Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal’s 5-0 defeat to Manchester City was “really painful” and that he has an “impossible” job selling his project to supporters while the team continues to fail on the pitch.
Having failed to score in the Premier League, the Gunners head into the Interlull bottom of the table and with the boss well aware, he has his work cut out.
Here’s what the Spaniard had to say when he faced the BT Sport cameras…
On his assessment of the match…
Really painful. Things happened in the game to get where we got. I think we started really, really well and then in the first situation, they had the ball wide, near to our box and we didn’t defend the cross. We defended the run into the box really poorly and we are one-nil down. After that, we tried to go again, we created some situations, we then conceded the second one. For me, it’s a clear punch on Calum’s face. The referee allows it to go, we’re two goals down. After the red card, [we had] a mountain to climb.
On what he said to Xhaka after the red…
I’m angry because of the consequences that it had to the team. I must say that the line we’re being judged with is really, really thin. We’ve suffered actions like that already in the last two Premier League games and nothing happened. I’m disappointed, very disappointed with the second goal, the way we allowed that goal.
On Auba saying Arsenal lack courage and commitment…
If that’s his feeling, then he’s right because he’s on the field and experiencing that. What I can tell, is that the way we started the game today…and then we have to make decisions and we looked nervy. Then we started playing back to the goalkeeper and we don’t have the ability – I don’t know if it’s the courage – to make better decisions when we’re going into the final third and the box, once with Bukayo – which I think was a push – and another with KT. Then with 10 men, you know what game they are going to play.
On whether enough work had been done on the system…
We’ve played that system before. Last week, when we played with a back four against Chelsea, [I was asked] why it’s not a three. Every time you lose the game, it should have been the other system or another player. We understand that and you have to accept it.
On the results making it hard to sell his project…
When you lose the games, it’s impossible. But you saw, we had 3,000 fans today and the way they reacted to the team and the club with the support they are giving, is unconditional. That’s why everyone went over to say thank you. I’m really proud of that. I’m sorry that we can’t give them the results right now. We have to fix it.
On the Interlull giving him a chance to regroup…
We have to regroup to get a lot of players hopefully back as well that we need. We have to start work, refresh them. At times it has been really tough the first three weeks with everything that happened. We have to face the challenge.
Lokonga on the bench. Kolasinac in the heart of our “defense”. Xhaka until 2025 at least.
Get rid of this fool now!
More than personnel nobody’s talking about our defending style. We mark the man with the ball, rather stand near him but not close enough and he has all the time to look up and see the runs and pick them out perfectly. That’s why it looks easy.
You see how Torres runs behind holding as Tierney stands off Mahrez? we are so good at that
Thank you for pointing this out. Especially with the “higher threshold” rule now in place it boils my blood in to see us just standing off the attacker. FFS
Skillful players play around our defense like they’re not there. We make it so easy for them.
Azpilicueta rubbing himself against every inch of VanDyke near the end of their match is ridiculous. How I wish we had players with half the will to win.
Careful! Or we’ll end up signing him up on a 5 yr deal!
Not surprising as well when you see our training videos, it’s the old outdated keep the ball drill with one touch. F***Ing outdated. No one to one defending, shielding the ball, shot creation drills, counter attack drills. Arteta really is out of his depth.
Sure Saliba is not ready for EPL.
But Chambers, Holding and Kolasinac who played in the middle of defense are ready.
Is this what ready looks like?
#ArtetaOut
I’ve posted it a few times, but loaning saliba again baffles me What’s his contract status now? Is his contract going to run out before mikel deems him worthy. Meanwhile mari holding Chambers and now kolasinic play. There’s something wrong with this, personality clash? Something odd about it.
Is there a change in coaches? We were good at least in stats in defending.
Or maybe opposition knows well that this Arsenal can’t create chances and just attack them.
Could be. But yeah, last season our problem was not scoring, the defending was ok.
New season, new problems. After the interlull Willian and Runnarson will be back!
Torres kept making those runs today off the shoulder and the worst part was how there was absolutely zero communication between the CBs. No one knew who they were marking, and the few times they did, City’s attackers kept gliding away and in front of them. Especially that 3rd goal.
I’m not even going to try and figure out what clearance Cedric attempted for the 2nd.
Felt really bad for Wrighty in the studio today.
I disagree. It’s how deep we defend and there was only one line to penetrate with a pass and that was the backline.
Tierney cannot defend on his own. He has xhaka and ESR to help him, but xhaka had disappeared chasing the ball over the right side.
Of course they would switch play.
