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Mikel Arteta: Top Of The Klopps

Melquiades

Active Member
Remember Wenger won the Calendar year league 2013 I think, and definitely 2015. Posting that would have got you stoned to death when peak Wenger hate was rampant.

And now 'trust the process' defenders are using results from just a few months and no one bats an eyelid. :lol:

2015

1-F9049-FC-512-A-4896-959-D-2-ACB12339-CDD.jpg

I was a Wenger supporter. I don't believe he should have been forced out.

However, nobody gives two ****s about Wenger anymore and what happened over half a decade ago.

Times have changed, the league has changed, expectations have changed, and the current manager isn't even the one who replaced Wenger and was chosen over Wenger. The fact that stupid spoiled fans forced out a good manager years ago has nothing to do with trying to evaluate Arteta fairly now.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
A-M CL Draft Campeón 🏆
If that goes a few more lines I'm pretty sure it veers fully into erotic fiction :lol:
You're not wrong:
Mikel Arteta, for all the signs and symbol, the suave and suede shoes that foreshadowed his appointment, did not come with an hopeful pep talk. He didn’t even try to rouse the club, to coax it out of slumber. It was simply a quieter, dutiful speech, unexciting, the words of a man without frills. There was a glint in Arteta’s eyes when he spoke, though, something dark and speckled with light, like a bottle of wine held up to sunlight. He seemed resolute, full of resolve, something only captured by the gentle intensity of his words: “I will burn every drop of blood to make this club better.” Little did the Basque native know that over the next 12 months, as a virus bloomed in his body and across the world, Arsenal would fall into a period of deep despair and everyone would need plenty of resolve.
Full article
 

Makingtrax

Worships in the house of Wenger 🙏
Trusted ⭐

Country: England

Player:Saliba
I was a Wenger supporter. I don't believe he should have been forced out.

However, nobody gives two ****s about Wenger anymore and what happened over half a decade ago.

Times have changed, the league has changed, expectations have changed, and the current manager isn't even the one who replaced Wenger and was chosen over Wenger. The fact that stupid spoiled fans forced out a good manager years ago has nothing to do with trying to evaluate Arteta fairly now.
Mate it’s only 2021, Arsène went in 2018 and Unai in 2019, you trying to make out like it was last century is a bit strange. The league hasn’t changed that much ffs. And I’m happy to support Arteta if I see anything that looks like we’re getting back on track. So far we’ve had one good and enjoyable half of football in 6 games. If he continues that, I’m in, else I’m out because Arsenal is better than just a mid table club.
 

Melquiades

Active Member
If that's what you thought I can hardly disagree, can I? I guess we have different expectations. After all, Arteta did say he'd play beautiful, attacking free-flowing football. Can you honestly say we ever did that, bar for that Sp**s game?



Has it now? Our first three games just this season prove otherwise. And don't say I should discount these, because why would I, if you're judging him on last three games yourself? The ship clearly righted? What about a shameful defeat in Europa? Why should be judged over 65% of last year, but not by the remaining 35%? That's classic cherry-picking.



i-dont-believe-you-lies.gif




Back to back 8th place finishes are hardly positive. And what if a new manager performed better, do you include that possibility at all?
1. I literally cited both the stats (#3 in goals in the PL over the last 24 weeks of the season) plus multiple examples last year of games where we played free-flowing football.

Yes, Arteta did still park the bus against better teams (which probably wasn't the worst strategy as it got us an ugly win against Chelsea and kept us closer than anyone else to a rampaging City) and I hope we don't continue to see that going forward. If we do, I will be very critical.

2. Going from a dreadful 1-win-in-10 streak to #2 in the PL over the final 24 weeks of the season is the definition of righting the ship. I can't believe anyone would argue this.

I'm not writing off the first 3 games nor am I going to overreact to the last 3. That said, we pretty clearly didn't have our preferred squad for the first few matches and two of them were against probably 2 of the top 4 teams in Europe. It's very early days and at this point I'm more 'building impressions' than 'forming conclusions' and my impression is mostly positive. And thumping Sp**s with 8 of 11 starters under 23 shows a positive direction. Does it have to continue? Absolutely.

3. Absolutely I would consider myself Arteta neutral.

I think first-time managers at big clubs is a terrible idea and he wouldn't have been my choice.
I was then pretty impressed when he salvaged a disaster season with the FA Cup win.
By last December, I had lost most faith and didn't think he could right the ship.
Then he did right the ship, and I've agreed with most of the things that have happened since then.

I still have concerns and if we don't get back into Europe next year I'll absolutely feel it's time for a change.

4. One of those 8th place finishes was taking over the 10th place team and then having the 5th best record the rest of the way and winning an FA Cup. Acting like Arteta steered the team to an 8th place finish that year is pretty disingenuous.

A different manager hired in summer 2020 probably would have had a better 2020-21 season as a whole. Like I said, there is no argument that he didn't bungle that offseason badly and has to wear the terrible results from early in the year. I would find it highly unlikely that a different manager hired in December 2020 would have generated better results for the rest of the year.
 

