I’m sorry but u:
In the league Arteta tries to structure our attack, which is why we’ve become so predictable and don’t really create any chances. We have one of the most rigid transitions into attacking play I’ve ever ever seen. Maybe under someone like Pep with a £bn squad this will lead to over a hundred goals a season but for us it just means we don’t create anything at all and more importantly don’t score anything at all.
We’ve purged any creativity out of our players, and instead expect them to all be in certain positions at certain times to put in place certain passes, in the hope that if this gets practiced enough the players will be able to make these moves with out even thinking, and through this superior positional play we will be able to tear apart all opposition teams. Only thing is no one told the other teams 
We’ve become like that kid at school that used to watch Bruce Lee/Kung Fu films all the time and used to try and show the other kids his moves, all of which required the other kid to stand a certain way whilst punching in a certain way at a certain body part. Never used to work, never will work but when it didn’t it was always because the other kid wasn’t standing in the right place or punching in the right way.
14 Likes
I think that’s spot on regarding our current approach. When it works, it looks well orchestrated (like the goals against Man City, Liverpool in CS and Fulham which Auba scored) but when we brag about it after, it becomes easier to dissect. Introducing more unpredictability is the only way to help this team going forward.
4 Likes
Lmao ur talking about matches that happened like 5 or 6 months ago 
The game against Liverpool in CS and the Fulham game were 8-9 games ago, not that much in terms of playing time.
I won’t include Europa or international breaks where the first team weren’t playing together and it spaced out the games.
Auba’s CS goal against Liverpool and his goal against Fulham was a specific piece of play which the club held pride over a “practice makes perfect” style of goal and which the fans liked on twitter in their droves, though some said it would make us unpredictable, and so it did.
We’re hardly playing from the back before switching play from the right to left channel for Auba to bear down on goal anymore, because that tactic has been sussed. We need more strings to our bow and we have other players (like Pepe) to help us do that.
Our team goals have been nice but we can’t perfectly tune every attack (like what Bizzy described)
2 Likes
Thinking about some players from the Invincibles era got me thinking… I think what Pepe mostly lacks is some competitive attitude. A few people already touched on this, his mentality. I think he has about enough talent to make quite a difference but I guess he just can’t adapt, for now, to the new environment, a more competitive one - both in the games versus opponent players, but also in training against his teammates.You can almost see in some games he has more bite, he’s more aggressive, but in others he’s like “I give up”, he’s like trying something, it doesn’t work and he doesn’t try to give that extra push, whatever.
1 Like
I’m still in denial about the fact that Raul spent 72m on this player. For sure he shows flashes of brilliance especially against low quality opposition like Molde but he’s never looked remotely like justifying the fee and never moved the level of the team forward. The signing was like a con trick at the time and Napoli have dodged a bullet.
I suppose compared with the 27m on Saliva to be a reserve squad member though it looks like good value.
These are the sorts of signings that destroy a clubs finances so badly that before you know it you’re battling for survival in the championship and the Papa Johns trophy is beckoning.
4 Likes
Thats like the club man of the week award at kids football that everyone gets on a rotation basis.
5 Likes
Some top draw players in that five lol
3 Likes
Most of the opposition at the group stage are sub championship standard. I’m very confident that Pepe is a good player at that level.
1 Like
Yazici is that Turkish baller, right?
Arteta’s post-match reaction after that game saw him lambast Pepe for his “unacceptable” actions and criticised the Ivorian for ‘letting the team down’.
It’s a rarity that you’ll see a manager criticise a senior player in such blunt fashion but Arteta had no issue with doing so and football.london understands that some of the first-team squad were unhappy about the way he called him out on TV.
Pepe needs the public criticism because he thinks he’s the dogs bollox.
The dumbest player i have ever seen and I’ve watched Xhaka for however long.
2 Likes
Couldn’t stand out like he did in some of our EL games. Shame. Thought he was disappointing.
Hopefully an improved performance vs Everton.
1 Like
Hey dude! You’re back 
1 Like
He looks like a certified bust, talk of the manager getting more out of him misses the point.
Had very high hopes but just don’t see ‘it’, he drifts through games, lacks intensity and ruthlessness. Seems like a moments player but the moments are few and far between. This signing looks like it’s going the way of Mustafi and Xhaka as being pound for pound one of the worst you’ll see in recent years.
It’s like in American sports where you’re selected with a high draft pick and you turn out to be a middling player, wish we could’ve interviewed him like they do before signing as it would’ve been evident he either lacks or isn’t bothered about acquiring the mental tools to dominate in his position despite some obvious talent.
It was a transfer that simply HAD to work but unless something miraculous happens or there’s a personality transplant available then it seems very doubtful he’ll amount to anywhere near what was expected.
8 Likes
Yeah agreed. He’s turning out like a lot of our potential signings over the years.
Has a lot of faults and bad habits and there not being addressed by the coaching staff or more importantly the player.
This is what marks out good young players. What’s sets good players apart. Saka, DCL and already see it in that Curtis Jones kid at Liverpool now.
2 Likes
We’d be better off if we kept iwobi in all honesty. Just goes to show a shiny new toy is not always the answer 
Yep. Absolutely given up all hope about him.
Roughly falls into that bracket with Mustafi and Xhaka when you look at the value for money ratio.
Can’t blame the guy. Who ever did the scuoting on him did a horrible job. IF anyone even did any scouting.
2 Likes