Morning all.
Ian Wright:
I think it’s a little bit of a worry for Arsenal because when you look at both goals, we’re not getting defenders to go and engage. He’s [White] got to get closer to him [Edouard] and he doesn’t do it. They’ve done brilliantly to score the goal. I think he’s got to get close to him, at no stage does Ben White close that gap. People can say what they want, maybe the goalkeeper or whatever but at no stage does that gap get smaller so why wouldn’t you shoot?’
Weren’t you thinking similarly as Ben White did very little to make the shot more difficult, or to close down the angle so at least Aaron Ramsdale might have a chance? But no, White just gave Edouard all the time in the world to pick his spot. Of course Sambi Lokonga was at fault for losing the ball so easily but there was still defending to be done.
Same goes for the Benteke goal really. Thomas Partey lost the ball in midfield far too easily but even so, Arsenal have players in defence but they gave Benteke too much time to drift across the box and shoot.
Dropping off the opposition seems to be the Arsenal way, especially when we face a team who wants to have a go. Palace aren’t a sit back, defend and hit them on the break kind of team, they play football. They imposed their game on Arsenal after going a goal down and Arsenal didn’t like it. Aston Villa will do the same on Friday I’m sure. There’s little chance of Dean Smith’s team doing anything other than have a go at Arsenal and the more other managers see how we can crumble under a bit of pressure, more will adopt the same tactics.
Even Pep, if that’s who Mikel Arteta is trying to emulate, has a few big and strong players to do the tough stuff. In theory, Arsenal have one too in Thomas Partey but he’s a shadow of the player he was at Atletico Madrid.
Bring the NLD to town and emotions are high as was the performance. Arsenal were on it that day, winning the first ball and being competitive so if they can do it then, why not for most of the time? Why hasn’t Mikel Arteta been able to get the best out of his players for more than one half of a game this season? We struggled to beat Norwich and Burnley before thrashing Toots, but then back we went to being the same old team when an organised opponent came up against us.
Trust me, it’s not about the results for me, it’s about improvement week by week. If Arsenal lose a game after throwing everything bar the kitchen sink at the opposition, then so be it but when we lose or draw by playing like a group of players slung together a couple of hours before kick-off, alarm bells ring.
Can anyone see what’s going on at the club? What is the process, the plan, the style of football Arteta is striving for? I certainly haven’t a clue. Apart from having four at the back and a goalkeeper, I can’t tell what system, if any, the Spaniard is playing. It’s easy to see what ESR wants to do as he collects the ball and drives forward but otherwise it seems the default setting is to find a square or safe pass. Different players are doing the same things the ones who’ve gone were.
Are Partey and Lokonga so lightweight they can be brushed off the ball as easy as they were? I bet Partey is tougher when playing for his country just like Xhaka and Aubameyang always have great games for theirs. Has anyone watched Tierney play for Scotland recently or Ødegaard for Norway?
Under Unai Emery, Tierney and Martinelli were superb both in attack and defence, but now it seems our Scotsman has forgot his attacking prowess and Martinelli is seldom seen. Bukayo Saka is at his best on the right in my opinion, so why move him left just so Pepe can be accommodated? If I’m right, Pepe seems to play better on the left in any case. Not that that’s difficult.
I know there’s a plan, a process, or whatever else Mikel Arteta tells us but I think we’re just bumbling along, going nowhere fast. I was so optimistic after the Toots game but now it’s like we’re back to nearly a year ago after we’d beaten Chelsea.
Aston Villa, Leicester City and Watford are our next three fixtures before the international break. All are having a mix of results and all are beatable, but to do that, Arsenal need to play well. If Arsenal fail to turn up in all three fixtures, I’m not sure there’s much point in Mikel Arteta staying put. In fact I’d have thought it would be more prudent for the Arsenal board to be thinking about the next head coach already.
Definitely a tin hat day for me….
See you in the comments.
Morning Rico. A topical post indeed and you ask a question that most Arsenal fans have been pondering, some for quite a while.
Morning Adam. I too imagine there are a large number of fans who feel the same. I just feel the club is drifting.
Good morning Rico and everyone, it’s same old same old arsenal, do exceptionally well in 5-6 games (like the one against spurs) in a season but the rest games are average and shitty. We need a firm hand, Arteta isn’t the man clearly.
