Exactly. We aren't consistently bad. And Villa are just the sort of team to punish you if you have a bad day at the office.

I'm still think we should be looking to next season for a definitive judgement of Arteta, unless the wheels start to visibly come off in a big way with team cohesion.

I think a balance must be struck and we need to be clear as a squad, manager, club and fans what the process is. We cant just throw in all the kids and work with them on the masterplan so that in 4 years they all 'get it' and are world beaters, but equally it doesn't seem right to continually put faith and trust in aging players who have too often let us down and won't be as susceptible to learnign the new ways of playing.

Essentially Arteta has an absolute pig of a job

My prediction is we'll beat leeds 3-2, lose 4-1 to wolves, and just when everyone is ready to slit their wrists, beat spurs 1-0. I suspect it is going to be a season of peculiar results.

All of their goals were very good to watch, including the disallowed one. I really like their keeper too. Having a keeper who can launch attacks is a great asset.

Poor blokes on a hiding to nothing. Shouldn’t have took the job

Needs 2 new creative central midfielders to put in the first team plus one to sit on the bench in case of injuries and a new centre back. Probably an easy 150 million.

Expect a couple of years of our fans moaning about inconsequential things like Leno and Pépé losing the ball and claiming unproven youngsters should be in the first team.

Not just Villa who play at that speed with and without the ball now. Southampton and Leeds are very good at the high tempo 'heavy metal' football.
With the current team it feels that the midfield as a group and the forwards as a group are too similar, there is no one stepping out of the rigid lines you draw on the tactics board. If you watch De Bruyne play and look at the positions he picks up the ball he's nearly always between the lines and in space - now he's the very best in the league at this, but I don't think we have a de bruyne-lite - or we certainly aren't playing in a way to facilitate one. We tend to be far too static in our play. In my view our midfield don't drop in to those attacking pockets or run beyond the striker because there is a fear of leaving ourselves open and a fear that they aren't comfortable operating in those spaces. It is similar for the strikers, Aubameyang and Nketiah don't want to (can't) drop in and be on the half turn to slip Bergkamp-esque perfectly weighted balls through to the striker - they thrive on being that striker.

Premier League minutes for Arsenal this season.

With hindsight of the results you'd say Willian and Lacazette have had too many chances and Pépé, Nketiah, AMN, and Willock have been hard done by
720 Leno
720 Bellerin
717 Aubameyang
630 Gabriel
621 Tierney
517 Willian
511 Saka
490 Lacazette
450 Elneny
450 Holding
438 Ceballos
410 Xhaka
320 David Luiz
232 Partey
228 Pépé
187 Maitland-Niles
145 Nketiah
90 Kolasinac
44 Mustafi
0 Willock

I disagree. I don't think its a pig of a job. A challenge, of course. But I don't think our squad issues are as insurmountable as you present them to be.

Biggest issue is your last point. Fans expecting immediate success and second guessing every decision.

That many?!

If he’d played more I’ve little doubt results would have been better.

George Graham on Özil : "We’ve got to try and get rid of him and pay half his wages if he goes to another club, but even then it’s too expensive. He’s got to be in a team that’s dominating games. Without the ball… just no. He is definitely lacking, not even at the top level."


So true

I don't necessarily think the current squad Arteta has to work with is awful, and it should certainly be enough for him to work out how to finish at 6th - but I'm looking at how does he move the current set of players in to a set of players that he wants to work with. Looks at Klopp's first squad and it was pretty average but he manoeuvred his way in the transfer market and over 4 years had pretty much only retained about 3 players from his original squad of 25. What is the plan in place for Arteta to do that if he wants to? We don't have a golden goose like Coutinho. Arteta needs to shepherd in a changing of players and bringing in new players and massively reducing the wage bill and all when even our usual meagre transfer budgets have had a covid shaped hole blown through them.
I posted before I think Arsenal's squad is ill suited to the league. In this league, with the way it is being played, attributes such as pace, power, athleticism, stamina, mobility, flexibility, workrate, effort, dribbling are absolutely key - alongside the basic technical abilities of being a footballer. I see far too many players in our squad who just simply do not have those attributes and as a lot of them are physical attributes I don't see any of them improving in that respect any time soon

Without going into the Leno v Martinez debate, I like Martinez a lot.

Watching more clips of this Szoboszlai lad from Salzberg - he really does look like exactly what we need. Only two players have created more chances than him in the champions league this season. 6ft 1, looks well built and more robust than most 20 year olds, has pace, dribbling, skill and long range shooting. The concern is Leipzig as part of the Red Bull franchise come in and get him.

Rich, it must be said, you do provide a lot of stuff on here. The stats and analysis is keeping the forum going. I agree most of the time and I may not at times but its just "blokes" as you all say disagreeing amicably like in a pub.

Not that others on here haven't provided a lot good posts on football. There are a couple others I always take note of. They have but you seem really into it all. You keep it Arsenal and football.

Really appreciated.

Well said American.
I enjoy reading Rich's posts. Always insightful detailed and really breaks things down.
For someone who has never really looked too deeply into tactics and just prefer to watch the game unfold in front of me I appreciate the analysis that Rich sometimes provides.
After a bad result it's great to come on here and try and wean the result out of my system surrounded by a great bunch with the common love of our great football club.
Long may it continue.
I hope you and your families are all well in these Covid times.

A few rumours we are in talks with his agent.
Let's make it happen.
Much cheaper than Aouor from Lyon and looks much stronger. Silk allied with steel.
Need more of that.

With the number and quality of players we were connected with going into the summer window as well as it being widely reported here and in the media we had limited funds, I was surprised we got the players we did.

We're still not done. Both with players coming in and players that need to go.

