I think Pep did get the better of Arteta and Arteta could have changed it earlier or really should have set up differently. ..

....just a thought but lots of people are pointing at Robert Holding and saying he aint good enough, but good enough for what? Weve got top four with him, he's obvioulsy very popular, and he is effectively our 5th choice centre back. I'm not saying we should keep him but i think people forget that there is going to be a big drop off to any 5th choice back up and while clearly limited he's done okay. I did hear a theory that his inabilty to progress the ball means the overall positioning of the team is further back than normal, which has had a knock on effect to how we've (mis)managed these last 5 or so games.

I cant be arsed trying to work out what quotes/brackets/ etc to delete from TOPGUN/GAZ thread so I'll just soldier on like some elderly supply teacher feeling bamboozled by the overhead projector...

The City games should probably be viewed in isolation from our overall league campaign because they are clearly better and more adaptable than us.

I think adding him to the side has had a massive effect on the way Gabriel and Partey have played. It’s no coincidence their form seems to have tailed off since we lost Saliba

Arseblog write up on tactics in the City game is excellent. Read it and then ask why Arteta made no change to our style of play after the first half was a disaster.

All this talk of a new forward is redundant. We had good forwards who received absolutely no support. The midfield failed to exist so why do people think a new forward will make a difference. And even when you buy a good forward you need a manager to get him to fit in to a system. Pep did it with Haaland but Klopp has failed with Nunez.

But don’t let me interrupt the opinions of real supporters who propose we sell 2 of our current 3 forwards. Genius and madness have a thin dividing line.

What we need is to be able to adapt to the game and change our game play if needed. Not play the same 11 players ever game with only one system of play. But there are those who believe Arteta is the messiah and can do no wrong. Stick your head back in the sand.

Leaked images of next season's rumoured 3rd kit

I cant be arsed trying to work out what quotes/brackets/ etc to delete from TOPGUN/GAZ thread so I'll just soldier on like some elderly supply teacher feeling bamboozled by the overhead projector...

The City games should probably be viewed in isolation from our overall league campaign because they are clearly better and more adaptable than us.

Haaland is a bit of a silver bullet so its easy to point at him and say we could do with one of those. But I think having a striker with more of a physcial presence who is a real danger from crosses should be worth thinking about for this team. During the later part of the season as opponents started to double/triple up on Saka/Martinelli the option seemed to be switch play from side to side and wait for an eye of a needle gap to appear, which to be fair we often found due to our patience. However, being able to use the spaces on the sides to whip a ball into the box would surely be a great option to have. Vlahovic or Toney (if his ban isnt ridiculous) make sense to me. As city showed, having a skillful lump up front is also one way to beat a press.
A midfield upgrade I believe is a no brainer, particulary when we've seen Partey struggle with injuries his whole Arsenal career and very recently, he's seemed a bit off the pace physically. He's had a great season but its such an important position for the way Mikel plays, it feels like too big a gamble not having a like for like backup. Watching Caciedo and Rice recently, I think that either would be great for us. Rice seems like a leader/personality which for a developing young team coud be really helpful. Lets hope the Kroenkes continue backing Mikel and Edu because we have an amazing opportunity to get back into the big time once again......

]
1. He probably felt that going defensive just after going two goals down was not a good move. Basically when we were 2-0 down it was hail Mary time.
2. A strong argument can be made that he should have started with a different lineup. I think he should have. BUT we been succesful this year by being brave and where we have change the lineup the result has not been particularly encouraging. Basically, he had a really tough decision to make and had he started with Jorginho and Tierney and it had gone pear shaped, people would be criticising him. Similarly, Zinchenko and Jesus. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
3. Midfield certainly is an area that we should look to strenthen, but that wasn't the problem on Wednesdsay. Defense, midfield and frontline are not separate units. If one cog is malfunctioning, the rest tends to go wonky too. I personally don't blame Holding exclusively either, although we clearly function better with Saliba. Our last couple of games meant that quite of a few of our players were lacking confidence. Saka made a few mistakes and was tentative, Jesus was trying too hard and all over the place again. Even Ramsdale, who made great saves, looked a bit shaky with his distribution--hardly surprising after his horror show last weekend.

1. He probably felt that going defensive just after going two goals down was not a good move. Basically when we were 2-0 down it was hail Mary time.
2. A strong argument can be made that he should have started with a different lineup. I think he should have. BUT we been succesful this year by being brave and where we have change the lineup the result has not been particularly encouraging. Basically, he had a really tough decision to make and had he started with Jorginho and Tierney and it had gone pear shaped, people would be criticising him. Similarly, Zinchenko and Jesus. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
3. Midfield certainly is an area that we should look to strenthen, but that wasn't the problem on Wednesdsay. Defense, midfield and frontline are not separate units. If one cog is malfunctioning, the rest tends to go wonky too. I personally don't blame Holding exclusively either, although we clearly function better with Saliba. Our last couple of games meant that quite of a few of our players were lacking confidence. Saka made a few mistakes and was tentative, Jesus was trying too hard and all over the place again. Even Ramsdale, who made great saves, looked a bit shaky with his distribution--hardly surprising after his horror show last weekend.

Idiots on the internet? Who'd have thought? Every club has several million of them. Why waste time getting angry reading that nonsense? I'd suggest some deep breathing, a yoga session and a bit of Dame Edna with Parky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac0CJn0 ... el=ppotter

"He toyed with the priesthood"

When Roy H took over palace there was someone on here who couldn’t understand why Palace had appointed him. Relegation was a real threat at the time. I think they have their answer now. Maybe Viera could have done the same but we will never know.

Fulham looking good for a big upset.