A complete rookie manager at the helm. Kolasinac getting first team minutes. Xhaka with a contract extension and a pay rise. Chambers still an Arsenal player. What are we doing here? The very fact its seen or accepted by essentially the entire footballing community that Arsenal can no longer lay a finger on the likes of Man City, or Chelsea before a ball has even been kicked truly does say it all really. We need a complete reset and I mean complete. And I know how totally unrealistic that is — but ultimately there has to be huge changes across… Read more »
“Arsenal can no longer lay a finger on the likes of Man City or Chelsea….”. Hey dude, we couldn’t lay a hand on f***ing Brentford.
Everyone should be docked a week’s wages for this performance. Arteta and Edu’s for the entire duration the coward Xhaka is here. We could be rid of him in a season even if there were no buyers now, but no, we are stuck with him even longer!
I know this is going to be unpopular but I say give him the season. Realistically we won’t get relegated, and we already don’t have European football so not much to lose. Then watch the TV show, get a new boss and start next year fresh.
Do you guys really think that was a red card? Cleats down, leg was soft and bent and got the ball. For anyone who’s played soccer, they know that was not a reckless tackle. Especially considering this bull that they are going to let things play more this year. Except when Arsenal play. Then they will let hands to the face go for a goal against us. Give us a card for the same hands to the face. And then change a yellow card to a red card when the red sees it’s Xhaka. That is some serious bull shit… Read more »
Yawn…
It was reckless and he shouldn’t have done it. Tired of these excuses.
Yes. Two-footed, off the ground, not in control.
If he had connected that’s a leg breaker. Doesn’t matter that he didn’t.
Stupid and deliberate. Not the first time.
That didn’t cost us the game, it just made the score worse.
Exactly. Clear red, and we were totally out of the game regardless.
I’m sorry but that is not a two footed tackle. Everyone hates Granit for his terrible mistakes And not being as good as we need so this is getting painted far worse than it was. Did both get come off the ground, yes. Does that make it a two footed tackle? No. His right foot is clearly positioned well to the side of the player and sliding just above the ground for balance. The left foot is making the tackle and is aimed perfectly at the ball, bent leg so all contact and force will be absorbed by Xhaka. Cleats… Read more »
If Saka makes that tackle then 90% of fans would agree with me. This sentiment is more to do about people wanting to be done with Xhaka than this tackle. I also wanted him give this summer and an upgrade brought in. But this is just physics. You’re not going to injure someone cleats down, bent knee soft ankle. Reckless is straight leg, locked ankle, cleats up. Experienced players know this. And I think many of you who haven’t played could figure it out if you took your personal feelings about Xhaka out of the equation.
Man I’ve just watched it 10 times and cannot see how that is not reckless, dangerous and a red. I’ve played plenty of footy and plenty of time avoiding tackles like that. If that was on Saka you’d be screaming hell and high fury. This is nothing but desperate homerism. Xhaka got his just deserts… Again. We got ours again for relying on him. We don’t learn.
There is A good video on YouTube which shows the tackle from the best angle and in slow Mo. I tried to link here but I don’t think I’m able to. It’s at the 25th second and you can see his knee is bent ankle is soft and studs are down. Right leg is clearly to the side of the player not involved in the tackle. Does it is not a two footed tackle at all and cleats are not up for those of you who claim it is. Pogba tackle today on Neves shows how a locked ankle and… Read more »
People are negative around Xhaka because he’s severely limited, massively overrated (by Edu and Mikel anyway), a walking time-bomb in terms of errors and red cards, and if pressed hard at every touch he’s becomes a championship level player, nothing more because he is completely nullified by the press. Sure if you love him and need to defend him even when he jumps in two-footed studs out then go for it, Mikel.
Law 12 Fouls and Misconduct A direct free kick is awarded if a player commits any of the following offences against an opponent in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force: [including] “jumps at” [both feet off the ground] “tackles or challenges” [i.e. whether of not someone plays the ball isn’t the issue.] “Using excessive force is when a player exceeds the necessary use of force and endangers the safety of an opponent and must be sent off” [Granit endangered the safety of the opponent] Many of us will have played the game… Read more »
Yes, that should be a red *every time*. But it’s not every time, and therein lies the problem with Mikey’s Band of Travelling Idiots. No fucking consistency. As Mikel stated, we’ve seen numerous of these in the league already the last two weeks, nary a shrug. But today, well, somehow that’s different. Yeah, it’s a red. But they’ve been ‘letting the game play’ – up until now. If they suddenly start consistently calling all of them like that, I’m all good. But they won’t. We’ll lose Partey again, or Odegaard, Saka, or Auba to one of those and it won’t… Read more »
Yes. It was a red card.
Any more scraps of excuses?
