It was another disappointing day for Mikel Arteta’s men, as a first half Jan Bednarek goal was enough to take all three points for Southampton.
Arsenal had some chances, Fraser Forster made eye-catching saves, but at the heart of it the Gunners lacked firepower and the kind of clinical finisher you need in games like this.
It’s 0 from points from the last 9, with Chelsea and Man Utd next.
*gulp*
Read the Southampton 1-0 Arsenal report and see the goals here
Southampton 1-0 Arsenal – Player Ratings
The ratings are hidden by default until you vote, but if you just want to view the ratings and the comments, flick the switch at the top above Aaron Ramsdale. Also, please give the ratings a few seconds to load.
what are the ratings for tierney, partey and tomi?
Oh
Surprised Lacca didn’t get 0/10 for the bonus rating :p
I know he’s taken a lot of blame in recent weeks and while he’s not been great it’s the lack of service and creativity behind him that’s killing us.
Eddie, who couldn’t hit a fkn barn door from two yards, gets a 4.5. If that had been Laca’s performance, he’d be given 1.5….usual Laca discount applied.
Ten out of ten for probably playing on their X Boxes better today than these clowns.
The absence of Tomiyasu is killing us. The interplay between him, Saka, and Odegaard was so potent down the right side. Now we’ve got Death By A Thousand Crosses.
Who’d have thought we’d need a striker. Who’d have thought loaning AMN would be a bad decision.
AMN??!! Can’t even get on the bench at Roma. Dude was finished 3 seasons ago ffs.
Who destroyed his confidence when he was on a high?
Himself
Keeps thinking he’s a central midfielder, when in reality he’d make a killer RB
Reminds me of Walcott telling everyone he’s a striker
He PREFERS central midfield..Never heard him say no to being asked to play either Fb. Arteta just stopped using him in general. The last time he played which was Watford away it was CM against Watford at home where he was one of the better players that day. Nobody is saying AMN is the answer to anything but you never get rid of your utility players if it can be helped.
If the loss of one rb has really caused our entire attacking emphasis to crumble then the problems within this team and squad are dire!
I remember when the key absence after a defeat was Ramsdale. Back then, without his long and precise kicking we couldn’t progress the ball.
It was the triple whammy of suddenly losing Tierney and Partey with Tomiyasu already out with a long-term problem. When you have a paper thin squad like ours, you don’t get away with losing two or more key players. As James Hetfield once said, sad but true.
How many of you just sang the syncopated “YOU…KNOW…IT’S….SAAAAAD BUT TRUUUUUUUEEE!!!”…..and then heard the “chunk….chunkachunkachunkachunk chunk chunk” guitar riff in your head? Just me?
“Death by a thousand crosses…”🤣🤣🤣🤣
The lack of movement and vibrancy in our attack is really concerning. Not signing a striker was a gamble, but our lack of finishing is going to cost us.
Let’s hope we finish in the top 6. How two weeks can completely change the atmosphere at a club.
If you look at the last few games, the big chances have fallen to Odegaard, ESR and Saka, not the CF. So unless we found a world class forward who could create and score, and none were available, then I suggest we’d still have struggled.
That’s a fair point.
Having an in form Striker would change the whole of our attacking dynamic though. It’s a big hole
Obviously if we had a decent striker, we would channel play through him.
Relying on Cedric crosses in the box reminds me of those painful Emery games where there was no game plan but for Kolasinac to whip them in
Pure maths.
Iwobi to Kolasinac on the Overlap, good old days.
People forget those days when Kolasinac was our most potent attacking threat. They wrote him off later, at the end. But in the direst days of the Emery regime, he was the built-like-a-brick-shithouse Roberto Carlos of Bosnian left-backs.
He did well when he first arrived but then he became friends with Özil & the rest is history.
He was a war-crime against grass
Nketiah trying that fancy shit with a decent cross on 1-0 is the highlight of the match. Terrible player.
