Mikel Arteta: Aston La Vista To The Title?

[grange]

@Taxi Driver, stop hiding

 

[A_G]

Should put Mikels vote down as a no.......

ArteTir Na Nog

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

I think this argument ignores the diminishing squad and XI vastly

Wenger finished 6th with Özil playing in his prime, Auba in his prime, Alexis in his prime for 6 months, Ramsey playing well and Mkhitaryan/Iwobi playing well. Kosceilny also was still there and performing.

Emery had much the same, minus the Alexis loss in his first season and except Özil was past his best. It should be noted that our games when Ramsey didn't start this season were mid table level of consistency. I think we won 2.5 points a game with Ramsey and something like 1.5 points a game without him.

So we lose Kosceilny, Monreal, Ramsey with Özil and Auba in the retirement home. Then Emery takes us to mid-table and we're conceeding 30 shots a game against Watford. We were in dire straights.

What Arteta has had to cope with a mid table squad quality and since then Özil and Auba permenantly checking out or simply being past their prime and Lacazette's legs completely giving way on him. He took over a vastly diminished squad way past without a striker capable of performing.

TLDR Arteta took over a mid table team full of pensioners and bums and where we finished in prior seasons is not reflective of what that squad was capable of. Taking us to 5th is an achievement and fixing the defense and midfield is an achievement.

Your point about the diminishing quality of the squad is a good one but I counter that by saying that for ages, we lost our best players every season and still managed top 4 until 2016. I feel for Emery a bit as Raul refused to get his targets but the culling of the squad and desire to change direction was evident and deliberate. When Arteta took over, he knew the players and that there was a bit to do but if I agree with your argument, he compounded matters by adding poor players to an iffy squad and mismanaged and got rid of some who could help. Auba almost singlehandedly won us the cup in 2020 and is doing well at Barca-not exactly in a retirement home. Kos, Monreal and Ramsey left after getting us to 5th and a final. 18 months to replace them us long enough. Arteta arrived when the points gained/lost started to match the performances. We are now back to that stage. It's a smokescreen to say that the squad was poor. It wasn't as bad as you and many claim and in fact Arteta added poor players and bums to the squad and extended some we could get rid off. You say past seasons are not reflective of what the team Arteta took over is capable off. I agree. Other managers in all the circumstances maybe got the team to over perform. Arteta is below or on par at best and he's meant to be a generational talent. You say he's fixed the defence and midfiel. If the defence was fixed, how have we conceded as many as we did last season and that's with Ramsdale in beast mode for the first half of the season. Jover the set piece coach has helped us on corners but we're still leaking goals and allowing shots. The midfield is far from fixed. There is no midfield without Partey and Arteta wants to keep Xhaka and Elneny-the Poster boys for failure! We haven't controlled and barely dominated a single game since Wenger left!
Crucial points- Do we play well? Answer-NO. 80 percent of games are an awful watch. 2.5 years on, we can't create chances. Goals win games and an obsession with defence doesn't. Is his man management good. Answer-NO. To cap it all, Willian is the only pure attacking player he has signed lol!
5th was looking grudgingly acceptable by match day 3 but looking at the position we were in, it's failure. Even if we fluke 4th on Sunday, it will be in spite of Arteta and not because of him. Sorry for the long post.

 

[Gunners1616]

I hate Mikel and Edu so much it's hard to explain it. They are really dragging the club in the mud with no shame.

They got us some Willian, Pablo Mari, Runarsson, Nuno, Cedric and co, took us to 8th, 8th and 5th (without Europe) and they are getting contract extensions and giving big speeches like they accomplished something great.

There is a losing mentality everywhere in this club, from top to bottom.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

Oh goodness I think that's an exaggeration, an unnecessary one at that.

But I suppose making over the top statements is the currency of this forum.

I'd say our team was in a bad place when he took over, sure. But Auba and Laca at the time (especially Auba) were still near the peak of their powers.

We had an emergent Saka, Martinelli and Smith Rowe (the latter of which Arteta opted not to use until the mid-way point of the following season).

We had acquired Tierney by that time, and whilst David Luiz is not a personal favourite of mine, people keep reiterating how important he actually was to us.

Definitely not perfect, definitely needed additions. Midtable? Naa I'd say 6/7th.

Plus if people are really honest it's not even the 19/20 season that was so much of an issue because Arteta took over at a turbulent time.

