Draw Premier League: Southampton 1 - 1 Arsenal | Sunday 23rd, October | KO: 14:00 BST | Sky Sports

Let's try and keep our concentration up. Southampton are a very high energy and high pressing team just like Leeds. We should not allow ourself to be put under the cosh like the Leeds game.

Prediction

Southampton 0-2 Arsenal

 

[Riou]

Time for some perspective...



...only our second disappointing result in our first twelve games, we are doing brilliantly!

 

[Nunowoolmez]

Time for some perspective...



...only our second disappointing result in our first twelve games, we are doing brilliantly!

Exactly.

If someone had offered at start of season inc EL our stats would be...

P15 W13 D1 L1

We would have snapped their hand off !

 

[pigge]

Time for some perspective...



...only our second disappointing result in our first twelve games, we are doing brilliantly!

City doing better than last year, and we are doing better than them

 

[Farzad Stoned]

Well, I'm more inclined to trust someone who's had a career in football than a forum fan.

Let's see where we finish at the end of the season. The title is never gonna be attainable for us this year, the objective is securing top 4 & we are well on our way with that.

Did you stop to think that maybe we just dont have a strong enough squad yet for Arteta to consider rotating more. We just dont & that's it. Let's hope we pick up a player or 2 in Jan & then in summer we can really strengthen.

I really wish we didnt extend Eddie, he a nice lad n all, but hes just not the quality we need.

So you basically agree with me, I trusted Arteta to till he singlehandedly botched CL because he didn’t strengthen a thin squad. I see the same issues again this season if we don’t strengthen

 

[MartiSaka]

Exactly.

If someone had offered at start of season inc EL our stats would be...

P15 W13 D1 L1

We would have snapped their hand off !

Yes excellent overall, it cannot be denied. But we can still critique the performance levels in a local sense i.e. the last 4 games. Its concerning to me, however, if we can improve performance levels without spiraling into a full slump with additional dropped points, then its been a good outcome over this drop off period.

 

[Nunowoolmez]

So you basically agree with me, I trusted Arteta to till he singlehandedly botched CL because he didn’t strengthen a thin squad. I see the same issues again this season if we don’t strengthen

Not sure how you came to that conclusion. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you, simply trying to inject some reason & perspective onto what you are saying.

Sometimes the way you make very animated arguments makes it seem as tho running a football club & managing a team is easy & it's like a computer game. In reality none of us have a clue about the intricacies of managing a big club. We're just fans. That's it.

Arsenal have begun to manage player sales & purchases for the long term good & within the financial constraints which were present at the time. We are not a Utd or Chelsea who can just throw money around & hope some of it sticks. The owner seems on board with the manager & is backing him.

We are doing ok & are on an upward curve, the club has an identity & the atmosphere in the ground is the best it's been for, well ever. There is a connection with fans & players & the team is united & playing as one & for me, I'm happy with all that.

I am confident we will finish in top 4 & then we can start talking about bigger objectives.

 

[Farzad Stoned]

Not sure how you came to that conclusion. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you, simply trying to inject some reason & perspective onto what you are saying.

Sometimes the way you make very animated arguments makes it seem as tho running a football club & managing a team is easy & it's like a computer game. In reality none of us have a clue about the intricacies of managing a big club. We're just fans. That's it.

Arsenal have begun to manage player sales & purchases for the long term good & within the financial constraints which were present at the time. We are not a Utd or Chelsea who can just throw money around & hope some of it sticks. The owner seems on board with the manager & is backing him.

We are doing ok & are on an upward curve, the club has an identity & the atmosphere in the ground is the best it's been for, well ever. There is a connection with fans & players & the team is united & playing as one & for me, I'm happy with all that.

I am confident we will finish in top 4 & then we can start talking about bigger objectives.

I’ll believe it when I see it

 

[Nunowoolmez]

Yes excellent overall, it cannot be denied. But we can still critique the performance levels in a local sense i.e. the last 4 games. Its concerning to me, however, if we can improve performance levels without spiraling into a full slump with additional dropped points, then its been a good outcome over this drop off period.

Yup, I hear you.
I think if we can manage this recent period & come out of it considering a bunch of 1 nil wins & a draw a 'slump', we are doing pretty well !

In past seasons many of these recent games would have been different results I think, & when I say different I mean losses.

 

[Nunowoolmez]

I’ll believe it when I see it

Fck me. Is your middle name doomngloom ???

 

[Farzad Stoned]

Fck me. Is your middle name doomngloom ???

I haven’t been in a good mood since 2018 lol

 

[freeglennhelder2]

Time for some perspective...



...only our second disappointing result in our first twelve games, we are doing brilliantly!

Wait...you mean to tell me Man City have improved since last season?

 

[Sapient Hawk]

Of all the monumental ****-ups the imbecilic referee commited on Sunday, none infuriate me more than the fact that he allowed that f*cker Lyanco to remain on the pitch after two red card offenses.

Once when he strikes Jesus in the back & then putting his hands on Nketiah!

