Mikel Arteta lamented his side’s continued problems in front of goal as Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Spurs in the North London derby.
The Spaniard’s side was twice undone on the counter-attack in the first half as Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min laid on assists for each other to score.
While the Gunners had 69% of possession, our failure to convert any of the myriad crosses that were slung into the box proved costly. Again.
As you might expect, the boss wasn’t in the best of moods after the game. Here’s what he said when he faced the Sky Sports cameras.
His take on the game…
This is football. They had one shot on target and scored a wonder goal. And the second one, we got done on the break because Thomas [Partey] got injured and was not in a position. He had to fall on the floor. We gave the second one. I saw a team. I saw my team full of desire, passion, dominating completely the game, creating all the chances, creating all the situations. At the end, it’s about end product. This is why they [Spurs] are first in the table. They created two situations and scored two goals. I think we had 54 crosses, I don’t know how many shots, only two on target. This game is about doing that. We have to carry on, keep fighting and be the team that we were today but improving, obviously, those details.
On defending better for the goals…
I think on the first one, I think a little bit better in the phase just before losing the ball. They are really similar, we had a situation to score a goal and on the rebound, they take it. They are really good at holding that first ball and Son scores from 20-yards, 25-yards in the top bin. The second one, Thomas is out, he’s limping, he’s in pain, he has to come off and we’re missing a man in that transition moment.
On whether Partey was wrong walking off the pitch…
Of course, I want him on the pitch doing whatever he could for the team in that situation. Nobody is expecting that he is outside the pitch. Anyway, he could not carry on playing, he was in a lot of pain. It is what it is.
On whether his players left themselves exposed on the break…
I don’t know. Maybe we were a little bit cautious with Son, not to step in a bit earlier. But, it’s a wonder goal. You can go through every decision – can you do a little bit better on that situation. It’s what they do really well. They’ve done it once; the second one we’re a man down and it’s really difficult to control. At the end of the day, we lost the game. Again, the effort, the fight and the spirit, the way they played in this stadium and how much they kept trying, they never gave up. It’s close but it’s not enough to win football matches because we’re not scoring goals.
On changing the goal drought…
At the moment, it’s keeping the system and keep working on the delivery on the areas where we’re putting the ball, and making sure we have the numbers. At the end of the day, we created enough situations today to score goals. They will come. They will come. I know it’s so frustrating. I am the first one to be frustrated. I have to support the players, keep training, keep fighting, keep going…there’s no other way.
On Arsenal making their worst start in the league for 45 years…
It cannot be any different that statistic if you don’t score goals. We can do anything you want, any system, any information, we can put 55 strikers [on the pitch], if you don’t score goals you cannot win football matches. It’s as simple as that.
On whether Arsenal are creating good enough chances…
We created more than Spurs for sure. And they scored two goals and we had zero. The same happened last week against Wolves.
On the gulf between Arsenal and Spurs…
I worry about our team, I have enough with that. I don’t worry about the Spurs players.
Ponderous, slow and dull.
When the football is tedious to watch and you are always losing, it can only end one way. If the players like Arteta, it is time to do more than pass around the back until we make a mistake.
Oh, and sack that set piece guy. 5 foul throws from Hector and most corners hit the first defender.
Also what does xhaka do?
I thought Xhaka was decent today. He put in two great passes from deep one in second half led to our best chance (other than countless crosses) And he managed to hold or recycle the ball on left side pretty well, threw in the odd cynical foul when need be. The struggler from the start was Partey. He was clearly not 100% and it was stupid to start him. And we now have consequence. We needed a player to shuffle to cover on Bellerin when he commited forward. In both goals arguably, a fit RCm would have covered us better… Read more »
ArtetaOut
KronkeOut
End this misery NOW.
Speaking of Kroenke, I was thinking if I was a multi billion dollar owner of Arsenal, the least I will do is attend the games. Apart from the billion dollar investments that would make me bankrupt. I think it should be a prerequisite to be a fan to be owner of a sports franchise.
