Arsenal 3.15 - 0.55 Fulham. Not sure how were fortunate not to lose against Fulham
Arsenal 2.53 - 0.98 Man Utd. United created nothing in our game other that that goal.
Arsenal 2023/24 - Born to be runner up
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Arsenal 2.53 - 0.98 Man Utd. United created nothing in our game other that that goal.
Which is crazy considering they’ve spent a combined £170m on 2 midfielders yet still miss Granit fecking Xhaka.
I would agree with this, in that Partey is better at progressing the ball forward compared to Rice. As purely a DM Rice is arguably better than Partey. I think Arteta is still trying to evolve our play, try new formations and bed the new players in. I also think CL this season is an additional challenge, and IMO some of our players (eg Odegaard) looked gassed vs Spurs after about 30min. We're not used to playing 3 games a week and will need to adapt to that.
It will be interesting to see what Arteta does when Partey is back - does he persist with Partey at RB inverted into midfield? Or now that Zinchenko is also back does he have Rice-Partey-Odegaard? He has hinted that he wants to develop Rice's attacking play and move him further forward.
I think our depth (which is being tested now that we have a few injuries) is better than last season, which is what was needed with CL. Our starting XI isn't better than last season (yet), but I don't think there's been a huge dropoff - we're 1 point off where we were at this stage last season, but we've had a tougher start too (with CL thrown in). But unfortunately City have started the season stronger than they did the last. If City typically up their level in the second half of the season, then no one will catch them.
You didn't watch those games, did you?
You keep making this argument, but i dont think ive seen any Arsenal fan that believes we are 94+ point team, which is what the 19 game run would add up to. It's just that most don't agree with your assessment that we are a 65-70 point team either, especially given your logic behind it.Even last season you didn't achieve 89 points, you think this season you can achieve that? Anyway.
The Obsession with 19 games as you say it.. Is and I have said it countless times here, if you remove the first 19 games of 2022-23 season in Arteta reign at Arsenal it all comes down to a very standard range of around 30-35 points since 2019.
Most of Arsenal fans live off the first 19 games form of 2022. This is the main problem I have had in this forum. Remove it. Arsenal level through 4 years is almost identical.
So the same pattern is almost being replicated here now. In 10 games range - win 6, lose points in 4 games then Arsenal level over the years will be maintained.
Honestly (& i'm known for my level headedness around these parts), i see us now that our base level should be as an 80 point team in my opinion. Not saying we are defo going to get that, but that should be our level imho. To improve on that, we need a bit of a fair wind like we got in the opening half of last season, with a bit of luck with injuries and form etc.
I just don't see us as a 90+ point team currently, which is what it would take to beat City to a title.
Who is is challenging City this season? Chelsea are a train wreck that has caught on fire and a passenger jet crash landed on. United have been poor to very poor overall, the thing is they have passages of play here and there for 20mins or so and you think "ok here we go". Then it is back to poor to very poor again. Spurs are 1 injury away from exploding, Son goes Richarlison is 1st choice, Maddison goes Lo Celso is first choice, Romero or VDV goes and Dier comes back onto the field. Id put Brighton in that same category. Newcastle have European football to content with, plus two Cups and the prem, will see how they get on.
Liverpool and Arsenal are the only two you look at and think, they are long odds, but hopefully ... maybe?
Dunno about mathrait, but I watched both games. I also, funnily enough, consume quite a bit of Arsenal related content. RedCafe is pretty much the only place you'll find the opinion that we should have lost those games.
You hardly dominated any of the games convincingly. Fulham were 10 men and you were leading and yet the last 10 minutes fulham created better chances and even scored. If not for ramsdale solid save you would have lost.
Same with United. United were not good and any strong side would have thrashed us but you let us dominate the ball in the first half and were saved by VAR. I am not saying you deserved to lose that day but a 3-1 result was flattering you.
Spurs played better football than you lot this weekend which was a strange sight. You guys hardly looked like a side that were fighting for the title but a side competing for top 4 based on these 3 games.
No one is saying you are a crap side but all most are suggesting is you guys are not looking like a side that would challenge city for the title this season based on the 6 games, which should be a worry.
We'll put yours down to inability to read/comprehend posts then!
The way that they build the game is nowhere near as good as it was last season. So much of their play was built from Xhaka peeling to the left flank where he would get space to get his head up, while Zinchenko would come into midfield as he works better in the tight spaces. That dynamic isn't there anymore, and their midfield and left side is made up of different player profiles. It will take them a bit to get that fluidity again, but they are doing well to be winning games and picking up points while not playing great. Helped by having some elite individuals in key areas obviously.
Xg in the United game was very even at the 90 min mark. The extra xg came between 90-98 mins, in which we had a hodge podge back 4 on the pitch.
That game was very even, and you could argue that Arsenal were slightly lucky with a few decisions.
Arsenal haven't been convincing in any of their PL games tbh
Exactly, not sure how is that so difficult to understand. On one hand they want to be compared to City but when people point out that they are not looking that good they get upset.
I fekcing cannot stand Arteta for some reason. He is an absolute joker, pranking his way out of here. Arsenal play decent footy, but my god what an irritating bloke. Total joker on the touchline. Klopp lite.
Indeed, what AshRK said was...
Not exactly wildly different, but I stand corrected. A quick look at the BBC match stats reflects what most viewers could see from watching the games...
Arsenal vs Fulham
Possession: 71/29
Shots: 19/8
Shots on Target: 11/3
Corners: 8/3
Arsenal vs United
Possession: 55/45
Shots: 17/10
Shots on Target: 5/2
Corners: 12/3
We were behind for less than a minute across the two games.
It's true that Arsenal haven't clicked yet, but there's a ton of revisionism going on.
