Having built up momentum off the back of an impressive festive period, hopes were high coming into February that Arsenal might mount a serious challenge for a Europa League spot and possibly even more.
After two defeats in a week, those dreams have been hit for six.
While the Gunners are within a couple of wins of four sides above us, if there’s a winner tomorrow between Leeds and Crystal Palace, we’ll be back down in 11th place with tough games coming up against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, Manchester City and Leicester.
After watching his side lose 1-0 to Aston Villa, Arteta knows his side have made a costly stutter just when we might have cranked the pressure up on those sides above us.
“It’s a big blow,” he replied when asked how damaging defeat is to his hopes of qualifying for Europe.
“When you consider the performances that we’ve put in in both games [against Wolves and Villa], we’ve got zero points out of that. We just give the opponent the game.
“We need to come back. We’ve done it this season and we have to do it again.
“We have a week now to prepare for the next game against Leeds and then focus on that, keep maintaining all the right things we are doing and the way the team is evolving. We need to stop certain things that are costing us the games.”
The boss went on to lament a lack of ruthlessness in the final third at Villa Park and an early mistake at the back by Cedric that allowed Ollie Watkins to put the home side in front inside two minutes.
Comparing Arsenal to those challenging for the title, he said: “Those [top-four] teams don’t make those mistakes. Those [top-four] teams cannot play four or five times in the first 22 games of the season with 10 men. It doesn’t happen. There’s not a team in the world that can sustain that.
“If you concede a goal early or make an error, the team has to react. The team reacted and we had more than enough to still come back and win the game.
“If you don’t do one thing, you have to do the other. If you are not ruthless enough in the opponent’s box then of course you are going to lose the game.”
Cheated by poor officials at Wolves and now it looks like we paid for not having cover at left back.
Refs screwed us today too, although we didn’t help ourselves. Only yellow for the Saka foul I can sort of get, but Laca deserved a penalty
WTAF?
“VAR is not there to get decisions right”. (Paraphrased).
Peter Walton on BT Sport – ex PGMOL Select Group One referee!
Walton is an annoying prick, that loves to defend all these useless officials with several ways of breaking down the laws of the game.
The truth, VAR in most countries ain’t too much of a problem but in our country with our officials it always ends up a talking point. Mike Dean summed that up the other day, could clearly see he screwed up but was too proud to admit it.
It is like good lawyers they manipulate the flaws of the laws to suit their purpose
Mike Dean made it all about himself yesterday also. Never a red card for Soucek, but in 96th min, Dean couldn’t resist becoming the only talking point in a nil nil game
VAR is being misused by English referees create more and more controversies.
Its like we dont need VAR, if you give VAR to us, we will abuse it so bad, that you will wish there was NO VAR
This is pretty English.
Google “Arteta red card vs Crystal Palace” and see him sent off for a foul on the halfway line. This is the same as Saka being hauled down by Villa’s last man today, but no red apparently.
Referees recent performance for us show no level of professional standards.
Yes but decisions happen and we need (must) move on. The club is in a potentially serious position and we need to get out of it.
Hard to keep moving on when there is no accountability for poor officials.
So what do you suggest we (the club) do about that? The answer is – because it’s the only rational answer – nothing but get on with it. Correct?
Wolves manager lambasts an official knuckles wrapped but gets his point across. Southampton issue a statement will get their knuckles wrapped but again they have got their point across. Arteta should have been raging today, take the punishment but get the bloody point across. We have been creamed time and again this season (sometimes deserved) but we are sometimes being stitched up like fernandes on Xhaka and today, people keep harping on about man on half way line who wouldn’t have caught Saka but the same offender went straight through the back of Laca five minutes later. Having a beer… Read more »
Top managers put pressure on referees by highlighting how their team have had a series of poor decisions. Not talking about it might save Mikel a few quid, but referees will not be under pressure to get the decisions right.
Cedric was never going to be the answer to a long term Tierney injury.
AMN should never have been loaned out – we just haven’t got the strength in depth.