Hey mate, captain obvious called on the other line and he says he’s you hehehendthispls
Completely devastating. In times like this where life crawls slowly without any sort of excitement and frustration level increases due to not having the chance to (at least in the country where I live) travel abroad, meet your friends, play sports or just leave your home for a longer period…… marginal things that are usually generating up to 10% of your usual state of happiness like being proud of your favourite club after a decent victory are suddenly becoming more and more important. This one deeply hurts even by preparing for the worst nowadays and I just can’t accept the… Read more »
In these situations the only thing you can look at is the positives in life and appreciate the small things. As for Arsenal, we can only hope that the right decisions will be made and I have faith they will. What’s clear is the players are just not good enough and for that I don’t blame Arteta. We need to stick with him and back his vision or at least help him.
True that. My cousin killed himself 2 months ago. He could never get over not being selected for the Indian national cricket team in the 90s, and never made money from the sport (this is before the T20 days). Arsenal losing their feet in the post Wenger days is nothing compared to read life. Every team has their highs and lows, Just need to hang in there and hope for the best
Arsenal might not get better but this pandemic won’t last forever. Hang in there. Let’s be hopeful that this vaccine works.
Thanks Fjodor… Wanna kill myself now.
I see what you did there.
Bravo.
Clearly out of his depth , I’m sorry to be negative but I think it is going to end badly for him. The players looked worried in the tunnel before kick off! Burnley next in the premier league surely we should be winning that one, we will see.
We just watched a well coach team comfortably beat a very poorly coached team. Hopefully this is the low point for Arteta
That’ll be when he gets the sack
The upcoming game against Burnley is a relegation six pointer. Let that sink in there.
Burnley are no mugs.
Well be lucky to draw.
Dont kid yourself. Arsenal are terrible. The manager an amateur.
Seriously what’s the argument against burning the whole thing down and forcing Arteta to play the kids? Sell laca and auba in Jan if there is a market for them? Arteta seems hell bent on not playing young players if he can avoid it so we’re just watching highly paid 30 somethings just implode vs letting young players learn
The argument is that we have to set aside hundreds of millions to rebuild the stadium that could be used somewhere else, just to satisfy your arsonist tendencies.
Leno, Gabriel, Tierney, Saka, Holding, Bellerin, Xhaka, Partey, Ceballos, Nketiah, none of these is anywhere near 30. Laca is closer but that leaves Auba, who we all claimed to be an essential contract buy in the summer and Willian who I totally agree was not worth a contract.
Let’s leave age out of the equation, especially when Giroud is scoring for fun!
Name a single young player Arteta has developed at Arsenal. All of the young players who are currently playing for us (Gabriel excepted) broke through under Emery or Wenger. Laca/Willian /Auba are on 3 of the highest contracts in the club and are all on the wrong side of 30.
Who is the manager?
Captain obvious strikes again.
“Mikel Arteta lamented his side’s continued problems” playing football?
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
So we created more chances huh?
You are spot on. There is a difference between having the ball and doing something with it. Im more than a little bit worried about arteta unfortunately
Damn, sounds a lot like emery with better english. It’s like emery used to say ‘balls’ and arteta uses the word ‘cojones’ to make it sounr fancy.
Thanks for the memories. But its time to say goodbye.
You can’t win anything with xhaka on the pitch, bring in the kids and sell the rest in January.
Yes. This.
This made me laugh, First time since i saw the lineup.
Oh dear… Sounds beaten
“I saw my team full of desire, passion, dominating completely the game, creating all the chances, creating all the situations.”
He’s getting delusional now, nice.
Agreed.
“dominating the game”???
We just did exactly what Mourinho wanted us to do.
At least when Wenger used to lie it would be a full on meltdown lashing out at everybody and everything.
Look at the numbers! Dominated possession and crossing (not necessarily getting it past the first man, but the attempt)!
