Mikel Arteta defended his team selection despite experienced players letting him down again as Arsenal engineered a fourth consecutive league defeat at the Emirates.
After Leicester, Aston Villa and Wolves, Burnley were the latest side to take advantage of the Gunners’ brittle confidence, sealing a 1-0 win courtesy of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 73rd-minute own goal.
The visitors had been under the cosh for large periods of the game but momentum swung in their favour on the hour mark when Granit Xhaka received his marching orders after VAR alerted referee Graham Scott to a ridiculously ill-advised throat grab by the Swiss on Ashley Westwood.
After the game, the boss was asked why he persists with players who don’t seem capable of stopping the rot.
“Well we have shaken things up in other games and sometimes it has worked and other times it hasn’t,” he replied.
“I pick the team that gives us the best possibility to win the game.”
Asked if and when he might select younger players who’ve featured in the Europa League, he went on: “I don’t know, I will tell you the same thing: [I pick] the players who, in my opinion, give us the best chance to perform, and players on the bench who can do that [too].
“Some of the ones that you’ve mentioned, they’ve been with us a very short time because of injury or different situations.
“It’s not players who have established themselves in the first team but I understand that when you lose you have to try and pick somebody else.”
As things stand, Arsenal are currently five points clear of the relegation zone ahead of Wednesday’s visit of high-flying Southampton. Only bottom-placed Sheffield United are in worse form.
Asked if his players have lost focus and are panicking about the situation, Arteta said: “No, I wouldn’t say they’re panicking.
“Again, it’s my opinion, I can see it in training as well that they try and put the energy in. It’s the same today.
“A team that is struggling [like this] we don’t normally see play the way that they did today, and with the way they played against Spurs, the leaders, but again, we lost the game.
“We gave the opponent a chance and they scored. And it’s about winning football matches.”
Wish I hadn’t read this article. His responses have just wound me up more
Could not agree more
Good to know the players are not panicking because I AM!
Notice also the stark reaction on Xhaka’s red card compared to Pepé? At least with Pepé we still drew the game – yet the almost non-condemning of Xhaka is laughable. The interviewer even has to throw that question to MA more than once, if he hadn’t I’ve a feeling MA would let it pass. I’ve said in another thread, he’s slowly showing signs of losing the dressing room. Özil, Pepé, Saliba, and the youngsters all seem to be coming off the bad end of it. You can see how well and committed the youngsters play in Europe but they’re almost… Read more »
We need a red card. Just to keep us away from the misery of watching such un inspiring football.
I’ve started reading the post Brexit economic forecasts to cheer me up…..
I still had belief in Arteta before this game. His post match interview was where belief evaporated. He can’t even give a good interview. He keeps playing the senior players regardless of the outcome, then throws them under the bus publicly and magically he begins to lose the senior players in the dressing room. We can’t move on this many senior players. Club are in a real bind with the Board supporting Arteta and Arteta losing segments of the team. Not sure how this slow motion train wreck ends but I can’t see this relationship between the manager and the… Read more »
I didn’t read his response because for a while he has been delusional
Jesus. He’s either lying to himself or thinks the supporters are much more willing to be lied to than they are. Either way, this is what a death knell sounds like.
Watched the interview. Quite sad really. He seems lost and probably is lying to himself.
Sadly I think it’s over at this point.
It seems to me he lost the dressing room back at the start of the season. We are playing like a team that wants a new manager.
And what is a new manager going to do with this lot?
Regardless of how bad things are right now until we have a clear out of the mediocrity that is stinking up the dressing room we are going to find ourselves in this same place time and time again no matter who the manager is.
We are hoping that a new manager will at least; not beg Xhaka to stay, not convince Bellerin to stay, not try to offer Mustafi a new deal, not sign a washed-up Chelsea reject on a bumper long term deal, not sign a Southampton reject who cannot even compete with Bellerin ……. and etc etc etc
They are better than we are seeing at the moment, as we saw at the back end of last season.
Does seemn to need a good clear out but things can’t go on like this for much longer or we’ll be getting relegated.
From The Professor to The Politician.
The Professor of Spin?
Judging from the kind of football we play, it’s The professor not with a barca/mancs/arsenal degree, but an everton degree.
Well at least it cures my insomnia.
😂
It’s more of a rangers style to be honest, Arsenal should have listened to Mislintat and brought Julian Nagelsmann
Arsenal couldn’t get Naglesmann at the time.
We are not even close to this current Everton team.
Professor? he never was.
This guy got the job based on training ground stories at Man City!
Thats like buying a player based off youtube clips.
KSE did no due diligence when hiring arteta. just heard the stories of how good he was at citeh. The whole out fit is clueless.