The only solution is to bring in the new lad and move Saka to left back – but what an absolute waste of something that was clearly beginning to work.
Arteta, as usual, can see no further than the colour scheme of his wardrobe….
As much as I truly hate the officials in this league — and not to don my tin foil hat — but I genuinely do believe the referees are not impartial when it comes to refereeing Arsenal. But that’s a tale for another day as to why I think that’s the case. What I came on here to say is, this season has been a fucking shambles. So far we have failed to beat Villa, Wolves, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Burnley, Leeds, Spurs and Everton. I appreciate that we haven’t played all of those sides twice yet, but fuck me, that… Read more »
going out of the cup with a weakened team is looking rather foolish now
Hate to say it but I think ESR needs a game or two on the bench. He’s not found the consistency of performance in the last few games that got us all talking last month.
I think for a young lad to shoulder all the creative responsibilities is starting to weigh heavy on him. Maybe Odegaard could start the next one.
ESR is a link up player, he won’t hold the ball in tight spaces to release pressure, more a Hleb than Ozil.. it’s not a weakness, just different styles. He could definitely do with a couple of games out but he can also be a good plan b..
Özil is rather the one who is a link up player and Hleb the one that can retain possession in tight corners from his dribbling ability. Özil is a connector who does best when he has players opening up to receive and exchange quick passes.
Odegaard is going to have to be used because, as you say, ESR can’t do it all on his own.
We had a perfectly capable ‘deputy’ but he was deliberately frozen out by a manager who didn’t know what he was doing and is still refusing to learn by any other method than the hard way.
I think you’re right. ESR has looked off the pace last few games.
Never mind Europe for now. Today was the moment we could have overtaken Spuds. Needless to say we didn’t.
Two chances to overtake Spuds have been thrown away. St Totteringham’s Day may have been our best chance of some enjoyment this year.
We’ve gone through a spell of winnable games with more difficult ones coming up.
I wouldn’t get too hung up on overtaking any particular club (even if that’s the Spuds). The important thing for our club is to get up the table to an EL qualifying position if we possibly can. Who is ahead or behind us if we do that doesn’t really matter that much, does it? That said, I think the chances of getting into that position by the end of the season is dwindling fast, but where there’s life there’s hope etc.
Bollocks
Every kin time we get a chance to go above the scum we blow it, why in the fck we can’t take a point in Midlands? it’s not far ?? 2 kin hours if that by car yet we look every time fking jetlagged, losing hope with Arteta, unless he can pull his finger out anytime soon and get us kin winning he can do one and fck right off, bye bye Miki just not good enough, 82 minutes to change result yet 3 knew we were going to lose, ducks sake..
How many more stupid decisions from you Mikel? Firstly you play a second team for the FA Cup game and lose and in this game you bring Willian on and not Martinelli, when we had to press and look for a couple of goals.
Your PC’s are beginning to grate.
Down vote the manager, not me you turdcones
I should give you a thumbs up for the word “turdcone” but I’m too loyal to Arteta I’m afraid.
Turdcones. 🤣👍
😁😁 I had cuntwaffles in mind, but chose the softer option
Yes, a EL spot was a realistic aim earlier but that’s fast dropping away. We could win the EL of course, but we’ve seen what happens unexpectedly in cup competitions, haven’t we.
No European football (EL) could cost a club anything up to £20 million in a “normal” season depending upon how they progressed. Given we’re still one of only two PL teams to ask for a Govt. Covid bailout (as far as I know), we can’t really afford to lose more income. If we do, they will almost certainly be further cuts. Shall we have a collection?
Mediocrity on the pitch and years of underinvestment is biting Kroenke’s ass.
You spelled mis investment wrong. Kroenke runs it as a self sustaining club for the most part (he clearly put money in for Partey). That’s the way 99.9 percent of football clubs operate. But you also can’t afford to make Ozil one of the two highest paid players in the PL and get that output, make mustafi one of the most expensive defenders in history, or let Sanchez/wojo/Ramsey/Miki leave for all of 15m combined.
