In normal circumstances, a 13-game unbeaten run across three competitions would be cause for Arsenal optimism. However, with Liverpool threatening to run away with this season’s title and the heartbreak of twice coming second to Manchester City still fresh in the memory, there’s no escaping a sense of frustration amongst the Gunners fanbase.
This was supposed to be the year Mikel Arteta’s side went one better in the league, but the script is being rewritten before our eyes.
With officials not giving the club the rub of the green, key players picking up serious injuries and spurts of fluidity repeatedly undermined by attacking brain freeze, there’s enough ‘off’ about the campaign to sabotage a sense of momentum.
Things might still change but the manager faces a huge challenge turning a team that doesn’t lose into one that always wins when matches come every three days.
At Brighton on Saturday, the Gunners were worth their 1-0 half-time advantage, given to them by 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. However, the level dropped after the break, as if the team subconsciously decided the best use of their limited energy was to protect rather than extend their advantage.
On another day, they may well have held out but after the award of a much-disputed penalty by referee Anthony Taylor, the Gunners struggled to reboot, ultimately rallying too late to take more than a point.
“The run that we are in, especially with all the situations, injuries, illnesses and players that we are missing, I think the team deserves a lot of credit,” said Arteta in his post-game press conference.
“It’s disappointing because it’s not how much we wanted. The effort we put in was more about the freshness and the quality that we have to deliver in the second half to dominate the game much better. But I understand that a lot.
“I think we ended the game better,” added the manager. “I think in the last 10 minutes or so we had a feeling that we could generate something and we were more on top but there was a period that was uncomfortable with some players playing in different positions that doesn’t feel natural and not having the capacity to freshen it up. But again that’s down to us and we can do better.”
Seven draws in 20 Premier League matches highlight the fine margins defining Arsenal’s season. Had they found a way to unlock stubborn opponents – Brighton and Everton at the Emirates and Fulham away all come to mind – Liverpool would be feeling under much more pressure than they are. As it stands, Arne Slot’s five-point advantage and two games in hand feel like a comfortable advantage.
The next seven days are all about the cup competitions for the Gunners. Newcastle visit N5 on Tuesday in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final before Manchester United travel south for Sunday’s FA Cup third-round clash.
“We’re playing every three days in different competitions and we’re having to deal with a lot of issues with the squad, but the boys really want it,” Arteta told Arsenal.com.
“We carry on going and on Tuesday we have a beautiful game, a semi-final, a beautiful game in front of our people, so bring the energy back and go for it.”
Perhaps the manager senses salvation in winning silverware elsewhere. After five years without a trophy, he and his project needs a boost.
Can’t deny that the boys worked hard last night. They really suffered together. Let’s hope we can put in a strong performance on Tuesday. Forget humble pie, I’ll take a magpie.
Fuck magpies forever™️
That point doesn’t seem so chubby anymore
Yeah. We really did all we could last night I think.
It’s just so bloody irritating. Liverpool are there to be got at. City are lagging behind. But we’ve just got all these injuries. Swap our injury record and Liverpool’s and we’d be 10 points clear.
Football. You gotta love / hate it.
Look what happened to TAA after Real made an offer – had a ‘mare against united!
We should definitely lodge an offer for Salah with the way his contract talks are going. Worst we can do is throw the cat amongst the pigeons!
I’ve never been Trent’s biggest fan. On his day, he’s mesmeric. But those days feel like 1 in 4. The rest of the time he’s a bit shit at defending while attempting Hollywood passes that rarely come off.
Man, I just know that Liverpool are going to stumble. I’ve never believed in them. They will run out of steam, just like we did a few seasons back.
But I also don’t believe we have the personnel to chase them and catch them.
So infuriating!!
Not a bit shit at defending. Very shit. How many times did he let Diogo Dalot go past him? Completely unable to cope with a natural defender, not a winger, playing on his wrong foot. He can make brilliant passes, superb free kicks, but you pay a price.
40,000,001
Let’s bid £100,000,002 for Salah and have a good laugh as the Kop implode. But, can we take full advantage?