This is absurd. We vetted the manager twice, and just about everyone in the business has backed him to be a success. Managers of all stripes struggle at times, and Arteta is obviously struggling right now with this band of idiots. He found a way to win with them last year, and he’ll do it again this year.
Arteta doesn’t know what to do because he has no experience in a situation like this. We should never have hired him until he cut his teeth elsewhere. Arsenal just took a reckless gamble on a cheap option and it looks like they are about to lose spectacularly. Not acceptable from a so called top club..
Disagree completely. Gutsy move by the club to hire a young manager, and Arteta will work through this and we’ll be stronger as a team on the other side.
Hope you’re right, but no management experience whatsoever is reckless from a club of Arsenal’s stature IMHO..
Your optimism should be admired.
Gutsy my arse! Cheap more like..
All the previous managers said the players are not good enough and the players quit on them. They know Arteta doesn’t want them, including Pepe and Saliba. Its the management’s fault for not selling or loaning out 90% of the dross on the team. Only 5 players worth keeping, the rest are complete rubbish.
Arteta is not doing a good job but the players don’t play for him because he tried to sell them all and failed.
Like when Aubameyang who received a bumper contract struggles but Lacazette who we tried to sell puts in a shift?
Lacazette is a striker. I would rather he play like Van Persie, do nothing in the build up but score at every half chance.
Running around making everything look difficult and burning out at 60 mins is not “putting in a shift”.
He has to play like that, because nobody else will play for him and to his strengths. I don’t get the crossing at all. Most of the crosses aren’t even bad, but we don’t have personnel for that. If we had this kind of delivery when giroud was at the club he would have had doubled his goal tally. Anyway, arteta does not seem to see the problem, so we are screwed.
The team was clearly trying to get crosses in before Burnley was set, but that is hard against the masters of the Dyche block. We actually ran the ball well up the middle of the pitch at times today, operated well with a back four, seemed to move the ball much more quickly going forward, and actually fashioned 3-4 good chances (1 header, 3 shots) before the 55th. I thought the team were fighting through their struggles for a win today until they were Xhaka’d. High flying Southampton next. I know Ceballos is the obvious answer to partner Elneny in… Read more »
Xhaka and ceballos just doesnt work. Xhaka is shit. Every time he steps on the pitch i wished he would get off, and yhrn hope ceballos doesnt come on.
Speaking of Xhaka:
https://www.goal.com/en/news/arsenal-fans-have-had-enough-of-xhaka-evra-reveals-henry-disgust-/ckxku2wy3wza10dvg51jhuygi
Fuck Evra too. The cunt.
Don’t know, I liked the TH story!
Is he lying though…?
r/thathappened
I don’t blame Ceballos. He is neither a full fledged Arsenal or Real Madrid player. He doesn’t know where he will be in summer. And if he can’t even get a starting line up ahead of the shitty Xhaka, then I don’t think he can be in the right frame of mind to give off his best.
He still does know to get his wages…
He’s a professional footballer…if he can’t put in his best now then when is he going to?
We need to stop making excuses for the players…it’s that mentality that has got us to where we are right now.
Xhaka + Ceballos did work. With Özil…
If only Willian would get himself sent off, we could see how it works without him.
Dick Emery would have been gone by now. Oh, he already has.
Arteta has had the same support Wenger did but even Le Prof couldn’t survive (or allow) this.
are we still in the league cup? we need to play spuds next in the league cup. we need to field xhaka, willian, Ceballos and Bellerin in the game. we need them to red card themselves in that game, and then take turns to punch the ref. we need them to get a 20-game ban if there is any hope left for us this season.
Yup. Might as well play 2 CBs up top since we have so many of them. Holding and gsbriel in CB, mustafi and Mari strike force. Sub in luiz if you need to-just tell him whether he goes to CB or CF. Oh waiy. He can ping long balls. Left wing then.
Yeah, Leno got nowhere near that corner, no doubt we’ll hear that Emi would have scored there.
Bring back Giroud. We had one but gave it away.
Many here were pleased for Giroud to leave at that time.
He’s playing for a contract, was never Arsenal quality. People have short memory, he use to go on a 10-15 game barron run every season and that was at his peak. As soon as he was given some competition, ran and joined Chelsea to sit on their bench instead of fighting for his place at Arsenal. Had the cheek to taunt Arsenal fans who put up with his average existence for half a decade..
So why is he playing game after game and scoring for fun? Don’t be blind! He was sitting on OUR bench and wanted more game time that Wenger couldn’t guarantee him. So he left. But to say we wanted him out is a fabrication.
