We tried for Sesko. Then didn’t bother trying anything until the last day when we got a washed Sterling on loan
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After two years of knocking on the door, we are just naturally looking a bit burnt out. It’s extremely difficult to keep up that momentum, only top managers like SAF and Pep have been able to do it in the past consistently in the Premier League. I am not surprised in our lack of form this season, albeit a huge contributing factor being injuries. We just haven’t added enough signings in attack to stay fresh and motivated.
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Yeah, to do 3 seasons in a row of title fights is very very hard. Tbh we were ‘due’ an offseason at some point.
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In his 5 years here. Arteta has signed Jesus, Trossard and Havertz as his attacking options. He didn’t even plan for Havertz to be a striker.
You can’t tell me there is nobody else in world football we could have signed in the summer apart from Sterling.
We have signed options B before so why couldn’t he do it this summer?
Indefensible I am sorry
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Not sure how that correlates with what you initially said about him being stubborn with number 1 targets though.
If anything, what you said proves otherwise.
Either way, his #1 priority is managing the team. He’s not the one negotiating transfers. Best he can do is convince a player, which he has done many times.
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Add Willian to the mix.
Yep. Stupidity
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I heard it on a podcast this week might have been arsecast when it was discussed that he is looking for his Goldilocks player when he might not be out there or isn’t getable
Just that we know of, we tried to sign Abraham, Vlahovic, Raphinha, Mudryk and Sesko.
How’s he responsible for the club(or Edu) not being able to land them? 
You’re mad at the wrong person here. If you want to be mad at him, be mad about how he uses his resources. That’s his main job.
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This was always the likely scenario
But people were talking about how our players should expect to play all these games, how playing the same team week after week is just standard. Some just didn’t account for the Herculean effort it takes to dethrone City and as great as the Liverpool team were they managed it once and they were better than we are.
You’ve got to refresh and improve after competing so tirelessly for two seasons back to back, the attack was clearly in need of more quality and we responded to this with a player who is way past his best and was discarded from Chelsea who finished 6th last season
Chickens coming home to roost regarding the insufficient squad building, doesn’t help that the style and plan for the team has gone awry also.
Today Odegaard had to play full 90 after 2 months out because they don’t have faith in other options
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In the post-match interview with Sky, he said we have players who aren’t able to play more than 60 minutes.
Also, I liked his metaphor about the car. Hopefully someone of Twitter has clipped it
So it hasn’t been a season in which we get zero serious injuries like the last couple.
Thats not always a given, in fact we’ve been incredibly fortunate
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We just don’t do enough new stuff to make teams think in attack. So we get found out and get fucked.
This summer was a fail in attack.
Anyways will be nice to see a game and tickets will hopefully be easier to get.
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Timber and Partey didn’t miss most of last season then
Red mist got hold of me man
I’m all over the place
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Been a rough couple of weeks
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So sorry for who will continue to read my post. That’s not a post-Chelsea message but more like a psychotherapy session.
During the years I’ve said to my team mates I was not scared anymore with Arteta on the bench - even during dark moments - because I was seeing an identity, a football/tactical idea over trophies and results. What Mikel did at the club is an amazing job. When has signed as first-team coach our club was like a post apocalyptic city. Arsenal were full of deadwoods with big salary and no value, no versatility, not enough quality.
Started with back three to gain confidence and pushed the players to their limits to know who was worthy to be part of the rebuiling process. Everything happaned during the Covid19-pandemic era. Winning three trophies was amazing.
During the second season in charge I started to see the first problems about tactical flexibility but ESR and Odegaard saved him. In 2022/23, well documented by All or Nothing, we have seen the circle closure but at the same time a lot of progress: cut deadwoods, invested on young players, helped the academy products to impose themselves in the first team, created a positive enviroment around the club. Failing the UCL spot was hard to accept but not the end.
23/24 Arteta built the status of Arsenal as title contender on various principles: solid CB duo missed since Kolo and Sol, White reinvented as RB after weaknesses showed as CB, Xhaka mentally and technically recovered and tactically transformed, Martin and Bukayo the leaders of the offensive phase.
Meanwhile Pep Guardiola continued to won trophies and adopted a new way to defend with big size bodies on defence and midfield. Arteta followed him adding Havertz (bought to be a mezzala, not as striker) and Rice to White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu and Partey. We know what happened: 89 points. Another season as title contender. But everyone have to remember when we have started to fly: after FA Cup game Arteta has been forced to play with Kai as n.9 moving Rice on the LHS.
This season everything was going well until the Bournemouth game. What happened at Vitality Stadium? Since that day we went down. Fixtures and injuries aren’t helping but numbers are worrying:
9 points off to Liverpool
7th best attack of the League
Today was the 7th games in a row without a clean-sheet
11th in the XGs table
11th in the connection between shoots and chance created
8th in the connection between goals and chance created
What we have seen in Milan is clear: stop the Arsenal side looks easy. We haven’t a proper plan B over corner kicks or insisting by passing the ball to Saka, regulary targeted by tough defensive players with nasty fouls.
The devil on my should is saying there are no more space in this team for creativity and technique. A more mourinhesque way to win. We are what we’ve always hated. For me, born and bread watching Wengerball, sounds like the hell.
Anyway, I hope Mikel was right and in the next months we can recover quickly and won what this team and this coach deserve.
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Sounds like an excuse am afraid. Yes, we’ve not been able to pick a consistent side due to suspensions and some injuries but that’s just 2 or 3 players. Isn’t that why we have a squad?
And why are players not able to play more than 60 minutes these many weeks into the new season? So it’s a fitness thing then? I can only think of White and maybe Merino having that issue.
I think he was hoping for Merino, Odegaard, Rice midfield to have taken some sort of shape by now and is frustrated that we haven’t been able to start those 3 yet. Can’t really think of any other reason.