The Arsenal fall-out continues after yet another pull. This Arsenal is doing worse than Unai Emerys Arsenal in 2019, obviously.
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Arsenal do have enough attackers
As per regular mailbox norm, anything other than a comprehensive Arsenal win and the knives are outthe crowing begins and the think pieces begin. I mean, hey, lets be sincere, Arsenal have generally been quite good but too often been incredibly out-stubbornd by the opposition. Arsenal stubbornly stick to suffocating the opposition, and the criticism have learned to hold their breath more.
The one thing that keeps on persisting though, and it baffles me, is that Arsenal dont have enough attackers. Arsenal have plenty of intruders! Lot. Arsenal have two excellent people for each location.
On the left we have Martinelli and Trossard. Both would quickly begin for most Premier League teams and for me at least, they are extremely talented. Martinelli being investigational and strong, Trossard being more specialized and swivel-hipped. ( I myself am more Trossard ).
On the appropriate we have Saka and Sterling. Saka is arguably the best wing in the world, and Sterling truly WAS one of the best, although this time it appears he has regressed tremendously. If we assume that Saka starts and Sterling covered, then those two are a great collection of straight allied wingers. Gold, at the start of the year anyhow, would move in to most Premier League teams.
Through the middle we have Havertz and Jesus. Havertz, its fair to say, split mind. Most Fleet fans seem to love him but also seem to have the least tolerance with him. If Arsenal are deploying a fake 9 or two 10s next hes a wonderful person who works really well in that technique. If we need to move a bit more lovable and clear up top, next theres Jesus. Hes not the person he once was, but as a winger to travel on at 70 hours to terrorise a knackered army, hes actually great.
This time, weve seen Nwaneri enjoy right wing, weve got Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira on loan, and weve got a couple of college athletes who sometimes make the chair.
We may be lacking value in some places, but were not lacking statistics is my point. In terms of sheer numbers and quality in harm, Liverpool and Man City are ahead of us, and Chelsea are perhaps away of us. Moreover let it be known that Arsenal, in terms of quality and figures, are far ahead of every other group in terms of soldiers. Arsenal also have the meanest army and so we should because we have the value and statistics.
Its merely accidents, thats all it is. We have had Saka, Martinelli, Havertz, Jesus all out for months, instantly. Odegaards been up. Nwaneris come in and been a small revelation but lets no neglect he got injured also.
Great summers of Arsenal this time! Looks like Zubimendi is almost-certain, Nico Williams is very good, and Benjamin Sesko is also quite good.
24-25 is looking like a bit of a write-off, so heres to next season
Dale May, Swindon Wengerite
This is Stewie but good Arsenal points are made
Just wanted to mention two points that truly reflect what a Fraud Antonio El Pulis Arteta is :
Remember that shocking team Arteta inherited from Emery? Also, in the 2018/19 time, after 28 matches Unai Emery had collected 56 factors as Fleet manager. Emery was in 4th place, some distance behind the top team ( curiously, that was Liverpool! ).
The kicking? Emery was widely deemed to have had a mediocre season by most yet Emery, with a team of stiffs ( according to Arsenal fans ) was actually only 13 points behind Liverpool! Emery did this using with Fake Luminaries like as Sokratis, Iwobi, Mustafi, Calum Chambers, Kolasinac etc. A veritable whos who of utter shite ( most of them Wenger detritus ).
Antonio El Pulis however, in return for 10 move windows, 750m and 15m a year in this False Process? El Pulis has *55 points*!. He is 15 points behind England but performing far worse than Emery given the time and funds afforded. But recollect, as Trump and Brexiters had claim: ignore the evidence of your eyes and ears. Emery was doing this with Mustafi et cetera.
The second point is, that if Arsenal as expected, are made to form a guard of honour for Liverpool at Anfieldthis will mean that in the past 21 Years, Arsenal would have performed more guards of honour than won league titles!!!. Is there a second club somewhere in Europe that can actually attest to like a pitiful record of Choking? Can someone really kindly verify this?!
At this point its like hate-watching humiliation BDSM material involving someone you fancy, and reinforcing that humiliation by streaming an action replay 21 times ( apt for Netflix FC tbf ).
