Our system was figured out post WC mostly. Teams were defending us differently our weaknesses are identified etc
If we go into next season set up in the same way I think we’re most likely fucked. I don’t think teams in the league will let us replicate our first half season form.
Good to see some self-reflection from Arteta.
It’s a long way from the stubborn denialism we saw from Wenger in his later years.
Exactly! I honestly think most teams we played against, were still finding their feet during the first half of the season. The only teams I truly felt figured us out was Newcastle and Everton.
Come the second half, most teams realised that if we don’t score in the first 15-20 mins, we won’t cause much problems.
Folk say we lost it at Southampton, but upon deeper reflection I’d say we lost it at Aston Villa and Bournemouth. Allowing that shite to almost beat us/take points, was comical.
If that last second strike from Nelson doesn’t happen and Jorginho doesn’t get some luck from his strike vs. Villa; our season would’ve unravelled from there.
The emotion of the occasion was delaying the inevitable. The signs were already there.
No point saying if is there, these things did happen. How about what if Saka scored the penalty against Liverpool or what if those VAR decisions didn’t go against us or how about what if Saliba didn’t injured?
Yeah yeah and if we carry on and win the title those are the sign of a champion team.
Everyone’s an expert after the fact.
Ok that’s a fair point. We can still include those things.
It doesn’t change the fact that our capitulation wasn’t due to individual moments of madness, but a collective loss of control in a series of matches that occurred during our winning run.
Well… yes that’s obvious.
If those moments, spurred the team on (which it should’ve done) — then it’s clear evidence that the team learned from those occasions and used it as ammo to make a real title charge.
But that didn’t happen did it?
I have faith in Arteta at the moment. He’s dragged us up from 8th to 5th to 2nd and unified the fans and team like nothing we’ve since our glory days at Highbury. Next season will define the Arteta era and tell us whether he’s good enough for Arsenal.
What has hurt is that we knew the “bottle job” brigade would be out in force even if we finished a point behind City. But it’s hard to argue against that when we’re suddenly playing like dogshit.
The lesson is to beat Man City and Liverpool to a title now we need two top quality players for almost every position. The squad we built last summer broke the top four barrier which should still be counted as progression even if it means nothing right now. It could matter in a year or two if we build on this properly. That will take a huge expenditure for sure with so many teams breaking spending records.
Players will look a shell of themselves at some point in the campaign but you could only get away with that when these juggernauts were not around.
When Partey, Zinchenko, Saka, Jesus fell off the face of the earth in terms of their form and performances we needed fresh top quality players to come in.
We’re in an amazing position to build this squad to a level where we can handle a full season. It would be a crime for the Kroenke’s to squander this opportunity in the summer.
Yet we were still capable of going to Newcastle and thoroughly deserving a 2-0 win.
Our main problem lies in not having a deep enough squad where we can rotate and also introduce some variety. The spine of our team was jaded and lethargic in those last 10 games.
Look at Haaland getting taken off after 65 mins most games and De Bruyne’s minutes being manager, plus having about 8 reliable defenders they can randomly choose any combination of lol.
We need a few extra quality bodies in this squad. We should have been able to rely on ESR and Vieira but they’re not it for whatever reason. This season ends very differently if we could adequately cover for Saliba and we could manage Saka’s minutes better etc.
Fair to question why we even signed Jorginho and Trossard then.
And for all the lack of strength in depth, Arteta also made some very strange decisions. He stuck with Holding for too long in an attempt to preserve the rest of the partnerships in the team and then made three changes to the backline yesterday including playing a guy at RB who can’t actually play RB. It made no sense.
And then that absolute nonsense yesterday in the post match press conference about players not being available. Fuck off with that. There were enough players available for him to not start that team or that game plan.
He needs to learn how to manage a squad and not run his favorites into the ground. Hopefully he continues to grow as a coach this summer.
In fairness Partey played there a few times for Atletico. He looked very decent there against us in that Europa semi final years back. I get the overall point about Arteta and odd decisions though.
Jorginho and Trossard were misused for sure. Two quality players that positively impacted the team but more is needed. As many have said the refusal to change things around from the manager has had a big impact. Young manager that has to keep learning. Would hate to see even if we make the right signings that he still refuses to use his squad.
He’s not the same player he was a few years ago physically. These injury problems he’s had here didn’t seem to pop up when he was in Madrid. Idk if that’s because he was never truly a guaranteed starter and rotated in and out or just because he was getting older.
We did at the time 
Had we pushed through and managed to get caicedo you can guarantee he’s used more than Jorginho was.
Trossard did fine in fairness but tailed off at the end too.
I find it funny that people gave him shit for not tweaking his system enough, and now they’re giving shit for trying something different against Forest. 
On a serious note, he mentioned they had reasons to go with the team they did. He said certain players couldn’t train the day before. So I presume that means Tierney wasn’t fit, which I guess shouldn’t be surprising.
Overall, his presser and other post-match interviews were very interesting. Yes he takes the blame but I feel he’s indirectly throwing some blame to the team as well.
The way he still talks about the Anfield game, the fact that we didn’t go 3-1 up against West Ham(this is the weirdest one for me because you’re essentially pointing the finger at Saka) and the squad not being fit and available(mentally and physically) in the run-in.
Don’t get me wrong he does say how he’s proud of the team but sometimes he sounds bitter too. Honestly, I feel if the resources and time allowed he would be looking to gut the squad.
I mean Saka missing that pen was poor, he always gets a break from criticism cos he’s young and came through hale end but missing pens is always pathetic in my book.
Unless the keeper makes a worldie save it should be a goal.
More than happy for Arteta to make him feel that. Take some of the blame. You can just hug and feed them love all the time.
Even if we’d won that and every game since bar city though we’d be losing on GD instead.
What I don’t get about it, he’s probably Saka’s biggest supporter/believer.
The amount of minutes he’s played under him and the fact he’s about to become the club’s biggest earner says that.
However, it honestly must be 5th or 6th time I’ve heard him say that about the West Ham game. Not sure if he’s trying to spark something in Saka but he’s certainly putting too much focus on it unprovoked.
It’s a bit counterintuitive to coach/train Saka like that I feel.
If Arteta has taken the sullen resentment “I’m going to continue to cry over spilt milk” approach, we may lose the kinda Saka we knew from earlier in the season forever.
Lost that already the last 2 months anyway.
How many players in the squad aren’t his though?