Mustafi highlights the big difference between us and clubs with infinite resources. All those clubs have made mustafi type signings but they can afford to cast them aside and try another £35m defender. We just can’t do that.

He must go this summer.

I haven't seen Daz, Haz or Kiwi on here lately.

Kiwi is probably back in solitary at the nursing home and unable to access the internet.

I assume everything is OK will all three.

Understandably, everyone has been going on about Mustafi. Having said that, some of it has been taken to unjustified extremes. The most obvious example was someone (I'm not sure who and can't be arsed to look it up) expressing their hatred of him. Hating a player of the club you support because you think he's rubbish just seems a bit barmy to me.

Sure, there are lots of legitimate reasons to hate someone. A very small number have had a child murdered. I can appretiate why, for one of many examples, the parents of Beverley Allitt's victims would hate her. I can also understand why the wife and children of Kevin Lee would hate Joanne Dennehy, who murdered him.

Outside murder, I can accept why rape victims, people who have had their life savings, or even those who have seen their partners leave them or had an affair would hate the 'other' person. That list isn't exhaustive either.

But hating Mustafi because he's perceived as a poor player? Give it a rest. That's way over the top. Football just isn't that important, or at least it shouldn't be. Moreover, I say that as someone who's not only been going home and away for over fifty years, but has now had a season ticket for over half a century.

Top Gun (I'm pretty sure it was him) suggested there will be youth players better than Mustafi. I'd like to see Medley given a chance of showing whether that's true, because I'm fast losing faith in the other option Mavropanos. He was terrible at Everton, way worse than Mustafi. Furthermore there was a reason, when Emery wanted to change the defence at half time against Palace, why it was Mavropanos he took off, not Mustafi.

It can’t be worse than playing Mustafi who is the definition of pony and who we know will be pony.

Looking back it seems crazy we sold Gabriel and kept him. Probably because we didn’t want to admit Arsene pissed another 40 million up the wall.

I am so fed up with our goals against being so often down to horrendous and unexplainable individual errors.
Just in the two palace games we have given them:
2 penalties for diving in
A free header 6 yards out from a set piece
A free run for a 1v1 which should have been easily covered
Another 2 unmarked free headers from a corner

It is the biggest thing holding us back.

Sokratis has made a few mistakes this season but the difference between him and mustafi is Sokratis mistakes come from him trying to help, trying to defend and make a difference. Mustafi’s mistakes far too often come from not doing his job, passing on the blame! The number of times he turns to his GK having expected them to come, or not tracked a run because he thought they were offside. It’s utterly ridiculous.

Bellerin and Holding’s injuries have really hurt us. With both fit jenkinson, Lichtsteiner, mustafi would have had far less game time.

Or maybe Bernard you are taking the ' I hate Mustafi' comment out of context? When it comes to playing for Arsenal I hate the useless pile of *%^@ myself.

That been said, yesterday is on Emery. It looked an absolute car crash of a team on paper and so it proved. I think we blew our top 4 chances losing that game, even a point would have been more than useful.

Are we allowed to point out another terrible penalty decision NOT given to the arsenal? Or because we played so badly we can’t complain about a bad decision.
I’ve seen Liverpool get so many soft ones this season, it seems every time salah goes down he gets a pen. I know the defender had his hands on salah and pundits are using that to defend giving a pen. But give everyone a pen then. At the moment it seems only salah gets them. These things do not even themselves out over a course of a season.
Yes I’d much prefer we do enough in games that takes any bad officiating out of the equation but it doesn’t work like that and sometimes you need the officials to make the right calls

I'm starting to form an opinion that despite his much lauded preparation that he's overthinking it to the point of not having a clue.

Is it really bad.luck when every single season Arsenal has an injury crisis?

I think the Bellerin and holding injuries are bad luck. Both have had excellent injury records and both are season ending freak injuries. Welbeck is less so because he has been injury prone the whole time he’s been with us, but it was also a bit of a freak turning of an ankle.
Repeat muscle injuries like Ramsey’s hamstring, or regular injuries to older players are more in our control. But to have 2 ACL and one broken ankle to 3 first team players is bad luck.
Van Dijk could have done his ACL in sept and Liverpool would be nowhere near where they are now. I’m not saying holding and Bellerin are as good as VVD, or as much mportabt to us as he is them but considering the replacements are mustafi, jenkinson, Lichtsteiner then these were two positions we needed to be healthy in.

We’ve become better with injuries but with our lack of squad depth we need injury free seasons to really be successful. Liverpool and Spurs have been prime examples of that over this season and the last.

Hate is a very big word John (despite only having four letters) that I think people should try to use literally. I do actually agree though. Emery was the main culprit for yesterday.