Never said we wanted him out.. his record speaks for itself, both here at Chelsea, its not even up for debate. He’s playing for one last decent contract and lucky for him, he’s going through a really dark purple patch. Average strikers don’t just all of a sudden become Ronaldos a the end of their career. If he was any good, we would’ve won that league title instead of Leicester.
He left as part of the Auba deal… Dortmund needed a replacement from Chelsea, Chelsea needed a replacement and got Giroud.
He wanted playtime so he’d stay in form for the world cup. And he went on and won the fucking world cup.
Auba playing great last year, got the contract, now hasn’t scored in 5. The effort and want is there, the confidence is gone. Was the same thing with Giroud. If the service isn’t there for you to score, you don’t score. Giroud was a necessity trade to Chelsea in order for Arsenal to sign Auba. Your post is as wrong as Xhaka’s gameplay. Nice try. Red card.
“Was the same thing with Giroud. If the service isn’t there for you to score, you don’t score”
Your memory is really bad or you just haven’t seen it. You even know the amount of chances Ozil and Sanchez use to create? Are you really saying he didn’t get the service playing in front of Ozil, Sanchez and Cazorla? You even know football?
You’re right but our fans won’t hear it because it doesn’t suit the current narrative.
This is close to the truth in my opinion…it’s what happened to Emery. Not long before it all went Pete Tong there were repeated stories in the press about who Emery wanted to move on…low and behold the chance of CL football disintegrated as the players continually let the manager down and the worst performance was in the Europa League final. I won’t forgive any of the players for that…the only guy that tried to restore some pride was Iwobi with his goal…and then he never played for us again. If we don’t get rid of the dead wood and… Read more »
The players should be panicking! I am! Been a fan since early 1970’s and this start / run of games is right up there with some of the worst I have seen. The cliche of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic comes to mind. Burnley was a must win game and we failed. Southampton certainly won’t be any easier (except the Swiss Treacle will be out, thank goodness).
I’ve been a fan since the 50s! We’ve been here before but that makes it no less worrying.
It’s an honour to be in your company guys, and means a lot to see you guys are still gunning after witnessing so many lows. We have won a league title in every dacade since the 70s untill this past one..
Every game is must win.
This is all getting a bit sad now.
Come on Arsenal. Do the decent thing, for all concerned.
#faketoughguyxhaka #fuckxhaka #fuckpepe
“Asked if his players have lost focus and are panicking about the situation, Arteta said: No, I wouldn’t say they’re panicking.”
The players might not be panicking but we are!
Players look more like they are picnicking. Luiz didnt start cos he was home preparing the barbeque and beer. Xhaka had to help him so left work early. He was later joined by willian, bellerin, ceballos.
The difference in the reaction of Arteta between the Pepe and Xhaka situations is so obvious!!
Arteta owes the fans a few different explanations at this stage…. but consistently says absolutely nothing in interviews.
And the Willian situation is just beyond bizzare. The man violates club’s orders about travel during a pandemic and gets a mere taking to; is consistently shit yet starts every single game.
That fucking Willian is becoming the football equivalent of Proctalgia Fugax.
Is that an STD
No, I think he’s a winger with Shakhtar Donesk
You’ll be shocked
Proctalgia fugax is anal pain that doesn’t have a specific cause. This pain is usually caused by intense muscle spasms in or around the canal of the anus. It’s similar to another type of anal pain called levator ani syndrome. The pain is slightly different in levator ani syndrome, and may last days instead of minutes.
Our pain absolutely has a specific cause but thanks for the medical work there😷
We got shot of Raul thankfully but I’m really starting to loathe Edu. Pity cos I loved him in an Arsenal shirt but there is some shifty shit going on at the club.
Willian getting away with that while Guendouzi and Ozil have been shown the door makes zero sense.
We need to stop confusing the Guendouzi and Ozil thing with the Willian thing…not all things are the same or equal.
Ozil has been dropped by 4 managers now, including Arsene. Guendouzi is an immature and arrogant little kid and the rumours of his attitude were something that followed him from Lorient.
Willian is a BIG mistake. I’m not sure he is Arteta’s signing and the fact that he and Edu share the same agent is probably not a coincidence.
Brazil… Kia…
At the start of this season, Arteta was quite rightly ‘promoted’ to Manager but now its feels he is more like a captain and could do with managerial help, especially in handling players.
Was thinking something similar earlier. I was wondering if Pep or Wenger could spend some time and give him a hand on a few little things that experience brings
Good talk
Don’t know why his job title was changed, or even his role, for that matter.
We saw same when Ole went from caretaker to perm. Why tinker with something that doesn’t need fixing.