Frustrating that we've kept Hassenhutl stealing a living for yet another week

 

[Sapient Hawk]

Have we discussed their goal yet?


Who's at fault here?

View attachment 10094

If we had put one our multiple chances away in the first half when were blitzing Southampton's box with opportunities, the goal would've simply been an admirable opposition team goal.

We just have to be more clinincal in games where referees are clearly being intransigent.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

Well, I'm more inclined to trust someone who's had a career in football than a forum fan.

Let's see where we finish at the end of the season. The title is never gonna be attainable for us this year, the objective is securing top 4 & we are well on our way with that.

Did you stop to think that maybe we just dont have a strong enough squad yet for Arteta to consider rotating more. We just dont & that's it. Let's hope we pick up a player or 2 in Jan & then in summer we can really strengthen.

I really wish we didnt extend Eddie, he a nice lad n all, but hes just not the quality we need.

This does not get stressed enough.

He showed glimpses atcthe business end of last season but nothing that would merit a generous new contract!

 

[Deleted member 102404]

This does not get stressed enough.

He showed glimpses atcthe business end of last season but nothing that would merit a generous new contract!

TBH he showed more than glimpses. He scored 5 in the 8 games he started in.
Said it before , but worth repeating , he has scored 25 first team goals in what amounts to a single seasons worth of minutes.
His finishing is a problem like many in our team, however I give him more leeway because he’s in and out of the team all the time. Hard to be a top finisher under those circumstances … pressure is huge to convert and you simply end up with less chances from not playing enough minutes.
The Nketiah criticism from our own fans is a little (a lot) unfair imo.

 

[Deleted member 102404]

This is such an overreaction. He’s just fatigued.

Jesus has played less minutes than Kane and Haaland. A lot less than Kane… like 25% less. I don’t think it’s fatigue. He’s just going through a spell of poor finishing. I don’t see anything else in his game that is dropping off.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

TBH he showed more than glimpses. He scored 5 in the 8 games he started in.
Said it before , but worth repeating , he has scored 25 first team goals in what amounts to a single seasons worth of minutes.
His finishing is a problem like many in our team, however I give him more leeway because he’s in and out of the team all the time. Hard to be a top finisher under those circumstances … pressure is huge to convert and you simply end up with less chances from not playing enough minutes.
The Nketiah criticism from our own fans is a little (a lot) unfair imo.

I'm not asking for him to be benched

Just think that rewarding him on the back of his, no doubt, excellent return was somewhat short sighted by management as there were better options out there.

You can't tell me we couldn't have got Toney in the summer after Brentford secured their PL status for another season at a reasonable price.

Even Danny Ings would've been a good call. Both are stronger physically on the ball & more accomplished then Nketiah. Additionally, as Ings had slready played at a big club, his wages (similar to Nketiah) wouldn't have been viewed with surprise by us.

Sufficecit to say, he should be moved on in the summer whilst we can get something for him & recruit adequately fir what, hopefully, will be a CL campaign next season.

 

[Deleted member 102404]

I'm not asking for him to be benched

Just think that rewarding him on the back of his, no doubt, excellent return was somewhat short sighted by management as there were better options out there.

You can't tell me we couldn't have got Toney in the summer after Brentford secured their PL status for another season at a reasonable price.

Even Danny Ings would've been a good call. Both are stronger physically on the ball & more accomplished then Nketiah. Additionally, as Ings had slready played at a big club, his wages (similar to Nketiah) wouldn't have been viewed with surprise by us.

Sufficecit to say, he should be moved on in the summer whilst we can get something for him & recruit adequately fir what, hopefully, will be a CL campaign next season.

Lok at it this way - if he had of left we would have only received an arbitration based amount of money (if he stayed in England) and nothing if he went abroad.
If it doesn't work out this year we can sell him for £20m (ish) as he's now on a long term contract. He's a player who will score close to 1 in 2 games no matter what level he plays. Our investment over the year would have been about £5m.
It was actually very smart financially to give him the contract and it was a decision that was based combination of business and football - good financially and still hope he will develop further. (at least that is what it appears to be)
Whether we'd have been better off going for an Ings or Toney as a back up is another debate, for sure - but I am not, however, sure either would have come to sit on the bench.

 

[Heavy Duty Rom]

Jesus has played less minutes than Kane and Haaland. A lot less than Kane… like 25% less. I don’t think it’s fatigue. He’s just going through a spell of poor finishing. I don’t see anything else in his game that is dropping off.

Look at the work he gets through compared to them two. Also, you are somewhat right, he's not the best finisher. But, if he was, he'd still be at City or be at Madrid or Barca.

The overreation on here has been way over the top. I think his biggest problem is he works so hard to make a chance for himself that by the time it comes to finishing he can't compose himself and end up snatching at the ball or giving a tired finish.

He's never been the cleanest of finishers, but what he offers in invaluable to this team. with the work he gets through, he shouldn't be playing the EL, not until the latter stages. The same goes for Martinelli.