I agree. After Spurs and United lost, Emery should have started with the strongest team available (including Torriera and AMN, surely) yesterday. Take the points, make a statement, keep the momentum, rather than save players for games you might lose anyway. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Now we are in a bit of a fix with two massive games a week til the end of the season. There's no telling what our rivals will do (United might even come back into it now their focus is singular) but I doubt that we'll get more than another 8 points. Squeaky bum time.

Emery is prioritising the Europa League over the PL. That is just about understandable given they coold actually win the EL. However, we had a relatively easy game against Napoli. Once Lacazette scored, the tie was over so it really shouldn't have warranted having to field a weakened team against Palace.

Also, I don't but the hard luck/injury line at all. There's some revisionism here. Mustafi was definitely first choice centre back at the start of the season. Holding was a reserve and Koscielny was out long term with a question mark over his future. Bellerin's injury was a blow but that happens to every team and we supposedly bought Lichsteiner as defensive cover. There's no excuses. We had a great opportunity with Man U completely tanking this season. I hope we can take it, but I suspect we won't.

Ok a few points on this. The hate thing I agree, I hate Mustafis performances but not him.

On the culprit comment im not totally in agreement. To explain why is I think you can slightly blame him for playing 5 at the back to counter all the crap defenders Wenger signed but not for his rotation.

He can’t break his better players by playing them too much otherwise we will be screwed.

Our approach for many years was to only recruit players when we were desperate or trying to placate a scout or staff member

Look at the players who played yesterday who people are hating on and shaming....

Jenkinson - purely signed off the back of us recruiting an academy coach from charlton. (hodd probably knows more about this) Was never good enough. Great person, good attitude but should be playing championship or lower

El Nenny- purely signed because jack had yet another injury and we needed numbers. Your better off playing youth players

Mustafi- signed because we had no option remember how desperate we were and had no other options. Pure desperation on our part and we probably paid 35% more than he’s worth because of our desperation. I think he’s got the worst decision making of any defender I’ve seen at arsenal including those who had far less technical ability than him like senderos and Djourou.

My point is for a long time under Arsene we only signed new players when we were screwed. That’s not how you conduct good business and get good talent.

Emery is getting pelters for playing this lot but he didn’t sign them. If a violinist is being asked to play a harmonica it might not be a positive musical experience

According to this we've got the joint worst record in the league for making mistakes that lead directly to goals.

https://readarsenal.com/2019/04/22/whic ... er-league/

No surprise there then.

Emery's team selection was not great but he can't legislate for the kind of comedy defending we saw on show yesterday. Our players are experienced professionals, and in most cases internationals, yet they are making incomprehensible errors both individually and collectively.

Mustafi might as well have stood in the centre circle and pulled his pants down because that is what happened to him over the course of the game.

He was not alone either.

Indeed. And I could understand playing a weakened team yesterday if we had actually were playing in Europe in midweek. I just don't understand the midfield selections.

Once a gooner
Monaco star Cesc enjoys swipe at Spurs - via Roberts

https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles ... ts-4277632

Is this close enough?

Yup - Napoli away, no Mustafi, calm and collected clean sheet. Mustafi returns, 3 goals conceded - no great help from Jenks, Elneny, Guendouzi...

Same old issue. Our best 11 playing well is pretty good. But there are a number in our squad who simply aren't up to this level.

VAR, if applied correctly will be of benefit to Arsenal and less so to Spurs, Utd & Liverpool. We've had a lot of penalties not given to us over the last few seasons....whereas Spurs & liverpool have done very nicely in the last 2-3 years.

This isn't Rosicky, Diaby and an aging Arteta though. Holding & Bellerin have barely had an injury of any note before, and weren't being overplayed unlike under wenger. Welbeck and Ramsey are the only consistently injury prone players we have left and both are leaving. Of course, chumps like Mustafi and Elneny only ever get minor knocks...

Just seen their 2nd goal. My god that’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. It tops the city final blooper.

Also just the way Leno scrambled to get it and mustafi blamed him afterwards.

Not so sure about Chelsea getting that amount of points after tonight. Teams 3-6 are woefully inconsistent at the mo

Chelsea 2-2 Burnley full time

Big bonus for Chelsea to drop 2 points at home. Wasn’t expecting that.

Chelsea’s remaining fixtures
Man U away
Watford home
Leicester away

If we pick up at least a point at wolves we’re level with Chelsea with easier fixtures

We need united to take 3 points off them. If we had won yesterday we would be absolutely laughing.

On the other hand Arsene did sign Holding and Bellerin, who we are apparently missing greatly...

The football gods keep throwing us gifts, Tottenham losing to City, Man Utd losing, Chelsea drawing at home and we spit in the football gods eyes.

I wonder what the plans are for next season... surely we can't rely on Monreal and Koscielny to be first-teamers still?