I think they changed it for a couple of reasons. Firstly to reward him for the FA Cup and securing Europa League but also to give him more power. Everybody saw what happened when Emery tried to freeze Ozil out and perhaps naively the hierarchy/owners thought that by making Mikel manager that it would quieten the dissenters when Mikel decided to do the same. I personally believe that it is Mikel’s decision to not play Ozil, but if it isn’t and the orders are coming from above, then don’t expect Mikel Arteta to lose his job any time soon…the owners… Read more »
I disagree about him rightly being promoted. I support Arteta or at least I’m trying to still support him, but he should never have been made manager because everything seems to have started going downhill from there…we all know what a broken manager looks like by now, and sadly those signs are very much in evidence with Mikel.
I don’t think he’s lost the players…I think he’s lost himself.
He’s disappointed and dejected; he’s not lost. He has a devout work ethic and will be right back at training and guiding the team through this mess. He’s stated at every moment that he’s committed; he’s only human for being so frustrated at things not working.
His management of press interviews is laughable and destructive towards the team. Instills no confidence in the fan base or players I would imagine. If the confidence isn’t coming from the manager, where will it come from?
The only thing I’d say in his defence is this group of players has literally no competitiveness or a will to win. There is such a passivity to them especially shown when they miss a chance or concede a goal and show their nonchalant reaction. The biggest error was the inability to clear the deadwood in the summer. To have highly paid players rocking up to kick a ball a bit in training and never playing will only ever be disruptive and totally destroy any sense of competitiveness you’re trying to instil.It seems to cliquey a squad with no accountability.… Read more »
We were at least looking at losing a few of the unwanted players through natural wastage this summer but what did we do? Sign another no hoper on massive wages for three years. Whoever is responsible for that should be sacked!
Agree some signings have been awful. My point is it’s better to not have players turning up to collect their money around the squad at all, if you want to be competitive. Whether they are replaced or not.
Makes me wonder what our young players must think of someone like Willian sleepwalking through game after game but still getting picked while they barely get a look in.
https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/mikel-arteta-arsenal-future-crisis-19451929.amp?__twitter_impression=true&s=08
Yep.. things are getting clearer now.. Arteta is just not a good man manager.. falling out with half the team, especially now with players he chose himself
If that article is true then I don’t see much hope for Arteta.
No wonder he keeps picking Willian! Anything to remain in the player’s good books!
Doesn’t sound promising. The phoney drill sergeant schtick will get you nowhere. Regardless of what you think about Ozil, from a squad balance perspective excluding him was madness. A number of former teammates, most recently Kos, have stated he’s a great professional and he covers more ground than most, the stats don’t lie. As for Sokratis, as a pure defender he’s one of our better central defenders and no doubt well respected. I get excluding him on the grounds that we were going to play it out from the back or whatever but picking the likes of Mustafi over him… Read more »
Yeah, one thing I don’t understand is when Ozil haters come out and say Ozil is finished, get rid etc etc.. but don’t adress the problem of not replacing him. We see now where it got us, worst attacking team in the league.. Arteta started to wield his power too early, especially when he hasn’t done enough to earn it.. footballers are humans first, you can’t just turn up one day and expect them to tag along with you.. you don’t treat their mates like shit and expect them to stand with you, doesn’t work like that, football or real… Read more »
Last time Özil played he earned 3 points for his team. At this rate I’d like all the Arsenal players to be finished.
18th in the table, a broken side, a manager out of his depth and yet there are STILL Ozil Haters thumbing this down who can’t get the main reason for our lack of creativity into their thick skulls.
They would rather we were relegated than see him reinstated to the side. One idiot on here even admitted as much.
You can’t educate the stupid.
*15th.
That’s still bad enough.
Ozil is a complete waste of space who’s best days are 5 years past. The sooner he leaves the better for all concerned.
Sokratis is a championship-level clogger who should never have been signed. Punt him ASAP.
There’s about 6 or 7 others – all from the wenger and emery era – that also need to exit. And it will take 2-3 transfer windows to shape the team the right way. Only then can arteta be judged.
Oh give up mate.
I’ll tell who’s a waste of space – the idiots who have been tasked with replacing Ozil’s creativity.
Willian. Ceballos.
They’re the reason this club is now 15th in the table.
Ozil will be gone in a matter of months. And it will mean sweet fuck all to the dire situation we’re in at the moment because he has been ostracised from playing.
You wouldn’t know a world class creative midfielder from a pub side midfielder.
Ozil will be back in the team in January. I think the club will finally move on some deadwood (and no, I don’t consider Ozil part of that category) and likely arrange a loan or two for some young guns, and the squad places will open up.
