Mikel Arteta: Winner 🤴

[El Duderino]

Im afraid we've gotta let him do his thing. He realized he ****ed up with the Rice at RB thing but he started Havertz today and he scored. Theres no way hes lookin at that and thinking he ****ed up.

The Ode-Eze midfield is something none of us really hated when we seen the lineup but for me, a mid of Rice, Skelly and Eze OR Ødegaard is our best midfield, probably Eze as the starter because against West Ham we were fireworks until the White injury changed the momentum.

Don't think he goes dual 10s for PSG, but it should be our line up for a lot of the easier games next season if Ode is still here.

Timber over Mosquera and Burnley probably wouldn't have gotten the couple of chances they did to run at us.

 

[nWoneri]

He now has sparked Havertz and Ødegaard to contribute from the bench if they don't start - that is a huge boost and a positive from tonight.

I still very loudly vouch for that lineup with MLS and Gyokeres, but if things aren't working he can always try these two since they bring something different. And that goes both ways.

**** me let's just hope Cherries do their thing tomorrow so we can pop the cherry.

 

[MikelHadADream]

Pep literally exists bro.

Also think we created quite a lot even if there weren’t a lot of big chances. Eze being more of the forward while Ode drops deep kind of worked imo (especially considering it’s the 1st time they played together with Kai) and imo two technical midfielders with good decision making and Rice behind them is almost impossible to break.

Ode was mostly pulling strings and Eze had one big chance and another half chance. Execution was off for both of them today and Kai was rusty but I wouldn’t call today a fail.

I think we need Eze’s final third ability but we also absolutely need Ode near Mosquera because he’s not really a factor in the final third. I suspect the latter especially is what led to MLS unfortunately being dropped.

I mean it’s never worked under Arteta. I feel what we gain for combination play in the final third doesn’t outweigh what we lose in buildup.

Horseshoe ball is boring but it’s what these guys are comfortable with, so I’m never a fan of these chances he does in the business end (seem to remember ESR at false 9 being a disaster in the seal knockouts).

 

[blaze_of_glory]

I bet that Arteta ain't watching the game tomorrow. He'll likely check AM for updates

If City win he’ll have a Rasmi post up during the team talk ahead of Palace.

 

[MATHEO]

But our game was worrying - you saw us against Fulham, even vs. West Ham we had some good chances early on and played much better than today.

I am not convinced by both Havertz and Ødegaard and I will die on that hill - if he starts them in the remaining two matches, we aren't getting ****.

No need to elaborate, we couldn't do much in terms of creativity on the pitch tonight and we simply overloaded that right hand side due to Havertz dropping so far from their box. It was a pattern that we used to see last season whenever we struggled to score and most of these types of matches ended up in a draw.

For me, they can be a solid bench option, both Ødegaard and Havertz, not starters, not from the first minute when our squad is fired up.

we scored a goal and hit the woodwork 3 times before they left the pitch, meanwhile Fulham was the only game in the last TWELVE games where we scored more than 1 goal. we weren't "firing" by any means not even close.

The amount of agenda, gaslighting, and absolute delusion is off the charts. The standards even miraculously shift depending on which player they talk about.

Gyokeres got glazed beyond belief for winning a few fouls and holding up the play 3-4 times against Atletico while Havertz does this every single game and its goes (rightfully) unmentioned because that should be the norm for any PL level striker, even Welbeck had that kind of performance on weekly basis for us, even at 35 Welbeck scored more Non-penalty goals than our top scorer, just shows the poverty the entire frontline has displayed all season. I'm convinced that those who praise our attackers aren't old enough to have watched Henry or even RVP during their time, the concept of generating a chance for yourself and linking up the play is alien to them, they think a strikers job is only to finish chances handed to them in a plate.

I don't even think Havertz should be a starting striker for an elite team and wanted to upgrade on him, but still he's the best we have got, and to even suggest that we are better without him and Ødegaard is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[nWoneri]

we scored a goal and hit the woodwork 3 times before they left the pitch, meanwhile Fulham was the only game in the last TWELVE games where we scored more than 1 goal. we weren't "firing" by any means not even close.

The amount of agenda, gaslighting, and absolute delusion is off the charts. The standards even miraculously shift depending on which player they talk about.

Gyokeres got glazed beyond belief for winning a few fouls and holding up the play 3-4 times against Atletico while Havertz does this every single game and its goes (rightfully) unmentioned because that should be the norm for any PL level striker, even Welbeck had that kind of performance on weekly basis for us, even at 35 Welbeck scored more Non-penalty goals than our top scorer, just shows the poverty the entire frontline has displayed all season. I'm convinced that those who praise our attackers aren't old enough to have watched Henry or even RVP during their time, the concept of generating a chance for yourself and linking up the play is alien to them, they think a strikers job is only to finish chances handed to them in a plate.

I don't even think Havertz should be a starting striker for an elite team and wanted to upgrade on him, but still he's the best we have got, and to even suggest that we are better without him and Ødegaard is absolutely ridiculous.

If you think that was the only highlight of Gyokeres in that game, shows that there is no need to discuss anything at all.

Frontline is not the issue, it was the midfield which was apparent when MLS started playing, but few people here are so stubborn thinking that the frontline consisting of Gyokeres isn't able to provide enough. Hence why during the season we had people piling up on him, undeservedly.

Nontheless Havertz is not the one striker who should start the remaining games.