I wanted them at home second leg but given our lengthening list of absentees I’m glad we are at home.
Hopefully take a lead into the second leg.
This discourse about referees and injuries is all fine and well, but I think Arteta should address his own cautiousness. We still don’t really look like a team who goes for the 2nd or the 3rd goal after taking a lead. That record about time-wasting booking is a proof of that and too often this season we’ve seen us slowing down after scoring in the first half, instead of turning the screws. Maybe it was not the case yesterday, and maybe we lack offensive power, but still, I’d like to see more urgency when we desperately need 3 points. I… Read more »
We constantly make the pitch smaller with our wide players coming inside, only to have an central defender playing as a full back standing 25 yards from goal in line with the 18 yards box mark in their way. None of these set plays we run are designed to get the opposition defenders turned around and running towards they’re own goal. It’s not going to change anytime soon. Players win games not coaches, we have a coach who seems to believe the patterns of play are more important than the players.
I couldn’t agree more. From time to time I get the feeling that how great it would be if Arteta would use a little bit more of his memories under Wenger. But I have to admit though that the numbers seem to justify his approach, Even in this chaotic season we have only 3 losses from 27 matches. (There are only 3 teams in Europe that are better than that) On the other hand I also think this is a sign that there are a great deal of trust between our players and the coach (and his stuff). Maybe if… Read more »
If it isn’t obvious by now, it should be: we really need someone of odegaard’s profile who can step in when he can’t play. When he’s not at his best, we’re v stodgy. I’d prioritise an attacking creative midfielder over any other position.
Football is chaos in a way, always has been always will. Lucic throwing the ball to Dixon rather than kicking it long with time running out. A deflection,a piece of magic from a great player, a mistake from a usually reliable defender or goalkeeper, a worldie from Winterburn or Silvinho from left back can change not only a season but a teams whole trajectory. No amount of underlying metrics or xg is ever going to change that. I’ve loved playing and watching football my whole life. I’ve loved Arsenal from the 70s, they’ve been a massive part of my life… Read more »
Downvotes to such a great comment summarises many things here.
We were the best team defensively last year, and will probably be this year. But we were short of a few more goals, at the right day, which could have turned last season and this season for us. We need someone who can take the ball and put it in the back of the net to win this league. Sharing goals is a good idea, but if we are not the BEST offensive team, most likely we won’t win it.
Agree, it’s a big ask for our team to play at top level in every game, every competition with injuries and illness, it’s so hard to play against any team in the PL who have been more rested and more prepared due to lack of cup/European games they are not involved in, throw in the many extra international games our players travel to and play, the awful Sky/TNT consistent rescheduling of our games and others, it’s no coincidence that the smaller clubs like Forest/Fulham/bournemouth/chelsea have been doing so well, we are Arsenal and Miki has taken us to place to… Read more »
Fantastic comment. Hats off.
Man U could be a very tricky game, they are obviously bound to beat Liverpool so will be on an up.
Though isn’t the FA Cup Mikel won classed as a trophy?
He’s also won two community shields as well; they are considered trophies when won by other clubs, so they should definitely be considered as trophies by our own fan base.
Do you count the Emirates Cups too?
Nobody ever considered the charity shield a trophy. Without looking it up how many did Arsene or George Graham win.
Of course. But we won it in 2020, so it’s (coming up to) five years.
‘After 5 years’ could be better expressed then…
Part of me thinks we desperately need signings to save our season, but another more pessimistic part of me thinks our season is unsavable given everything that’s gone against us. The seeds of our problems were sown in a lacklustre summer, let’s not repeat those mistakes this month.
6 points down, potentially 9, and Pool almost lost to ManU. Are you absolutely sure this is not saveable even without a grand signing in Jan?
I’ve always been sure that Liverpool will drop a fair amount of points, but my worry is that we won’t be strong enough in attack to take advantage of any slip up. Saka’s injury only compounded that fear, but even before then I felt we lacked creative options. Imo the balance of the squad will have to be addressed for us to have a realistic chance of catching them.
Isak & Gordon are welcome to go straight to the home team’s dressing room on Tuesday.
