Mikel Arteta | Lego Pep watch

Zoo

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He can’t stand on the pitch well out of his technical area during penalty shootouts
 

GoonerBear

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Sporting deserved that because of their 2nd half performance. Can't work out if we were so poor or Sporting were so good.
 

Chief123

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He has hair
As opposed to the guy that took the winning penalty.

That was quite possibly the most horrific comb over attempt I’ve ever seen. The ref should have made him take the penalty again due to the thinning fringe encroaching.
 

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This one is on him tonight. Had them absolutely penned in with saka, partey and Odegaard on. Probably would have buried the game with them and jesus at the start.
 

GoonerGirly

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This one is on him tonight. Had them absolutely penned in with saka, partey and Odegaard on. Probably would have buried the game with them and jesus at the start.
Yeh can't disagree. I think he prioritised the league and gambled with the squad players. We did well in the first half but the 2nd was a disaster. Vieira should have come off way earlier, he was having a mare. That being said, we lost 2 defenders in the opening 20 minutes (Saliba and Tomi) which would have screwed up his subs. Think it shows we still have a way to go for squad depth, esp with CL next year (I shudder to think).
 

Gfooty

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Arteta is an idiot. Should've run A team from start, finish first half with 2 or 3-0 up and rest players after. This is on him
 

AshRK

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Yeh can't disagree. I think he prioritised the league and gambled with the squad players. We did well in the first half but the 2nd was a disaster. Vieira should have come off way earlier, he was having a mare. That being said, we lost 2 defenders in the opening 20 minutes (Saliba and Tomi) which would have screwed up his subs. Think it shows we still have a way to go for squad depth, esp with CL next year (I shudder to think).
I don't like any manager without achieving much throwing away competition. He got done by sporting manager but the attitude of let us focus on one competition doesn't sit well with me.

So what happens if he bottles the league as well. Zero trophy for all the hype doesn't look good. Just adds unnecessary pressure. Should have taken this seriously.
 

suheilsworld

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Can't stand him. Would pay real money if it meant City won the league over Arsenal :lol:
This and a 100 times this. I posten the below in the Arsenal thread and will post again

Arsenal are a decent club but if it wasn't for Arteta I would have been ok them winning the league over City. But I cannot stand his antics around the technical area and the way he simply cannot understand that he has to stay in the technical area. I can understand that if a decision goes wrong or something you have to share with your players, you forget and then go out of the technical area. But this twat is always standing outside it. Its blatant disregard to the rule and by doing it he is saying I do not care!
I know this might sound like a rant and it is but only for this I would love it if they win nothing this year.
 

GoonerGirly

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I don't like any manager without achieving much throwing away competition. He got done by sporting manager but the attitude of let us focus on one competition doesn't sit well with me.

So what happens if he bottles the league as well. Zero trophy for all the hype doesn't look good. Just adds unnecessary pressure. Should have taken this seriously.
I agree but I think realistically, we don't have the squad depth to compete at the highest level on multiple fronts. We are definitely moving in the right direction, but not quite there.

Not too long ago I was singing a different tune and didn't like that we seemed OK to get knocked out of FA Cup. I also blame our wobble in that run of games vs Everton, Brentford and City on the FA Cup loss. I felt it was too early to be putting all our eggs in one basket.

But now, with 11 games left, I think Arteta made the right decision to try to manage the squad and prioritise the league. Im sure my tune may change again if City end up winning it, such is the roller coaster ride of a title race.
 

TheReligion

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I agree but I think realistically, we don't have the squad depth to compete at the highest level on multiple fronts. We are definitely moving in the right direction, but not quite there.

Not too long ago I was singing a different tune and didn't like that we seemed OK to get knocked out of FA Cup. I also blame our wobble in that run of games vs Everton, Brentford and City on the FA Cup loss. I felt it was too early to be putting all our eggs in one basket.

But now, with 11 games left, I think Arteta made the right decision to try to manage the squad and prioritise the league. Im sure my tune may change again if City end up winning it, such is the roller coaster ride of a title race.
You see I just don’t get it.

You weren’t good enough to compete in more than one competition which is a worry given Arteta has had nearly 4 years squad building.

I think this suggestion that Arsenal decided to not bother is quite arrogant too (not you specifically). Ultimately all the first team were involved in both cup exits. They just weren’t good enough.
 

The Corinthian

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‘we don’t have the squad depth oh noes!’

Despite signing 15(!) players in the last two seasons. I think only Chelsea have signed more out of the top 6.
 

GoonerGirly

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You see I just don’t get it.

You weren’t good enough to compete in more than one competition which is a worry given Arteta has had nearly 4 years squad building.

I think this suggestion that Arsenal decided to not bother is quite arrogant too (not you specifically). Ultimately all the first team were involved in both cup exits. They just weren’t good enough.
I agree about the arrogance re: prioritising competitions. I didn't like that we did it in FA Cup vs City, but now that we're in the home stretch of the league, I am more inclined to agree with it at this stage. It will be interesting how we do next season in CL - if we don't have enough for EL it doesn't look promising for the harder comp. But can't think about that right now.

