Rico, I wonder how much longer Arteta will wait til he does bench the guy.
Who’d be a manager 🙂
So you want an experienced man to take over ? Begs the question of WHO ?
Apparently before we appointed Emery we spoke to Ancelloti and Allegri both of whom turned down the chance because of lack of funds to rebuild the squad . So it would seem likely , that if they would not come then , they would be unwilling to come now .
Paying off a manager and his staff is not cheap perhaps that money if it’s to be spent would be better used in ridding ourselves of the problem players.
Aubameyang it seems bent us over as it appears we repeated the Alexis and Ozil fiascos and Willian and his agent Kia Joorabchian must be laughing all the way to the bank which leads us to question the actions of those in the Diamond club seats .
From where I sit there is much more wrong at the club than just sacking the manager and going round on the fairground ride . I can’t see that having owners so distant is really working , I believe that turning this around needs to be a hands on approach and that is not Stan’s way.
I am sure that zoom meetings are held but as anyone that has worked remote from their head office knows , once the laptop is closed you can nip off for a coffee and forget about it . Until the next time.
We are in freefall at the moment , nothing sits right , our attack is impotent and midfield without Partey is non existent and defensively we are 3/4 s of the way there in front of a dodgy keeper.
However we have a good crop of young players that need time surely it can’t be worse than to give them the playing time and accept that they will make mistakes and just realise that this rebuild is not a tweak here and there , it’s wholesale .
We need to step back to go forward.
Totally agree re Sunday Scott. If a nld cant motivate them, nothing will.
Rico. As has been said, this squad, minus Gabriel and Partey, who I know has been absent, beat Wolves, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man Utd quite recently. Looking at the clubs above us in the table I think we have a better squad than some of those teams, despite our well-known issues.
It seems quite clear to me that there is something wrong at the club as you and I have spoken about. Every game that comes we all hope that things will turn around, but they don’t. Things have got worse and are getting even more so.
The fan’s problem is that they see Mikel and Edu as Arsenal men as if that somehow qualifies them to move the club forward. The distance between us and the top teams isn’t going to be easy to bridge. But the owners and the board have some serious decisions to make. But if they, like us, could see some real improvements on the pitch or could understand the path we are on under Mikel and Edu then the outlook might look better. If they back the manager then that has to be more than words.
As I said earlier, look at the decisions that have been made with regards the playing staff and contracts. All taken, I am sure, with the very best intentions and the interest of the club. Then look at the way the team has played since the season began. It’s a thoroughly depressing scenario.
Why does the coach abandon the tactics and structure that brought so much success in the FA Cup and Community Shied?
I thought they said you didn’t change a winning team?
Morning Andrew, thanks. The only two things I can think of which has caused a problem is Arteta changing his role from coach to manager and Ozil being ditched from all the squads.
I must admit Adam, as each game comes and goes, it’s hard to see what Arteta is doing, or at least trying to do. I don’t understand all the changes or his substitutions and it’s hard to defend him and I’m not trying to. Ultimately, I don’t care if the club sack or back him as long as it’s for the good of the club.
The question in my mind is why are those same players not performing at the level they were when we beat Man City, although I think a Cup match is different somehow. Yes we beat Liverpool but if I recall right, we were ‘lucky’ as we were against Chelsea in the final.
In the league, I’ve not seen much improvement on the Emery era other than we’re much better in defence.
Potter – ‘However we have a good crop of young players that need time surely it can’t be worse than to give them the playing time and accept that they will make mistakes and just realise that this rebuild is not a tweak here and there , it’s wholesale .’
That’s something I’d love us to do. Young players who want to play and learn from a young coach who’s eager to teach.
I can’t get past Ozil and the thought that his omission has caused some older players to sulk.
Rico. Agreed. Changing manager is seldom easy and none come with a cast-iron guarantee that they will be successful. It’s also an expensive business but owners of clubs are fully aware of this. I doubt if the board at Liverpool imagined that Klopp would be doing what he is, but his transfer plans have been superb and the players all seem to have bought into his vision. I am surprised that Ancellotti is having problems but feel that the owners will back him and he’ll add what is needed on the pitch. Mourinho is obviously a deeply unpleasant individual but, again, the players seem to have decided that results matter more than their personal loathing of him as a man, plus he’s picked a fight with one of their top players, as he always does, to enforce his position. Mikel tried it with Ozil and it ‘seems’ as though it has backfired. If we were winning people would hail it as a psychological masterstroke. But we’re not.
The only way he can turn it round is to start winning but the body language of the team and now Mikel himself is very worrying. The chemistry between them doesn’t feel right to me.
You can be the nicest bloke in the world and say all the right things but wins count for more.
