Mikel Arteta | Lego Pep watch

Pogue Mahone

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"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
Was Nunez being benched not Klopp's decision though? He didnt start either of the pervious games vs us either, he seems to like bringing him on 2nd half vs games against us.

Edit: Just checked last season as well, he started 1 out the 2 games, so in 5 games vs Arsenal he's only started once.
he left Anfield in a protective boot having played for more than an hour with a foot problem which may keep him out of Sunday’s clash at the Emirates.

"I don’t know if Darwin will be available or not because after 20 minutes someone stepped on his foot (and it was) very painful after the game," said Klopp.

"He only took the boot the game off after the game because he didn’t want to see it before. He knew there was something.

"Nothing broken, X-ray clear but swollen. We have to see if he can get his foot back in a football boot or not. That takes time."
Definitely not a tactical decision.
 

Rooney in Paris

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You okay, bruv?
I was just being silly mate :D Not to be taken seriously, though I know sometimes tone can be difficult to infer from an online post.

I didn't see the game yesterday but I do find Arteta to be a genuinely strange person - not just annoying as an oppo manager can be, I find him seriously strange. I also believe I'd be able to recognise that if he were managing the team I support. :)
 

Daydreamer

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I was just being silly mate :D Not to be taken seriously, though I know sometimes tone can be difficult to infer from an online post.

I didn't see the game yesterday but I do find Arteta to be a genuinely strange person - not just annoying as an oppo manager can be, I find him seriously strange. I also believe I'd be able to recognise that if he were managing the team I support. :)
Ah, fair play.

Be assured, I recognise that he’s very strange. But only in the way that I - and most football fans - are very strange. My celebrations of the goals yesterday were pretty much a carbon copy of his. Klopp literally ran on to the pitch and celebrated with his keeper during a game and Carragher’s reactions was an excited “Look at Klopp”. He loved it. As did I. His hypocrisy was made all the better by his scouse tears after the game.

I’m not sure what it is about Arteta that rubs people up the wrong way so much… but I love it. It's one thing if you support Real Madrid and you think everyone should be as cool as Ancellotti. That's understandable. But Klopp's Liverpool once approached their supporters in a line at the final whistle in a manner usually reserved for winning the second leg of a CL semi-final... for a draw at West Brom. They didn't even win. Nobody connected with that club has any business policing the celebrations of anyone.
 

erikcred

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Klopp literally ran on to the pitch and celebrated with his keeper during a game and Carragher’s reactions was an excited “Look at Klopp”. He loved it.
I'd actually forgotten that! Feck me, imagine if Arteta had done something like that.

I’m not sure what it is about Arteta that rubs people up the wrong way so much… but I love it.
A poster above said it perfectly. His personality was just "meh" as a player throughout his career and as assistant manager at City. But once he's in the top job, he's suddenly transformed? Seems very fake. It's like he's trying to compete with Pep, Klopp, Simeone, Mourinho etc who've always been a bit crazy on the touchline.
 

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Definitely not a tactical decision.
Cheers Pogue, didn’t hear about that injury. Although he seemed fit enough to come off the bench and play the last half an hour. Im always glad to see Gakpo on the team sheet ahead of him, as while Nunez finishing is erratic I think he’s a bit of a chaos player and we don’t cope well with them when teams are hitting us on the break.
 

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GoonerBear

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In celebration La from that tweet alone, you’ve got him entering the field during a derby game and squaring up to the fourth official an inch away from his face.

Can you imagine how long Arteta would be banned for if he tried that?
Pretty sure none were cup finals or league deciders either….they were just for another 3 points, but hey ho.
 

MO_Football92

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I'd actually forgotten that! Feck me, imagine if Arteta had done something like that.



A poster above said it perfectly. His personality was just "meh" as a player throughout his career and as assistant manager at City. But once he's in the top job, he's suddenly transformed? Seems very fake. It's like he's trying to compete with Pep, Klopp, Simeone, Mourinho etc who've always been a bit crazy on the touchline.
This is nonsense. He was Arsenal captain and a big personality for us who really influenced the dressing room.
 

erikcred

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This is nonsense. He was Arsenal captain and a big personality for us who really influenced the dressing room.
Sorry. You're right. He influenced your team to many a league title. They even wrote songs about him.