Red card all day long. Both feet off the ground, studs showing, potentially endangering his opponent. Actions have consequences, and this “experienced professional” should have known better.
regardless of the outcome of the ‘tackle’ it was reckless and stupid, and in full view of everyone. a more level-headed player wouldn’t have even attempted such a thing.
the only positive here is that it means xhaka could permanently lose his place in the side after the ban. we all know arteta will probably give him more minutes after this, but here’s to hoping lokonga keeps him out of the side until we can sell him (lol)
We gave him last season
No, give him till November. I would rather see him go now, but let’s give him one more chance. There needs to be a marked improvement, otherwise he goes.
So if we’re lingering around the relegation places, only then you would have him sacked? What kind of mentality is that. Then what? The best we can salvage from the season is another 8th place finish? 3 seasons running? After spending £200m? Nah man cut that bull. At best we give him until the Spurs game (Game 5). Fail that and you’re gone, take Edu with you.
Why?
Just so that we scrape a win against Norwich, all of The Excuse Factory come back on here proclaiming us to be Holland 1974 and Arteta The Lord Of All ?
Yeah, we’ve already seen this film – The Day After The Capture Of West Brom.
You forgot + playing Kola and Cedric and not buying a right back and buying Willian etc etc….
It was a tactical disaster. Wedge in Odegaard and bump sambi and Pepe. Start kolasanic and chambers. End result = chaos, confusion, and the usual humiliation. Fucking men against boys. Note to anyone thinking differently- Odegaard and ESR cannot play together. One or the other. And it sure as fck shouldn’t be the Norwegian.
I am amazed that this is what you saw. (Btw, Pepe was ill, not dropped.) Every match I saw last year where Odegaard and Smith Rowe played together looked like they were completely compatible.
All I can say it that it is get increasingly harder to stomach the dishes Arteta brings to the table. We’ll see if his project shows any glimpses of promise after the international break. If the team doesn’t show fight, bite and some sort of flair, him staying becomes untenable.
And to see Chelsea manage an away draw to a lethal Liverpool team after a first half red card is just beyond irritating. It’s like these teams are playing on a different galaxy. Painful!
We need results, not persistent talk. It’s either you have what it takes or you don’t. Right it’s not looking like Arteta has what it takes.
Meanwhile in London, Crystal Palace are giving West Ham a decent game with a rebuilt squad, with some of their younger players stepping up.
This manager just doesn’t instill confidence on the pitch.
Sucks being an arsenal fan. Everything has being said since last season defeat to villareal, and he is still here. Please Arabs, save us.
Arabs……….???
Smoke and mirrors…..
Interviewer: “Why did you lose today mikel? “
MA: “They out togethernessed us“
Seeing how our defence and attackers looked to be in different parts of the country, that would hardly be a challenge.
The man is clueless. There’s not one redeemable aspect of his style. Its almost like he’s never coached a club before…oh wait
You mean you can’t see his plan? You must be a reactive, flaky fan. Oh wait… its not midweek, all the toxic postives are hiding with all that chat.
Wait until Wednesday/Thursday and the whole of the interlull thereafter.
When the memory of Saturday’s circus is erased from their Arteta-loving neural pathways, they’ll be on here in their droves demanding yet again that we all give him “more time.”
He is definitely clueless you can see he doesnt know what is he doing, and the funny part is that he speaks like a politician and he has confidence, he thinks he is smart
I like the way he talks eloquently.
I have enough of his vision and project which makes Arsenal worse every month he’s been in charge.
Time to change, thanks Mikel, good luck!
that’s life. the power and benefit of eloquence, isn’t it? imagine if he had these results from last year … and he started each press conference with a goody ebe-fuxing-ning… you think he’d have lasted till now?
The main reason why he’s in a job still in my opinion. Emery couldn’t express himself as well, but the quality on the pitch is very much the same still between the two of them.
Bit harsh on Emery. We were never this bad.
Such short memories. We were getting pounded by Watford and various other mid table teams.
Not defending Arteta, but can we please stop imagining Emery was okay. He went on a run of 20 odd games that everybody said was fortunate. After that we were hopeless against every one.
Emery got us to 5th place (4TH if it hadn’t been for that brainless gimp Xhaka conceding a penalty) and a major Euro final. OK he couldn’t speak as eloquently, but he can set a team up. Just ask OGS.
We got spanked in the final big time, never looked like competing.
Emery was awful.
But Arteta is worse. Far worse.
We actually were, towards the end of his stay.
I think you are a really polite person.