I very much doubt it. Doesn't Monreal's contract end this summer? If so I suspect he'll move on. I think Koscielny's contract ends in the summer of 2020. So I think he'll stay but next season will be his last at Arsenal.

Here's my guess of what will happen with the defence for next season. Mustafi will be sold this summer. A new central defender will be signed from somewhere, probably a player in his early twenties who shows big promise which will push the price up without being a Van Dijk type cost. The other possibility is someone like Boateng. In his day great but the rumours I'm getting is he's had a poor season and Bayern are willing to let go. But the younger player is, I reckon, more likely.

Whether we play four or five at the back (with two or three central defenders), I suspect the new player will be the obvious first choice. Alongside him will be either Sokratis or Holding in a back four or both with a back five. Koscielny and I hope Medley will be used to cover injuries, suspensions, and resting players. I see Mavropanos going on loan somewhere.

If Monreal goes we're left with Kolasinac who's decent going forward but can't defend to save his life. So I expect a new left back to arrive. With Bellerin and Maitland-Niles (I'm sure Lichtsteiner will go) that should hopefully be enough at right back. Maybe Jenkinson will be kept for dire emergencies or will be sold. I think it could come down to when his contract ends, which I don't know.

Seems there is a petition to name the stadium after Wenger. I fully support the re-naming of the stadium. I am not sure if its possible contractually from Emirates but if its so I would agree but I would call it the Chapman-Wenger stadium or Wenger-Chapman stadium. Chapman got us to national (and to some extent international) prominence and can't be overlooked in my humble opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uKeGXZ5cPQ

Easier fixtures - mate if ever a team can turn an easy fixture into a nail biter we can because of arrogance (failure to pay respect to our opponents) or the number of mistakes we make.

The fact we are still in with a chance of fourth means we have improved from last year IMO but our carefree attitude persists. The no personal responsibility that permeates the current generation, has been allowed to develop and grow at the club. Changing that is the first challenge.

Do an exercise we used to do in Oz when we were playing cricket against the great West Indies sides and fast bowlers - who would you want to bat for your life. Look at the current Arsenal team and tell me who you would select to play for you if your life depended upon it. It is difficult to select 11 players. You know the Tony Adams, David Oleary, Dixon, Henry, or even someone like Perry Groves or Giles Grimandi would try their guts out for you. Whose attitude would you prefer Patrick Viera or our current teams.

When managing change, like Emery is trying to do, you cannot change culture of a business in under three years. We have a long way to go.

Is Merson back on the sauce because his judgement is lacking. They are still trying to sift through the rubble after his departure. I would rather it be named the Chapman Mee Graham Stadium but I suspect it will probably change name to .."(insert name of sponsor who offers most money) Stadium".

As for the Wolves game - are they celebrating 60 years since their last title this week. Yeah I don't expect their players to be up for this game - give them something to celebrate for the season - will no doubt not be within their thoughts. Just in case some on here don't recognise it - sarcasm.

... or maybe its just very hard to play two games a week after a long season unless, apparently, you are Liverpool or City. United might even come back into it ...

I disagree. Özil is the only player whose attitude one might question. And there is nothing specifically 'modern' about being something of a maverick.

The problem with El Neny, Jenks, Mavrapanos and Mustafi is that they are just not quite good enough, for whatever reason.

Kos, Sokratis, Monreal, ANM, Torriera, and Xhaka are seriously nuggety characters. Monreal and Kos are getting on, but who can deny that they've been admirable characters and great servants to the club? Its not their fault that we haven't been more successful.

We blew the palace game because Emery gambled and it didn't pay off. The gamble was a bit reckless considering that Palace have been upsetting top six teams all season.

I would go for the Herbert Chapman stadium. Next time we move we can call it the Arsene Wenger stadium. But right now the name is a bit too divisive.

I wouldn't support naming any ground after any former manager. Be it this one, the last one retrospectively, or the next one. Does any club? Old Trafford isn't called the Busby or Ferguson Stadium; Anfield isn't called the Shankley or Paisley Stadium. The Nicholson Stadium isn't, from what I've heard, being considered for the new Tottenham ground.

Gaz is right. It'll be the Emirates until a new sponsor pays us more for naming rights. That's what Tottenham are waiting for too.

Totally agree ridiculous to do otherwise.

New Highbury, or The Arsenal stadium but stadiums will be sponsor forever and always now anyway.

The skodran Mustafi stand or whatever sounds ridiculous.

I think some clubs name stands after club legends. Isn't there a Moore stand at the London Stadium? There was certainly a Brooking stand at Upton Park as the away end was in it. I don't even like that, let alone naming the whole stadium after someone. I even wish they'd left the two bridges leading from Drayton Park to the Emirates as the north and south bridges, rather than the Friar and Fitzman bridges.