Arteta gave Ozil a chance though Adam, just as Emery did and it didn’t really work. I agree Klopp transfer plans have been good and have worked out well but Willian aside, as he’s playing right now that is, I think Arsenal’s transfers have been pretty good too. Without the big sale of a player, we’ve lacked the funds to bring in more quality I think.
If there was an offer for Lacazette, the club really should have taken it. Martinez should have started in goal too, leaving Leno to make his decision whether to go or not.
All just an opinion I know.
I forgot to say in yesterday’s post that Luiz should have been replaced immediately. At tleast, he couldn’t put his head on the ball …
AW was right, as was Mourinho, etc. And me too. A player over 30 years old (with rare exceptions) should not have contracts in English football for more than a year. Why? Because the intensity, among other causes, is very strong. Whoever played football, understand what I say. Playing in England over 30 years old (and in international competitions including national teams) is different from, for example, the Netherlands, Denmark or Turkey.
The 4 players have had a great overload of games, because they are all International. Even more: there was no pre-season, Arsenal was the club that had the least time to rest, the professional demand for games started early.
Ceballos, for example, is a player who always plays 2 different parts. He can’t handle the whole game with the same intensity. William ditto. I never understood how the 2 play simultaneously;
Xhaka, I asked myself more than once here, how was it possible to play again !;
Aubeymaiang is not physically strong and needs a player at his side or alternatively, players who call on defenders to make room for him. Aren’t these players the ones who should play in the Europa League to gain rhythm and confidence?
Forgot Ozil.
Laca lost strength, confidence, commitment, will and rhythm. And age doesn’t help.
Rico. With regard to Ozil. My memory suggests to me that while he didn’t really excel, he was certainly better than some are playing now. Personally, I think it’s off-field things that are the issue but I don’t know that for sure.
Someone has to step up, take some real responsibility here and really own the situation and the players do too.
Hi Rico and all most of you will not answer my questions because you say i am too negative.
I believe Arteta needs to to be judge at the end of this season on how many wins / loses we have had and what injuries also played a part. how ever I get the feeling that the players feel that Arteta has let the power go to head after he was made manager and coach he should have stayed as a coach only and prove to every one players and fans that he can coach.
As said before no goals from Auba is not good enough.
Also if Arteta and the board had done there books better there would have been room to add Ozil to the list and this would have shown the players that Arteta is willing to give every one a second chance.
So how do we fix it.
(1) Take the manager roll of Arteta (2) Take the captains roll of Auba and let him concentrate on playing and scoring (3) stop changing the side around and stick to the one Arteta thinks is the best and if any player does not like it then sell them
G’day Rico and all.
I don’t think the NLD means that much to the current crop of players from either side.
Gone are the days when both sets of players lived and partied around Seven Sisters road. Used the same pubs and a couple of iffy gambling joints too and chased the same young women. All of which added a bit of spice, if not spite, to games between the two clubs. Now they all live in posh suburban houses or penthouse apartments in the wealthier areas of London. Some even have “urgent Business” to transact in Dubai and can afford to have a private jet on hand to get them there and back despite the Covid restrictions that apply to the rest of us mere mortals.
Do the millionaires who don the red and white really know or care about the historical rivalry with the Spuds? I doubt it.
Hard to disagree with that Jm.
True on both accounts Adam. Unless Arteta, or the club if his omission is a political decision, which I think is the case, have a big change of heart, I think his Arsenal playing days are over.
Hi Geoff, Cicero.
I too would like Arteta to be given more time Geoff but as others have said, it’s a results game. If Arsenal drop into a relegation battle, I think the boards hand will be forced. I don’t think we’ll do that though if only because there are other clubs far worse than us right now.
I’d like to see the owners dip into their pockets in January and sign a top drawer creative midfielder. Someone who can inject some enthusiasm into the team in a way Arshavin did for us and Fernandes (spelling) did for Utd.
I don’t think Arteta picked a fight with Ozil to cement his place .
I think Ozil picked a fight with the club with his comments on the UIghir muslims in China he used his and the clubs profile to get his feelings across.
In a time when money is in short supply he put himself before the club and forced their hand.
There is no coincidence that no other club beat our door down to do a deal on him , his position is toxic in a world where money is king.
We have to wait for his contract to go next June or for the good of the club , pay him off .
Cicero, the irony is that the younger players will know. As will Bellerin and Tierney.
I wish the club would pay him off Potter.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v-hlQ3HLYnk
Have to love Holding.
Yes Holding does have some fire in his belly, but to get booked for showing petulance is not the way to go about things. Pick the ball up but don’t throw it, carry to the referee and while smiling sweetly hand it to him and say quietly that you thought his decision was wrong.
