Mikel Arteta: Managerial Royalty

[Goonger]

Getting top 6 is going to be a slog I think.

The issue is going to be putting strings of wins together back to back and also the remaining fixture list looks pretty kind to us on paper but one of our issues this year has been putting away the weaker sides you'd expect us to beat.

In a one off game you'd probably back us to beat any bigger side under Arteta, barring Man City and maybe Liverpool. Arteta's at his best tactically against the better sides generally and seems to be able to get the players motivated and raring to go for them.

Looking at our remaining games whether we get Top 6 isn't really going to be dependent on beating Liverpool or Chelsea.

These are the fixtures that will determine how our season pans out

Sheffield United.
Everton.
Fulham.
Newcastle.
West Brom.
Crystal Palace.
Brighton.

It's going to dependent on us consistently putting away the decent to poor sides. Which has been one of our achilles heels this season.

Put them lot away and we'll get Europa League.

Well we've won 5, drew 1 & lost 1 of the reverse fixtures if my calculations are correct.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

Well we've won 5, drew 1 & lost 1 of the reverse fixtures if my calculations are correct.

Part of my concern is the likes of Fulham and Newcastle scrapping for survival when we play them. It's going to make it a bit tougher for us I think.

I think we'll get there in the end but it's not going to be a walk in the park. I'm certainly not taking top 6 for granted at this stage given the lay of the land.

 

[<<reed>>]

We were never in a relegation battle

 

[Trilly]

He's had a great start (and may well be a better manager than Arteta - he certainly has the better CV) but lmao at @Trilly praising Tuchel for 'making do' with his squad at Chelsea.

Chelsea's squad is ridiculous and should be pushing City for the title. Praise allah each morning for Fat Frank.

Everyone keeps telling me their squad is ridiculous but can any of you tell me with a straight face that Werner, Pulisic, Havertz, Jorginho, Kante and Ziyech are having great seasons?

They’re not. So what makes the squad so great? Saka is having a better season than any Chelsea player, Partey walks into their midfield and Gabriel probably goes right into their defence. Ødegaard has had more impact than Havertz and Ziyech combined yet their squad is so great?

 

[Rex Stone]

Shhhh. Hearing the 'Will we get relegated?' thread is still going strong in the trusted forum.

@Trilly 's put together a spreadsheet comparing our remaining games with Fulham, Sheffield United and West Brom's. Just finished working out the ramifications of last weekend's results on his abacus so can expect an update to the spreadsheet shortly.

Second most active thread in there after the 'topless gifs of Mourinho' one apparently.

Uh oh he’s mentioned the trusted forum yet again.

Where’s that Wambulance?

 

[say yes]

View attachment 2277

Uh oh he’s mentioned the trusted forum yet again.

Where’s that Wambulance?

Used that one before Rex.

Are you still gutted we didn't get your boy Mourinho?

 

[Rex Stone]

Used that one before Rex.

Are you still gutted we didn't get your boy Mourinho?

Everytime you mention it I’m bringing it out.

Yeah CL football last year and then bin him this summer for Nagelsman. Dream stuff.

 

[say yes]

Everyone keeps telling me their squad is ridiculous but can any of you tell me with a straight face that Werner, Pulisic, Havertz, Jorginho, Kante and Ziyech are having great seasons?

They’re not. So what makes the squad so great? Saka is having a better season than any Chelsea player, Partey walks into their midfield and Gabriel probably goes right into their defence. Ödegaard has had more impact than Havertz and Ziyech combined yet their squad is so great?

What's having a great season got to do with quality of the squad? Auba is having a poor season but he's still a quality player. Willian has had more impact this year than Havertz and Ziyech combined but he's still a bum.

Form and ability are different. This isn't complicated.

 

[say yes]

Everytime you mention it I’m bringing it out.

Yeah CL football last year and then bin him this summer for Nagelsman. Dream stuff.

May as well bookmark it then.

Every time I see a trusted member talking rubbish about how Arsenal are in danger of relegation etc:

 

[Rex Stone]

May as well bookmark it then.