Morning Mexzy. I don’t think he is either.
Barring the clubs like Liverpool, City, Chelsea etc, Arsenal have one of the best squads out of the rest but are probably playing some of the worst football.
Very right Rico, it still makes no sense, we don’t have the best squad but we definitely should be walloping clubs like crystal Palace.
Anon, bring a name with you so you can join in.
Our squad is good I think, on paper anyway.
Rico. Surely the fans and the board want to see some improvements as Mikel moves through the games. Inconsistency is one thing that the PL doesn’t forgive and we are so far away from the top clubs that I find it embarrassing. We’re up for the NLD and then, for a really difficult game in harsh conditions against Brighton, he picks a Man City Light team and we struggle. The CP game should have been a godsend at home and a chance to re-establish the team but he seems to have decided that Partey, alone in midfield was the way to go with Pepe and Saka playing on the opposite sides to where most would think they should be. No midfield power or real presence at all and PV sensed it as we crumbled away.
I see no real solid improvement and I know we’ll hear that he hasn’t got the team he wants yet. This is a spurious point for me if he can’t improve with what we have.
If the crowd turn, then it’s gonna get messy because they want to believe but right now, what can they grasp onto?
I’d have thought so Adam. I’d love to know what Edu thinks about what he sees. You’re right, the team selection was bizarre for the Palace game and as Geoff said yesterday, Arteta was out thought by Vieira just as he was by Potter and the Brentford manager. To name a few.
Still Pawson ,( he of the got near enough to cause a man to fall over penalty up next ).
Another bad performance and result and the pressure on Arteta is going to grow., Like many I am totally confused with what the players are being taught. My posts yesterday highlighted the positioning of the players on the Benteke goal , there does not appear to be any structure .
Wrighty is correct White should have gone to Benteke and tried to shepherd him away from goal but defensively he was stranded in no mans land with no support,
All this comes from the set up and what the players are told to do , because lets not forget if they were not obeying their instructions Arteta would be on the touchline barking at them.
Has he run his course ? in my mind probably .
I think he was handed a poisoned chalice and I think he has done well in the circumstances . We are on course for an upper midtable finish and might be on the edge of qualifying for a European competition .
My thoughts are that nothing will happen until the season ends , If we scrape our way into Europe the chances are that he will get another year . if we don’t it will be “. Adios amigo and gracias “
Steve Bruce sacked. Wonder who they’ll get…
Hope it’s not Potter, I’m hoping he comes to Arsenal.
Agree, a bad performance topped off with a bad result against Villa and I think the homes fans will start to turn.
In hindsight, Arteta with zero experience of assembling a squad and limited coaching opportunities, was a crazy appointment. We needed someone with experience and a manager who would earn the respect of his players by name/experience alone. We have a group of young players being coached by someone who I see as being an ex footballer rather than an experienced manager.
Hi Rico.. Almost 2 years down the line and mega bucks spent and imo we’re no closer now to the ‘process’ than we were on day one… 45 minutes of decent football this season so far is not good enough!
Look at our team; we’ve got some decent players and are so much better than 12th place!! So frustrated right now!
Hi Sue. I’m with you there. One could argue we were better at the beginning after winning the FA Cup. It is frustrating, depressing too because I think the club have assembled a good squad. Missing in one or two positions but I certainly feel this group of players should be playing better football.
Morning Rico and all.
I Kept getting told told I have to give Arteta a chance and I have.
I understand we had a lot of injuries, now they are all back except Xhaka.
At the moment I can only see a very small improvement and that mainly comes down to our new keeper Ramsey. As Much as I like Sambi I all way said we will not see the best out of him until next season.
The other thing I have noticed is that Ramsey and Laca seem to be the only players trying to involve the crowd a job that Auba should be seen leading.
As for White having a bad game I Guess some one showed him our past champions that wore the same number as him and now he can not put up with the pressure of that number. Just Kidding
Morning Geoff, I think we were all prepared to give a Arteta time but it’s not working imo. Agree re Ramsdale and Lacazette.