I found some of the vitriol and actual hatred directed at Arteta from some so-called Arsenal supporters on Twitter last night genuinely shocking. Some people need to get a sense of perspective. The levels of rage at a man who has lifted us from lower mid-table dysfunction with an aging, clique-ridden squad, to an FA Cup and two close title challenges against a corrupt, financially doped behemoth owned by an oil-rich nation are frankly insane. Criticism of our recruitment last summer and some of our performances so far this season is fair but we have had absolutely zero luck with… Read more »
Decisions in both Brighton games, Man City and Bournemouth have cost us 9 points, you don’t easily recover from that kind of two-tier officiating.
Brighton had 48 hours more time to rest and prepare and weren’t suffering from a virus.
As for the extremists on X or SkyBlue or any other social media platform, that is just the modern world we live in.
“Brighton had 48 hours more time to rest and prepare and weren’t suffering from a virus.”
Ok, we never had more rest than other teams?
We had more rest than others in the run io to Brentford. However he is stating a fact. It isnt that difficult.
There are lots of very angry, nasty people in this world who just need something to hate in order to occupy their sad existence. Sadly there are plenty of them who profess to be Arsenal fans, and as soon as something goes wrong they’re out in force giving it large. I sometimes think that they’re happier when we lose than when we win. There’s a revolting cunt who runs a “fan” site who comes to mind. We’ve come a long way with Mikel Arteta. Things aren’t perfect by any means, but this is real life, and one thing I can… Read more »
I think I know the revolting cunt you mean V. He had to fuck off to Spain to get away from the hatred he received in this country and recently suggested we should sell MO for 25 mill.
He was bornnin N17 and purely makes statements for clicks, and his side kick who is also a MA hater is another revolting cunt. In fact revolting cunts don’t do them justice.
Jeez you were incredibly nasty about Partey. You even got personal and said he was a nasty person like you knew him. Reading your comment is a bit rich really. Hypocritical.
Lee Gunner. What an absolute tool bag that cunt is.
I don’t know who he is, but that is a quality assement of someone you don’t don’t like.
I wouldn’t go anywhere near social media for a sensible response. It’s a bunch of entitled children screaming rage into the void.
* Many of those children are in their 30s 40s 50s.
We can be sure that Arteta and everyone at the club are giving everything to succeed, and they are more gutted than any little idiot who ‘demands’ we win every game, and screams ‘they’re shit’ at any player who has a poor game.
You’re right. Annoyingly, I still find Twitter to be the best place for chronological Arsenal related posts and news. But after last night I’ve vowed never to look at the comments again. Life is far too short (and the real world is bad enough) to subject myself to all that negative crap.
Agree. It’s why I found this place and like it. People are almost always chill and there’s good conversations. I very rarely go to FB or Twitter or whatever else.
I think a big part is people don’t realise just how good Liverpool are. There’s a view that this is the year City finally wobbled and we aren’t there to take advantage, but Liverpool are on track for 95 points and have the best PL player since Thierry in the form of his life.
This. Salah has 30 direct goal contributions (17G, 13A) already.
Closest to him is Palmer with 19 GC and he played 2 games more.
Those are all timer numbers. And no, they don’t have his replacement on the bench if he gets injured.
Yep. Without Thierry, what do we achieve? That’s the reality of having genuinely world class players. They make the difference, they elevate you above the rest.
They also have Allison VVD Trent and Diaz. Very good side, City of the last couple of seasons would have struggled to finish above them.
I struggle not to laugh at the inclusion of Terence Trent Darby in that list. Yesterday he played like he’d been drinking neat meths since New Years Eve.
I think City were a better side overall. Less reliant on one player and luck.
That’s exactly why our team deserves so much credit. Liverpool have been playing out of their skin, and if we’d been refereed with the same rule book, we’d likely be level with them anyway. People don’t realise how good we are either.
“As Blogs said, take the ridiculously harsh red cards away (and yesterday’s farcical penalty) and we’d probably be neck and neck with Liverpool”
Above are excuses. In finance and other areas, you may talk like that but in sports, they are excuses, unfortunately.
