Mikel Arteta: Top Drawer

[hydrofluoric acid]

Please don't say that. I beg you.

Im just messing around. We are still on our way up! A whole trip in front of us!

 

[The Ducking Duck]

@The Ducking Duck

Im still 100% Arteta out. If we actually win the Champions League i will change my mind and happily eat humble pie. A semi is just a semi.

 

[Artemis]

Where is that Arteta out crowd btw

If we lose to PSG, Arteta out crowd will be crawling all over here like zombies haha. They'll come out in full force. They're waiting until it gets dark. They hate the light.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

What I love defensively is how our boys relish their individual duels. Like it's personal to them to win them.

Timber, MLS, Gabriel, Saliba rarely do these guys ever lose their individual battle over 90 minutes.

As a collective it's just a really top unit.

Rice gets most of the plaudits for what he did but to shut Real Madrid out almost totally for 180 minutes is a great achievement for the backline.

Partey and the wingers tracking back help out a lot too obviously.

 

[Artemis]

Im still 100% Arteta out. If we actually win the Champions League i will change my mind and happily eat humble pie. A semi is just a semi.

You honestly have every right to feel that way.

I still back Arteta 100%. But if we win nothing this season, then it's do-or-die next season.

I don't think even the most pro-Arteta fan would defend 7 seasons without a major trophy.

What makes it worse is the fact that Slot won the PL with Liverpool in his first season. That's a kick in the teeth. I don't fully blame Arteta (we had injuries + no January recruitment) which is why I still back Arteta.

If Arteta had a full strength team throughout the season and STILL lost the PL title to Slot? .....I would have been Arteta Out right now.

 

[Sanchez11]

I dont want him out but its do or die next season trophywise for me personally. If we dont win the cl this season.

 

[Nunowoolmez]

Ok, league aside, he's managed to get us to a CL semi, having convincingly dumped the reigning champs out of the tournament, & we are the favourites to win the thing.

Without an actual striker. He deserves a lot of credit for that.

We have gotten stronger season upon season in the 'big games' against the 'big teams'. It's against the lesser sides we let ourselves down this season & it's something he needs to work on.

Injuries, refs, I get it, but we went from drawing at home against Brentford to beating Real at their place.

He deserves his flowers right now tho & I'm backing him to get us at least to the CL final.

 

[Artemis]

Without an actual striker.

Maybe he finally got the team he wants

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

What I love defensively is how our boys relish their individual duels. Like it's personal to them to win them.

People who never played football : Football is dead! Its DEAD.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

Based on what we've just done I don't even think Arteta's strongest critics would want to sack him currently.

If we don't win the CL this season and perform poorly next year the pressure in him will rise and that's a fair enough stance.

For now though let's just enjoy the CL ride. Hopefully we can do it!

 

[El Duderino]

A semi is just a semi.

 

[North5]

"I like watching Arteta ball when teams don't just low block"

 

[ArsenesCoatMaker]

You’ve gone into protective mode clearly. Tired of this parroted on here every time people mention the progression that has been made in recent years. There’s more to football that money spent, can go look at clubs like Chelsea and United to see that if you don’t fix the fundamentals then you can spend billions and get nowhere. Also less money was generally being spent in those times. Mid table clubs now are spending more than what was spent by us back then. Gotta spend a lot just to keep up with the crowd. Different world.

No there is not if you have a functioning brain

 

[Gooner Zig]

I just heard that the oldest player in our back four vs Madrid was Kiwior at 25

That's mad and shows how much scope for improvement this team has. All our top players are entering or in their early primes.

 

[Synical]

If we lose to PSG, Arteta out crowd will be crawling all over here like zombies haha. They'll come out in full force. They're waiting until it gets dark. They hate the light.

They be like

 

[Rex Stone]

Even if we don’t win the CL this year if hypothetically we finished 2nd next year and say made it to the CL semis it would still be mental to sack him.

 

[Synical]

This thread is dead. At least the WUMs have shut up for a while now.

What's a WUM?

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

What's a WUM?

Wind up merchants. They are not herr right now but they will be back.

 

[Gooner Zig]

A semi is just a semi.

@Morning_woody

 

[MartiSaka]

Its the potential that excites me.

Arteta is probably the best manager in the world against elite teams who are attack focused. If he can get in some more elite attacking talent and find the right balance between attack and defence in the league, the possibilities are endless. Could win a large number of big trophies given the age of the squad.