Yes, you’re right of course. Arsenal have made some (several) disastrous decisions – almost all in the Wenger era, but a few afterwards as well – many of which you’ve identified. Individually, I think we could have coped – even the Ozil one, overall (wages + fee) the biggest – but when you add them all up? We’ve never been a particularly rich club most of the time, contrary to what some Gooners believe, not just in the PL era, but historically. Even the “glory days” of the 1930s were built on a pile of debt. Much of the profits… Read more »
god you must be fun at parties. i know in future to skip past your posts cos its just the same boring crap that arsenal are broke and its a down to wenger.
The inevitable Wenger pop.
Did he once run over your dropped match day programme in Avenell road or something?
So we may as well give up then, and settle for mid-table from now on?
When Ozil was omitted at the beginning of the season, I said mid table was the best we could hope for.
We are currently relying on a talented but inexperienced teenager to carry out the number 10 role. He cannot be expected to perform miracles.
Which is why I still say mid table is the best we can hope for. It always was. And, until we get in a decent experienced replacement for Ozil, it always will be. End of story.
Ozil was playing cr@p hence he was left out FULL STOP
… and the team went down to 15th in the table without him.
FACT
I seriously don’t think Kavanagh ( or Deane or more recently Pawson) hate us, not do I think the clowns at the FA do either…….
But, to sum up the “tilting towards unfair “ balance , consider this……….Partey makes a foul late in first half I think… ref waves it on….. comes back later to book Tomas , which looks like he’s unlucky to be booked…… …….later , Trezeguet smashes late into ( I think Partey) …. ref waves play on, and you wait for the retrospective yellow……. dream on
The refs and the media have always had an agenda against the Arsenal.
The great managers like Mee, Graham and Wenger all had to overcome that in order to make the club successful. If Arteta is going to become a great manager, he is going to have to do the same.
Still, at the moment, we’re all waiting for the fucking penny to drop regarding Willian and his continued persistence in playing the cretin.
One year out of Europe may be a blessing in disguise.
If we put all our eggs in the EPL basket next season, I believe we’ll skirt around Top 4.
All we need is a good summer window.
IN:
Keep Ødegaard, if possible.
Get a left back to assist Tierney
Sign a Centre back
Get another DM.
Get a younger striker – 24 to 26 range.
OUT:
Elneny
Chambers
Saliba
Guendouzi
Nketiah
Auba/Laca
Willian
saliba and guendozi would improve this team/ squad as would torreria getting a decent manager in should be the prioity
Guendouzi would not improve anything. He’s gone and rightly so.
Lacazette should be kept. He’s the only one scoring goals and likely to.
Why did we finish 5th the season guendouzi played most of the games and now we are 10th.
He was doing very well for a player his age.
Why is he rightly gone?
Crikey that’s a big clear out there! We haven’t even really seen Saliba play!!
Defo agree with another left back though, Cedric is not the man for the job albeit playing out of position.
The naivety of this post is hilariously staggering.
Go back to your FIFA 20, mate. You cannot rectify all of that lot in one summer transfer window.
And you’d get rid of both Auba and Laca as well? 🤣
The only thing you forgot to list was a magic wand.
Does Auba/Laca mean both?
What’s the point hanging on to these average guys. It might be naive to you, but the league table is not.
Come on then, Herbert Chapman.
Who are you going to get in – with our budget – who would provide more than these ‘average’ players have provided in the past few seasons…..?
Honestly, some of you on here. Great entertainment.
Saliba signs for Nice, Luiz gets sent off, Holding, Gabriel and Cedric all at fault for Villa goal, Saliba gets player of the month award, Arsenal fan thinking get rid of Saliba. Sounds about right for our fans.
Arteta doesn’t want him FYI.
He couldn’t make the EL squad for the group stages!
Sell him and plough back the money.
You seriously think we need to rebuild the whole team?