‘we don’t have the squad depth oh noes!’

Despite signing 15(!) players in the last two seasons. I think only Chelsea have signed more out of the top 6.
Looking at incoming players only doesn't really paint the whole picture. All that means is Arteta has completely overhauled our squad - he has gotten rid of the deadwood and those who don't fit his style of play.
Taking a trip down memory lane, our squad when Arteta joined:

Leno
Maitland-Niles - Luiz - Sokratis (Mustafi) - Saka
Torreira - Xhaka - Ozil (Willock)
Pepe - Auba - Laca (Nelson)

Of that, only 3 players (Saka, Nelson & Xhaka) are still here. We now have a very good first XI (plus Trossard & Jorginho I think), but our squad overall is a bit thin. We're also the 2nd youngest team in the league (Southampton is youngest). Now if we're looking at just the cost of first team squads, Arsenal are 5th and cost 531mil euros. Chelsea (1.01bil), Man City (960mil), Man United (876mil) & Liverpool (709mil) all spent more to assemble their squads.
 

MUFC OK

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When they bottle the league will return to the comments about how this was a planned exit etc.
 

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I agree about the arrogance re: prioritising competitions. I didn't like that we did it in FA Cup vs City, but now that we're in the home stretch of the league, I am more inclined to agree with it at this stage. It will be interesting how we do next season in CL - if we don't have enough for EL it doesn't look promising for the harder comp. But can't think about that right now.



Looking at incoming players only doesn't really paint the whole picture. All that means is Arteta has completely overhauled our squad - he has gotten rid of the deadwood and those who don't fit his style of play.
Taking a trip down memory lane, our squad when Arteta joined:

Leno
Maitland-Niles - Luiz - Sokratis (Mustafi) - Saka
Torreira - Xhaka - Ozil (Willock)
Pepe - Auba - Laca (Nelson)

Of that, only 3 players (Saka, Nelson & Xhaka) are still here. We now have a very good first XI (plus Trossard & Jorginho I think), but our squad overall is a bit thin. We're also the 2nd youngest team in the league (Southampton is youngest). Now if we're looking at just the cost of first team squads, Arsenal are 5th and cost 531mil euros. Chelsea (1.01bil), Man City (960mil), Man United (876mil) & Liverpool (709mil) all spent more to assemble their squads.
You give Arteta a free pass to replace a whole squad. Then completely ignore what Klopp had to do. Klopp got big money players a season at a time over seven seasons. Not one big sploosh like Arteta. Your bias is clear. Understandable, every fan has it.
 

GoonerGirly

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You give Arteta a free pass to replace a whole squad. Then completely ignore what Klopp had to do. Klopp got big money players a season at a time over seven seasons. Not one big sploosh like Arteta. Your bias is clear. Understandable, every fan has it.
I'm not sure where this comment comes from, but I actually admire what Klopp has done at Liverpool. It's nothing short of brilliant how you've been competing at the highest level considering the machine that is Man City. I can only hope Arteta can do the same with us over several years. Though I don't think Arteta has done it in one big sploosh - it's taken him 3 years to rebuild our squad. It's only really the first time that the fruits of his labour are very evident, and it's come as a surprise to everyone this season.
 

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You see I just don’t get it.

You weren’t good enough to compete in more than one competition which is a worry given Arteta has had nearly 4 years squad building.

I think this suggestion that Arsenal decided to not bother is quite arrogant too (not you specifically). Ultimately all the first team were involved in both cup exits. They just weren’t good enough.
He didn’t say ‘not bother’, did he, or even use it as an excuse? I think it’s fairly straightforward. Did Arsenal start their best 11? No, clearly not, with Partey, Ødegaard and Saka on the bench. Why not? Obviously to rotate with the long season in mind. Is it cowardice? No, it’s a strategical calculation, prioritizing a possible league title fight over a possible Europa League run. Is it smart? Who knows. Every manager rotates, every manager prioritizes. Ten Hag has played strong 11’s for many games, and fields Bruno and Rashford in nearly all games. Yet he also has rotated, and primarily for cup games. He’s not in a title run, though, and other trophies may have a bigger priotitization value. It’s not about arrogance. Solskjær and Klopp recently have potentially suffered going for four cups too fully, to end up short towards the run in of the season. It’s a legitimate question to ponder.
‘we don’t have the squad depth oh noes!’

Despite signing 15(!) players in the last two seasons. I think only Chelsea have signed more out of the top 6.
Quite like us, except that Arsenal are actually challenging for a league title.
 

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I'm not sure where this comment comes from, but I actually admire what Klopp has done at Liverpool. It's nothing short of brilliant how you've been competing at the highest level considering the machine that is Man City. I can only hope Arteta can do the same with us over several years. Though I don't think Arteta has done it in one big sploosh - it's taken him 3 years to rebuild our squad. It's only really the first time that the fruits of his labour are very evident, and it's come as a surprise to everyone this season.
Apologies if my post came across a bit too aggressive. The comparisons you made were deliberately or unconsciously misleading. You quoted 700+ million (Euros?) when that is Klopp's total gross expenditure including expensive players he's bought in his 7th season.