No. The context of outcomes is considered in all aspects of life. We have a very very good team that is missing firepower. Injuries are part of that. As far as outcomes, these ridiculous decisions are so costly because of that lack of firepower.
So do not think the team is not successful think of it as unlucky on two fronts.
“Lack of firepower” isn’t weakness in football.
Put hand on your heart and say, does this Arsenal squad look like its worth 750mn pounds++
This current squad? No? But is it reasonable to spend 750 million over 5 years to GET to this squad? Yes. Have other teams been more efficient? Sure. We were 2nd. Do you believe City’s submitted finances to compare to our 750 mill? Also the cost of everything went up 30% 3 years ago. This is reflected in transfer fees.
I suggest leaving Twitter. People go on there to spew hate.
But I agree with you. Arteta nearly won 2 league titles. He would have if Man City wasn’t allowed to cheat. The margin for error the last 2 seasons has been zero.
This season we’ve been undone by injuries and I think bad summer recruitment. We needed an odegaard backup and a new left winger.
We’ve been in the race. Man U won the FA Cup last season and look at them. They are a dumpster fire.
Arteta brought the joy back to being an Arsenal fan.
A lot of armchair idiots who have probably never even been anywhere near the Emirates, never mind Highbury. This section of the fanbase has only manifested in the past 20 years. They’re a fucking embarrassment to all genuine Gooners, who end up getting tarred by the media with the same fucking brush. I say to them, get a fucking grip, get behind the team and get behind the manager, for fuck’s sake. We’re still in the title race, we’re still in the Champions League, we’re in the semifinals of the League Cup and have the FA Cup still to contest.… Read more »
Qwally while I applaud your sentiments of late, lots of us on here remember your (very personal) hate campaign against Arteta a year into his tenure. It was borderline unhinged. Great you’ve dropped the hate but the 180 turnaround comes off a little fake especially when you start lecturing everybody..,
I didn’t hate Arteta; I was increasingly angry though that he favoured Willian over Ozil, which in terms of skill and creativity was akin to favouring Tom Huddlestone over Dennis Bergkamp. People forget. We were all over the fucking place, hovering over the relegation places and knives were being sharpened up stairs in the boardroom. That Boxing Day 2020 win over Chelsea at the Covid induced fan empty Emirates probably saved him his job – and he has Saka and ESR to thank in no small part. They were both fresh faced kids and a last throw of the dice… Read more »
That is what licking things up from a long term dip looks like. It doesn’t happen overnight. It IS a process. Fortunately, the owners, who have a great deal of experience in this area, saw rather more than some untalented online commentators.
Picking, not licking. That’s another thing entirely.
None of the Brighton players even appealed as Pedro went down, and slow motion showed Saliba touched the ball before he caught the player. VAR should have spotted that, but it took all of 5 seconds instead of the usual 4 minutes.
This is another first-ever moment in time ref decision you will never see again against Arsenal, just like the Rice red, Trossard red, Martinelli double yellow, Luiz red, Xhaka red, Tomiyasu red, etc, etc. etc, the list is endless. Please don’t tell me they are all just by sheer coincidence because I will laugh!
All you have to do is read what supporters (or indeed managers) of other teams say. Each is convinced that their side has been fucked by the referee/ PGMOL/ the FA/ the Premier League. Each can point to adverse decisions that they are the only team ever to suffer. If you listened to that miserable jerk who was fired by Man United, this happened to his team almost every week. If you listened to Ange yesterday, it happened to Spurs. If you listened to Wolves, they faced relegation solely because of the referees. Even Man City fans are convinced that… Read more »
It did happen to Spurs yesterday. The direction of the ball was completely changed by it hitting Joelinton’s hand. How can that not be a handball?
I cannot think of a penalty that was *given* by the referee that was reversed by VAR in recent weeks, maybe all season. That’s what we were talking about with the Saliba penalty. Sometimes, a penalty is given after VAR intervenes, but not the other way around.
PGMOL is corrupt and hide behind incompetence. Match fixing one game at a time.
