Premier League 2020/2021: 10th is the new 8th

We've played 3 top 4 candidates this season, scored 1, conceded 5 and picked up 0 points. It doesn't look great does it?!

United next. If we lose that, we aren't finishing in the top 4.

 

Maybe, but I’m really starting to doubt that moving Auba central suddenly turns us into a goal machine. I think we should do it because we don’t have much choice! Lacazette is a waste of space in any position right now as far as I’m concerned, he’s done. Yesterday we needed players/attackers who could receive the ball in tight spaces because the middle was so congested and Auba isn’t very good at that either. So many of our front players struggle to get their first touch right and it’s so important, the only one who seems to be able to is a kid in Saka! I think Arteta deserves criticism and he’s over complicating it right now but I have my doubts about us whatever line up we put out

 

I'm a firm believer in Saka at AM. I don't think Auba up top will have us playing Tiki-taka but it will pressure defenders and he will out away the chances he gets unlike Lacazette

We play Lacazette as essentially a pressing number 10 but he can't play as a number 10 and gets knackered pressing

 

I personally wont say we cant finish in the top 4 until we are at least 25 games in. See where we're at and how we're performing around February after the Winter period.

 

In possession Auba is always looking to receive passes in channels and accelerate in behind. That alone will create more spaces for our inverted wingers to attack.

It doesn’t have to be a permanent change, but if we’re prepared to throw Nketiah at the problem we should be ready to trust a much more proven player like Auba there.

With Tierney and Saka, the left side is taken care of.

 

We can keep ignoring the signs if it helps people. 9 points out of 21 would be an awful start to a season for a team with top 4 ambitions. We need to start capitalising on the poor starts of United and Sp**s, not keeping them close and allowing teams like Leicester and Everton get a head start on us.

 

Easier said than done when you have Liverpool City and Leicester in a row.

Then united.

We need a few easier games in the league to break it up and get confidence back.

 

We can’t keep using fixtures as an excuse. Many of those sides were playing European football into late August while we were chilling.

We have a near full strength side and have recently beaten all of those very same sides in one off cup games.

If anything our counter attacking style is better suited to bigger teams who attack.

 

This run of games could well be season defining. Sheffield United, Man City, Leicester and United. All teams that finished ahead or around us. So far we've taken 3 from 9. We really need 6 now. Otherwise it's a massive dent in our aspirations.

Forgot about Liverpool for this as well. It's a very poor run of results. 3 from 12 as things stands.

 

The truth is there is still a long way to go. At this stage the gaps between all our rivals are in the region of up to 4 points which is realistically nothing. However, this last result against Leicester was very disappointing, its the kind of game we need to win to make top four and has made me lose hope for the first time this season. We will know more after the next half dozen games. But if Arteta can get the team to click , there is still hope.

 

We've beaten two of the bottom 3 clubs this season and an at time struggling West Ham at home. We were soundly beaten by Liverpool and Man City teams who took sound beatings from lesser opposition within 7 days of us playing them and were unlucky despite not scoring vs Leicester.

I can't fathom how fans are making excuses for our start to the season? We look awful and our only convincing win has been against bottom of the league.

 

One day I hope people will realize how poor this squad is.

 

I've been banging on this drum for so long, people just don't want to know. The fact that Partey and Gabriel have stood out so much is because they're so so so far ahead of all those around them. Only Tierney and Auba can really talk to them.

 

I think the disappointment is just from the fact that this will be such an open year. Every team is flawed and every team is beatable. Liverpool are favourites but they're without their most influential player. If we had just a decent defence and a decent attack that'd probably be enough for top 4 in a year like this.

But it doesn't matter how organised you are you're not getting anywhere if you can't create and score goals, and i'm not sure a cohesive attacking system can just materialise out of nothing. And right now there is pretty much nothing.

So on that basis I'd be surprised if this team got top 4.

 

Why is @Riou acting like he's the only one who realises how crap they are? Swear he was defending most of these players when we'd slag them off.

 

There’s enough turmoil at and near the top that flat-track-bullying will get you Top 4 this year, IMO.

 

I think we go overboard sometimes and I’m guilty of it too. Things aren’t black or white. Our players aren’t crap they’re just not as good as we think they are.

 

Mane elbow the same as that one from Burnley.

Of course that's not brought up.

 

even after that dismal result vs leicester, looking at other teams, we could in the race for 2nd/3rd if we get our **** together starting from Utd. Forwards really need to be clinical though. Liverpool and Sp**s are so clinical, even if they are not playing well, they are able to get the 3 points.

 

We're not going anywhere until we can figure out a way to defend while still offering a consistent threat going forward. If you set out to play like London Stoke City you will end up in the same places in the table that they occupy. We need to figure out a way to create and put away chances over the 90 rather than playing dreadful football for all but a spurt and hoping we score enough in that patch.