I'm guessing no one is still kidding themselves at this point that this is a title winning team. We looked a faaar better team last season and fell short, so would be pretty delusional to still be touting ourselves as title contenders given the displays this season. Now that it's clear our real race is with the likes of Spurs, Villa, Newcastle etc for a top 4 place, I hope we can freely discuss just how sheite we have REALLY been for much of this season.
I don't know how much we have to spend this winter window, given how much we've spent in the summer only to go backwards, but we need an Arshavin-style intervention to give this team a real lift. It's difficult to see where the goals are coming from. We need a striker pretty desperately. Not a Henry-esque or RVP-esque marquee signing, but even a Giroud-level striker that can be an actual focal point around the box would be pretty good. And a wide forward/winger who can actually be direct, running into space and running at players (and score his share of goals).
Top 4 Race it is
posted on 31/12/23
comment by Chris H (U15205)
posted 1 minute ago
We should get top 4 comfortably but that looks like it.
Hopefully we can have a little run in the CL
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Far bigger shocks have happened than us missing top 4. Villa are ahead of us and they are not in a false position the way they've played this season. Spurs have issues like us, especially their leaky defense (should have dropped more points recently with the number of chances they're conceding), but they're just a point behind. Nothing we've done this season gives either team a reason to fear us.
posted on 31/12/23
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta IN!!! (U7482)
posted 43 minutes ago
comment by Chris H (U15205)
posted 1 minute ago
We should get top 4 comfortably but that looks like it.
Hopefully we can have a little run in the CL
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Far bigger shocks have happened than us missing top 4. Villa are ahead of us and they are not in a false position the way they've played this season. Spurs have issues like us, especially their leaky defense (should have dropped more points recently with the number of chances they're conceding), but they're just a point behind. Nothing we've done this season gives either team a reason to fear us.
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Spurs will be a threat when they get all their players back from injury
posted on 31/12/23
A Top 4 finish was always the main priority at the beginning of the season.
Our run of 6 straight seasons outside the Champions League had forced us to burn through our once considerable cash reserves in a bid to stay competitive.
From a high of £231m in 2018, down to about £18m, according to our last declared set of financial results.
Even the FFP authorities had started sniffing around.
We're going to need about 3-4 solid seasons of Champions League money before we're stable enough to compete for the league.
posted on 31/12/23
Watched the game today, why was havertz rested again?
posted on 31/12/23
If Arteta realises that Eddie meal deal Nketiah has done ok but is not good enough and needs a top quality striker then we may get back on track .
At the moment with the way we are playing we risk dropping out of the Top4 and will end up with a conference place.
Martin Odegaard needs to stop flicking his hair and get his act together.
Started off well enough with an early lead but after that nothing and Fulham ran the show for the rest of the game
posted on 31/12/23
Is it a top five this season or have United and Newcastle blown that with their bottom of the group finishes?
posted on 1/1/24
comment by Sheriff John Brown - Arteta IN!!! (U7482)
posted 7 hours, 51 minutes ago
comment by (U23134)
posted 1 minute ago
But you had two of the best wingers for running at players last season, I dont get why they look much less dangerous now.
Its like Arteta wants them to use them super wide like Grealish when they should be like Mane
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The signs were there in the 2nd half of last season, but Saka is a little too predictable the way he cuts in on his left every facking time. His markers see there's very little chance of him driving down their outside, so they know all they have to do is stop him cutting in. Worsening this is the lack of an attacking RB who can really stretch the play on that wing, so it makes the patterns all very predictable.
But Martinelli deserves even more criticism. His issue isn't being predictable. He's more willing to make runs with and without the ball that Saka doesn't. He just has no end product whatsoever now. Always a poor final ball (if he even looks up enough to see the pass), a poor finish, a miscontrol in a crucial position.....he always finds a way to fack things up cos he's playing with very little confidence.
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Martinelli has become the biggest victim of the tactical change this year. Even last year, I thought he was often isolated on the left but Xhaka actually played a great supporting role by running beyond or even wide of Martinelli. NO ONE right now in the number 8 role is supporting him and there is ZERO overlapping from a fullback. Every time he has 2 players to get by and he either has to drive and cross from the byline or pass it back. Yes his form is chit but guy does not look happy playing at the moment. At least he wants the ball and tracks back every time.
Saka has been worse...his numbers are better but he has Odegaard supporting him and White making the occasional overlapping run. Most our attacks go down our right so by sheer volume, that side will be more productive. However, he is so so predictable and his defensive work is shockingly bad and he is putting out stinkers game after game.
posted on 1/1/24
Saka Starboy seems to think he is better than he actually is.
posted on 1/1/24
comment by Gafter Pranky (U22336)
posted 18 hours, 50 minutes ago
Havertz is fackin useless too, I just don’t get signing.
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I called it in the summer - described him as the most Arsenal player ever. Really it’s modern Arsenal than the winning machines they used to be - he is all fur coat and no knickers, which is Arsenal these days.
It’s a mystery to me why Arsenal keep bailing Chelsea out by buying all of their shiete off them rather than letting them drown in debt, I’m sure there will be a £100m bid in the summer for 52 year old Thiago Silva or something
posted on 1/1/24
comment by Peter O'Hanraha-hanrahan (U1217)
posted 15 hours, 58 minutes ago
Is it a top five this season or have United and Newcastle blown that with their bottom of the group finishes?
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England are currently 3rd in the rankings - we need to be top 2 to get the extra spot - The good news is, Liverpool are favourites for the Europa and Villa for the conference - if we get finalists in those comps along with City, Arsenal, Brighton and West Ham progressing to the QFs of their comps then that should be enough providing the German and Italian sides don’t both match it.
I think stats wise we’re still high likely to get one of the extra places