Has literally zero presence for a striker. So weak willed. At least try putting yourself in the shop window
Not his fault he’s still playing…
If that was on target it would have gone in as Forster was flat footed.
If me aunty had bollox she would be me uncle.
Living in the if world, we would be UCL champions.
I can’t take this comment serious.
We look at our players during the game and its like they already lost ffs. All of them with heads down and zero motivation, no one to shout HEY WTF IS GOING ON, WAKE THE FUCK UP
I believe that the constant shouting, pointing and directing from Arteta is having the opposite effect. Professional footballers shouldn’t need micromanaging. It’s a sign of insecurity.
Yes I see that terrible manager at Man City doing the same thing.
What does he know compared to us.
Do you remember Rene Meulensteen? One of the former assistants to Alex Ferguson during their Golden Years.I bet every club that appointed Meulensteen as manager thought they were getting a little dose of Fergie. It must have seemed fool-proof. Why wouldn’t a coach that worked under one of the greatest ever managers be able to replicate some of that success? The reality of that fantasy, however, was very different. He never lasted more than one season in any of his managerial appointments. To me, the idea that Arteta is bound to come good just because he worked under Pep is… Read more »
Apples and oranges. Think that comment was more a reply to the animated, dictatorial style on the touchline more than a point to likely success anyways.
But why compare Arteta with Pep? Why not Klopp or Conte? Those are other successful managers who shout often and are very animated on the touchline.
Does anyone know the name of the current Man City assistant manager? (No, me neither) Would anyone have him as the new Arsenal manger? (No, me neither)
Micromanaging. Anyone able to name any manager with similar attitude?
Even though we lost and Man city were tired thats still our best performance this season and Arteta wasn’t there.
You ever watch Antonio Conte during a game?
We have a couple of very good players, but too many just plain average. It’s going to be a long time before we can compete with Liverpool and City.
Actually, I think we are only 3-4 players away from being a really good team. I think it’s just one season too early. Let’s get another high quality CM, a high quality striker and a good back up, and let’s see where are. If we aren’t significantly better at that point (by Xmas) Arteta goes.
Christmas 2022 means (potentially) another season wasted. The Board should make a firm decision on his future this summer.
Not being able to score goals really makes football unenjoyable…
That’s the problem at the minute. We all know the second the opposition scores a goal the game is over.
Arteta is keen for Nketia to stay. Sees him as vital part of our future. This possession based shite is painful when there’s no end product. Oh well, I started to believe and am now left thinking about shooting up some heroin.
Never use the product you’re pushing stringer, thought you’d know that of all people.
😜
That’s my biggest issue is he really gave me hope. Then these three bullshit filled games happened. Tactics are back to slow side to side tedious build
up with a shit cross on the end. No thanks.
LEGOball.
I don’t think Arteta sees Nketiah as vital to the club’s future, that’s probably just a PR thing. If he really did, why is Nketiah only just getting his first league start since 1 year ago? Eddie has usually been subbed in for 15 minutes or less under Arteta.
I think it’s just because the more apps Eddie has here, the higher the tribunal fee Arsenal receive when we eventually lose him. It’s sort of like fattening a turkey in preparation for the Christmas season.
If Eddie was about to shoot some heroin, he’d miss.
If they’re going to miss top four because they can’t score, I think the club owes the fans a full accounting of what happened with Aubameyang. It’s not enough to say “internal disciplinary matter” and continue obfuscating.
Right on.Arteta couldn’t manage Auba, Saliba and Guendozi and they’re playing well away from him.
Even Bellerin is playing well at Betis (who are now in contention for UCL qualification) and not many Gooners thought that was still possible after last season.
He cant manage egos, he is a new manager afterall and i get his my way or the high way approach but you are also dealing with different characters and people. Notice all the fallouts have been with the ‘maverick’ type players and personalities. But system adherers Xhaxa, Laca, Cedric get away with everything including poor performances.