Norwich next up. With a bit of luck Gabriel back along with white. Partey back along with lokonga. Xhaka is banned thank fxxk and hopefully is sold in next few days. Why oh why did he let saliba go on loan. We have chambers holding and Mari ffs. Holding best of bad bunch but just not good enough. He has a decent game and some on here think he good enough. Xhaka has a good game against France and again some think he’s good enough.
And yet he still can’t get properly angry at his favourite xhaka,
Basically he said he’s angry the ref sent him off, not for xhaka being a complete liability… AGAIN.
At this point the blame has to land squarely on arteta. We all know xhaka will make serious errors leading to goals and get sent off. If there are alternatives then it’s 100% on the coach. There were alternatives.
he pat him on the back after the sent off, that was infuriating.
That’s not what I read from his interview. He was not happy with Xhaka either. But the red card was total crap. Every football player knows you can’t injure someone with a soft bent leg tackle cleats down. Exactly what Xhaka did. Red pulls the yellow card then changes his mind to red after he sees its Xhaka. Tell me the ref doesn’t know which pocket his red card is in after decades of experience.
Everyone knows, if you jump into a tackle you’re 90% getting sent off. It was a dangerous challenge and no one is or should be surprised to see him walk for it.
If you want to grumble about calls, the hand in Chambers face before their 2nd is a valid grumble. Not that chalking off that goal would have changed anything.
Guys we all know xhaka isn’t an Andre pirlo, but picking on xhaka for the bad performance is making arteta stay longer at the club, this blame should go squarely on arteta, have a feeling the players are tired of him, an aren’t playing for him, he’s settup is so so poor, what do they do in training all week? Same mistakes again and again, something has to give, clearly he’s lost that dressing room, our problem at the moment is not personnel, but settup. See what Chelsea did to lampard, and we know the rest, let’s copy that
Chalking off that goal would have changed nothing… but sending off Laporte for raising his hands to an opponent would have.
I think they beat us with 10 men, same as Chelsea last week they were in cruise control.
Actually, you can injure someone in that manner. The difference being, was it reckless or was there intent to injure? Neither here, just a hard yellow but, tbh, Xhaka won’t get a break due to his recklessness in the past. He is a liability.
“Soft bent leg tackle cleats down” – wtf? That was a leg breaker if he had been six inches the other way. Were you even watching the game? 100% a red card. Xhaka is clueless on what real effort and defending looks like.
Remember last year when he singled Pepe out for his red card against Leeds? “Let the whole team down, and the fans down.”
Just a couple games later Xhaka did the same against Burnley but there’s almost a non-reaction from Mikel.
He clearly has his favourites.
The dream for me before the Norwich game. We sign Houssem Aouar and sell Xhaka. The defence looked like the issue today, but the issue is, and will continue to be, is the pace of progression from defence to attack and retention of the ball when we recover. White is a move in the right direction, as he can play, carry and pass the ball forward. Gabriel and White I think will be a decent combo in time. The decision today to play ESR in CM for the first time was desperate. We need that type of player that we… Read more »
That’s a nice dream
Have you ever seen Aouar play? He’s not a holding midfielder. He’s surplus to needs now, we have two CAMs. And f**k him anyway – when we wanted him last year he didn’t want to come and was holding out for Real or Barca. Now that he had a s**t season last year and those teams are broke, now Arsenal don’t look so bad. He can rot in France.
Yes, I have watched Auoar play maybe forty of fifty times. Granted he spent his early career in a more attacking role on the left, but he has played most of the last two seasons in CM (not as ACM, no.6/no.8.) He played exactly the same role as Xhaka last season, a deep holding role as Lyon have no DCM. From this role he got the third highest progressive runs in Ligue 1 (despite being injured a fair bit) and created the 5th highest number of chances, and got 8 goals and 6 assists in all comps. He would be… Read more »
Top post, well said.
The little Rat Fink can join Spurs for all I care.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter who we sign. We could have Mbappe, but performing like Laca, with Arteta at the helm.
Aouar is a Spud in waiting.
I say we take Xhaka’s house keys away. Lets confine him to watch Arsenal from home.
That would actually be a mortal wounding. His parents always gave him the house keys.
Bang on
Meanwhile…..
(in french… though easy to understand)
https://twitter.com/OM_Officiel/status/1431725127411056651?s=20
Just to add a bit of salt in the open sore
😓
Mikael Arteta for the love of god, if yiu have any respect and love for the arsenal, please do fuck off and and when you get thwre keepi fucking off
he loves everton
Started well!!!??? We were done alter 8 minutes!!!
After 5-0 and he speaks that we started well for the first 5 minutes! This guy is dangerous for our club
On the road to nowhere. Please say it’s over.
