Xanth
Active Member
People aren't basing this off 5 games, they're basing it off almost 2 years worth of evidence. We can't create chances, we haven't been able to since Arteta has been the coach, and this season is just more evidence of that.
Comparing us to other teams to justify what we are seeing is just burying your head in the sand, let's concentrate on what we see at Arsenal and not about other teams.
It’s not burying your head in the sand to “concentrate” on other team’s problems. I’m literally talking about a balanced view incorporating both. You’re going from one end of the spectrum to another. Discuss our problems but also on a comparative basis with other teams for a grounded perspective.
Two years of evidence with lots of change in not only personnel but also tactics to a degree. I’d argue that there have been four distinct phases in that time. The first one was the 19/20 half season where we were getting relatively good results with bad performances. The second was that horrific run from the start of 20/21 until Christmas. The third is basically the “Boxing Day narrative” encapsulating a period where we performed fairly well with the Villarreal games understandably being a black mark. The fourth has started this season with a very different squad and we don’t have remotely enough data to properly evaluate it.
I think it’s fair to criticise the first two phases. In fact, I would probably have been considered a “negative” fan when Arteta first took over because I wasn’t impressed with the performances and I certainly would have been fine with him being sacked in December. However, since basically the start of the year our performances and underlying stats have been on the level of the fifth best team in the league and that’s worth considering.