However, we made enough additions that we shouldn't have faltered so badly during the 20/21 season and that's where I start to have serious issues with Tets.

Plus it's other aspects of his management that are worrying, like his poor man management.

If his man management alone was better and if he didn't have a habit of unnecessarily alienating a lot of players I think people would be more forgiving of him, but now that's spilling into a different topic.

This. Emery at least left him something to build on. It wasn't proven but it was a start and much of the hard work was done for him.

 

[Batman]

Should put Mikels vote down as a no.......

We are in Europa League and below the worst Tottenham side in years and he's treating it as an overachievement. Everyone who supports this man is repulsive. A pox upon your homes.

 

[Mrs Bergkamp]

When he took over the style of play was a mess, we were conceeding 30 shots game on game, against the likes of Watford. It's fair to say that's mid table level of performance, especially given we were mid-table.

Not only that but the back 4 was a mess, I liked Luiz but overall he had poor partners in Sokratis or Mustafi or Holding. Bellerin went to **** after his injuries, yes Tierney is good but rarely fit. I'd say that's a pretty mid table back 4. Brighton probably had 3 better CBs than we did given their fans reckoned Ben White was their 3rd best CB (not convinced on that tbh)

The midfield was a mess. Xhaka/Elneny/Guen is midtable. Wolves midfield during the period was better, Leicesters was better, West Ham's was better. Adding Partey helped but he's only 1 player and his fitness record and consistency are problematic.

Auba checked out after he got his new contract, same as Özil, same as Willian. That was a huge problem. Some can blame the manager, I personally am not and see as the state of the declining squad.

Saka, ESR and Martinelli were raw prospects when he took over which are still developing. I think people really don't realise how our level of players have dropped off a cliff. People are hyping ESR and Saka as if their stars already. ESR has been clinical but his overall play isn't up to the level of a top 6 club and he didn't show up against Newcastle. If Iwobi came through today people would be lauding him like he's the second coming. We used to be a club who had RVP, Cesc, Nasri, Rosicky, Alexis, Özil and Cazorla. Those are the types of players that got us top 4. We don't have anything on that level anymore.

20/21 I initially wanted him out, but our points from Christmas to the end of the season was something like 3rd or 4th so he turned a corner. 21/22 has shown progression in our style of football at times.

At the end of the day despite the additions and the decent youth players we all know this squad needs at least 6 quality additions in the summer.

Right now our style of play is still a mess. The City loss at home when Arteta was on his sick bed is our best game performance wise. I agree with your last paragraph. We do need 6 players at least abd I'd add that we need a manager who knows what he's doing.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Surprised winning more games than Chelsea isn't viewed as an accomplishment, there you go sexuals have that one for free.

 

[Taxi Driver]

@Taxi Driver, stop hiding

You have me mistaken for Drippin.

 

[Haphazard]

When he took over the style of play was a mess, we were conceeding 30 shots game on game, against the likes of Watford. It's fair to say that's mid table level of performance, especially given we were mid-table.

Not only that but the back 4 was a mess, I liked Luiz but overall he had poor partners in Sokratis or Mustafi or Holding. Bellerin went to **** after his injuries, yes Tierney is good but rarely fit. I'd say that's a pretty mid table back 4. Brighton probably had 3 better CBs than we did given their fans reckoned Ben White was their 3rd best CB (not convinced on that tbh)

The midfield was a mess. Xhaka/Elneny/Guen is midtable. Wolves midfield during the period was better, Leicesters was better, West Ham's was better. Adding Partey helped but he's only 1 player and his fitness record and consistency are problematic.

Auba checked out after he got his new contract, same as Özil, same as Willian. That was a huge problem. Some can blame the manager, I personally am not and see as the state of the declining squad.

Saka, ESR and Martinelli were raw prospects when he took over which are still developing. I think people really don't realise how our level of players have dropped off a cliff. People are hyping ESR and Saka as if their stars already. ESR has been clinical but his overall play isn't up to the level of a top 6 club and he didn't show up against Newcastle. If Iwobi came through today people would be lauding him like he's the second coming. We used to be a club who had RVP, Cesc, Nasri, Rosicky, Alexis, Özil and Cazorla. Those are the types of players that got us top 4. We don't have anything on that level anymore.

20/21 I initially wanted him out, but our points from Christmas to the end of the season was something like 3rd or 4th so he turned a corner. 21/22 has shown progression in our style of football at times.