I can accept a defeat if we had some semblance of a system or patterns of play. Watching Brighton v Everton and Brentford v Villa and all 4 sides are more organized with better patterns of play than what Arsenal have exhibited this season. Yes, we have to compare ourselves to those sides
I’d take any of those sides’ managers.
he’s sorry he can’t give us results right now. not didn’t give us a result, but that they can’t.
shambolic.
Get out of our club, Arteta. You’re not the Arsenal.
Unbelievable! That’s got to be it for him. Cannot believe he kept Xhaka and put him on a new contract. I am disgusted at the thought of this club being owned by Qatari’s who view dead people building their stadiums as nothing more than distracting annoyances, but this mid-table financing structure from the Kronkes is getting us nowhere. We need A-list players and youthful future stars. And, frankly, why would Conte take on this project…why…? I will keep the faith but this sh^*# is painful.
“…we created some situations…”, 0 shots on goal, 0 corners… I get that managers have to express confidence, but this is surreal.
Imagine a professional documentary actively being put together about you becoming historically the worst ever Arsenal manager.
How much more of this, before the board get real for once on their fucking lives?
Tired of this shit.
The next 2 games are vital for this ‘project’.
The atmosphere in the stadium might see the end of MA if they go badly
Think it’s already a busted flush time to move on to new regime
That might be true but I get the impression the bosses are wedded to him.
It might take a dose or two of Emirates vitriol to change that.
If we lose to Norwich and the Spuds, then plug your ears….
If the owners were at all serious about the “project” they’d sack Arteta today and Edu the day after the window closes.
Immediately I saw Kola in the lineup I knew we going to get beaten, why did he had to pick Kola ahead of Mari who is far better than him Kola was not aware of his surroundings we all know he can’t pass and he was given that position to play from the back MA is just learning on job anything that board like they should do.
Logonga on the bench makes me to wonder
Neither Kola nor Cedric should be on the pitch. Cedric was directly responsible for two goals. He decided to press by himself, vacates his area then jogs back as city move ball right where he is supposed to be and scores. Kola seemed to put effort in but has no clue on central defensive positioning. Why not play AMN and an actual CB in Mari (who I know hasn’t been great but at least he’s not clueless. Finally when will our managers learn that you cannot isolate xhaka in the midfield. He needs a partner for him to be effective… Read more »
All Arteta is hopping for is to get players back. Pick a fucking system. Make sure the players knows it, make sure the players know each other and believe in the players you bought, trusted and gave new contracts to!
Two years with Arteta and still no one knows what he wants. Not the players or the fans.
Lokonga on the bench? Kola over Mari ? Cedric over AMN? Trust the process indeed!
I am not a kneejerk supporter – but what is clear that ‘trust the process’ is a form of kicking the can down the road and avoiding responsibility for the here and now. I cannot spot a defined style or approach. I can spot poor man management – This is clearly as bad if not worse than Emery Season 2 – but with a loquacious orator in charge. Sadly for Arteta, his soundbites are hollow and dont cover his lack of nous or tactical flexibility. He really, genuinely, seems to be devoid of the requisite skills. Time for a new… Read more »
I’m with you. I was excited by him taking over from Emery and the FA Cup win. My faith has been steadily drained since then. He is simply out of his depth. A gamble that has not paid off. Bring in a coach who knows what he is doing. Even a caretaker. Someone to get the squad organized and confident and having a plan. Mikel is not going to become a good premier league coach all of a sudden. Maybe some day but not any time soon.
We started really well. 2-0 down after 12 minutes. Imagine if we started badly.
it was surreal. we played amazingly for like 8 minutes and then we never looked the same after.
No one was expecting tactics from arteta ( former man city towel washer)
“Man City Towel Washer.” 🤣
Damage is done. It´s like with Emery just before when he was sacked – players just don´t give a f@ck.
More words with no substance which is interesting because I’m lost for words and this team is leading me to substance abuse
My mum recently died from Parkinson’s Disease and I attended her funeral a few days ago, I felt less remorse than I did today watching Arteta’s fools. She at least to her final day put in a fight and made me so proud. This team is pathetic and although we knew when this fixture was taking place a long time ago, still come out like rabbits in the headlights. We also knew personel such as Xhaka, Holding, Chambers, Kolasinac, El Neny, Cedric and ok he didnt play but also Bellerin are shit. So why are there still here?They are so… Read more »
My sincere condolences on your Mum’s passing. I know your emotions must still be very raw, as I lost my own mother to cancer at Easter. She had surviving siblings and was a great-great-grandmother, so five generations of family but attendance at her funeral was limited to 10. The events of the past 18 months have been so cruel and surreal that I think I’ve become just numb to everything …mercifully that includes results such as today’s.
