Mikel Arteta: Winner 🤴

[HattoriHanzo]

Spot on. That quote about defensive disaster was scary IMO because it confirmed he's playing not to lose instead of playing to win.

It doesn"t confirm that. Arteta had some games when he played not to lose this season (like Liverpool, and it was wrong thing to do), but this one wasn't like that. He wanted to win this one and he was furious for a reason because of this 2 minutes before we conceded a goal.

 

[Papa Wonga]

It's written in the stars he's taking us to that new Everton Stadium with the mindset of "Don't lose" being the main objective.

Team will be setup to not lose like always
First 25 minutes will be ASS.
Everton will get physical and kick us off the park
We'll concede a deadass braindead mistake from Raya or the CB's
We'll wake up with 15 minutes to go and maybe nick a draw

Elite managers don't give a toss where they're going, they want to win everything.

This guy ain't elite.

 

[GoonerJay24]

This might sound minor, but I honestly think one of the real issues at Arsenal is a lack of honesty, humility and clarity ; not just from Arteta, but from parts of the fanbase too.

Results have been good. We’re top of the league and doing well in Europe. On paper, it’s a strong start. But we’ve been here before many times.

Since moving to the Emirates, we’ve had several seasons where we started brilliantly and then fell away:
2007/08, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2013/14, 2015/16, 2022/23, 2023/24. Many false dawns.

So when fans are already calling this the best Emirates era team, honestly, there needs to be a bit of shame and perspective. Let this team win something first.

This side is nowhere near the 2015 team in terms of quality and balance: Wenger calm on the touchline, Arteta and Mertesackers leadership, Cazorla controlling games, Ozils magic, Sanchez's dynamism, Ramsey arriving from midfield, Giroud linking play; plus back to back FA Cups and genuine title challenges. We’ve played better football, spent less money and had more complete squads than this.

That’s what I mean by a lack of humility from the fanbase. It’s almost spiritual, this belief we’ve already arrived and it seeps into everything around Arsenal.

The same issue applies to Arteta. At times it feels like certain players are being forced into roles or systems that don’t quite suit them, yet instead of adapting the response is to persist. We’re scoring goals, but a lot come from set pieces and moments rather than consistent fluency in open play.

What seems missing is humility, the willingness to adjust when something isn’t working. Guardiola and Klopp has shown that even with big money signings. Arteta less so.

Thus, when fans refuse to acknowledge these things, honest discussion becomes impossible. Any criticism gets dismissed as negativity rather than seen as a desire to improve.

Arsenal are a very good team, but we’re not a finished product. Pretending otherwise risks repeating the same mistakes we’ve made before.

Honesty, humility and clarity are what separates contenders from champions.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

Top of the league and CL.

Arsenal fans deserve all the abuse they get

Yeah the outrage on here shows posters are clearly not used to us having a bad performances. Shows how long we have come.

 

[ArsenalInMyHeart]

Arteta has to adjust his tactics... He has many choices but he put them into the wrong positions...

 

[UpTheChampionz]

Yesterday was not a beautiful watch for sure, it happens to all managers though. Not enough for me to see a worrisome pattern yet, we play flat against Everton and lose and I’ll get worried

 

[merciarsene]

An arsenal manager implementing a low block to protect a 1:0 lead against a team with 2 points in 15 games, at home.

Simply amazing scenes.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

An arsenal manager implementing a low block to protect a 1:0 lead against a team with 2 points in 15 games, at home.

Simply amazing scenes.

Arsenal manager didn't tell his players to miss two open goals to make life easier. Also didn't tell his players when dropping deep act like relegation side every time they get the ball just kick it back to opposition just get out from high press like you usually do. Our players need to be better

The guy was pissed off for a reason

 

[Sanchez11]

When the pressure us on we fold, its that simple.

 

[TakeChillPill]

Arsenal manager didn't tell his players to miss two open goals to make life easier. Also didn't tell his players when dropping deep act like relegation side every time they get the ball just kick it back to opposition just get out from high press like you usually do. Our players need to be better

The guy was pissed off for a reason

It's a psychological state Yousif. Why did the team fall back? They were scared to lose, where does that come from? The manager!

I can imagine Klopp going in after the game. Saying to his players. I don't give a **** if you lose trying to win, but to be cowards like this, isn't my style.

And for context, Klopp has lost more finals then he's won as with League titles. But he's also won plenty but you have to be brave to win.

Our manager doesn't have that killer instinct. He fears failure, and fears losing which then becomes a self for filling proficiency.

 

[Menard]

This side is nowhere near the 2015 team in terms of quality and balance: Wenger calm on the touchline, Arteta and Mertesackers leadership, Cazorla controlling games, Ozils magic, Sanchez's dynamism, Ramsey arriving from midfield, Giroud linking play; plus back to back FA Cups and genuine title challenges. We’ve played better football, spent less money and had more complete squads than this.