Sorry I meat Ramsdale not Ramsey
I think to investigate the depth of reason in your post Rico, you have to take a step back and look from afar in a dispassionate manner. If you do, you will see several facts emerge:
1- There has been no appreciable uptick in results in comparison with Emery – who was sacked for not being good enough. In fact the numbers show that actually on a similar amount of games – Emery 78, Arteta 90 the win ration dropped from 55-52% and the loss ratio went up from 24-27%. We are worse now than under the tenure of a sacked coach.
2- There has been no appreciable improvement in tactics, strategy, or playing style in 2 years. This is not a half season kneejerk – Every blog, every pundit, every pre and post game chat I come across seems to agree there is no defined style and the effective use of pressing, one touch passing and progressive play are all but non existent.
3- There has been a constant self driven narrative from Arteta that he and Edu are playing out some long term strategy that will take years to take hold and all shit performances are simply part of this process. Meanwhile – Vieira has put his stamp on Palace in 2 months, Tuchel made Chelsea a more efficient unit in two months and Thomas Frank has shown how to raise the level of a promoted side in two months.
I have said before I have no wish to denigrate Arteta and the team, there is after all no god given right to win anything in Football. BUT – as a paying supporter I do believe there is a realistic expectation that the club is set up in the best possible way to achieve the best possible result- the above lets us all know that that is simply not the case.
I agree with all that though Iain hence the post. Nothing has really improved in the two years Arteta has been at the helm. Yes, he and Edu have sorted out the squad a bit but as said in the post, different players are making the same mistakes. It reminds me of the latter Arsene days where nothing was learned or rectified after mistakes were made.
And yes, we keep getting the promise of jam tomorrow but from where I’m sitting, there’s not even a hint of a jar of it arriving any time soon, let alone being served up.
Hi Rico
I agree with you about us ‘drifting’. It has been the same for more than a few years, from the last years of Arsene – results just good enough to avoid the immediate sack but not good enough to get out of mid-table. Every time we get to a ‘must win’ game we win it, then slip back for the next one.
I think Christmas must be the target – top six or out. Next, how about Erik ten Hag and Marc Overmars for Edu and Arteta?
Hi Brian, can the club afford to wait until Christmas if things stay as they are? If we continue to head south on the table, we could be in trouble by then.
Morning all. First time poster
Mikel’s plan? Survival I’d say. Watching him on the side lines i can’t escape the perception of a man whom is constricted by his own fears. Fear of losing possession, fear of players being caught out of position, fear of conceding a goal, fear of losing. Fear of being found out as incompetent. It is his first venture into management after all.
I also think that this fear leads to what i call ‘scared tactics’ in which his fears of all of the aforementioned have led to a deep, slow, sterile brand of football for the best part of 2 years now. Basically Arteta’s rigid system is stifling our players.
Auba, Pepe, Martinelli Laca etc, who can honestly say that they look happy on the pitch? Saka and Simth Rowe are barely out of their teens and are playing regular so i reckon they are just happy for that but overall our offensive players look miserable.
G’day all, I think you can safely remove the question mark from your headline Rico.
Welcome Iceberg. If you’re right, the players are bound to feed off his fears. Interestingly, he’s got from being quite vocal on the sidelines to being quite quiet. ESR and Saka are facing a burnout imo but without them, we’re even more toothless in attack than we are already.
In my head, yes Cicero but it’s nice to ask. 😂
Hi Rico et al,
I can’t disagree with all the posts and I am not a fan of changing managers too often as Arsenal fans we like a long serving manager.
As some of the posts have suggested nothing will change until the end of the season, I think we all know that and if Arteta prevails great if he doesn’t then a change is needed. But if he goes so too does Edu they are both responsible for the squad and managing players contracts. As a side point, we all saw last season when Auba was off the pace how effective Laca was with his link-up play bringing the youngsters into the game more and having more threat around the box. And what did we see against CP when he came on the same link-up play he is renown for, especially with Auba, so why the hell don’t we play him more often having him start games. He’s more effective than Odegaard at this and he scores more often, maybe it’s time to give him a decent run with Auba, Saka, ESR and Martinelli. And get him to sign a new contract the guy is good not a prolific goal scorer but when he’s playing we have more chances and score more goals.
Back to Arteta, our manager. He is apparently in good authority and results an excellent coach, why is he promoted to Director of Football. Tuchel is a coach that’s his only concern getting the team to perform. Transfers are not his responsibility it’s simple. Remove the extra pressure and let him focus on the squad. That I think would help take some of the distractions away give him the space to coach.