Pure battering. 😳
He will not change this. Terrifying.
I can put on any random football game on my cable and watch better football than our beloved Arsenal at the moment. Worrying. Arteta has to show he’s the man to turn things around again, after saving last season from the disastrous Emery saga to the fairy tale FA Cup win.
To score goals you need to create, Sherlock.
If he doesn’t bring back Ozil in January and allow the players the freedom to create and express themselves, then I shall find it very difficult to find any sympathy for Arteta if this currently employed brand of joyless boring tripe masquerading as football costs him his job. A shame, because when he was appointed I really thought we had found a great replacement for Arsene Wenger who would put this club back on top. I just can’t see it happening now. A real shame. I’m past anger – I’m almost numb to it and this afternoon was as predictable… Read more »
Goddammit. This sounds like Emery!
54 crosses to a Striker that dominates in space and getting behind the lines. The fact is he is bragging about this like it is something that matters. Yikes.
Other head coaches measure their accomplishments by league finishes and trophies.
Our guy’s CV reads ‘responsible for 1,024 cross in one season’.
Who is expected to get at the end of these crosses? I haven’t seen Auba score many headers!! We are struggling for goals and the best solution Arteta and his coaching staff came up with is to increase crosses? not more triangles and shots at opposition box?
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
” ‘- Wayne Gretzky’ – Michael Scott “
that 54 crosses quote is worryingly Moyesesque
Yup.
Hes a Moyes-ite. Not a Pep-ite.
And we dont have the ayers for pep ball a s fuckyouasshole kroenke aint gonna spend that sort of money.
We’re an expensive, fantsy-pants Everton.
Worrying indeed.
The team selections make zero sense. A man grasping at straws.
Everton currently are much better than us and let’s not forget 05 when Moyes’ Everton finished in the CL places.
Better put, if you keep playing Willian and Xhaka, you won’t win games.
Why this man persists with this two, especially Willian, is beyond me.
“I worry about our team, I have enough with that”
At least Arteta gets paid to worry, i have to do it for free
We need to get rid of the deadwood thats making this ship sink and get players who actually care about the badge. Certain players who have been there for a while emanate negative body language ie, Xhaka out.
I put it all down to the manager. When it was time to “get rid of the deadwood”, what did Arteta do? He begged Xhaka to stay. Convinced Bellerin not to pursue a move away. Heck, he even offered Mustafi a new contract!!! And when it was time to bring in new players? He opted for a Southampton reject on a bumper 4 year deal to challenge Bellerin. He brought in Mari who cannot even get a sniff at the first team on a 4 year deal. Don´t even get me started on the 3 year deal for another Chelsea… Read more »
*Correctoin..Arteta: If you persist with Xhaka, you don’t win games
Mikel mate, they let us have possession after they went 2 nil up. If we had scored with the chances you speak of they would have just scored another and another and so on…:-(
Punting hopeful untargeted balls in to the box is not creating chances.
“If you don’t score, you don’t win games”
Then how about not starting Willian, who has never scored this season?
And it feels real good to have him for another 2,5 season at high wages.
we really just dont have the players to be competitive and i will admit i was wrong about wenger i long for those days
Getting sacked by Christmas
Sorry mate.
If you don’t play your best creative midfielder, you don’t allow the catalyst for unlocking tough defences and create decent chances for your team and your forwards in particular and, yes, you don’t score goals. Which, in turn, means you don’t win games.
Apologies for repeating myself about this yet again, but statements of the ‘You Don’t Say?’ variety from the manager, like the one above, are getting beyond tedious now.
https://youtu.be/kVFeCCUtbWo
Check this out
I rest my case.
Nice 1 bum
. Forward this to a Mr M Areta post code n5
Correction bgm
Things that MA could never do as a player.
It takes a special kind of cunt to thumb this down this link.