Don’t give Auba too much credit. Barca is a big club and with the type of players that they have, any decent striker would be scoring lots of goals. The fact is that when he was playing for Arsenal, his effort was lacking and he has not been playing well for more than a season.
He wasn’t working out and it was time for both parties to move on, no need to relitigate that issue. Besides, Barça finally got a taste of Auba’s lackluster product during his non-existent game for them in the Europa League last week.
That was ONE bad game. Every striker has that. Even Henry did. But look at his goal tally overall and it should make every Arsenal fan cry. Getting rid is one thing. Getting rid without replacing is criminal.
Hah. I’m still waiting for the tell-all book about why we really really needed to sell van Persie. At this point I’m more enthusiastic about getting to know why any fans believed in January that we had a “good reason” to sell Auba.
We didn’t even “sell” Aubameyang, had to rip up his contract because club management (above Arteta) is awful
*above and including Arteta. In fact, it’s hard to decide who should be first to get the sack. If Arteta gets the sack first then what? Edu picks the next manager? Goodness. Edu has to be the first to go. There’s no way he picks a new manager.
When I said Arteta is not a manager that can take arsenal to next level ,people were mad at me.
Do you think a touch of ruthlessness is required? I wonder if we could steal TenHag before he officially goes to Man U
Ahem… Vieira is just over the river and probably still lives in Hampstead…just sayin’
It should be a no-brainer at this point. But he has his price, and we struggle with the concept of prices in general – buying or selling.
If you offered the manager of Arsenal Football Club to Paddy, he’d snap your hand off. And then some.
And probably bring Conor Gallagher with him (“Nah…fuck Chelsea, come and play for us”)
I’d take Gallagher in a heartbeat but not Vieira
Was thinking to myself when Palace beat us 3-0 that we picked the wrong former Arsenal midfielder.
We also picked the wrong Ivorian Winger.
You probably think the manager of the 13th best team in the premier league could just walk over
who is?
Graham Potter. Just masterminded wins over N London. Plenty of experience now. Arteta needs to practice with likes of West Brom.
When have we ever had a functioning attack with Nketiah playing? Stick on Biereth or play Martinelli there and use Pepe, try out Smith-Rowe – anything but repeating the same stupid mistake again and again with a player who is leaving anyway. The run was great but perhaps that fact that MA didn’t alter the first 11 at all was because he didn’t trust the effect of replacements on the team. He’s now been forced into that and none of those replacements have had much game time. Lokonga has been unused for so much of the season, same with Tavares,… Read more »
Agreed – Eddie is an utterly busted flush. There was an immediate spark when Pepe came on… didn’t help given the dysfunction throughout the midfield, but he IS a player who can – sometimes – create something from nothing, as he has done on a number of occasions.
Contrast that with Eddie – who has NEVER delivered under any form of pressure situation. Why on God’s green start him ahead of Pepe???
Eddie ain’t looking good out there right now but that’s incredibly harsh critique IMO. Under Arteta, Eddie has 1300 league minutes in 2.5 years of football. That’s equivalent to 14 full matches. In his 44 EPL apps, he’s played less than 15 minutes in 27 matches. Wolves 1-2: He assisted Pepe’s equaliser against Wolves (14 mins played) Fulham 1-1: He scored a last minute equaliser (19 mins played) Southampton 1-1: He assisted Auba’s equaliser. (65 mins played) West Ham 2-1: He scored a late winner (13 mins played) Southampton 0-2: He scored the opening goal. We were 14th placed at… Read more »
Never?
Eddie came on to win us the game against Norwich in extra time, scoring twice
Which was great at the time….has he kicked on.
I specifically stated ‘in a pressure situation’… if you call Norwich a pressure game, we are way worse off than we realise!
So true. Eddie starting and Pepe on the bench yet again…wtaf…Pepe scores goals. Pepe creates chances and causes havoc running at defenses…everything we need right now but yet again he rides the pine…we miss out on top 6 this decision becomes even more unforgivable.