I just can’t see Ozil being paid off leading us to start winning myself. From what I’ve seen since the beginning of the season, the team/squad has become more and more dysfunctional and the club seems very limited in what it can do right now.
The players need to look at themselves – hard. Some of them have been disgraceful.
I’ve just seen a shocking stat – Arsenal have conceded more goals and scored less than when Unai Emery was sacked at the same stage last season.
I’m not saying Arteta should be sacked, although I notice bookies are giving odds on his successor.
Lots of things wrong right now,players sulking,I reckon a lot of that is down to the Ozil situation.
I also fancy us to get something from the Spurs game, that might be just wishful thinking.No excuses for not being motivated for that one, trouble is Mourinho will have his players wound up.Good odds on a red card or a penalty,or both I reckon.
Looking at our fixtures over the next few weeks after the Spurs game,aside from Chelsea on Boxing day,it’s not too bad.
We sure need something..
True enough Adam , but there must be a catalyst , .
Rico, on your headline, an emphatic yes!!
Potter. I agree though what it was or is, I don’t know.
Frustration Cicero, it’s better than nutting someone. Lol
I think Ozil is part of the problem, I really do. His little group of buddies are talking with their feet and yes, they should be ashamed of themselves. In any other job, they’d be sacked.
Afternoon Rico and All
That was hard to chew,
what I saw to begin with was a midfield of average vision crab passing zero pace in recovery,belleriner hitting the opposite corner flag with his blind overlapping,tinyteeny trying to win the game on his own and distrespecting the pace of the divebomber on the wing.
Reading into Mickys team selection I was surprised Holding never started,I’m getting the feeling mickys losing trust in the younger players regarding Premier games,Micky I feel is afraid of criticism and is looking like it’s safety first hoping that Will I am Auba can put a spark into this team.
Auba is a great striker when running into space,put a crowd around him,he looks lost,after three seasons no team now will push up to the halfway line,just look at all or most games especially this season.
Only a few weeks ago we were thinking Partyboy was the player to get us into the top four,straight after the Mancs game we became dark horses for the title,Micky being hailed as a great coach,the critics said we need to score more goals,I think Micky lost the plot,he changed the system against The Villians to all out attack and well and truly got smashed, he can or should know how hard it is to breakdown organised teams.
I hope he does one of two things,goes back to defending and building for the future and takes the criticism like a man,or puts 4/5 lads in that have come through the Academy and takes a gamble.
Afternoon Fred, I was surprised Holding didn’t start as didn’t Luiz go off against Molde with an injury? Holding and Gabriel are our strongest central pairing right now I think.
I’m a fan of Chambers Rico I hope he gets a chance otherwise we keep him squad wise
And Partey is out – for a few weeks – sounds worryingly vague.
I wonder if he’ll play Thursday Fred, or certainly the last Europa League fixture, with Mari perhaps.
I read that about Partey Limey, a real sucker blow for Arteta and the squad.
He looked nearly match fit the other day Rico
We dont have the players for 4-4-2 in my opinion,
if Micky wants wingbacks running into corner flags
he can’t afford to one on one at the back.
Funny old results again to-nite.
Chambers Fred? I didn’t see the under 23 game.
Guys, who’s your ideal MF partner to Partey and that we can potentially get in January?
Evening Rico and the House.
Home to Newcastle in the FA Cup.
Fred I have watched Chambers in the 3 games he has played for the U23.s
First one 45 mins the other 2 full 90mins
Last game against Derby he looked like he was almost back to full fitness.
I would like to see play on thurs to get a game against stronger opposition.
No idea Scott. A Cazorla or Rosicky type would be ideal.
Evening Rick. I would say that’s a nice draw for us, however…
No games look remotely easy these days
Exactly.
Suds drawn awat to Marine.
What a Banana skin
Suds, Spuds
Chavs get morcambe ,Spuds get Marine we get prem league Newcastle.C’est la vie
I suspect Marine won’t be able to play at their own ground either..
Rico, yes, we need a midfielder who’s first thought on receiving the ball is to carry it forward.
We never looked stagnant when either of those two you mentioned were on the pitch.
It’s been mentioned elsewhere (probably here as well) but Jack on a pay to play basis?
I’m trying to think of someone who’ll die for the club and have a crack, plus won’t cost the earth.
He was never one to die wondering at least.
Yer Rick I thought he looked match fit as well
Being knocked out by Newcastle won’t be as embarrassing as going out to Morecambe or Marine.
Scott I would like to see Smith-Rowe start against Vienna and Dundalk , lets see if the Merson comparisons are more than his hair style.. If he is then we have Partey’s partner. He needs the full 180 minutes though because it would be wrong to make a decision based on a snapshot.
I’d like to see ESR and Balogun start both matches and the latter sign a new contract.
New post up now