I know it means nothing to anyone right now, but we will see a much improved team in the new year. We’re going to fight through December, but it will get better.
Top post, well said.
I do hope you’re right about Ozil’s reinstatement to the team. Even if he is just used to come off the bench, he will improve things. I can’t see Arteta implementing it though; it would only happen under the watch of a new boss.
Arteta isn’t afraid to make mistakes, and he isn’t afraid to admit that he’s got it wrong — and to make corrections. He has the ego of a leader, which is important, but the man is marked with a humility not unlike Wenger.
Ozil has remained part of the group this entire time, and I think if Arteta can give him the green light again, it will be, as Wenger used to quip, like a new signing.
Not sure I entirely agree with this mate. Ozil is certainly a shadow of his former self but even in this current team would still be able to feed a pass or two to the likes of Auba and Lacca. There is definitely issues with the squad and a fair few players need moving on but to say Arteta needs to be judged after a few windows? Sorry but that’s nonsense. Based on that analogy we should have given Freddie and Unai a go respectively. The truth is, the stats dont back Arteta up at all when compared to Emery’s… Read more »
You’re right but the fans who would rather side with players than support the club will never agree with you.
You’re a waste of space. The sooner you piss off and support another club, the better.
It’s Football London. I tried to read an article on their site but was put off by all the spelling mistakes and the awful layout and constant ads.
Starting to feel like he’s a bit of a windbag really. An all mouth and no trousers kind of affair. If he turns this round I would be surprised. Not impossible but feels unlikely.
I think he is just inexperienced. It’s his first time coaching, wants to set clear boundaries, make examples, and draws too hard a line at times. But I don’t think he is a windbag.
Aye, perhaps I’m being a bit harsh Bobbo, although he doesn’t stop yapping through the games and it doesn’t sound particularly coherent from what I’ve heard. Although as blogs has said if we could play as well as he talked…
I think your point about his inexperience is true and his non-negotiables and lack of man management have deprived him of options.
I think he learned the game yapping from Pep, he certainly didn’t learn it from Arsene. Pep is a big time yapper and gesticulator.
All our best performances in the last 3-4 years have been with 3-4-3. We don’t have the midfield to dominate so better getting more forwards on the pitch to get in the box than using Xhaka etc just to slow things down. Arteta needs to play to strengths not to his preferred theory
Funnily enough when he was playing 3-4-3 some fans moaned about that…he literally can’t win…
I hear Arsene Wenger is available.
He won’t come back. Do you honestly think, after all the abuse he took for a mere three FA Cups in four years and keeping us in the ECL all that time (aside from the titles and Invincibles ), that he’d even set one foot in the Emirates, other than as a casual spectator….? I should imagine that as a fellow Arsenal fan, he will be concerned this morning with the team’s performances. But I’m sure that there will also be a large part of him that will be glad to be away from the vitriol and ignorance from the… Read more »
Totally agree, people got what they wished for,I’m glad he doesn’t have to put up with the embarrassing abuse he used to put up with anymore.
Always a legend for me.
What if we offered him the opportunity to torture all the members of AFTV? Could that persuade him to come back?
Starting to hear that self righteous insolent tone that Wenger used to get when valid questions are being asked.. Except Wenger had history to fall back on.
Exactly. I still hope Arteta comes good because the alternative could be a lot worse. We still don’t have a functioning club administration. The owners got rid of the Director of Football, the Scouts, 55 redundancies after the players took a pay cut, diamond eyes and made Arteta manager. Who would pick the manager? Vinai? Edu? Josh? That thought gives me the chills. Prediction for January, as this follows a pattern, KSE in an effort to maintain value of their asset will provide funds for Arteta in Jan, several contracts will be terminated and new players will be brought in… Read more »
The reality is we are close to relegation pace based on current points accumulated and by the end of the next few games we will be well and truly entrenched in a relegation battle
Yeap. let’s get mentally prepared for that. that is definitely the case and we are not immune to being that zone just because we’re the arsenal.
I know it hurts but remember #Wengerout led us here and the same people who said we have our Arsenal back are first to look for Arteta’s head. He’s been lucky but recently unlucky but the man knows his stuff but I think so did Emery but the real skill of management is making the players believe in you and that’s where Emery failed. The players were trying today so I don’t think he has lost the dressing room yet but remember Fergie was OBE (out before Easter) but then his luck changed and unfortunately he became very successful. In… Read more »
You make some good points but I dont think he does to be fair – the scum defeat is a prime example. Emery did, he was a winning manager but there were language issues and couldnt get his ideas across. I do believe he has lost the dressing room. The vast majority of performances have been like that all season. We show flashes in some games but by and large its the same sluggish, slow, abject performances. I mean why has Ozil been completely excluded from the squad and we ask Lacca to play in the hole? A striker? The… Read more »
F this shit man! I give up, utter dross. Get Arteta out – he’s looking increasingly shitter than Emery.