Stating the obvious. Good luck with Stan. January transfer window should be hilarious.

I could live with those results.

6 points from 9 including a guarantee of beating spurs away is tempting - I don't like the look of a 4-1 home defeat to Wolves though! I know it is a point fewer but 2 draws v Leeds and Wolves and beating Spurs would probably do more for the confidence in the long run that such an up and down form from one game to the next

Sadly I'm reading more and more that he'd tread the familiar path from Salzberg to RB Leipzig in germany. 17 players have made that move already since 2012. It seems inevitable. But look at the quality that has come out of Leipzig in recent years. Feels like we need to get in and cut out the stepping stone where his price will double or treble I reckon

Thanks both. I sometimes wonder if some of my stat heavy football chat gets lost in amongst all the other chat.
I can definitely be prone to over-reacting to a result, particularly a bad one - but it is good to get on here and have a good moan sometimes, I know my wife probably prefers I let it out here than tell her all my thoughts on Arteta's tactics, our lack of dynamism and players who cant get between the lines!
Essentially I just really enjoy watching football, any football and like to try to work out why things happened the way they did - it certainly isn't all my own thoughts as I'll read quite a lot of articles and analysis on the internet to try to understand what I've just watched. I also play in a few cash leagues for fantasy football so it helps to keep on top of the stats of players in the league

Good point.

On the contrary! There is a paucity of the kind of detailed analysis you provide. It is most appreciated.

I hope we haven't jinxed the Spurs result. Touch wood.

Arsenal's invincibles averaged 14.2 shots per game
In 2008-10 those two seasons peaked at 17.4 shots per game
This then gradually declined to 12.3 shots per game in wenger's final season, 11.8 shots per game under Emery and currently 9.1 shots per game under Arteta.

If you don't shoot you don't score!

Arsenal's invincibles averaged 5.8 shots ON TAGRET per game
In 2010-11 it peaked at 6.3 shots ON TARGET per game
This then stayed relatively steady at 5.5-6 shots on target per game until wengers last season when it dropped to 4.3 shots ON TAGRET per game, dropped again to 4.2 shots ON TAGRET per game under Emery and currently 3.5 shots ON TAGRET per game under Arteta

If you don't shoot on target you don't score!

I recall us being accused of being overly elaborate and d@mn near wanting to walk the ball over the goal line by a few folks in our prime as a club.

Maybe I'm seeing what I want to see but City and Liverpool play like they will never be accused of not shooting enough.

Anyway, we have a tough run of league matches. Come to think of it, pretty much all the games are anywhere from competitive to probably lose from top to bottom of the league. Are there any 3 point home bankers?

I may have posted this before. Apologies if I have. I love seeing both very disparate genres, two iconic musicians, unite their audiences.

Szoboszlai scored a 92nd minute winner for Hungary to beat Iceland 2-1 and qualify for the euros. I feel this kid needs to be picked up in January if we really are interested, he’s the best player in his club side and best player in his national team at 20, he could really put himself in the window at the euros.

Edit. It is a cracking goal as well. Picks it up inside his own half near the left touchline and sort of casually runs straight through the defence and caresses a finish in to the bottom corner from 30 yards. This kid is special.

Saw this, great goal. Someone needs to tell this kid that midfielders scoring and creating goals is no longer part of the modern game and he should have just passed it square to his fullback

Like this ?

Don't worry. I'm sure we can coach it out of him if we get him.

Bukayo Saka had a great game for England last night, he was given man of the match. I liked how he won the penalty. Left wing position drop of the shoulder and beat his man on the outside, no more than half a yard quicker but it was enough for the defender to put in a lunge and bring him down. If the defender doesn't bring him down he's still beaten him and has the chance for the cut back. I think most of us would like to see Aubameyang return to a central striking role, if it happens I'd like Saka to play left wing

Oh, Aubameyang also scored for Gabon yesterday from the central striker role. Gabon, Ivory Coast and Ghana all looking good for African Cup of Nations qualifying, tournament takes place in January-February 2022.

Maybe it's a good problem to have but when Martinelli gets fit (I'm a fan of his so far), admittedly some time away but Willian, Pépé, Saka, Lacazette, Aubameyang, AMN, Willock, Nketiah, am I missing anyone? What is going to be our preferred attack? Formation? Willian is going to expect to start. Pépé is already grumbling and to some extent given his fee, he assumed he would be a starter.

I think by the end of the season it will be noticeable that Aubameyang, Saka and Martinelli will be our best attacking players. Willian will be better I think. It remains to be seen if Pépé will come anywhere near his fee, even half of it, in terms of what you would expect. Lacazette..hmm...I like him personally, and I'm willing him on to do well when he plays but he'll be sold is my guess if we can find the right deal.

Nah

Sack Arteta, ..... sign some exceptionally limited midfielders from the championship ..... appoint new manager and blame him for being negative in possession only after slandering him on the internet. Yes that’s it that’s the strategy that will unfold.

Long term I wonder if Martinelli becomes a central striker, but a very modern era one being able to press and be flexible in positioning either coming deeper or wider but also being on the shoulder of the last man and getting in the 6 yard box.
The hardest thing for young strikers (and the reason a lot of them end up starting out wide) is the back to goal play, it takes a lot of time to learn how to use your body and you need an incredible first touch. Calvert-Lewin has really come on in this aspect this year, probably thanks to a lot of 1 on 1 coaching from Duncan Ferguson.
Players like Michael Owen would have been a winger in the current trend for 1 striker systems. Owen and others like him grew up in the era of 2 strikers so didn't need to develop back to goal play as much because you used the other striker for that.

Salah has tested positive for Covid