Very sorry to hear of your Mum’s passing.
All the best to you for the future mate. 🍺
So is it true Arteta and Edu are going to appear on the TV quiz show Pointless?
i agree with you mikel. you created some situations. as the match went on, we fans also created some situations ourselves. by the end of the match the back of our pants all turned brown.
I feared the worst when Kolasinac + Cedric were both in the starting 11 Likely an unpopular opinion, but over the course of 38 games, this team finishes 5th-6th ………..Leno …Holding Gabriel White Partey Xhaka .Odegaard Smith Rowe ..Saka………Tierney …….Lacazette The City, Chelsea and United squads are far superior, and Liverpool’s first 14-15 players are also much better than ours, we’re not competing with those teams this season Our issues will come when we have to field Kolasinac, Mari, Soares, Elneny And we’ll likely get problems when we throw in the inexperience and lack of tactical nous of Tavares, Lokonga,… Read more »
We have tactical nous in the shape of Xhaka
Xhaka’s issues are a lack of composure + athleticism
He was one of our better players last season, but the second yellow card against Burnley, and the back-pass that was blocked also against Burnley, likely cost us 5 points
We should have moved him on this summer, but I’m not sure it’s Xhaka’s tactical nous that’s costing us
When he’s not doing rash things, he’s one of our most important players, and we’ll miss him over the next 3 games
If Partey gets injured again, we’ll be left with Elneny + Lokonga, and that doesn’t fill me with confidence
You will miss a player who lacks composure and athleticism. A professional footballer on 100 grand a week 😂😂
*tactical noose
Man City starting 11 = £536 million Arsenal starting 11 = £191million Man City bench = £253million Arsenal bench = £122mill Pep = inherited the most expensively assembled squad in history, spent north of £1 billion since 2016 Arteta = Inherited a mess, spent £210 million, his 2 biggest purchases Partey + White, neither we’re on the pitch in the last 2 games This isn’t a defence of Arteta, who I’m indifferent towards, but anyone who thinks that sacking Arteta solves our issues, and we’re going to suddenly become an attractive attacking team who sweeps all before them, is absolutely… Read more »
But Spurs just beat Man City with a cheaper squad than ours. There has to be some blame apportioned to the manager and his lack of tactical awareness.
That’s just football, it’s 1 game, and Spurs were at home Spurs haven’t won away to City since Feb 2016, and that was the first time they’d won there since May 2010 Spurs have won twice away to City in 11 years, and haven’t won there for 5 and a half years Arsenal have also only won twice at City in 11 years There’s not currently much difference in quality between Arsenal + Spurs, over the course of 38 games, things will balance out There’s currently a huge gap in quality between Man City and Arsenal + Spurs Man City… Read more »
Mate, it’s NOT the players….!
It’s the way they’re being ordered to play….!
Honestly, I don’t for the life of me get why some of you find it so difficult to comprehend a situation that is now in your faces, screaming blue murder at you.
So Guardiola would have been successful without spending £1 billion since 2016, after inheriting the most expensively assembled squad in history? If that’s the case? Why did he need to spend that money? Why this season will City + Chelsea fight it out for the title? Is OGS a tactical genius? Or has it got something to do with the squad he inherited? And the money he’s spent on fee’s and wages? Over the course of 38 games things will balance out, and dependant on how lucky we get with injuries, we’ll be somewhere between 5th and 8th Our first… Read more »
Why did we lose to Brentford the other night…….?
We cost far more than them – we have just spent £130 million.
It’s not the players. It’s the manager and how those players are man managed and coached.
We’ll play much easier games than City + Chelsea this season
Saka 19
Smith Rowe 21
Odegaard 22
Lets see where we are once there 3 build some cohesion, once we’ve got Partey + Xhaka playing consistently
When Ben White has settled, Gabriel has returned, and we get a settled back 5
Im not saying we’ll get top 4, but we’re more than capable of stringing some results together, lie we did from Xmas last season
Last weekend, we had a proverbial new one ripped for us by Brentford – a team that cost a fraction of what we cost.
On paper we shouldn’t have stuffed them, but we didn’t because our manager is tactically clueless.
*Should
Perhaps AMN instead of Holding and Pepe instead of Odegaard. Otherwise that’s not a bad shout I think.
You knew before the game he was scared, I don’t like losing but can accept it if the team fight but with this clueless and gutless manager….no chance
Arteta looks scared on the touchline sometimes. He has a nervous energy despite his polish. All managers can be nervous in a game but it’s more pronounced with MA. When we do score he doesn’t smile or express any joy. The energy a manager projects does have an impact, however intangible it may be, and he clearly isn’t giving them the confidence they need.