Again you are failing to understand basic things. Re read my post that I replied to you and come back.
No one is saying you are a crap side but just are pointing out that you are not looking that good based on 6 PL games this season. Dominance is what city did to fulham or what brighton did to United. We looked comfortable against you for most of the game till we conceded a silly goal in the 94th minute of the game. You guys looked far threatening when we met last season, won't you agree?
I’m not saying anyone is calling us a crap side. Or that our displays match the dominance of City’s. But both Havertz and Saka missed 1v1 chances from close range against you. And we still won by two goals in a match where we were on top in every metric. I don’t see that as a lucky win. I don’t think many non-United fans do.
But yes, I do agree that we are less threatening than last year. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, our midfield lacks balance. More of our goals are coming from individuals skill or isolated team moves than last year. We’re giving up less chances, but that has come at the cost of our attacking fluency.
We’ve definitely got issues to address.
Agree that's a big part of it, but we've barely seen Zinchenko and Martinelli in the same team this season so far, or even Zinchenko and Trossard. That's before you factor in whoever replaces Xhaka in that system.
It's not an excuse, as all teams have injuries, especially Utd, but if the play looks a bit patchy at times, it reflects the team looking a bit patchy at times. Again, something we need to learn to cope with rather than an excuse.
I was disappointed that after Jesus looking so sharp against PSV, that Arteta moved him out left because of the Martinelli and Trossard injuries. I'd rather have seen Jesus up there with Smith-Rowe starting from the left hand side. Think the selection of both Nketiah and Jesus was a poor one to be honest.
I'll say it again, my main grievance isn't in our overall performances. My main grievance is the cheap goals we give away at home. A counter attack from a corner vs Forest when 2-0 up and comfortable.
A sloppy opener vs Fulham in 1st minute, then not picking up from a corner injury time.
A goal vs Utd with their 1st real shot on goal.
Jorginho getting robbed of possession seconds after going 2-1 up vs Spurs.
Poor poor goals to concede. You can play as well as you want, concede goals like that you are always fighting an uphill battle.
Agreed. I'd rather have seen Smith-Rowe or Nelson. I don't like weakening two positions by moving players around when we can use our squad. And if we must play Nketiah and Jesus together, I'd prefer Jesus CF and Nketiah LW.
We're conceded less chances, but the ones we do are laying goals on a plate for the opposition. We need to cut out the individual defensive errors quickly or we're in for a disappointing season.
How bad are the rest of the teams in the league that we finished second last season despite all of this? This is shocking
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It’s an absolute horror show. And that compilation doesn’t even include collective errors, like the injury time equaliser Fulham scored.
We got unlucky with Timber’s injury, but I really wish we’d spent the Havertz money on another composed defender to keep our current options on their toes.
Vieira, Smith-Roe and Trossard could all play in the left 8 position and be either as good, or better than, Havertz. Whereas cuttting out those defensive errors would literally have made us Champions last season.
I did. But I wouldn't even need to, to disagree with that.
I'm assuming you didn't watch the Fulham game, so going by the stats Daydreamer quoted, you think we were lucky to not lose against a team that had 29% possession and only 1 shot on target (other than their 1st fluke goal and a smash and grab corner)?
Exactly the type of shit I was talking about, I'd be expecting my 12 year old son to be defending better than that with his local team.
I don't even know if it's just a defence thing. A couple of Ramsdale errors in there, players like Saka, Jorginho, Trossard losing the ball in dangerous areas as well. If I was Arteta I'd be stressing constantly the need for clean sheets at home, almost demanding them. None in our 4 home games so far, yet clean sheets in both our away games. It's mental.
Because classic managers like Wenger or Ferguson were such gentlemen on the touchline. SAF is a god around these parts and he ranted all the time, abused refs, fans, etc. and later on also defended Mourinho's antics. This is such a silly thing to hate managers for. Everyone wants more personality and characters in the game but at the same time everyone needs to be an emotionless robot.
When Arteta wins the amount of trophies SAF or Mourinho did, build teams over and over again like they did, I will let his over acting on the touchline slide.
Great logic right there.
Arteta has continued to play someone on bail for being a serial rapist. There's a distinct difference between accepting such behaviour and berating incompetent refereeing.
The original post was about touchline antics, wtf does this have to do with it?
The fact that SAF and Wenger behaved tactically for a sporting advantage whereas Arteta is just a cnut.
ok then
Jose and SAF were winners and yes rival fans hated that for their bully personality. Arteta just comes across as nothing like the successful manager. He acts like a 10 year old kid who feels he is entitled for things without achieving anything great. Give hime 2 more seasons with zero trophies and more bottling then you will be equally irritated with him.
I won't, the same way I don't get irritated with klopp or mourinho or whoever. I honestly don't care much how managers behave on the touchline unless it's something really serious. I just find it funny people pointing out annoying things about arteta that tons of managers before also did, including beloved managers like saf or wenger.
Of course now the goal posts seem to be moving to "oh but if you win cups you can be a dick" which is also pretty funny and odd.
Saka, Trossard, Vieira, Saliba, Martinelli and Rice could miss Bournemouth. This is too much, hopefully the PL does the right thing and postpone the game.
Yes , for the sanctity of the league ,this should definitely happen.
Let arteta pick 6 bournemouth players to stay home.
Sorry if I was the one to break it to you that your manager is a chopper.ok then
Their midfield passing has stagnated, no direction, no creativity or anyone dictating it.
Right, arteta pressuring a ref is being a cnut, mourinho pressuring a ref is tactical behavior. Haters gonna hate, as kids say these days.
He's right, Arteta could learn alot from Wenger tbhok then
Regarding touchline behavior? Wenger was a piece of work.
Sporadically. Plus Wenger wasn't dictating the game for his players and coaching their every move.