Watching Artetas post-match meeting where he was tetchy, angry and couldnt wait to duck out of responsibilities for his shitshow of a time was equivalent to watching the last weeks of Rishi Sunak. An over promoted nothing with zero Candidate of achievement, the Young millennial leader who is really upon scrutiny, greatly poor and has delivered sod all despite being given a mild ride by the media. The game is off and he knows it, those of us never drinking the Emirates Kool-aid know itso, lashes out at manically at the first idea of responsibilities.
Credit to Arteta though , the speed at which he ran away from that post-match Sky interviewers legitimate simple questionbeats anything Ive seen from Fake Spanish Kevin Nolan or Sterling all season!
Stewie Griffin ( But relieved my partner chose Johnny Depp over James Corden. Phew! Who cares thats Im sat all alone in a Michelin starred restaurant on a Saturday evening after being stood up. At least my companions having a great day! )
A less exciting Arsenal take
I do think it is slightly ironic that the first of 16 Conclusions includes a reflection on how sensationalist discussions on this Arsenal season should be shelved, but half the remaining points, as well as an article by Stevensuggest Arteta needs to radically overhaul his tactics at the arse end of a season.
Arsenal do enjoy control football and that substantially raises the ground of the group. Were now good value for two seasons of the best defense record in the league and whilst this isnt thrilling the negative, it may keep us in an exceptional position not to crumble in a season where every other team suffering systemic injury crises have fallen off. As you seem to so aptly have put in your conclusion one, when we lose that control, its almost like we become more vulnerable I am much happier with draws away to Nottingham Forest and Man United than losses, for example.
So rather than general handwaving about becoming more instinctive, what would you practically have us do?
Having a more robust plan B sounds great, but ultimately what would that look like? Premier League teams know that to not get entirely undressed by an Arsenal team that still has excellent talent everywhere until the final third, theres one way to play ( see PSV for what not to do ) and the reality is that lots of teams struggle when faced with the hyper-defensive approach, unless you have your key gamebreakers available ( again, the main difference between Arsenal and Liverpool is that they have the whole season and we havent ).
Youre basically asking Arteta to solve a massive problem with both arms tied behind your back, which feels a pretty unrealistic ask.
No reasonable Arsenal fan is putting much further judgement into this season we are where we are and the shortcomings are well rationalised as well as the misfortunes. I actually dont think any narrative needs to be written about the team at all unless there is a complete meltdown. But I know we get the clicks, so another reheated article needs to be published and morons in the mailbox need to be indulged.
Tom, Leyton
Shush
A good point from Minty re: Declan Rices shushing celebrationand one Id like to expand on as I do think it sums up all thats wrong with the Arsenal squad and manager.
Firstly, what is Declan Rice shushing? In my view, a celebratory shush should be used only where you are silencing your doubters.
Does a later equaliser against a very poor side justify this? Id always say no, but even more so in the context that you are the second best side in the country and nothing less than 3 points is the minimum requirement to keep you vaguely in the title conversation.
Is he then shushing his own critics? Well, Id argue that hes nowhere near a 100 million player, yet somehow doesnt seem to attract much, if any criticism from the press or rival fans. Probably because he plays for England.
So why the shushing? You cant shush people if youre not actually silencing them. Were all sat here the next day laughing at 2 more dropped points against a dross side, another Stewie email and continuing to dissect Arteta and his squad.
But this is just completely Arsenal, isnt it? Rice likely *did* think he and his team were silencing the doubters. They *do* think that they deserve the league title despite being 15 points adrift. They *do* think everyone is against them despite all evidence. And thats why this team will never succeed unless you can step back and make a realistic assessment of where you are, properly consider your strengths and weaknesses, you can never fix them and will never therefore solve them.
For me with Arsenal its mentality, the shushing celebration over a measly draw to an abject United l, confirming your place as also rans ( being generous there ) will always be in place while Arteta is there because its top down.
Long may it continue I guess!
Seamus
Who cares how Liverpool have won the title?
While marathon training over the weekend and listening to various podcasts, I kept hearing the same narrativeLiverpools challengers have been weak. This reminded me of Will Fords mischievous article making claim they need an asterisk.