Ffs this is absolute nonsense. Our current team is "nowhere near" the side that finished on 71 points, 10 points off of Leicester? The team that had El Neny and Flamini v2 getting gametime had more quality and balance? Pure revisionist rubbish. Your whole post is ridiculous but that bit in particular is absolutely hilarious. Get a grip.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

When the pressure us on we fold, its that simple.

Or maybe we had some serious injury crisis during our most difficult fixtures this season and are still finding our balance.

 

[El Duderino]

Ffs this is absolute nonsense. Our current team is "nowhere near" the side that finished on 71 points, 10 points off of Leicester? The team that had El Neny and Flamini v2 getting gametime had more quality and balance? Pure revisionist rubbish. Your whole post is ridiculous but that bit in particular is absolutely hilarious. Get a grip.

Going forward that team had more quality, how is that outlandish?

That particular seasons Caz, Özil, Alexis and even Ramsey all walk straight in to the current XI. Same way Rice, Gabi, Timber and Saliba would walk into Wengers XI.

The quality of the football is a personal thing, though. Some people will prefer not knowing we woukd lose a big game before the whistle was ever blown, others would exchange that for an easier on the eye game that doesn't make you fall asleep.

 

[Mraven]

Or maybe we had some serious injury crisis during our most difficult fixtures this season and are still finding our balance.

If you tell me before the Sp**s game we would win 5 of the next 7 games with the amount of injuries we had, I would've bitten your hand off. Arteta done amazingly.

 

[outlawz]

An arsenal manager implementing a low block to protect a 1:0 lead against a team with 2 points in 15 games, at home.

Simply amazing scenes.

I wonder what buttons he pressed on the controller to do that? He criticised the team for dropping deep and implementing bad defensive habits. So it doesn't sound like he wanted that to happen at all.

 

[Clrnc]

Seems like every single year under Arteta, in certain periods we will always be having this same discussion about our attack, no matter what personnel is playing that year. It's pretty clear that for all Arteta's quality, coaching an attack consistently good is always something he struggles to get the best out of the players. The way we setup and the players being instructed does not help free flowing football. Worst still, many individualism and risk taking is always not preferred, instead we want control and patient build up.

Even at our best when we score many goals, it is often due to a combination of set pieces, individual brilliance or just very well practiced robotic goals. Not many first touches, free flowing goals like under Wenger. That much is clear.

Hand brake needs to be let go more often, the players are capable of creating goals and scoring many. Just feed the attack, go direct. Don't need to help the defence too much, we are already very good at it. Just tweak the balance Tet.

 

[Menard]

Going forward that team had more quality, how is that outlandish?

That particular seasons Caz, Özil, Alexis and even Ramsey all walk straight in to the current XI. Same way Rice, Gabi, Timber and Saliba would walk into Wengers XI.

The quality of the football is a personal thing, though. Some people will prefer not knowing we woukd lose a big game before the whistle was ever blown, others would exchange that for an easier on the eye game that doesn't make you fall asleep.

We scored more league goals last year with Merino at CF for half the season than that brilliant 15/16 offense did. That team had some great individuals but the idea its anywhere near our current team as an actual unit whose goal is to win football matches is ridiculous.

 

[GoonerJay24]

Ffs this is absolute nonsense. Our current team is "nowhere near" the side that finished on 71 points, 10 points off of Leicester? The team that had El Neny and Flamini v2 getting gametime had more quality and balance? Pure revisionist rubbish. Your whole post is ridiculous but that bit in particular is absolutely hilarious. Get a grip.

See right there, lack of humility, honesty and respect towards Wenger. Getting second was a miracle that year due to the amount of injuries

Fools like you don't deserve to see this club be successful

 

[Menard]

See right there, lack of humility, honesty and respect towards Wenger. Getting second was a miracle that year due to the amount of injuries

Fools like you don't deserve to see this club be successful

Has absolutely nothing to do with respect for Arsène, it has to do with the objective quality of the team and its efficiency at getting results in football matches. In our awful season last year we gained more points, scored more goals, and conceded fewer than the 2015/16 team, and that's with no CF for half the season. You can say "well we've spent more money, that's to be expected" and I'd say you're damn right, and that's part of why our current team is very clearly better than that team. It has absolutely nothing to do with Arsène vs Arteta or humility or respect.

 

[Topside]

The medical staff and MA deciding to start Ben White 4th game in what 12 days after a long term injury was absolutely a terrible call.

We had no one else, his own words.

MLS who played well when he came on, easily could of started instead with Timber RB.

A good general is also lucky result was but players mins he wasn't once again last night the constant gambles on player fitness and play them till they break is so obvious a situation that hinders us time and again. Thats not bad luck.