I’ve been saying it for years. The media hate Arsenal, the refs hate Arsenal and now VAR clearly hate us too.
They’re all paid, by the way, to be impartial……
How about the Nketiah “offside” , where Gabriel attempted to make a SIDEWAYS pass which was deflected forward by an opponent to Nketiah in an offside position – had the ball been played forward by a teammate-, and then passed it on for a goal. Complete new interpretation of offside. For one game and one game only.
Arsenal have had more than enough of weird incidents and injuries this season. Let’s bloody win something and give all the haters the big finger. Coyg
Nice one.
Music to my ears.
10/12 points since Xmas.
13 games unbeaten run ongoing.
It ain’t over until it’s over.
COYG
If a player we would have targeted as a #1 choice in summer is available in January (Zubimendi/Williams/Gyokeres etc) then fair enough, but otherwise I think we’re too far off it to waste resources on a Trossard/Kiwior/Jorginho this window. We need to stick to the process that has seen us improve immeasurably in the last 3 years.
Agreed. No point getting a striker in a half-Arsed way.
Good Article – However failing to buy a striker and winger a few seasons ago has cost dearly. If you can’t learn from mistakes is the project worth continuing
Actually, weirdly, what’s costing us the most THIS year is not having a 3rd RB. Go figure!
I’ve no objection to being down voted in my previous post and appreciate that Mikel took over a social club and turned things around superbly. However does this squad have the character to achieve greater things. Why are we getting bookings for time wasting when Liverpool get bookings for cynical fouls. What needs to change to push us over the line? I would argue the owners need to sit down with the squad and advise where they want to be in 3 years.
We waste time on restart all the time. It’s infuriating. It must be coaching. We have another clear weakness. Our centre backs do not make progressive passes and they don’t make long range passes. They pass a lot between themselves and the other two defenders or back to Raya. It’s either TP5 or rice who needs to come short to start the offensive. This is costing us speed in transition and makes us very predictable.
You think that Stan should have a sit down with them players? Honestly lost ludicrous opinion on here
The on/off talk about our lack of firepower is getting tedious. Address it.
And yet we have the joint third ( with Chelsea who have spent Lord knows how much) attack in the PL. Sorry, doesn’t stack up.
Looking at the opinions of a number of “supporters” around the internet, including some comments here on Arseblog, I think that Mikel Arteta is a genius. Anyone who can get such a group of useless footballers (their opinions, not mine) into second place in the table, when they obviously belong in the relegation spots, must be a genius!!
On todays performance, Pool will not be hitting plus 85 points. This is not a financially doped team we are chasing.
UTA
It’s so frustrating though, Liverpool keep leaving the door open and we have yet to take advantage. Over the past three seasons it feels like we’re only ever at our best when most of the pressure is gone. If we establish a lead in the table, or we get a clear opportunity to cut the points difference, we lose our nerve. I think it’s part mental block and part not quite having the attacking variety and number of game breaking players needed to win a title. I keep agreeing with James, but I feel we need at least 2-3 top… Read more »
This squad is actually insanely talented and capable of a lot more actually. I think MA directs his players to purposely play with a handbrake on. Was it the 21/22 season when we were playing with so much fluidity and creativity, that was when all the fans came rushing back to support the club. As much as results are important, all of us want to enjoy a spectacle, that’s why we tune in after all, time wasting and the “dark” arts don’t belong at the Arsenal Football Club that I know.
Liverpool held at home.
Week 20 balances out. It’s as you were at the top.
Arteta should bring a body in this January.
Clawing back 9 points with 18 games to go is possible, but we must increase our firepower. If we are there or thereabouts by Saka’s return, we could nick this.
Incoming players are ultimately on the Kroenkes.
Hopefully we can stay in touch through this injury and bug crisis. If we can do that, we are capable of a serious run to end the season. One of my thoughts on yesterday’s game: Ødegaard was very ill with this bug, and Martinelli wasn’t much better. Others on the bench, including some who could have played in midfield (e.g. Zinchenko, Lewis-Skelly) were not brought on. This tells me that they were also suffering. Would Arteta have picked Nwaneri if he didn’t have to? I think not. Two games on the trot and he’s crocked. That’s why Arteta is the… Read more »
Crocked? The kid scored a great goal. Hardly crocked.