Melquiades

Active Member
Mate it’s only 2021, Arsène went in 2018 and Unai in 2019, you trying to make out like it was last century is a bit strange. The league hasn’t changed that much ffs. And I’m happy to support Arteta if I see anything that looks like we’re getting back on track. So far we’ve had one good and enjoyable half of football in 6 games. If he continues that, I’m in, else I’m out because Arsenal is better than just a mid table club.

You were quoting stats from 2015 which is 6 years ago.

Try forming arguments based on Arteta and his performance. Arguments based on Wenger suck.
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
Even I have to admit that Saka with end product is twice the player of Pepe. Sunday was our best lineup and gave us a very fluid three behind Auba (even though I agree that Pepe isn’t far behind ESR/Saka in this regard these days and I roll my eyes everytime I see a “he can’t even pass a ball” type post) if that lineup can consistently score goals then it probably spells the end of Pepe’s time at Arsenal as that’s the only edge he holds over them and Arteta doesn’t seem interested in utilising his strengths.


Ultimately I don’t mind as long as
Mikel is fair and actually plays them based on form and results. He could have played Pepe against Wimbledon and let him build some confidence if was going to bench him for the NLD. We’re going to need everyone firing, especially the senior guys for when the young players’ form dips or need a rest. Having said all of that I’m sure Pepe would have scored on Sunday, the way we played yesterday is basically how Lille played when he was seen as the best player in France not called Mbappe (Neymar was injured at the time).
Pepe can pass okay but he does struggle to pick the right time to make the pass (the kind of awareness discussed with Ødegaard to delay the pass, not choose the overly direct option to Auba, and then wait til Saka was isolated...that kind of awareness he just doesn't have, nor the awareness that Saka has in terms of timing of the pass in a lesser degree) and he does undoubtedly suffer in quick combination, it's just not his strength.

re: the Mikel treats Pepe badly or hates Pepe theory that you guys like to put about, I just don't see it, nor have I ever. He started all of the first 4 league games. He's totally match fit and there is no reason to play him against Wimbledon when you have a big match coming up and he wasn't even what the game needed (ie, it made sense to bring on ESR as he did in that game, because we were desperately lacking any kind of link between attack and midfield, and I don't believe Ode was even on the bench)...even if Arteta had decided firmly on his lineup at that point on Wednesday (something I doubt, he probably was still weighing the ESR / Pepe question) there's just no need to play Pepe in that game, even if the idea is just to have him as a sub for Sunday.

Nice to see @Melquiades bringing some much needed nuance to the Arteta discussion, something that this thread seems absolutely allergic to in most cases.
 

CaseUteinberger

Established Member

Country: Sweden

It's happening again. Lorient, Arsenal, Hertha and Marseille - every place he has had issues. I loved guendouzi and still feel he is really a great talent but glad we dodged a bullet and got an equally good player in lokonga.

Should stop criticizing Mikel for this one.
It is difficult to judge players and how they are when we only see them during games or in interviews. I liked Guendouzi, but he seems to really have a pretty ****ty personality.
 

Lidl_Reed

Wants a new name
What's missed after the screenshot:
After finishing the press conference, Mikel came over to my house, his skin gleaming with sweat. He looked aroused and as I stared into his honey tinted eyes, I felt moist. Mikel looked like a sculpted Spanish God come to life and as he lifted his- (Removed to keep forum PG13)
 
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Reactions: A_G

CaseUteinberger

Established Member

Country: Sweden
1. I literally cited both the stats (#3 in goals in the PL over the last 24 weeks of the season) plus multiple examples last year of games where we played free-flowing football.

Yes, Arteta did still park the bus against better teams (which probably wasn't the worst strategy as it got us an ugly win against Chelsea and kept us closer than anyone else to a rampaging City) and I hope we don't continue to see that going forward. If we do, I will be very critical.

2. Going from a dreadful 1-win-in-10 streak to #2 in the PL over the final 24 weeks of the season is the definition of righting the ship. I can't believe anyone would argue this.

I'm not writing off the first 3 games nor am I going to overreact to the last 3. That said, we pretty clearly didn't have our preferred squad for the first few matches and two of them were against probably 2 of the top 4 teams in Europe. It's very early days and at this point I'm more 'building impressions' than 'forming conclusions' and my impression is mostly positive. And thumping Sp**s with 8 of 11 starters under 23 shows a positive direction. Does it have to continue? Absolutely.

3. Absolutely I would consider myself Arteta neutral.

I think first-time managers at big clubs is a terrible idea and he wouldn't have been my choice.
I was then pretty impressed when he salvaged a disaster season with the FA Cup win.
By last December, I had lost most faith and didn't think he could right the ship.
Then he did right the ship, and I've agreed with most of the things that have happened since then.

I still have concerns and if we don't get back into Europe next year I'll absolutely feel it's time for a change.

4. One of those 8th place finishes was taking over the 10th place team and then having the 5th best record the rest of the way and winning an FA Cup. Acting like Arteta steered the team to an 8th place finish that year is pretty disingenuous.

A different manager hired in summer 2020 probably would have had a better 2020-21 season as a whole. Like I said, there is no argument that he didn't bungle that offseason badly and has to wear the terrible results from early in the year. I would find it highly unlikely that a different manager hired in December 2020 would have generated better results for the rest of the year.
Very good post. Well reasoned and thoroughly sensible. Wish I could make this much sense myself!
 

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