In my opinion all that’s needed are a few tweaks. Send Nketiah on loan, get Balogun to sign a new deal. Get cover for LB or play Saka there and bring Nelson in as RW
We have a generation of very exciting players coming through the academy. Start giving them places on the bench and trust them to do the job if called on
Look at the OUT list again. Apart from Auba or Laca, none is contributing much as we speak.
This season’s first team remains. How is that rebuilding the whole team?
I don’t think rejuvenating the team with 5 players – 2 first team and 3 squad players effects the team that much.
Check my IN list.
Mate, don’t try putting him in touch with reality.
Just enjoy the ridiculousness of the post. He thinks two top class proven experienced internationals are ‘average.’ The fact that our forwards have suffered for most of this season due to s hitherto complete lack of service from the midfield has completely bypassed him.
Never mind Willian, Elneny, Ceballos and the never ending horse shoe – let’s blame the forward line. Pathetic…
If you call Lacazete a “Top class proven international,” that says it all about where we are as a club. THIS TEAM IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH; STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR THEM! Watch City play, mate, and the gulf in class is frightening.. That is where Arsenal was, and that is what we should aim for. The six guys I listed in my original comment shiuld give way for better players. One of Auba/Laca has to give way for a younger, hungry striker. Villa and Wolves have taken 6 points from us. Burnley and Leicester have a chance to do same.… Read more »
I don’t make excuses for any players that I don’t think contribute. But you’re clearly not grasping why our forwards have struggled this season. Until the inclusion of Saka and ESR, they were getting fuck all service from Willian, Ceballos and Elneny. What the club has been crying out for all season is a decent number 10 attacking midfielder to create the chances in the box for our forwards. ESR has shown he is definitely going to become a star player, but the kid cannot do it all at the moment. Odegaard may offer some initial assistance for the rest… Read more »
Disagree with his comment that the team is evolving. Probably fairer to call it regressing.
And as for the excuses….. sounds to me like a man short of ideas
I dont know, we finished the game in a 3-1-5-1 formation. Its that’s not a new idea I dont know what is.
The team truly is evolving.
At the beginning of the season, and up to November, the team was drab and bereft of ideas in attack. That changed from the Chelsea game. Our attacking combinations are getting better. That accounts for the upsurge in out goals-scored column.
Most of our losses, bar few, have been by fine margins.
By next season, if we act wisely in the summer market, we should have a team that would tilt the fine margins in our favour.
Arteta is the worse manager for decades. Emery would have been sacked if he had the same record as Arteta after 23 games. People keep talking about the project but surely any “project” would involve us improving Won 9 Drawn 4 Lost 10 is not improvement. As i said had Emery done this he would be out of a job. That is the problem with Arsenal – there is a culture of mediocrity and failure that permeates throughout the club. All Arteta has brought is baffling team selections (persistent selection of Willian) and a culture of failure. Arteta is just… Read more »
Absolute bollocks. He’s actually doing a great job given the circumstances. Nothing will change until all the Wenger dead wood is cleared and he’s making inroads on that and we’re starting to see some real potential for this team.
Careful now. You may actually burst a nut if you suck up to Arteta any harder.
I’m not sure about why a project requires sticking with a manager when the performances are poor. Chelsea (twats they are) get laughed at for spending £110 million on binning off managers. The difference between our net spend and theirs over the last 10 years is more than that, yet they have won the premier league a load of times, the champions league, the Europa League and the FA cup. Where is the evidence these days of allowing a manager a few years to improve things, actually works?
I have said it before and I will say it again. Arteta is a good guy and a good manager. But he is not good enough for Arsenal. If we want to go back to the Wenger years and finish in the top 4 regularly, we need a proper manager. Some of his tactics make no sense. He takes off our top scores and puts Auba in the middle where the stats show he has been useless. Auba is at his best attacking from the left. We then keep crossing the ball in the box when Laca or Auba are… Read more »
Is not getting a left back down to Arteta? Is players getting sent off for fuck all his fault? Is not getting nailed on penalties, game after game, his fault? Is the fact that there seems to be one set of rules for us, and a different set for other teams, his fault?