It’s not just about leaving out ozil as a creative player. We have others. NONE of them are allowed to play and perform. Ozil is free form. Go where he wants and feels the game. He will always play that way. Hence he’s never going to be selected. Willian would be better suited playing that way ceballos smith rowe saka, all of them if given license. Difference is they will do as they’re told and as such we have no players playing on instinct
Willian and Ceballos are a joke.
Smith Rowe is a promising player, but to expect him to sort out this mess is way to much to put on his shoulders.
Ozil, is a world class experienced playmaker. He is the only world class playmaker we have on the books.
He’s the only solution to the lack of creativity – but, hey, relax. You’ll get your wish; Arteta will continue with Willian and Ceballos.
Arteta being in a mess does’nt mean that every choice he’s made is wrong. Ozil stoped being world class a loooong f**king time ago. How the hell can peapole still hang on to his absence as being the problem is absolutely sickening. Arteta has no ofensive plan OK, nothing M.O. can do about that!!
If you think Willian and Ozil are equally capable then you need to start assessing your perception of football. Willian at his peak, was half the creative players that Ozil is now. There aren’t many players in the world who have Ozil’s class. We would’ve been much better with him in the squad at least if not the team every weekm The club management is a joke, you’re blackmailing a player to get rid of him and his wages but you sign another two, to later go through the same shit. If Auba keeps going like this and Willian doesn’t… Read more »
Please stop praising the youngsters and telling them they are progressing when you never play them and keep playing players who don’t perform week after week. You are wasting their chance tot develop. It can’t get worse than this. We beat Fulham, Sheffield, Man U in crisis and were lucky against West Ham. Good job, keep it going 🙁
Fucking eh. I fear we’re gonna lose players like AMN becasue of his insistence on playing this nonsense with players who have no future here.
I’d rather have Ainsley, Reiss, ESR et all at the club than any of the board or management at this point.
Indeed, I hope we don’t lose them before they get a proper chance in the league. Who could blame them. In fact they should leave if it stays like this.
I am still waiting for one of these Arteta loving fans to tell me what our tactics are undera Arteta? and are we calling this bullsh*t season transitional still? We gave Emery an extra 6 months and now we are doing the same with Arteta. Let’s get a manager with a proper cv and experience.
I really want Arteta to turn this around but when you see Xhaka and Willian in the starting line-up you really have to question his judgement. What else has AMN got to do to get a start ahead of the utterly woeful Xhaka?
We gotta slow the sideway passing, and crossing into the box and try to move forward. Bring on the kids (Emith Rowe, Willock, Nelson….just dont let him take corners) and Elneny with Ceballos (relegate Xhaka to Europa, and Willian to U23s).
And Hector needs a week’s worth of drills to practice throw-ins.
It was easy for spuds. They knew just to sit back and let son and kane nick one on the break. To think we did anything other than play into mourinho tactic is laughable
100% agreed
JM saw us coming
How can we score from a cross if our players are built to score with the ball on the deck?
Can someone explain what Wilian offers the side?
After the first goal, I exactly knew how the match is going to go and was never excited or worried and somehow that’s made me feel guilty that I don’t care enough, after supporting this club for nearly 20 years.
But Arteta & I were watching different games I guess, I didn’t see a lot of things he mentioned up there in my stream!
DELUSIONAL
What’s scary is that Arteta thinks the system is working because we had 55 crosses.
All we do is cross the ball and the defense heads is away. More crosses is not the answer. Clearly that has to be obvious to him. If not, this team is in trouble.
Said it after the Leeds game until our front men put away their chances we are going nowhere fast.Spuds are top because their forwards take their chances .Arsenal media do yourself a favor and stop posting training ground bollox of the players laughing and joking and not practicing their finishing.
We can’t finish chances if we don’t make them
Arteta talking up crosses and possession but no points given for either
We don’t have a top 4 squad but we do have a top 6 squad. Arteta should be getting more out of this group. It doesn’t look good.