Why can’t we get a good old solid bet like Carlo, Rafa even Brendan. Proven at high level experienced with a track record.
Edu and the rest should f off too.
We’ve made one of the deadliest strikers in the world look like shit. One of the best providers turn into shit. Saliba is rotting when should be given a chance. Xhaka of all f shit wods is playing.
Guess what? After 4 straight home defeats, we cannot do worse than if there is no manager.
Worst has yet to come… Last weekend we thought it was already bad, yesterday become worst, and the process goes on…
It’s over for him
Don’t panic. We won’t actually get relegated (although kse would probably sell then 😀 ) but please sell xhaka in January, he’s served us for a long time but he hasn’t improved at all and he just isn’t trust worthy in a 2 man midfield, or a three man, maybe a diamond. I just don’t trust him, if he isn’t caught on the turn he is strangling someone, hacking them to the ground coz he lost the ball or losing a race into the space he left behind 😂. He is too slow with and without the ball for this… Read more »
Arsenal took a flier on an inexperienced coach/manager. He’s failed, totally and completely. Time to move on.
Sadly however, the whole club is a sh*t show, with amateurs and unproven people in every position of authority.
The competition are all very professionally managed. Turn the whole thing over to Rangnick or someone else who knows how to build an entire organization.
Nailed it!
Yep that’s the first foundational stone to set, a non-corrupt Director of Football or Chair of the Board with a footballing brain to build the internal systems of recruitment, loans, academy development, playing style etc. Edu needs to move along, his relationship w Kia cannot ever be overcome and the damage they caused in 18 months will be with use for years. Arsene created a style of play out of the Cruyff school of football, attacking, free flowing possession style play. This is still how our academy trains youngsters how to play which is one reason we like seeing them… Read more »
I’m panicking. He should be too.
Play the kids. They couldn’t be worse.
“Again, it’s my opinion, I can see it in training as well that they try and put the energy in. It’s the same today.” For me, this is the key quote. As far as I can see, the players are patently not putting in the energy required to get out of this slump they are in. we were out-fought and out-worked once again today. I also saw a video of training that was doing the rounds during the week and to me the whole thing seemed really lackadaisical, nonchalant even. Just like laca’s attempt at scoring today when given 70%… Read more »
Yep. Hard to see a way out for him now. Club is backing him, segments of players almost in open revolt, downing tools comes next with defiant remarks from the manager, cue the death march music as AFC are in a relegation battle. Buckle up.
Whoever sanctioned the signing of william must be fired. And arteta must be fired if he continues to play Willian. Also, freezing Saliba out is unacceptable. If he’s crap, then sell him. Ozil and guendouzi, if you take them out of the team then replace their skill sets. Torerria went and Partey came in. Him being injured is killing us. But us not having other mids to step in is amateurish. Xhaka and ceballas are not good enough.
In fairness, you can’t make personnel decisions on the assumption everyone will get injured. We have 20 CBs and still couldn’t scrounge up two healthy ones to start a match earlier in the season. Hard enough for Arsenal to get a single player of Partey’s quality, much less a second one to sit behind him on the bench.
A better English speaking Emery
Apart from FA cup lucky win, Unai was actually better…just.
That’s absolute nonsense. Even for you Santori!
Sadly, Arteta’s time is up. The job is just too big for him. I actually feel sorry for him: he was thrown in at the deep end. The club is a shambles from top to bottom and he just isn’t experienced enough to sort out his side of things out. It looks like he’s lost the dressing room: I’m pretty sure the players have stopped believing in him. Right now we need an experience PL manager to step in and steady the ship. An older man who has worked with a club of our size in this league is what’s… Read more »
So whats yer answer, fats?
Just bitching and playing fifa isnt a solution.
From some of the reports we are getting, he has alienated certain players and there has been an effect on squad. Francophone players may have issues with Guendouzi treatment but then Saliba issue may have more to it as well. Torreira and Sokratis were good assets he could not bring around and like GUendouzi too eager to get rid of (But Edu not capable enough to do so) Ozil not say the best asset but an expensive and experience one who has some influence but you would also think makes sense given price tag on bench to keep handy just… Read more »
About when you started the Wengerout brigade, Fatso. Wouldn’t mind some mediocrity if it meant getting AW out. You got what you wanted, you POS.