Arsenal's achievement during his time was to regularly qualify for CL and then get knocked out in RO16 or earlier. Shocked that neutrals didn't look at him and see two Vieiras.
 

GoonerBear

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Sorry. You're right. He influenced your team to many a league title. They even wrote songs about him.

Arsenal's achievement during his time was to regularly qualify for CL and then get knocked out in RO16 or earlier. Shocked that neutrals didn't look at him and see two Vieiras.
Get your point about those looking at him from the outside, but he must have had something about him personality wise from those who actually knew him, to be made captain of those teams, to be earmarked early that he was going to potentially make a very good coach / manager that Wenger wanted him to stay and join his coaching staff, that Pep lured him away, that he was Josh Kronkes choice to be manager ahead of Unai Emery. This is a guy that’s almost been ‘fast tracked’ from those that know him.

However, I get your point, it doesn’t seem as obvious or a traditional leader personality wise as an Adams or a Vieira. However, we also know football management is full of those failed type of leaders.
 

Bilbo

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If I was a Gooner I wouldn't care less that people disliked Arteta. I have long felt though that his level of intensity is ultimately counter productive, and a strong contributing factor as to why Arsenal eventually falter come crunch time.
 

SilentWitness

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I liked him at Everton and as a player but he's transformed into a complete cock as a manager.
 

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If I was a Gooner I wouldn't care less that people disliked Arteta. I have long felt though that his level of intensity is ultimately counter productive, and a strong contributing factor as to why Arsenal eventually falter come crunch time.
I personally don’t care, I find it funny more than anything.

I also think the impact of his (or any manager’s) behaviour on the touchline is hugely overblown. Positively or negatively.
 

reddev3

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Cheers Pogue, didn’t hear about that injury. Although he seemed fit enough to come off the bench and play the last half an hour. Im always glad to see Gakpo on the team sheet ahead of him, as while Nunez finishing is erratic I think he’s a bit of a chaos player and we don’t cope well with them when teams are hitting us on the break.
It was tactical, he was training fine days before the game and klopp said in his pre match interview when specifically asked if he was on the bench because of his comments about the stamp on his foot in the previous game, he said no and that Darwin is a great weapon to bring off the bench in these types of games. He also said something along the lines of Darwin has played a lot of minutes lately whereas Gakpo hasn't so thought it would as good time to change to keep the energy up.

He also admitted it might have been a mistake https://www.thisisanfield.com/2024/...s-vs-arsenal-maybe-should-have-started-nunez/.

Given how dangerous he has looked the last month or two he should have started anyway but with no Salah threat he was absolutely necessary.
 

Mogget

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If I was a Gooner I wouldn't care less that people disliked Arteta. I have long felt though that his level of intensity is ultimately counter productive, and a strong contributing factor as to why Arsenal eventually falter come crunch time.
So we used to bottle it under Wenger because he had no spine and now we bottle it under Arteta because he's too intense?

There really is an opinion for everything in football
 

Bilbo

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So we used to bottle it under Wenger because he had no spine and now we bottle it under Arteta because he's too intense?

There really is an opinion for everything in football
Well I only said one of those things, so I'm not too sure what the point of your post is. It's not ridiculous to suggest that a season under an intense leader can take its toll on a group.
 

Baichung Bhutia

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I think some of the emotions he displays could also be linked to this being his first ever managerial job. He might mellow down with experience.
It was a huge risk that Arsenal took with appointing him and giving him the keys to revamp the squad. So it must be a huge relief when he sees his methods work against the best coaches in the world.
 

MO_Football92

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Sorry. You're right. He influenced your team to many a league title. They even wrote songs about him.

Arsenal's achievement during his time was to regularly qualify for CL and then get knocked out in RO16 or earlier. Shocked that neutrals didn't look at him and see two Vieiras.
Very ignorant
 

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Depends if he wins a trophy or not this season.
I don't think he'll win a trophy this season, as i think City are just too strong and relentless when it really matters just now, and i think there's still some question marks over the Arsenal squad in terms of quality / fitness. I think as a group they are starting to believe they can beat anyone on their day, but i don't think they have the same relentless drive that City do quite yet over a 38 game season.