One final point is, let us not forget that we have been lacking investment for too long and these new players need time to gel, we have a younger squad and hence it takes longer than Tuchel at Chelsea with a more mature squad. Then there is the fact that the other teams in a similar position to us in the PL – Leicester, West Ham, Aston Villa, etc have more settled and mature squads. The best we can do is give support and encouragement through this season let the so called Project have more time to progress and see where we are towards the end of the season, because we won’t change our manager anytime soon. But there should be a plan B, where we secure a decent candidate should that person become available and the project continues to decline.
Rico my comment isn’t there.
Ahh it’s just turned up. Sorry.
Top Article. Arteta is so arrogant he wont even have a plan b if a isnt working, which no one can see anyway!!! Arteta has to go!!!
The worm is definitely turning , Iain is right the more you read across the various sites , if you take the crap click bait ones out and concentrate on the actual discussion ones you can see that the doubts that were pushed into the background are surfacing.
We do appear to be going nowhere fast., the progress made one week is eroded the next , we bought in players to boost the squad but really they were they any better than what we had and .
If they are not then we haven’t gone forward just filled a shirt.
We know that Arteta has a thing for Xhaka but to replace him is Lokonga any better than Maitland Niles ? and is the triple attacking midfield system of Odegaard , Smith -Rowe and Saka leaving Partey too exposed ?
In my mind Saka with his Arsenal and England duties is looking like he needs to rest and recharge and although we have Martinelli the need surely was for a bigger tough tackler to join Partey in the middle rather than a recycler like Elneny.
Towards the end of his career Rooney was dropped back to play as an advanced midfielder to help ,could Lacazette do that job ? Certainly he tackles back and doesn’t get shoved aside and might be able to help with easing pressure by holding the ball and he wants to play
This is just thinking out of the box and looking at different systems because we have 14 games before January and the results will seal Arteta’s fate one way or the other
.
Over time solutions to problems have been found by neccesity and often accident . If the current structure is to survive it needs to face up to it’s problems and look for ways out of them because it’s 14 games before they can buy and probably another 4 or 5 before any new player can be utilised. By which time it will be too late.
Can’t see it Cicero unless it’s the 12.25 one
I have said from the start due to the fact that Arteta has never coached before he should have been made the coach only and let the board do all the managers work. All Arteta should do is advice Edu and co what type of player he wants and who they can sell and then step back and leave it up to them and just concentrate on coaching.
Lets hope that the board are looking for another coach now just incase they get rid of Arteta and not leave it until the last minute. but knowing our club unless we are in the bottom 3 they will keep Arteta and Edu and use the excuse we have a young side, with a new coach and we are still in the rebuilding stage which could take up till 10 years.
That was the one Rico.
ArtetaOut, sorry you’ve been stuck in moderation for so long.
Hi Mig.
Good one again Potter, you really are thinking outside the box with Lacazette. Think I’d rather see him playing up front though as he’s the guy who often links the attacking play together. But I wouldn’t be against any experiment if it improved our football.
Totally agree re the strong midfielder, he, a right and left back and a keeper would have been my priority back in the summer. Not a centre back that’s for sure.
New post up now
Arteta won the FA cup by playing city and Chelsea on the break, conceding possession. Great! Arsenal were a traditional possession based side but now there is no creative midfielder with steel to hold onto the ball. Someone like Bernardo Silva. The likes of Longa and Odegaard are great lightweight five a side players who can do only half the job as witnessed against Palace. That is what was missing, on top of that the likes of ESR and Saka really try but should be used from the bench and options such as Elneny, AMN and Laca are used more as we need fighters to win possession. Arteta is very lucky to be in the role and has shown himself out of his depth. The quality of recruitment needs to improved where quality experienced game changers start and the young ones come in as and when. Watching Tierney worried me as he was not so effective and yet the hype be around him is incredible. I say adjust his position to defend as that is his position after all and allow the left sided midfielder to attack. He can’t get up and down the pitch. His role as last man back at set pieces also worries me. For Villa play Laca as he is a fighter, as these games are very hard and at least he has a goal threat.
A poor result and performance again and the knives are out for our novice average manager.