To be a busted flush, you have to have previously been good/great/useful
Eddie is a busted joker.
I think our January signings are doing well. They just need a few more matches to get a feel for the premiere league.
Arteta was under fire at the start of the season for losing 3 in a row. If we lose to Chelsea and Man United, which at this rate it would take a miracle to beat them, what happens.
Arteta is an OK manager but I’ve said from the start he doesn’t know how to produce attacking football unless everything goes his way, 0 creativity from the manager why ask nketiah to hold the ball up instead of making runs, why can’t the midfield play through balls? Why do we only score when we cross balls from the wing.
A poor team led by an even poorer manager.
This is Exactly where Arsenal’s season starts and ends every season so am not surprise.
Someone mind telling me what this massive Southampton chance around the 6th minute was? Or has Opta gone crazy?
https://twitter.com/OptaAnalyst/status/1515369413389729793/photo/2
The Southampton player who dribbled it into the area before crossing it across the empty goal line. Huge chance that nobody was on the end of.
Preface: I have a great need/urge to make this comment and “joke”. Part of a coping mechanism for supporting Arsenal I guess. I fully accept that it may not be accepted as a comment, downvoted to oblivion, or get a lot of criticism. All of which I am prepared to take and respond to (if deemed appropriate) I do not willingly bring up subject matters, that may be sensitive to others. However, knowing that football is a greater matter than life and death, I would like to say the following about Arsenal: Happy easter fellow Gooners, no matter what path… Read more »
Happy Easter 🥚
A game full of going wide and whipping in hopeful crosses. Tactics were completely off today. Yes, the players weren’t great, but the tactics were fundamentally off. No movement, no coherency, no conviction.. The chances that we did have mainly came from the moments when we played through the center, so why didn’t we emphasize on that? We literally stayed the same throughout the 90 minutes, aside from pointless substitutions.
Key players once again did not step up: Odegaard – hard to rate since it seems he was simply isolated and our def mids never find him with a decent through ball… Xhaka – didn’t get sent off, but is that really the measure of him? Adds precious little – nothing overtly terrible but that’s the point, innit? He is just NOT a top 4 PL player and we will never seriously threaten whilst he remains our yardstick or acceptable skill/creativity/technique. Martinelli – completely marginalised… why? How? Has to come down to our def midfield and – yes! – Xhaka… Read more »
So true
Xhaka is our level
Offers absolutely nothing
Has no defining skill set
Just absolutely bang average
10yr old Johnny, clutching his football, runs up to his Dad, sitting in the back garden reading the paper. Looking decidely guilty says: ‘Dad, you know the big picture window in the front room?’ Dad – sensing what’s coming next – demands: ‘Why? What did you do?!” Johnny – ‘Well, I kicked my ball through the little window just next to it’. Dad – ‘Well you’re ‘very lucky – I’ve told you not to play footie indoors!’. This is my point – it’s not having a go a Xhaka for today’s performance (or some of his recent ones). It’s about… Read more »
Arteta is treating pepe like trash and no one is saying anything. Nketiah rejected the contract offers nothing ..still yett manages to start. Over the club record signing. If the useless board will still keep arteta next season, I advice pepe, martineli anyother player that cares about top football to move on with their careers ND find a better challenge for themselves. I also advice the fans .. to boycott ND skip as many games as they can next season…. The people controlling arsenal don’t rate us . Increasing ticket prices yet serving us shit every season… I ve put… Read more »
You sound like a customer not a fan. Just keep changing brands until you find one that under-performs the least e.g. I’m reliably informed both Man City and Liverpool welcome ‘fair weather’ fans. My sanity is absolutely top notch son.
We right now basically have no midfield. Best to just sit back and play on the counter. No other choice, really.
We pass too slowly and inaccurately to have any geniune counter-attacking threat at the moment.
We take 42 years to progress up the pitch.
By the time we actually get anywhere near the opposition box they have already had time for a drinks break and tactical discussion with their management before all getting into position to defend.