If he doesn’t turn this around by the new year he needs to go, although I have no idea who we could get to replace him. Maybe one of the better young managers in the Bundesliga?
If you play the same shit players and tactics every game then you don’t win games Mikel.
Hate to say it but I’ve lost the faith, loss against Burnley and I think he needs to go. Trouble is, until 60% of these players are gone I don’t see much improvement.
Whatever happened to the non negotiables??? Why do certain players always play? Why do we hear about the academy and using players from there but they don’t play in the league? Endless crossing is a good thing??? Sorry but this is a poor press conference and I’m losing confidence
It’s non negotiable that he is staying unfortunately. That’s what he was referring to at the time…
Me in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 – We will never be a top side with Xhaka in the team – he has no athleticism, he is slow and he has poor temperament and decision making. Yet for some strange reason Wenger, Emery, Ljunberg and Arteta all had him in their starting 11. Supposedly Xhaka posses skills and abilities that others in the squad do not…I don’t see it….In attack he offers nothing (because he goes sideways) …..In defence he is a liability because his positioning is poor, he can’t tackle and is too slow to make recoveries. I’m not… Read more »
Xhaxas signing and mainstay status in the sqaud and at the club in general has coincided with us getting worse and worse at an alarming rate. Just like Wenger and Emery he will be the death of Arteta.
Mourinho: “I want to give good words and congratulations to Mikel because he gave us a very difficult game.”
Of course all the coaches like his results.
If Mourinho hates you – you’re a threat to him and doing a good job.
When Mourinho starts congratulating you after he has beaten you – you’re not doing your job properly.
Wenger never beat Mourinho, but he was hated by Jose – and with good reason; Arsene was always capable of unexpected managerial brilliance that was beyond even the likes of Alex Ferguson.
Arteta says “(insert voice of Beaker from the Muppets)”
Today we played with 9 men and it is an honor to lose just 2-0 in an away game (with 9 men). Xhaka and Willian… Can anyone say anything positive about them? I dont think so.
And add to that Mourinho’s anti-football approach and that sums up today’s game.
And having in mind that we always play with 9 or 10 men the results are pretty undrestandable.
You don’t score without creating chances and you don’t create chances without I don’t know creative midfielders.
I am starting to think Arteta sees the solutions but not the problems.
If Bellerin is in position to deal with the overlap then Holding can commit and put pressure on Son.
Even still though Holding should close the gap. If it goes wide it’s away from the danger area. You wouldn’t let Steph Curry shoot a 3 unchallenged.
Question marks on Leno not taking a step before diving too. It wasn’t hit with that much power or even right into the top corner. I don’t blame him but still could have done better.
Shambles all round.
Why we didn’t play 343 when we know it works against the big teams I don’t understand. This Wenger style 4231 was exactly how they wanted us to play. And that’s on Arteta. And to make it worse it’s a boring Arteta 4231 where we only cross the ball. At least under Wenger we attacked through the middle. I still trust Arteta but it was naive coaching throughout. And don’t get me started on him selecting Willian and Xhaka. Never want to see them play for us again. Willian should’ve been a one year deal with an option and Xhaka… Read more »
Why do you still trust Arteta. What has he actually done for us apart from win an FA Cup that fans said was a meaningless trophy when won by Wenger time and time again. The biggest problem with Arsenal is the fans who pick and chose who to make a scapegoat. Certain individuals such as Wenger, Ozil, Mustafi, Flamini and Giroud were highlighted as the root of the problem yet individuals like Wilshere, Welbeck, AMN, Willock, Ramsey, Arteta have been allowed to be poor for such a long time. We are very delusional as a fam base as to where… Read more »
Don’t cry orders from the sideline. It just spreads confusion and uncertainty. Give your instructions on the training field. Sit down.
Give up possession football. It is old fashion and it does not work.
But I thought when Wenger did that he didn’t care or didn’t have a clue? Which one is it?
Can we at least sack the one(s) responsible for Willian’s contract?