Oh come on! Wenger was finished years ago and had to go. Getting rid of him was the right thing to. The problem has always been the succession. Emery and now Arteta were wrong choices. We need an interim boss now to stabilise the club, and then a long-term appointment who will turn us into champions again.
Sticking with Wenger would have meant years more of mediocrity. I suppose that would be satisfactory to a loser like you, but I actually want to see a world-class Arsenal team.
you would beg for 1 year of wenger mediocrity as you so call it to what you see now.
you wanted this so you should own it mate.
the time to get rid of Wenger was the summer that Klopp was available, so many missed opportunities it is impossible to list them all
You are either a natural at being daft or you train hard for it!
You’re spot on!
Forget about getting rid of Arteta, Kroenke, Edu, etc; get rid of the W.O.B.s first. They’re the ones who have fucked up our club. Hound out AFTV, just like how they hounded out Arsene Wenger. Bombard Piers Moron with tweets until he disappears from public view forever. And any W.O.B. you may know personally, give him/her all the abuse that your filthy mind can muster
I know of an experienced Premier League manager, who is a lot older than Arteta, and has worked with a club exactly of our size – it actually WAS OUR CLUB! Unfortunately a load of pricks, who just had to be supporters of the same club I happen to support, made his job so difficult, that he decided to leave after twenty-two years of phenomenal service.
But yes, we should get on our hands and knees now, and beg him to take us back.
We honestly look like relegation fodder at the moment….. 2020 has been a bad year in many respects.
The whole Arteta Experience is comeuppance for arrogance. He arrogantly thought he could stroll in with no experience and take on one of the biggest coaching jobs in the world. The club arrogantly thought this noob should be quickly promoted to manager! He arrogantly (permanently!) froze out certain players, publicly humiliated others and then inexplicably stuck with still others who’ve clearly never earned it. For just a small example of what skilled man management looks like, see Klopp and TAA today. TAA pissed about being subbed off, walks off the field in a pout and bypasses Klopp without the customary… Read more »
I think you just accurately highlighted one of Arteta’s major flaws, arrogance. A little humility goes along way in leadership positions. Even though you have the power, you have to use it judiciously or risk losing the team. Always need to remind yourself to remain humble. He is indeed a long way off. Takes more than tactics to be a leader, need soft people skills to get the best out of each of them. As the stress has been building, his people managing skills have been exposed. To be certain, there were warning signs in the beginning. The treatment of… Read more »
What do people expect him to say?
A: Oh, yes. The players are panicked. They do not know what to do. Nor do I. Do you?
Of course not. MA knows enough to back bis players here. Hes in the shit. And knows it.
Super annoying interview. But this crap doesnt matter. Win a game or two and noone cares what ya tell the press.
Win a game or two? I’d love to see that happen – I pray that it happens – really do (I love your optimism), but before Arteta manages that – he better think about how the hell he’s going to win back the dressing room. These players haven’t played 100% for him for at least 2 months! His open dislike of certain players – dreadful treatment of others and favoritism to those that doesn’t reflect form has created this mess – along with minimizing risk and coaching free-thinking and creativity out of the team. It will take a miracle for… Read more »
Over 32 games in the PL, he has done worse than Emery. I consistently mentioned even at start of tenure I did not think he was up to man management. He is a good tactician but getting your players to execute is another thing. I’m not Merson who said “Apart from knowing where the training ground is…” but I think he has made poor decisions with some of the characters in the squad. Xhaka, Pepe and Guendouzi are at fault for their reds but it is on the onus of the gaffer to keep them under control. Guendouzi he should… Read more »
I generally don’t agree with all you write but I think you nailed it here on the man management. However, I don’t believe we will get a good manager interested in Arsenal, the front office staff have made a hash of our squad with too many senior players on long deals with high wages, thank you Raul and Edu, too many players alienated from the club like Ozil, Guen, Torriera, Sokratis, Kola, Balogun, Xhaka, Mustafi and too many others including these, that are just not good enough. Who wants to take on that type of project who is an experienced… Read more »
So Mustafi is suddenly a “good player”, eh? Lol. Guendouzi?! Joke. Sokratis?? shouldn’t be anywhere near an Arsenal shirt. Torreira? 3 ft midget with zero skills. And the queen bee of the lot of them…little mesut the “special one” with the best social media/PR team in the league to keep us all remembering how much he is suffering on 350k/wk.
As I said picking formation and team is one thing, motivating and getting the belief, discipline from the players enough to execute on plan is the other side of the equation.
I don’t think he is doing it. On evidence of some of the decisions he has made with Ozil, Guendouzi, Sokratis, Torreira Saliba, I don’t think he was either.