What you should have done was quote how much Liverpool, City and Utd spent in the same timeframe as Arteta, i.e. three years. In comparison, that's a huge sploosh.
 

Tarrou

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Arteta is the only reason I want Arsenal to lose the league

he's such an annoying little fecker :lol:
 

SuperiorXI

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Arteta is the only reason I want Arsenal to lose the league

he's such an annoying little fecker :lol:
Yeah, him and their fanbase, they're so arrogant this season after being so shit for so long. I saw someone tweet the other day about elite managers and they included him in the list :lol:
 

GoonerGirly

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Apologies if my post came across a bit too aggressive. The comparisons you made were deliberately or unconsciously misleading. You quoted 700+ million (Euros?) when that is Klopp's total gross expenditure including expensive players he's bought in his 7th season.

What you should have done was quote how much Liverpool, City and Utd spent in the same timeframe as Arteta, i.e. three years. In comparison, that's a huge sploosh.
No it wasn’t too aggressive I just thought I missed something.
The numbers I quoted were what the clubs’ current first team squads cost to assemble (yes in Euros). I tried to look at just 3 years but it was too difficult, most sources are only up to the past summer. I couldn’t find the info in one neat package. I imagine though that Arsenal would be high on the list (probably behind Chelsea). The board has clearly decided to trust and back Arteta in a way they didn’t with Emery and even Wenger to some extent. They have allowed Arteta to completely overhaul the squad in the past 3 years, hence why we’ve had to spend a lot. I didn’t mean to suggest we haven’t spent, we clearly have.
 

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No it wasn’t too aggressive I just thought I missed something.
The numbers I quoted were what the clubs’ current first team squads cost to assemble (yes in Euros). I tried to look at just 3 years but it was too difficult, most sources are only up to the past summer. I couldn’t find the info in one neat package. I imagine though that Arsenal would be high on the list (probably behind Chelsea). The board has clearly decided to trust and back Arteta in a way they didn’t with Emery and even Wenger to some extent. They have allowed Arteta to completely overhaul the squad in the past 3 years, hence why we’ve had to spend a lot. I didn’t mean to suggest we haven’t spent, we clearly have.
The club have done the right thing. Arteta is achieving fantastically where others could have squandered this money. He needs to make sure it's not a one season thing though.
 

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He didn’t say ‘not bother’, did he, or even use it as an excuse? I think it’s fairly straightforward. Did Arsenal start their best 11? No, clearly not, with Partey, Ødegaard and Saka on the bench. Why not? Obviously to rotate with the long season in mind. Is it cowardice? No, it’s a strategical calculation, prioritizing a possible league title fight over a possible Europa League run. Is it smart? Who knows. Every manager rotates, every manager prioritizes. Ten Hag has played strong 11’s for many games, and fields Bruno and Rashford in nearly all games. Yet he also has rotated, and primarily for cup games. He’s not in a title run, though, and other trophies may have a bigger priotitization value. It’s not about arrogance. Solskjær and Klopp recently have potentially suffered going for four cups too fully, to end up short towards the run in of the season. It’s a legitimate question to ponder.


Quite like us, except that Arsenal are actually challenging for a league title.
What is this ? A sensible post about Arteta ? :confused: You're doing it wrong, you're supposed to join the barking hound !

If we don't win the league it will clearly be a big disapointment but i won't be looking at this tie with regrets. The bet almost paid off, the margins were very slim. We could have won this 1-0 or 2-1 resting our 3 best players but instead we're out, got 120mins of effort, lost one defender probably for the remainder of the season and a knock to Saliba.
Hopefully they can regroup and have a strong month of April while City has to play Bayern.
 

GoonerGirly

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If we don't win the league it will clearly be a big disapointment but i won't be looking at this tie with regrets. The bet almost paid off, the margins were very slim. We could have won this 1-0 or 2-1 resting our 3 best players but instead we're out, got 120mins of effort, lost one defender probably for the remainder of the season and a knock to Saliba.
Earlier in the season I woudnt have agreed with prioritising comps, but the position we now find ourselves in - 5 points clear and 11 games to go - is too tempting not to prioritise the league. Arteta almost pulled it off - if we didn’t lose two defenders early in the game, it may have been different. On another day we would have won the shoot out. Margins, as always at this level, are always fine. And poor Tomi, he just can’t catch a break with injuries.
 

GoonerGirly

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The club have done the right thing. Arteta is achieving fantastically where others could have squandered this money. He needs to make sure it's not a one season thing though.
Yes I hope we’re not back to missing out on top 4 again next season. Considering the age of our squad and the profile of players we are willing to pay big money for (generally young players), I think Arteta is rebuilding with the future in mind to ensure he has a team for the next 5 years or so. Rumours also suggest we’re in for at least one big MF signing in the summer (Rice, Caceido though he just signed a deal with Brighton), which indicates succession planning for Xhaka/Partey, or he knows we need more for CL next season. Partey has never been reliable for us from a fitness perspective anyway.