Nailed it
So how about losing five in a row? Might Arteta be kicked out then?
Before the interlull he was named Premier League manager of the month. Now 3 games later you want him kicked out. Another typical knee jerk fan.
It depends on more than wins and losses. Saliba and Matteo both capped for France. Auba forced out. No Jan signings. Who made those decisions is a question to ask. Nobody is going to win with this lineup. Losing partey and Tierney hurts so badly because of our thin squad. Someone made those decisions. I’d like to see the club buy a class striker, a box to box mid, a winger to replace pepe who is on the way out then give arteta a season with that team y see how we do.
Before the interlull, we had also already lost three consecutive games twice in the season. Not to mention at least two patches where we struggled with open play goals.
While I don’t think our current predicament is an unmitigated disaster, there have been warning signs.
Unless he
Awarded that manager of the month trophy then your response is pretty meaningless.
We can really serve up some shite football. Backbone made of cheep recycled bog roll.
I am also really sick of reading about the players Arteta doesn’t like. I don’t like him!
I thought Odegaard was really poor today. Also after this performance it’s going to be Laca starting all games if fit.
Am sorry but odourguard is overrated and a blonde show pony who can’t use his right foot to save his life
Like everyone else in the squad he’s been poor for a while now but still a class act and a prodigiously gifted technician.
You guys wanted to see someone non-Laca up front, you get what you wanted. We want Arteta finally gone, can we also get what we want? Thing is, on a more serious note, him being a nonfactor is becoming more and more obvious as time passes. Him not having any clue was pretty visible even during the our better times this season, he just puts out the team and the team functions with zero added on value from his side. The moment he needed something to change (Brighton away comes to my mind from the better periods where they were… Read more »
The ‘Vieira as savior’ theme got really old really quickly. From a piss poor MLS to elimination at the group stage of the Europa League and sacked by mid-table Nice, he’s taken Palace to the giddy heights of 13th and he’s somehow a tactical and motivational genius? I wouldn’t let an ex player anywhere near the club. Does anyone have Ange Postecoglou’s number?
Avarage Joe from the pub at the corner would be an upgrade on what we have. Vieira just feels like a better than most choice. And definietly Vieira over Ange tho, the only reason Celtic is winning SPL because Gerrard left Rangers and has fallen off.
History will likely record that neither Emery or Arteta were capable of taking Arsenal to the next level. Rangers progressing to the semi finals of the Europa League would suggest they’re maybe fixture heavy rather than ‘fallen off’ having defeated Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade and Sporting Braga en route. To his credit, Postecoglou has won domestic leagues in Australia and Japan plus taken a country to a World Cup and won the Asian Cup (with Australia) He believes in youth development, his teams play attractive attacking football and he improves most of the players he’s ever coached.… Read more »
Just dog poo really, from far too many players. Even the good stuff looked mediocre in execution. Ode hard for example shooting wide and high … you’re a talented footballer hit the target at least.
Sambi? More like Bambi. Goes into the same drawer as Denilson. No spark, no energy, some really bad passes too.
Most fans tend to think its either or the players, the manager, the owners or Xhaka at fault. The truth is it is all of the above. First and foremost we can’t do much about ownership. but its the crux of the issue Secondly the person in charge of this team who SHOULD be motivating ALL players and ensuring we are properly armed for the season not taking unnecessary risk neglecting needed transfers in the gaffer. Upon this sword he SHOULD fall… Thirdly Edu should be got rid of. why was he appointed in the first place ask yourselves? Fourthly… Read more »
Try starting just one of your comments without, “most fans tend to think” or “naive fans” you are not more in the know than any one of us, just spew the same shit year and year.
And yes, no Lacazette still no goals.
Football is a waste of time and money.
Hello Stan.