I’m not surprised Mikel looks down in the dumps. He has to put up with shitty officials and supporters who mostly sound like they belong to another club.
In 5 years’ time, no one will remember any of your excuses. The stats will say Emery finished 5th, and Arteta finished …..?
Taking off Laca for Auba down the middle was a mistake, but Auba gets another free pass for yet another dismal performance this season? He’s been shit for months now but seems to escape any criticism…
Wolves – VERY unlucky, borderline bizarre game.
Villa – created our own demise
“European hopes” he says. Nice one, Mikel!
I agree decisions didn’t go our way (again #FAcorruption) but Mikel is discrediting himself by fielding Willian time and time again. Is Performing not a non negotiable? Therefore Martinelli should be ahead of Willian.
When he’s bringing on Willian and Auba and leaves Martinelli and Ceballos on the bench I can get really fed up with Mikel. He can’t do anything about Cedric’s lazy pass, he can’t do much about the fucked up refereeing, or individual mistakes, but he sure as hell should be bringing on subs who can change the game, not a useless chelsea pensioner who offers nothing except losing the ball, and Auba who’s out of form, doesn’t offer anything through the middle, and hasn’t been training. I really want Arsenal and Mikel to be successful, but every time he brings… Read more »
Well said Vonnie. Willian is gonna be the nail in Arteta’s coffin. Can you imagine if their were fans. The away fans yesterday would be going mental seeing Willian come on. He’s with us for another 2 and a half years on 200 grand a week.
Auba is even worse than William though. Dude hardly touched the ball or made a single sprint to press the opposition. I recall willian actually did make a few tackles last night
Well when you sacrifice creativity and prefer hard workers you get Willian. Auba is an attacker and he is pretty good at what he does. But he is not like Henry (once in a lifetime talent), he is more like Ozil, he needs the confidence and love from the fans and the manager to get the best out of him. Don’t let you lust for money turn into hatred for another good player.
This summer defines this team for years to come. Do I/you trust Arteta or Edu? Did we spend nothing in January because it’s too hard, or because they’re saving it for a new manager? IMO Arteta has a problem seeing talent. Saliba can’t play? ESR couldn’t get on the pitch? Martielli can’t play? Willian always plays. We’ve got so much money to sign good players, and contracts in positions to move players on and make good money, I’m really worried we’ll squander this golden opportunity. Next year we should have a talented squad with rest from no European football. Top… Read more »
Arteta is not a coach! It’s that simple….. Every top coach teaches movement of his players in the final third! He creates chemistry and all!
Why play Willian ahead of Martinelli? Where was Ceballos today? Why not play Gabriel at left back and Mari beside Holding?
Arteta is clueless and he alone is responsible for Arsenal losing 10 games out of 23!!! Can you beat thag?
I’ said this several games ago. signs did not look good then. I would think this season a wash out. Arteta should have no excuses. The pathetic people trying to peddle “He has not got his team” neither did Emery or Wenger. Its poor this season given what we have. …decision making on subs today IMO all wrong. As I mentioned we should go for broke now in europa. strongest possible selection there all the way (Particularly if reduced to one legs) We’ve made silly mistakes in market which will be compounded with lack of europa and with several issues… Read more »
In all seriousness, does this team deserve to play in European competition? Not currently as they are. Maybe a year without will provide much needed clarity to the higher ups, as well as allow Arteta additional opportunity to clear out has-beens such as Luiz, Willian, Pepe, etc. Such players have no place being in the starting XI much less on the bench. People talk about ESR, AMN, Willock, et. al., being in a crucial point of their careers so why not give them playing time to show they are capable of being better than Willian, Luiz, etc. The team selection… Read more »
Mikel signed Luiz and Willian and seems hell bent on playing them. Every time they play my confidence in Mikel is dented a bit more, he’s damaging the team and himself by blindly sticking up for them.
Luiz has been good this season.
You cannot possibly believe what you just wrote. So youre taking a big piss.
We’ve all seen luiz play he’s an effing nightmare. And expensive one at that and who was MA’s decision. Bad player and bad judgement.