It's a strange season in many ways. Last season because of the first 6 months, expectations were raised massively, which has meant this season everyone including Arsenal fans have been comparing this season to last, but 50 points at the half way stage just skewed everything.

This season has been more steady this far, obviously not quite hitting the heights of the first 6 month of last season, but trying to make everything a bit more solid and stable, and more controlling. I think this will benefit the team over the next couple of seasons more.

The FA Cup exit has been the black mark on the season for me so far, i was disappointed to go out so early, but that was a game settled on fine margins, we didn't take our early chances and got suckered punched right at the end.
 

SilentWitness

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I don't think he'll win a trophy this season, as i think City are just too strong and relentless when it really matters just now, and i think there's still some question marks over the Arsenal squad in terms of quality / fitness. I think as a group they are starting to believe they can beat anyone on their day, but i don't think they have the same relentless drive that City do quite yet over a 38 game season.

It's a strange season in many ways. Last season because of the first 6 months, expectations were raised massively, which has meant this season everyone including Arsenal fans have been comparing this season to last, but 50 points at the half way stage just skewed everything.

This season has been more steady this far, obviously not quite hitting the heights of the first 6 month of last season, but trying to make everything a bit more solid and stable, and more controlling. I think this will benefit the team over the next couple of seasons more.

The FA Cup exit has been the black mark on the season for me so far, i was disappointed to go out so early, but that was a game settled on fine margins, we didn't take our early chances and got suckered punched right at the end.
Not winning a trophy with the time he's been there and the money spent will be a failure ulimately. One trophy in 4-5 years and going out of the domestic cups so early this season is poor showing. That Liverpool win could be huge though. If you end up not winning the title but being only 1-3 points off I think he will have just shown enough that there is a possibility next year could be a good one, especially with Klopp gone, but if you end up having a bad spell again and you're 5-10 points adrift, I just don't think he has that extra step in him to take you to a title that the elite managers like Klopp, Pep et al. do.
 

Rooney in Paris

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Trying to give Arteta credit for a game he lost 3-1, but had good possession stats in seems a bit desperate.
In that game, he played straight into Pep's hand. City voluntarily gave up possession and Arteta was schooled. So weird to use that specific game as a testament to his tactical acumen, it goes straight against it.
 

GoonerBear

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Trying to give Arteta credit for a game he lost 3-1, but had good possession stats in seems a bit desperate.
Perhaps, but it also shows the evolution even the past 12 months, and that sometimes if you start to get the underlying things right, it’s a good foundation for future performances.

By the way, this honestly wasn’t really to blow smoke up Arteta’s arse, it’s more to bring the discussion back to Arteta as a coach, as I think it’s quite unanimous folk see him as a knob.

I’m just wondering if any opinions are starting to change, even the few Arsenal fans on here who aren’t having him, or is it purely going to come down to trophies at he end of the day?
 

Mike Smalling

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Perhaps, but it also shows the evolution even the past 12 months, and that sometimes if you start to get the underlying things right, it’s a good foundation for future performances.

By the way, this honestly wasn’t really to blow smoke up Arteta’s arse, it’s more to bring the discussion back to Arteta as a coach, as I think it’s quite unanimous folk see him as a knob.

I’m just wondering if any opinions are starting to change, even the few Arsenal fans on here who aren’t having him, or is it purely going to come down to trophies at he end of the day?
I don't think that particular game shows anything in favor for Arteta. Like @Rooney in Paris pointed out he was schooled.

I wouldn't say my opinion is starting to change on Arteta - it changed during last season. I thought he was clueless in his first period at Arsenal, but now he appears to be a quite competent coach. He has Arsenal playing some good really good stuff. I'd be quite positive about the future, if I was an Arsenal fan. Klopp is buggering off, and maybe Pep will soon follow. Arsenal are in a good position to challenge again over the next few years, and maybe the conditions will be right for a title win - who knows?
 