He’s injured.
Yo. My bad. I thought “cracked” as in “nuts”.
I watched Liverpool draw against Man U. It looked like a different sport than what Arsenal play. Somehow, Arsenal needs to start playing as they did last season. Leading the league in yellows for time wasting is a bit humiliating, even if some of those bookings were a joke.
Last night we once again had trouble with throw-ins. We are desperate for a Santi Cazorla type player.
Agree and it’s costing us
A frustrating day yesterday, but, in spite of the refs and VAR gifting Brighton and Liverpool two of the most dodgy penalties of all time, we remain in touch (just) of a title challenge thanks to United’s late equaliser. Liverpool’s good luck has got to run out at some stage in the future, as our luck must surely begin to improve. It’s also on the Kroenkes to get their cheque books out and add at least one, if not two players to our thread bare attack. If they cannot see that quality reinforcements are needed now in this window, they… Read more »
Liverpool aren’t winning because of “luck”. They have commit full on to winning games and it’s working. They are relentless and aren’t afraid to lose a lead because they know they have the ability to come back which they did today. If anything they were unlucky not to win it today.
Yup. They are full on for the full 90 and it’s impressive tbh. Our best year under Arteta was 22-23, Granit’s last season and we kinda played like that…our pressing that season was off the charts. Relentless. Two years on we just want to slow everything down, keep control of the ball at all costs and snuff a victory out in the process if we can. It’s not the beautiful game we all want Arsenal to play and ok fine if you’re winning leagues and cups, but we’re not.
Liverpool were indeed full on for the full 90 today. Didn’t win the game though, did they….? Did we want to ‘slow everything down’ against West Ham, recently? Or did we have four in the net before the first half hour? I don’t call that ‘snuffing out a victory’ We’ve had Odegaard out long term injured and currently playing whilst sick, Trossard and Martinelli are having an indifferent season thus far; Havertz and Rice still to find their form from last season, Partey another year older, Calafiori and Merino yet to get fully up to Premiership speed, White out long… Read more »
Did they ‘come back’ today? Or did they concede an equaliser and nearly a winner? (if that daft idiot Maguire gets his head over the ball his shot almost certainly goes in, but that’s beside my point).
Praise Liverpool all you want, if that’s your thing, but spare us the hard sell. Liverpool aren’t all that; if they were, they’d have easily beaten an out-of-form Manchester United at home today.
Utd actually played decent today. No hard sell on Liverpool. No need to, they’re fkn 6 (prob 9) in front Incase you missed it…
Well, it was generally perceived they are 11 in front before yesterday – well, it’s ‘just’ 9 today.
Points on board > games in hand.
And haven’t had their best player injured yet. Let’s see how they get in if and when that happens. The blouse with combined goal/assist total of 30. Out of their 47 goals.
Off topic question. Can anyone explain to me how to add an avatar/picture to your comment profile? Much appreciated.
https://gravatar.com/ – ties to your email address
Thanks Bloggs 👍
I’d rather have us focus on competitions that really matter, like EPL and CL, than now trying to win two cups “to salvage our season”. It wouldn’t, and while being 2nd is nothing to be scoffed at, serious audit would need to be done because we allowed to go into the season seriously understaffed. 2-3 more players would spread the burden better and we wouldn’t be here. Stop chasing unicorns and bring solid players that will be given trust to play within their capabilities, instead of running the same 14-15 chosen ones to the ground.
Agree with you about not chasing unicorns and bringing in actual bodies eg. Trossard/Jorginho a few years ago. Disagree on not focusing on the cups. I actually think if we win the League cup it could do wonders for our players mentality. Winning breeds winning. As well as shutting up the the “5 years without a trophy” brigade. It would take a miracle to win the league from here. Not necessarily because Liverpool are so good, just because we have so many problems ourselves. Why not try win a cup or two?