No pressure on the striker we sign this summer! Oh, you wouldn’t mind bagging us at least 30 goals in your debut season, would you? Because otherwise we’ll be lucky to break 50 goals in the season. West Ham, Leicester, and Palace are around our goal total or higher. But we’re the ones dreaming of top 4? I’m sorry, Saka and ESR have added some goals this year, and hopefully more to come, but we just don’t have any natural finishers. One this summer ain’t gonna cut it either.
We need some big signings yet again this summer. Arguably 2 strikers, an upgrade on Xhaka (someone who could carry the ball through minefield)
Now we are back to earth after our honeymoon period. I don’t know how we ever felt we was gonna make top 4 after selling our star player (auba) without buying a striker. We stuck with nketiah and laca, our midfield is a joke (Elneny) should get a look in. We jjust gonna end up in 7th position and still retain arteta next season. So sad.
Our overall game play is shieit. We basically hold up the ball until the opponents can drop back into their defensive positions and then we try to cut them apart using a non-existent forward line. Thing is, we are easy to play against because we haven’t diversified our game.
As I noted after the Palace and Brighton games – Arsenal have a genetically-programmed inability to ever capitalise when a door is opened for us… and that is not just this squad, it is a problem of the decades! It is a weirdly inexplicable thing – it’s as though we are almost embarrassed to take advantage when those around us slip up. At this stage, I would gratefully sieze top 6 with both mitts – in fairness, and with this squad in it’s current state of progression, probably no more than we could reasonably have hoped for after the January… Read more »
The Frank Spencer Five.
Tavares, Cedric, Eddie, Lacazette and Xhaka.
You lot who slagged off Thomas Partey must be feeling a right bunch of Charlies now….
If he’s not on the pitch, it’s side to side in possession we go
So, seventh, then?
Everyday I’m bolttlin’
I cannot fathom why Cedric is taking any sort of spot kick, corner or free. I thought he was decent today, outside his un quenching desire to cross, but his free kicks are about as good as mine after 4 pints and a steak sandwich.
Another season is slipping through our fingers.
This match finally confirmed to me that Eddie Nketiah is never the answer. We need a striker who will drag us over the line. Auba was that guy but not this season or last (at least not for us). We’ve been toothless the last three games. If we don’t get champions league though we’re not getting what we really need in the summer. We’re missing Partey in his absence too.
It may be less than ideal, perhaps a formation change might be in order?
Can’t keep putting out the same 11, with the same instructions thinking that’s enough to do the job
If teams sit narrow and deep against us, they know we struggle to create/score.
No Partey = No good
No need to worry just have to beat Man utd at home and Chelsea spuds and West ham away. Why shouldn’t we expect the team to perform. They always perform when the pressure is on.
Accepting all the injuries there appears to be something very wrong when we play the same people each week who make the same mistakes yet Holding came on played a blinder and gets dropped? There is too much predictability to everything we do booming crosses from out wide met by defenders who generally are taller than our players, what happened to running into the box occasionally with the ball at feet or a low cross must be worth a try….. back to the KISS (keep it simple son) approach. Surely we cannot coast into May without throwing some of the… Read more »
If David Beckham represents the ceiling for free kick takers then appointing Cedric to take ours is tantamount to our coaching staff being paid to speculate ‘what would happen if Posh Spice took them?’ Three abject performances in a row must be the ‘blip’ with the fuller figure. That said, we mustn’t let the enforced absences of Partey and Tierney cloud the fact that the results have improved very little in the 2 years since Arteta was appointed/anointed in Dec 2019 and we are likely to finish no better than 8th for the 3rd season in a row. Barring a… Read more »
I read that Arteta is considering Pepe in a strikers role
In my view ABOUT TIME TOO
Cast our minds back to our great Thiery Henry,a converted winger
Surely Pepe is a fine comparison.
Bring it on say I
If we can’t score from two yards out then what chance from open play.SIMPLE’S.
The excuse for Ben White’s repulsive “defending” when they scored would have been acceptable if this was an U17 league or something like that but this is the fucking Premier League.