GoonerBear

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I don't think that particular game shows anything in favor for Arteta. Like @Rooney in Paris pointed out he was schooled.

I wouldn't say my opinion is starting to change on Arteta - it changed during last season. I thought he was clueless in his first period at Arsenal, but now he appears to be a quite competent coach. He has Arsenal playing some good really good stuff. I'd be quite positive about the future, if I was an Arsenal fan. Klopp is buggering off, and maybe Pep will soon follow. Arsenal are in a good position to challenge again over the next few years, and maybe the conditions will be right for a title win - who knows?
Yeah, some had changed opinion last season, some hadn’t, some seen last season as a fluke, so it was more a question of has he changed any more doubters mind?

If you are brave enough to go on and have a squint on Arsenal Mania from time to time, there’s a good few posters on there just not having him at all, seems to be more vitriol directed to him on there at times than on rival forums.
 

Mike Smalling

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Yeah, some had changed opinion last season, some hadn’t, some seen last season as a fluke, so it was more a question of has he changed any more doubters mind?

If you are brave enough to go on and have a squint on Arsenal Mania from time to time, there’s a good few posters on there just not having him at all, seems to be more vitriol directed to him on there at times than on rival forums.
Maybe it's just a reaction to having gone through 3,5 pretty bad seasons, before things actually turned good. I guess that resentment could linger for some fans, making it hard to see things with fresh eyes. Essentially it would just be confirmation bias. They thought he was rubbish, and are invested in that position.
 

Rooney in Paris

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Yeah, some had changed opinion last season, some hadn’t, some seen last season as a fluke, so it was more a question of has he changed any more doubters mind?

If you are brave enough to go on and have a squint on Arsenal Mania from time to time, there’s a good few posters on there just not having him at all, seems to be more vitriol directed to him on there at times than on rival forums.
My opinion on him is the same as last year's - decent coach who just comes up short in some of the key aspects and probably has taken Arsenal as far as he could (which is already pretty good).
 

Iker Quesadillas

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He's better than I thought but I also think people overcorrected too much after criticizing him in previous seasons.
 

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Maybe it's just a reaction to having gone through 3,5 pretty bad seasons, before things actually turned good. I guess that resentment could linger for some fans, making it hard to see things with fresh eyes. Essentially it would just be confirmation bias. They thought he was rubbish, and are invested in that position.
Honest, that’s what I think it is. The forum itself is a bit mental anyway, think that’s part of the reason you see so many Arsenal fans on here. It says a lot that rival fans on here can sometimes find it easier to have sensible discussions about their own club on here than compared to their own forums. :cool:

My opinion on him is the same as last year's - decent coach who just comes up short in some of the key aspects and probably has taken Arsenal as far as he could (which is already pretty good).

I agree with this.
Respect both your opinions. So, is it simply the fact that he has to win 1 of the major trophies?
 

SilentWitness

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Respect both your opinions. So, is it simply the fact that he has to win 1 of the major trophies?
Doing a Klopp and either getting to the CL final/winning that or being in the title race until the final week or two would up my opinion also.
 

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My opinion on him is the same as last year's - decent coach who just comes up short in some of the key aspects and probably has taken Arsenal as far as he could (which is already pretty good).
This is pretty fair. Though if he sticks around long enough for both Klopp and Pep to leave, then even if this is as far as he can take us that may very well be good enough for serious honours.

Also, if (as everyone says) we are just a top striker away from being a serious force, that's actually not too difficult to rectify in the Summer.
 
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erikcred

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I’m just wondering if any opinions are starting to change, even the few Arsenal fans on here who aren’t having him, or is it purely going to come down to trophies at he end of the day?
I'd take him over ETH. Has put together some super performances against City and Liverpool.
 

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Fair points guys, thanks. I came across this as well, and again this isn’t to blow smoke up Artetas arse, it’s more that this leads more to a general discussion of underlying stats vs actual results and performances, and how much weight you put into underlying stats, and how much patience you give a manager who might struggle to take the final step of winning those top trophies.

https://x.com/whoscored/status/1754454066217074805?s=46
 
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