How soon can we get this incompetent twat out of this club? This is how Leeds United started some couple of years ago thinking they can’t get relegated, until it dawned on them. If Chelsea hadn’t sacked Lampard, I am pretty sure, they wouldn’t have won the Champions League.
Somebody should ask him what is this process about. I mean how are we supposed to play once its final?
I wonder too Kostas, I really wonder, at least there should be a hint in our play.
Mikel was an Arsenal player before, he should know we don’t get the benefit of refereeing decisions since the xenophobic shitrags branded Robert piers a cheat trying to con referees. that hasn’t changed in decades, our decline has not been stopped either and that fa cup fluke glamoured fans into think it might work. now I know Man City and Chelsea are top 2 in the league squad wise, and I know it’s only 3 games this season AND I know we’re missing some big players… But none of that excuses fundamentally mis managing the squad and the funds given… Read more »
Investment? He undoubtedly has this money leveraged on the club meaning he gets it back somehow or when he sells the club. (with interest)🙏🏿
Arteta on defeat and his tactics?
Must have blinked and missed the deployment of tactics.
Either he is utterly incompetent or the players are just doing nothing for him…
Only if we had Ozil to blame now
He must be laughing his bollocks off.
MO tweeted “Trust in the process”. Very tongue in cheek indeed. What a loss for us.
That’s some quality trolling of Arteta right there. The accompanying emojis are the icing on the cake.
Did he…..?!! 😂
Fair play to him.
Ozil tweeted “trust the process” followed by broken heart emoji. He lost the dressing room when he sidelined Ozil and we could create fxxk all for months until injury suspension and illness meant he played esr against Chelsea. He’s paying the price now.
Ozil was shit though
Lazy, but not shit.
What does that make Elneny and Xhaka then? Who Arteta clearly (bizarrely) rates higher.
Arteta’s more intent on ‘selling’ than coaching
Maybe he should be a salesman
Three matches and no goals scored (only other club not to score is Wolverhampton, but they’ve only played two matches). Absolutely pathetic. The only two positives I can take from the match are that we won’t have to see Xhaka next match and we got our away thrashing by City out of the way already.
There were never any points in this match for Arsenal. With Gabriel, White, Partey, a theoretical right-back, and 11 men, what’s a plausible score? 3-1? It’s a write off. The thrashing doesn’t help morale, but what is important, for our season and for MA’s job, is whether a full-strength team can beat Brighton and Co. twice a season. That’s where the points are, and what we need are points. It’s not worth your energy to get too angry about this one.
And that shows how far arsenal have fallen.
I guess people prefer to be angry than to be realistic. That’s life nowadays.
That’s 120m worth of missing talent in the named players, with them I’d expect us to have a chance at a draw.
but even with differing personnel I doubt we’d achieve that.
Mate, the reality is in the results.
CALL IT KROENKE!
Can we call out on kroenke too?
There is do much wrong with his “assessment” it doesn’t bear comment. However, the fact that he repeatedly refers to the solid 5 minutes they put in at the start of 90 is disappointing. City with 25 shots, 10 on goal, 5 in. Us, one shot, 0 on. Any team down to 10 against us will get more shots than that. I believe this is a full-on fire alarm. Don’t see where the turnaround will come from.
I doubt if having Partey and Ben white back is going to change a single thing. If and when Arteta goes so must Edu, shocking recruitment.
Not moving on Pepe
Not investing in a striker
No real efforts made to buy a right back
The Xahka contract extension
Lokonga is, stylistically speaking, a bit superfluous
Last season I caved and said, okay let’s give him 6 into the new season. Now, as Ian Wright said, it’s shameful.
I think he’s now got to where he was at Christmas. Three games from the sack.
Norwich, Burnley and the Spuds. Lose those three and that’ll be that.
Just fuck off Arteta…….and take your stinky players with you as your stinking the place out.
Clueless Arteta Out.
Can’t believe his obsession with xhaka just cost us another two years of the guy even if arteta gets sacked. This is the sort of brain dead decision that makes it so clear the problem goes so much deeper than arteta.
#kroenkeout
#ArtetaOut
#eduOut
#vinaiout
#arsenalout
I’m sorry but it’s at his feet and no one else’s, he’s been found out .
Alternate title: Arteta on how this match was just bad luck, and how this loss is not his fault.