At the end of the day despite the additions and the decent youth players we all know this squad needs at least 6 quality additions in the summer.

We play worse football under Arteta, 17th for chances created, 57 goals for and 47 conceded which are practiically the same figures as last season after over 150m in investment.

Every attacker struggles under him because we don't dominate midfields, Auba could barely score but went to Barca and has kept up his scoring rate.

90% of our wins have been tight ,cagey affairs where we hold on for dear life.

Not to mention once we concede we never equalise or make a comeback.

He is a goldilocks manager, he needs multiple factors to go our way to score a goal but we concede very easily.

His system is not suitable for a team going for CL football let alone the title.

 

[yorch44]

Wenger took us from the Invisibles, to 4th place finishes, to eventual 6th place. We still had Özil and Alexis playing really well in Wenger's last season. But he was building worse and worse teams. He downgraded every position. Where do you think we are now if Wenger stays and he keeps signing dross? Because other than Özil and Alexis who did he even sign that was any good in the last 6 or so years?

As for apology, you're simply wrong, see my reply

From where this clown came off? Reddit Arteta bootie lickers are invading us?

 

[Kav]

Runnarson is a **** signing for sure, add it to that list.

Remember he could run this kids out the club as well, like he did with Guendouzi. He did choose to re-sign them, thus they make my list. I forgot about Auba as well to be honest, guess he falls in the good signings.

But if you want to be absolutely accurate in Arteta's work alone, that would be an addition to the ****/iffy signings for Runnarson, and subtractions for Martinelli, Tierney, Smith-Rowe, Saka, Auba.

**** overall then.

I don’t think it’s been crap overall. I just think we could have used our resources better. Did we really need to buy Cedric, Mari, Runarsson, White, Ramsdale or Lokonga? I don’t think so.

We needed a back up for tierney but Tavares has been poor. Our midfield has been a problem for the last 4 years. Xhaka needed to be improved on we got Partey. Credit to them for that but we are still relying on Partey and Xhaka, after that we don’t have much depth. That’s why I would have spent that money on our midfield instead.

if we were to go in for white I thought 30M was fine. That English tax was not worth it. 50m for a ball playing CB when we had Mavropanos and Saliba on our books looks foolish.

Conclusion we didn’t need to spend what we did on those players.

Runarsson we bought and then realized he was crap loaned in matty Ryan and then loaned out runarsson. Only to then buy Ramsdale for 24M (going up to 30). That’s just the club wasting money when we had Leno. Goalkeeper was not a priority position. So he spent a lot of money on our defense but it’s not even better than it was before. Tell me how that works?

 

[yorch44]

Make no mistake, if he is backed with another 150m window, the expectation should be a title challenge, no doubt about that. How much did Klopp spend before he got Liverpool challenging for the league and CL?

In his mind he needs 1Bn and about 10 years. So he would find an excuse to explain why the team is not in title challenge race. We are losing time, money and players with this fraud. I hate the board and club at the moment.

 

[El Duderino]

Arteta is a squad cost guy

 

[Arsenal1508]

I'm going to send a certified letter to Josh and Stan Kroenke.

We need to save Arsenal. They are getting hoodwinked by ineptitude management.

We have no leaders. Arteta is a coach, not a manager.

We need a manager that can play beautiful football. We play awful.

Graham Potter is proven...get him before Sp**s do.

 

[MikelHadADream]

In his mind he needs 1Bn and about 10 years. So he would find an excuse to explain why the team is not in title challenge race. We are losing time, money and players with this fraud. I hate the board and club at the moment.

To be fair at 100m a season that's his current rate of spending lmao.

 

[avenellroad]

In his mind he needs 1Bn and about 10 years. So he would find an excuse to explain why the team is not in title challenge race. We are losing time, money and players with this fraud. I hate the board and club at the moment.

Exactly. How do the Artetasexuals on social media not realise this… we are wasting time on a ‘project’ which will never reach fruition. Time being the key word here.

Guarantee we will be sat having this same conversation this time next year.

 

[berric]

Arteta is a squad cost guy

It's not difficult to realize why Kroenkes love him. A proper corporate goon.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

 

[Batman]

It's not difficult to realize why Kroenkes love him. A proper corporate goon.

We're not even a football club anymore. We're a PR Machine with merch and a gate fee.