 

[Batman]

Pep literally exists bro.

Also think we created quite a lot even if there weren’t a lot of big chances. Eze being more of the forward while Ode drops deep kind of worked imo (especially considering it’s the 1st time they played together with Kai) and imo two technical midfielders with good decision making and Rice behind them is almost impossible to break.

Ode was mostly pulling strings and Eze had one big chance and another half chance. Execution was off for both of them today and Kai was rusty but I wouldn’t call today a fail.

I think we need Eze’s final third ability but we also absolutely need Ode near Mosquera because he’s not really a factor in the final third. I suspect the latter especially is what led to MLS unfortunately being dropped.

I think you're spot on about this. It looks to me that in Arteta's brain, he almost assigns a value to each permutation of a lineup available to him and whatever he's decided he needs (be that a creativity value or a solidity value, some combo of the 2 etc), he's going to look to hit the combo that produces the value he's worked out in his mind over form or merit.

I think that's why we saw the madness with Rice at RB when Blanco was injured. In the moment he felt like that was the way to hit the sum that he had worked out was needed rather than the obvious move with Mosquera. Same with the instances against clubs we should have been brushing aside where he'd play Rice and Zubi together or that terrible Haram midfield 3 of Rice, Zubi and Merino to hit the permutation he felt would give him the right value for solidity.

 

[Morning_woody]

He needs to stop f*king around with the lineup. You feel that we unleashed Gyökeres in the last couple of games by playing more directly. Yesterday we went back to horshoe attacking patterns, time wasting and controlling the game.
There were acres of space behind Burnley defence and i counted 4-5 situations in the 1st half where we passed the ball in those areas but Havertz either failed to make the run or was out of position. That chance where Saka is clear on goal but gets tripped , that's where Gyökeres would be and he would score 9 out of 10 times.
Keeping Havertz on the pitch was another mistake that almost cost us the game. That decision was almost as atrocious as Zubi and Rice cameo against West Ham.

 

[boonthegoon]

 

[Jakarta]

Can't believe we finally saw Eze and Ødegaard as dual 10s. But Damn against a better team we would've been done on the counter. First time all season seeing the team having to do last ditch defending to stop counters.

Anyways, we looked a lot better in possession but just missing that livewire in attack who can change games on their own when teams are sitting deep.

 

[Trilly]

It’s our time now.

Arteta despite some of his flaws is comfortably the best manager in the league now. I hope saying this doesn’t make me look stupid next season

 

[HattoriHanzo]

It’s our time now.

Arteta despite some of his flaws is comfortably the best manager in the league now. I hope saying this doesn’t make me look stupid next season

I wouldn't say it, not yet.

 

[Trilly]

I wouldn't say it, not yet.

Slot getting one more season to balance last season’s silly transfer window.

Maresca with a a sensible structure around him

Alonso as Chelsea manager not head coach with a change in transfer strategy might be interesting too.

 

[BanterJenks]

He's the most stable of the bunch, that's for sure.

 

[El Duderino]

Slot getting one more season to balance last season’s silly transfer window.

Maresca with a a sensible structure around him

Alonso as Chelsea manager not head coach with a change in transfer strategy might be interesting too.

Just like Maresca, Alonso seems like a very good manager, but the difference here is I don't think Boehly is a good owner and won't give him the time to do his thing.

Their squad make up is also weird, you get the feeling it's going to be hard to churn a lot of those players who are tied up on five decade contracts.

Meanwhile, City will keep doing what they do in signing players left right and centre.

 

[El Duderino]

Slot getting one more season to balance last season’s silly transfer window.

Maresca with a a sensible structure around him

Alonso as Chelsea manager not head coach with a change in transfer strategy might be interesting too.

Just like Maresca, Alonso seems like a very good manager, but the difference here is I don't think Boehly is a good owner and won't give him the time to do his thing.

Their squad make up is also weird, you get the feeling it's going to be hard to churn a lot of those players who are tied up on five decade contracts.

Meanwhile, City will keep doing what they do in signing players left right and centre.

Worst thing coming from the Alonso appointment is not even that he's a good manager, btw.

It's that him and Mikel are, like, best chums and that means a lot more Chelsea rejects coming our way.

 

[UpTheChampionz]

Without the pressure of a league title looming next season, my manager will guide us to more free flowing ball. I except the summer acquisitions to reflect this will

We will be there
Vi kommer vara där
estaremos allí
wir werden da sein

سنكون هناك

 

[boonthegoon]

 

[Red London]

It’s our time now.

Arteta despite some of his flaws is comfortably the best manager in the league now. I hope saying this doesn’t make me look stupid next season

If we can just get this over the line.

SURELY he has learnt the attack needs more quality - even getting Trossard just back to form revitalised our season and may have won us this PL. With that and seeing how much the front footedness of playing an MLS in CM has positively affected us, I hope that Arteta has seen that the team needs to be a bit more pro active with the ball and that we need better players in the final third to take us to the next level.

If he gets that balance right between conservatism and pro activeness (it just needs a slight tweak towards pro activeness on the scale) then we can be a massive force.

 

[Iwobeast]

It’s our time now.

Arteta despite some of his flaws is comfortably the best manager in the league now. I hope saying this doesn’t make me look stupid next season

Needs to get in some quality forwards though, we're not going to dominate the league with this 'win by collective approach'

This summer might be the most important in recent history