I said we’d get relegated if we stay down this current path, and people laugh. When incompetent owners instill incompetent leadership which hires more incompetence, this is what happens. Why would Edu want Arteta so badly? Arteta isn’t experienced enough to challenge him. Which is what incompetent people do when they’re given power they shouldn’t have. Calling for Arteta to be sacked is a big who fucking cares. Great, we get a bounce for 3 months and back to the same shit after that. The bigger issue is at the top. We are literally the next Newcastle, a formerly big… Read more »
The board have to act soon, they cannot let this fester.
Conte is available – they should be talking to him this minute if they haven’t already done so.
Either we’ll win a couple of games and Arteta buys himself time or the poor results continue and this comes to a head very quickly. I’m assuming there’s no quality managers available though so presumably we’ll need someone in the interim.
I don’t think Conte would touch us.
Doubt it. Sarri, maybe. I was excited about him before he went to Chelsea. Then he went to Chelsea. Still, maybe worth a try. There was, I think, an obvious appointment available in the summer in Galtier, who won Ligue Un with Lille (!). He organised well in defense, and managed two out of our three forwards in Pepe and Aubameyang (at St. Etienne). Now he’s at Nice, and it’ll take an effort to shift him. Beyond that, seems like slim pickings, honestly. Most of the decent ones have recently found new positions. There’s no doubt we are well past… Read more »
With the season just started nobody is going to let their manager move on. At this rate, a loss to Norwich and we could have a caretaker manager for 34 rounds of the season!
Yup. All I can say is I, personally, have zero interest in watching that. I realise the irony of saying this on an Arsenal comments board, but it is what it is.
Maybe we can beg Freddie to come back. At least we know for a fact that he genuinely has contributed to the development of the kids.
Worth remembering that he won the Premiership at Chelsea.
(Conte)
Why? It’s Arsenal Football Club and we’ve just spent more in the transfer market than any other club in the Premiership. The players that we have (most of them full Internationals) are a lot better than some people are giving them credit for – they’re simply being ordered to play an awful system by a guy who hasn’t got a clue what he’s doing. Conte is no fool. If he has assurances from Kroenke that sufficient funds will be made available in the future (£130 million?) and that he will be allowed to bring in his own technical staff, then… Read more »
I think the squad is far, far above the level we’re seeing now. The limited point is just that’s its easier to get people to move in summer, and that Conte, specifically, loves the chequebook.
I think there are many managers who can instantly improve the club – even slightly lower profile ones like Hasenhuttl or Howe. The question is whether they can take us on a title run in three years, but obviously that’s almost a moot point at the moment.
My thinking is the whole timing of the situation. You don’t get opportunities like we now have of snapping up someone of Conte’s managerial pedigree every day. To those who say “Why? He won’t touch us”, I say “Why not?” This is Arsenal Football Club, check out our history, we’re one of the biggest fucking names in world football. The fact that we’re currently playing (and acting) like a fucking pub side is down to the current manager. This board missed out on Klopp ten years ago, when Wenger began trying to do it all on his own following Dein’s… Read more »
True. As an Arsenal fan, I’d take the job if I was him (if you get what I mean).
But he isn’t an Arsenal fan.
Therefore, if I really was him, I would rather cut my ding dong off with a rusty bread knife, than come to this madhouse.
Absolutely. He’s spent over 200m and doesn’t play a lot of his signings. What the hell is the Saliba deal about? He cant be any worse than what we have, surely? If so, why buy him? Players on their way out and then re welcomed and put back into the team.Over players he signed. It’s all a mess. I feel sorry for him (Arteta) he’s clearly out of his depth. Edu needs to go too. Some shocking signings. We’ve now got a more or less empty pot I’d guess (we can’t whinge about the owners for not backing Arteta with… Read more »
Surely the board can see that even if we had the sqaud PSG had, this clown still couldn’t manage his way out of a one way street. Nows the time, accept you were wrong, sack him, get someone in who will have a few weeks working with the players before the Norwich game. If we don’t show anything on that game, it’s going to get very unpleasant.
If I were the Norwich boss, I’d be firing up my players big time. They must be fancying their chances, even if it’s at the Emirates.
They’ll be well up for it. This is our weakest manager, squad and form in forever. Another Arsenal loss at this point wouldn’t surprise me.
mCity were shit…they should have score 8
But for Leon’s saves they would have had double figures.
*Leno
why did we let steve bould walk ?
what was the reason again?
We didn’t let him walk, we made him walk
How on earth do we attract players to our club when they know they’ll be playing for a first time inexperienced manager and alongside slow and average liabilities like Xhaka.
The manager must resign and we need someone like Conte (if he’d ever consider joining us!) who has the pedigree and reputation to convince players to join us in this horrific position we are in. There is zero way Arteta can do that.