I go into every season with optimism, because after all its a new season, anything can happen, but fans must be warned! Expect another 8th placed finish if these things remain the same...
1. We continue to start Aubameyang... our best football last season came with him absent from the starting line up with Laca and the kids playing the fast dynamic football in tight spaces we were once used to in Wenger years.
Aubameyang has only ever been a decent striker nothing more, this doesn't mean he cannot be effective with the right setup, he can be and he has proven this, but he is frankly rubbish in tight spaces so unless we play to his strengths such as playing him through on goal where all he has to do is apply the finish, it is pointless because he brings absolutely nothing else to the game and thats not his fault he's just not capable of much more than finishing relatively easy or straightforward chances.
2. Arteta continues to chop and change Pepe out of the starting line, he has proven last season that if played regularly he can build up some consistency and when that happens he is one of our most dangerous players, if not our most dangerous.
3. If we delude ourselves into thinking we can rely on Saka and ESR to get us higher than 8th. They are just kids, and will blow hot and cold over the season. ESR is not the world beater some think he is at this moment, we need some more experience in that position to help carry the load, he shouldn't be expected to save us.
4. If Bellerin gets any consistent playing time...
5. If Elneny gets any consistent playing time...
6. If the non FA cup version of Holding gets any consistent playing time...
7. If Partey continues to be injured after every two games...
8. If Leno continues to remind us that we were stupid to keep him instead of Martinez...
Well that's pretty much it... I bet some of you were expecting Xhaka to be in that list lol, well sorry to disappoint you but he isn't even close to the biggest reason we finished 8th, that blame lies upfront where a certain striker continues to be forced into the starting line up when its clear we play better without him.
discuss...
Expect another mid table finish if....
posted on 9/8/21
comment by Serial WUManiser™© 🇵🇸 (U1410)
posted 6 hours, 14 minutes ago
comment by Lexington 125.2 (U8879)
posted 30 minutes ago
‘ I bet some of you were expecting Xhaka to be in that list lol’
Lol, no, lol. I expected you to moan about Auba though, lol, and, lol, you didn’t disappoint me.
Lol.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This
Lol
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I see you both you miserable nerds have a problem with laughter... I guess minimal contact from the opposite gender can do that LOL
posted on 9/8/21
Try telling that to Graham Norton, ya fud.
posted on 9/8/21
comment by Lexington 125.2 (U8879)
posted 4 minutes ago
Try telling that to Graham Norton, ya fud.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
posted on 9/8/21
Looking at the squads of teams above us, over the course of the season Wel be lucky to finish 8th,so much quality and depth in all of the teams above us. Ok we’ve made a few additions and whist I was impressed with White and Lokonga , an injury to either in their positions let’s in the likes of elnenny and Holding who are plainly not good enough for this level imo. Unless we see a drastic change in the market in the coming weeks I can’t see much improving. It’s obvious we need a gk, Cf, rb, another cb, creative midfielder. The club is becoming a joke rapidly.
posted on 9/8/21
comment by PowerkingHenry27 (U18930)
posted 8 minutes ago
Looking at the squads of teams above us, over the course of the season Wel be lucky to finish 8th,so much quality and depth in all of the teams above us. Ok we’ve made a few additions and whist I was impressed with White and Lokonga , an injury to either in their positions let’s in the likes of elnenny and Holding who are plainly not good enough for this level imo. Unless we see a drastic change in the market in the coming weeks I can’t see much improving. It’s obvious we need a gk, Cf, rb, another cb, creative midfielder. The club is becoming a joke rapidly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes you summed it up well, pretty sad state of affairs.
posted on 10/8/21
comment by Robb - McFan #1 (U22311)
posted 18 hours, 57 minutes ago
comment by plain old dunc (U11713)
posted 48 seconds ago
comment by Robb - McFan #1 (U22311)
posted 53 minutes ago
You were the second best side for points won in the league for over 60% of last season so something was being done right. No Europe (and especially no Europa) will stand you in good stead and I fancy you guys to easily make top 6.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
jesus, talk about pulling a stat from your @rse which has no relevance.
im sure that stat has arsenal fans grinning from ear to ear despite finishing 8th
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It has to mean something though. For the last 60% of last season (24 games) they were second in the form league which suggests they know how to win games and a lot of them. With a couple of signings - like Madison for example and no European distractions they have at least some reason for optimism.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We achieved that with Ødegaard, who isn't our player.
posted on 10/8/21
The second half of the season was promising, and now Arteta has realised it’s useful to use a more traditional 10 since stumbling into ESR, and The odegaard loan, there is some hope we’ll be a bit better from the get go. But season is over 38 games, and can’t see this team performing as well as it did in the latter stages over an entire season, we just don’t have enough quality across the team to seriously push toward the top 4 yet. We’d need a lot going in our favour to get closer as we are, as in Saka, Pepe, ESR carrying the team, partey always fit and Aubameyang back to his best. It’s unlikely all that happens at once.
So far our team doesn’t look any stronger, white seems a decent signing but in his first year will he really add a lot more than luiz did. That’s not to insult White because luiz was pretty good last year, so doubt white will make us look significantly better. Lokonga looks good, but he’s young and not sort of person you’d expect to make a huge difference. I think we will add some more players, which hopefully will help. Because as we are we’re mainly relying on the players like Saka and ESR to go up another level to push us on further than last season.
posted on 10/8/21
I think some fans are unrealistic, we can hope for a top 4 finish but expecting it is a bit silly.
Man City, Chelsea & Man Utd massively outgun us financially - and Liverpool are in a much better position in the short term/medium term.
It seems to me that we are really in tier 2 fighting with the likes of Everton, West Ham, Leicester & the $puds.👀
Not where we want to be but it is what it is…😐
posted on 11/8/21
I think it would be logical if The Logical One stopped wasting his life following a team which gives him so little pleasure.
And for the record for the end of our season form alone plus we have strengthened should give us just a modicum of hope for the upcoming season. No European distraction and ESR, Tierney, Partey and Saka all likely to improve due to their age and settling in adds additional optimism.
posted on 11/8/21
comment by Dan Arsenal (U21084)
posted 9 hours, 48 minutes ago
I think it would be logical if The Logical One stopped wasting his life following a team which gives him so little pleasure.
And for the record for the end of our season form alone plus we have strengthened should give us just a modicum of hope for the upcoming season. No European distraction and ESR, Tierney, Partey and Saka all likely to improve due to their age and settling in adds additional optimism.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I think Dan should learn to read or at least improve his comprehension incase he makes himself look stupid again next time the obvious point of an article flies over his head...