The players are not panicking because the players are crap. You panic if you’re good, but results are not going your way. But for this group, bar Leno, Gabriel and Tierney, it’s just par for the course.
End of the day, we are laughing stock. Again.
It’s all bollocks & he knows it! The players stopped playing for him like they did Emery, but worse! It’s a terrible mess, but at least we have the ‘core’ of a good team in there for someone with experience and a real plan to come in & pick up the pieces… …. but Arteta is not that man folks
I knew Mr.Wenger was very special, but the last few years have started to make him look superhuman considering he never had such resources at his disposal after much sacrifice until near the end. Yes, his time had to come to and end, but I truly respect all that he did for our club. Thank you Arsene.
He was, knowledge is power
But his god flaw overrode his reality and he could have been more like Klopp with division of labor and spending on what you need, you’re not a God at everything and the present still has to be enjoyed.
I know managers talk rubbish to the press but the issue is 100% the selection of under-performing players now.
Auba can come good but he needs to clear his head or something, Willian is an absolutely dire signing, Pepe twice the market rate, Xhaka does not fit the team and today was yet another brain fart that cost point, Dani fighting his team mates…. there is a rot from backroom to the pitch and it needs sorting now.
Our team got no spine, lacks leadership.
Pep said that it was the players responsibility once they got into the attacking third. But it was his responsibility to get them there Think Mikel needs to advise the same. Getting five players into the attacking third is useless if he has allowed the opposition to sit in tight by the time he has those five. I know he wanted a left footed centre back to facilitate the speed of passing across the pitch, then tried Mustafi to ping long diagonals to whoever was on the left wing, but teams are wise to it now, as we did each… Read more »
Problem is, Pep is allowed to “let their players be creative” when he has a multi million front line up. What Pep has in his bench would walk into our team.
This team needs to be coached because they are static and out of ideas by themselves.
Martinez accurate long balls to the wingers was a potent weapon which gave an edge and forced opposition fullbacks to be more cautious. And allowed Auba stretch the game vertically as well as horizontally. Also the defenders can just keep position, rather than be forced to make a risky pass through ranks of opposition lines and for it to break down and they are out of position. Leno isn’t bad but not spectacular. But he needs to play a slightly safer long ball which we won’t win with Laca or Eddie upfront. This masked the need for playing through the… Read more »
I guess he (Arteta) needs to go back to being a coach and someone like Wenger to take over the director of football operations role. Wenger can teach both him and Edu what it means to be Arsenal. What it means to be a big team, what it takes to succeed.
My team Arsenal can win premier League if they play Manchester every weekend
This is the problem with idealist Managers, they’re extremely stubborn and when on top they arent very good nor bright, then it’s 100% hopeless!
Let’s get relegated and win the Europa League. Championship side in Champions League – that will be fun!
Next game, he has to pick Pepe and AMN on the right. Otherwise that side is so poor. Hector is suspended and willian should be dropped.
Or pick Cedric, AMN in midfield with Elneny.
Very poor management. I do not agree with those who are saying we dont have good players. Is our squad worse than Southampton, etc. Problem is MA. Who in his right mind would start Xhaka over Niles? Would sanction the buying of Willian, Cedric and Mari? IDid he and Edu buy these fellows for their own financial gain? The Kronkres should investigate
It’s not that we don’t have good players. The squad is really imbalances. We DON”T have a link between defensive players to attacking player in the middle of park, that why all the f8cking crosses.
We don’t have any ball carriers in midfield. The only thing Xhaka was good at was passing in “high value” spaces but this season he has reached new levels of stupidity. The only player the pitch who effectively does that is saka but he is 19 year kid. He is still learning.
And for some reason pepe can’t get 4-5 games on trot.
I’d suggest Pepe on the left, Saka on the right and AMN at right back. Fairly confident that we’ll see Elneny and Ceballos in the middle. Nobody else will even get a look in with Arteta. Just realised Willian is available so Willian on the right it is and Saka left. In conclusion, there will be 2 forced changes with AMN / Soares vying for the right back position.
He got his selections wrong when he did not have Ozil in the epl and champions league squads
Only big and successful managers (Pep Guardiola, Joachim Low, Jose Mourinho) appreciate, understand and know how to play their best quality player (Özil) and would never drop him like what happened at Arsenal. Why? Coz we domt have a big and successful manager. Ours is just a small manager. Face the fact fans….the last time we had one like Guardiola…was a few seasons ago. Its sad. Its frustrating.
So Löw didn’t drop Özil? OK, if you say so.
Arteta has lost the plot. How can he not see what we can? Baffling.
He is trying to say that we supporters are stupid as what he has done is already the best and there is nothing to change