Every time I see a trusted member talking rubbish about how Arsenal are in danger of relegation etc:

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

Where do i apply for trusted status?

 

[AbouCuéllar]

Weird to me that managers/players read what the press writes about them, tbh...why would you even care?

It's not that easy to avoid reading about yourself when you're a public figure. Even normal people like ourselves, if you've ever put something into the public domain, we all fall into the trap of googleing our name some time. I don't think it's about caring what the press writes, more just about it being pretty impossible to avoid... I'm sure Arteta and other managers occasionally read the press at midnight when they're struggling to sleep and can't avoid the impulse, or moments like that.

 

[say yes]

Where do i apply for trusted status?

Post loads of miserable rubbish about how mourinho is a top manager / arsenal are going to get relegated / everything is awful and they'll recruit you.

Also helps a lot if you spam the transfer forum with fake ITK posts.

 

[pikey2000]

Didn’t make clear in that comment, so just in case, although you have valid points, I am still for a proper purchase of a CM, a CF if Laca is sold, CAM, and RB + LB. The bringing on of youth for me at minimum would be to provide squad depth behind this all, so even if we bring in a CF we have Balogun and Martinelli for additional depth, although Martinelli can remain mainly as LW/RW, that is upto the manager. Similarly, we bring in someone like Bissouma or Berge for CM, but we need another addition on top of that, and that ideally will be where making something out of our internal youth options comes in. Even if these supplementary youth players are not stars next season they still should be given first team match time to develop, for example theoretical readiness of Balogun as Auba’s

Ah, ok, in that case, I agree wholeheartedly that if we are talking about possibly 3rd choice options in any position then yes we definitely should not be getting in short-term high-cost players like Willian to play that role and take up youth dev minutes.

On the subject of Willian, i don't think he was bought in to be a squaddie, fairly sure they thought he was an improvement on what we had and a starter, hasn't panned out that way, and now he looks like an expensive player taking up minutes our youth players could have been getting but that is the benefit of hindsight, unfortunately, on paper given the contract he has been given I am sure the thought he would be a nailed-on starter.

 

[HairSprayGooners]

By @Trilly logic Liverpool have a horrific squad and Bowen is the best winger in the league.

Certain high quality players were crap under a crap manager. Nobody can deny Havertz, Ziyech, Pulisic, Kovacic, Chilwell, Werner and co are talented. They've proven it elsewhere and with Pulisic and Kova they've proven it at Chelsea.

 

[mirrorstare]

Everyone keeps telling me their squad is ridiculous but can any of you tell me with a straight face that Werner, Pulisic, Havertz, Jorginho, Kante and Ziyech are having great seasons?

I loved when Werner openly admitted back then if he had scored a couple of goals Lamps would still be around, brutal honesty from the guy

It would be hilarious to see how lack of ambition and mediocrity are getting rewarded this season if it wasn't happening to us I guess. Makes me think the board can just spend a pittance again for next season and Arteta will continue to have a renewed license for midtable, so it's a win win for everyone.

 

[Hunta]

Post loads of miserable rubbish about how mourinho is a top manager / arsenal are going to get relegated / everything is awful and they'll recruit you.

Also helps a lot if you spam the transfer forum with fake ITK posts.

I heard my name.

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Its just simple logic, an unbeaten run WILL end, a losing streak WILL end, people's chances of getting cancer goes UP the longer they live without it etc etc.

You have got the logic and statistical part of this wrong. The chance for an individual event happening or not does not change because the opposite did not happen before. So if you flip a coin once and get heads that fact doesn’t make getting heads next time you flip it less likely, it remains at 50%. The likelihood of flipping heads 2 times in a row is of course less likely than just doing it once and so on. Hope this clarifies.

 

[Riou]

It doesn't mean we can't go on a run, in fact it makes it more likely that we will due it not happening previously.

This should be Don Mikel's war cry for the reminder of this season!

 

[CaseUteinberger]

This should be Don Mikel's war cry for the reminder of this season!

Sheffield United are licking their chops!!!