Your dissembling doesnt hide any if that.
Nonsense. When he’s started he’s been decent. For example, did you actually watch the utd game 2 weeks ago? He was man of the match! You’re the one taking the piss mate.
#Artetaout…
Your team your selection your football…
Not working!!!
Our recruitment has been poor for a very long time. Look at how the rest of the clubs are hiring the best referees and look at the results. We better start changing our approach otherwise we will be left behind.
If you count on players like Auba & Pepe you must forget about Europe
Wenger OUT! Does not know management, tactics, finance, transfers. Lets sack him because he is taking the club backwards. We are whiskers away from domestic and foreign domination but this old dude with his outmoded methods is destroying our football club. The football club we built with our own hands and personal sacrifice. We have 350million to spend every year on new players just like the NHS and Brexit but lack a proper football plan you see. Lets get a NEW manager. Anyone can do better than the old senile fool who held us back all those years…… the fans… Read more »
Yeah piss off Sven …we do business with Raul here…and Ivan’s cracking team he left behind… The regime needed to change…only top4?? Arsenal? The 7 times world king of football undisputed champion of the world? Only top4??? Heads should roll!! Unforgivable getting top 4 with Chammakh Denilson Eboue and Bendtner …unfuckingforgivable…wheres our trebles Arsene?
I love Auba but come on he shouldn’t be captain of Arsenal!
Through our bad spell and his dry patch didn’t hear a word from him, scored a couple he’s out doing post match interviews. 2 loses we hear nothing.
It’s the manager’s job to protect his players, it’s the captain’s job to hold his peers accountable! Give Partey that arm band with his Scottish sidekick Tierney as vice captain.
And how on earth Bellerin can be our vice captain is just pathetic
I’ve seen enough of Artetas philosophy in the last few weeks to hope he gets it together. I guess my biggest disappointment of This season is the losses that could of at least been draws. If you take away the yearly beaten we take off city and pool that leaves 8 games some winnable but at the minimum should of been draws. That’s 8points. We’d be sitting 1 point off top 4
Is it time to start talking about the cursebof BT Sport?
It’s definitely the time to be talking about the curse of Willian – and the man who continues to play him, no matter how useless he clearly is.
Dunno why you keep going on about willian like hes the only reason we are shit. but hey people love a scapegoat. your were crying blue murder when ozil was the scapegoat.
Half this squad are shite and should be no where near an arsenal team. guess thats how far weve fallen.
I really began to believe in a top six, possibly top four run based on our performances between Chelsea Boxing Day and United at home. Since United we’ve slipped again, 1 point in 9. We are in the rebuild phase and progress will never be linear. The line to where this club must go was always going to crooked, not straight. Wolves and Villa: especially disappointing results but we push on. I remain more positive than negative on the spectrum of Arsenal’s future. Arteta needs more high quality players. More Partey level talent is essential. Confident we’ll get there (next… Read more »
First post here ever. But really enjoy Arseblog and all the witty commenters. No wit here but a serious question. Does anyone believe a ‘big club’ anywhere in Europe or the UK would retain MA as manager? Why did a big club like The Arsenal hire him in the first place? I think the squad has enough talent all around to be fighting for a much position in the table. Full disclosure: I was and remain a huge Arsene Wenger supporter.
This club is a big club with no ambition. Our only ambition for the last 15 years has been to qualify for the gravy train that is the champions league. This club like to do things on the cheap which wenger was the master of for many years. Now its proving more difficult to unearth these gems before other clubs. And like all top clubs we have made expensive mistakes in the transfer market. Now the club have decided that our ambition is to be somewhere around the european places because we are unwilling to compete finacially with the other… Read more »
With Leeds winning, we are currently 11th in the table and having played more games than teams below us.
Its amazing that for a club the size of Arsenal, its almost become acceptable to be in this place after finishing 8th the previous season. From champions to title challengers to top four team to fighting for top four to Europa league team to this. It looks like if we fight for top 6 the next season, it will be considered improvement.