Before I go on, Will, this is a safe space. So, tell usdid Liverpool FC steal your girlfriend before prom? Did they pants you in the playground? Or was there some Gavin and Stacey fishing trip incident youre still working through by writing passive-aggressive clickbait?
Now, lets get into it.
Is this Liverpool team better than Klopps peak side that amassed 110 points over two seasons, winning both the Premier League and Champions League? Obviously not.
Have Man City or any other Premier League team truly pushed them to the limit? Again, no though credit where its due, the recent PSG game was a real test.
Have they been lucky with injuries? Some might say so, but isnt managing fitness and game intensity part of being a top team? Liverpool havent recklessly chased extra goals when it wasnt necessarytheyve been smart about energy conservation, as seen in the Southampton game where they didnt start the car until the second half, and then didnt get out of first gear. They play for 3 mins, scored twice, then coasted to full-time with the PSG second leg in mind.
Then theres the debate on Klopps legacy. On Sky Sports News, they asked whether Arne Slot winning the Premier League and Champions League in his first season would diminish Klopps achievements. To me, thats nonsense. Klopp left with one Premier League and one Champions League, but he was three goals and one poor goalkeeping performance away from winning three of each. More importantly, he transformed the club, playing some of the best football English fans have seen in generationsall while competing against teams with, lets say, questionable financial virtue!!!!!
People dont talk enough about how much Guardiola has underachieved given the resources at his disposal. And lets not forget, the 115 charges against City are due any day.
So no, Klopp did not underachieve. And if Slot wins three trophies in his first season, he should take Klopp out for an expensive meal to say thanks. Thats not to say Slot is just riding Klopps coattailshes refined and tweaked things where needed while keeping what was already working.
My girlfriend moaned when I paid 500 for 2 early entry Coldplay tickets, my response was that youre not going to be upset when were right at the front with excellent views. Likewise, if Liverpool do win 1-2 or 3 trophies this season Im not going to care who was in charge, how they were won, or the level of the teams we played against. Im just going to enjoy it.
Ian Hewison
READ: When will Liverpool win the league? Earliest, funniest, Arsenal guard of honour, Anfield decider
Decoding the bias of covering the PL season
Here are the predictions before the PL season began basis a collective reasoning of all stakeholders :
Gooners to finally win the title
City to occupy the 2nd spot,
Between Liverpool, Chelsea, ManU, the CL spots were to be decided.
Sitting in March, 2025 ,
The collective reasoning narratives have been shredded and flushed down by the seemingly inexplicable laws of the beautiful game,
In simple terms status quo of pundit predictions have failed and football journalism is in total meltdown.
And thus, the Arsenal apologists and the City excuse makers form the majority of the contributors which honestly is now just sad.
Here are the most common reasons cited by the apologists :
1. City have been utter garbage because they lost a world class CDM ( x alternate POV, one players absence can justify a dip in the collective result NOT a collapse )
2. Arsenal have collapsed due to injuries and the lack of a striker, interestingly post the Old Trafford game, every Pundit is citing that a striker would have miraculously pushed Arsenal CLOSER to the title,
Only Roy Keane ( respect ) had the common sense of contributing the fact that he wouldnt bet on this Arsenal side with a striker for next season as the larger issue seems to be that of a mentality narrative, given the fact that Liverpool and City will most likely strengthen in the summer.
But what happens when a manager from Feyenoord, with no PL experience, and no signings + a keen sense of rotating his squad to ensure the best fitness for his players ( read that again Arsenal Apologists ) has driven Liverpool within touching distance of a 20th title?
The narrative becomes about the side being lucky, making excuses for the sh*t contemporaries ( covered enough above )
The only other fan base that I empathise for is the Arsenal fans ( the reasoning kind ) Do read the narratives in discussions, everyone is mostly pitching your team as an almost team even with a striker next season- Title winning teams have always operated on 3 key pillars-
1. An astute tactician in the form of a Manager
2. One-two super stars ( Salah, Ronaldo, Henry )
3. A collective winner mentality ( Most recent example, the PSG-Liverpool game, see SAFs + Mourinhos underperforming teams nicking it )
Someone in the Mailbox equated Arteta to Brendan Rodgers, and thats apt, he has got them on the verge but need that winner mentality instilling coach.
And while F365 and other outlets will continue to find ways of belittling Slots achievements in the guise of satire journalism, the man has done a brilliant job whatsoever, and Kudos to this Liverpool team.
M. Nair
Man Utd open heart surgery has been botched
One thing that gets thrown around a lot with Uniteds current woes is that Ralf Rangnick comment about open-heart surgery from a few years back. People cite it as an example of the Glazers and Ineos failing to clear out the dead wood, player power getting managers fired, etc.
Far be it from me to defend the current ownership structure, but it is worth pointing out that in the less-than-three years since Rangnick made that comment the entire executive team has been restructured and replaced and in one notable case already left and of the 43-man squad at the time just eight players remain ( thats 81 % of the squad gone for those counting ). Of those, one is Tom Heaton and another is current persona non grata Rashford.
Yet, today, the performances are worse, the football is worse, and the results are far worse than they were at what I and many other United fans incorrectly thought at the time was the nadir of the teams Premier League era.
Im not saying Rangnick was wrong, far from it. But people throwing it around like it hasnt very clearly and obviously already happened, and to no avail, need a reality check.
Noj
Amorim right to go back to the future
Ive heard and read many fans and pundits calling for Ruben Amorim to abandon his formation and philosophy, with comments such as He needs to play to the players strengths, or He should change the system to address the results, or Ole/Roy Keane could get this team playing better. Whilst its hard to watch the team struggling with Rubens approach, and to disagree with statements like the examples given here, I believe he is doing the right thing in sticking to his guns, and wanted to share why.
Another coach would change the formation to suit the players we currently have. However, Ruben has been brought in to transition the current team and style to one fitting his own. That means we are going to be playing 3-4-3, or a variation of it.
The issue is the current squad are either not good enough, not good enough to transition, or not willing to transition. So that suggests, to optimize results, we should stick to what the majority of players are good at, and make the change at a future point in time.
My question is when? Lets say we revert back to, for arguments sake, a classic 4-4-2. Right now, Amorim has brought in one player whos suited to a 3-4-3. So that means we now have 10 players suited to 4-4-2 and 1 suited to 3-4-3. If logic follows that putting your players in their best positions, in their preferred style, is the best way to get the best out of them and the team then weve just made that 4-4-2 team weaker.
Lets imagine he had brought in 2 more players in January wed now have 8 players suited to 4-4-2 and 3 suited to 3-4-3, arguably making the team weaker and forcing players purchased for one system to transition into an outdated system for the rest of the season. Is this when we should change it to 3-4-3?
Come the summer, when we can hopefully make some significant moves to bring in players suited to a 3-4-3, we will hopefully tip the squads balance in favour of 3-4-3, so is that the time we should transition to the new style and formation? When those already acquired 3-4-3 suited players have spent half a season transitioning to a redundant 4-4-2 system, and those established 4-4-2 suited players that survived the cull, having spent all season playing to their strengths in a 4-4-2 then needing to transition to 3-4-3. That would bring all the pain weve seen in the last few months next season, potentially meaning we need to write-off 2025/2026 as well.
The deficiencies of this squad have been ignored and papered over with bags of cash for far too long, so any rebuild was always going to be painful, and the pain will be much more worth it when the players who are not good enough, not good enough to transition, or not willing to transition are gone, and those who remain have spent half a season getting fit for purpose. When the new players come in this summer, theyll hopefully be joining a team that is settled, or at least educated and primed for the managers new style and philosophy in a 3-4-3 formation. The benefits of the pain were feeling and performances were witnessing will only be felt when this happens.
Would another manager get a better tune out of the current players? Probably, but that would be going backwards, without moving forwards. At least Amorims methods provide hope of a different future than the current players are able to promise.
We have to let the guy do his thing, and support him through the pain. The benefits will be worth it, and the toxicity of that dressing room has to be lanced for any meaningful progress to happen. At the very least Amorims hardline approach has a chance to address the damage brought on by years of poor recruitment and ridiculous contracts being given to players with bad attitudes and too much influence, and formation, philosophy, professionalism and team ethic can become the foundation for success.
Red Jim
