Our players think they can just turn up against the ‘lesser’ teams. It’s an attitude problem.

Our players are just overrrated, Rich.

We've lacked creativity all season and it will be our downfall

I've turned it off
Utter b%*&s%*^
Villa clearly are not mugs after what they did to liverpool and I knew it would be a tough game but *%^@*** 3 0
Really!!!
*%^@*** embarrassing.
What was the point of winning last week at utd???

But it goes deeper than that.

We have been really unthreatening this season. Very few chances created. Attacks in slo mo. And that was equally true of the Man U game.

The only hope I have with Arteta after this is, unlike previous managers, i don’t believe Arteta will accept this. It feels like so many of the standards Arteta has set since he came in have not been met tonight. Arteta himself is of course not blameless. But I would
Much rather keep Arteta than most of the players we have

Very true. We create very little. Arteta needs to earn his corn after this.

The players should be ashamed of that tonight but when they get in their Ferraris and go home to their multi-million pound mansions you might ask where the hunger and desire is.

I thought he and Tierney were 2 of the few to come away with any credit. Could see he was trying.they have run rings around us in the 2nd half since Partey came off

Yeah. But if it had been Elneny that went off I wouldn’t have expected Partey’s form to fall away. Partey is good enough to influence things in a positive way. Sadly Elneny is not. He’s like the sorcerer’s accomplice.

Of all the years to wipe £X millions randomly off the budget via a global pandemic it was the one when we needed a huge squad overhaul in and out. Still far too many average players at the club being paid way too much.

How much money would it take for Arsenal to even have an attack as good as Villa’s?

Of course it goes deeper. But the attitude is the thing that doesn’t cost millions. Talent isn’t there definitely but that is seemingly only fixed in the transfer market.

Saka and Aubameyang need a break.

The boss needs to think again.

We need a Drogba up front.

What a fecking shambles.

Thing is. We are a mid table team with delusions of grandeur. And have been for a few years now.

The problem is really El Nenny is a squaddie and there’s only 1 decent midfielder at the club. Contrast our lot to Barkley and Grealish who ran rings around us. They would walk into our side.

As soon as Ceballos comes on El Nenny is forced into rushing off into one man presses, just not going to work

So frustrating to see strikers like Watkins, Bamford, Calvert-Lewin, ings, Wilson, Antonio just do basic centre forward play better than anything we can muster. None of these guys are world beaters, but they are good prem strikers who do their role for their team and who would all drastically improve our team.

Very true.

See my post above. Not even a Drogba - who was a phenomenal player - just a basic good level striker who can close down, make intelligent runs, be mobile, and even just have 6/10 level of finishing

Was about to post this observation Lacazette obviously off form but can anyone also see Nketiah being anywhere near that level of the guys mentioned here,

Spot-on ltg

Again, spot-on Rich

Barkley created 6 chances in tonight’s game. The last time any arsenal player did that in any game was April 2018.

The trouble is I don't really see us being just one or two players short.

We have perhaps 1 player who would be near City or Liverpool's first 11 and that is simply not good enough.

I don't count Gabriel because its still far too early to tell what his eventual level will be.

We’re going to have to face up to a very up and down season. On occasion it will come together and we’ll play well and win, on others it’ll be like tonight.

We’re still paying the price of a series of squad building decisions that of you wrote them all down you’d be hard pushed to find a set of decisions that could have been worse for the club if we tried to implode the club from inside to out. I’m certainly not convinced we’re not still making some of those bad decisions still but I’m hopeful that we seem to have at least made some good ones.

The difference between the very rich is they can action things a lot quicker.

And the irony is that very few Arsenal fans would have wanted the inconsistent Barkley anywhere near the club.

Funny that he didn’t fist it away - he caught and made a great pass and we were totally opened up. It was the quick thought process that made a difference.

If Emery’s team gave this performance people clambered for him to be sacked. By the way Aubameyang was atrocious. We were destroyed like we usually are against teams like Bayern. People having been saying he has fixed the defence but there was little to suggest that. The only good thing out of this game was my betting app was down and refused to take my bet.

Agreed, there’s loads of talented inconsistent types like him in the prem. goes to show how far away we are.

Arteta has to take some responsibilty as well though Rich. Play Aubameyang centrally for a start.

Are we actually any more consistent than under Emery?

David, recall when AV were a consistent mid table side in the PL for a long time. They got relegated, now come back like gangbusters. May not stay that way, but then again we may not stay mid table either. Disappointing today to say the least. But there's the 2 week break now. Games coming up after will be pivotal obviously. I think MA really underestimates his opponents at times. His setup needs a more intrinsic scope of play than what he's often thinking he's providing. Speaks volumes of overhauling squad, expecting players to step up, be more disciplined, etc. Yet, doesn't transition onto the pitch that often, as seen by games played against sides we should have kicked to the kerb. I'll still support him, but he really needs to be more focused on ongoing issues.

I know he's not blessed with a plethora of creative talents but Arteta is a frustratingly conservative coach.

The current managers choices of Soares, Mari and Willian will haunt us for many years to come. People wonder why the owners don’t give us silly money to spend.

Looks like me shelling out for Box Office is the kiss of death. Home to Leicester and now this.

I did note above that Arteta needs to take a fair chunk of the blame tonight. We need a different approach to these home games. We need pace and tempo and pressing right from the off. If Arteta sets the team up for generally tight games then you have nowhere to turn when it goes wrong.
The Aubameyang one is difficult because he had so much success with him wide left, but right now it isn’t working so he needs to change it.
4-3-3 and use Aubameyang central and use wide players who are extra midfielders, work in tandem with their full back, can drift inside our out and give an attacking threat. In midfield play 3 who can play vertically, get between the lines. Play a team with tempo and pace

Arteta: I didn't see the spirit for the first time that I see every day in training.

And the annoying bit is it is international break now so we have to suffer this defeat for 2 weeks, fans and players and having it in the papers as the latest crisis club all that time. It’s not a good look

The biggest worry is that we sit something like 3rd worst team in the league for chances created, shots at goal and obviously have very few shots at goal - but the difference between us and those teams down there with us is we have an awful lot of the ball. So we literally have no idea at the moment how to create chances and shots in football matches.

We’ve built a squad that can’t play percentages and lump the ball long or just sling crosses in to the box.
We’ve built a squad that can’t play on the pace of our attackers running behind because we don’t have the movement, mobility or pace
We’ve built a squad that isn’t technically creative enough to pick holes in tight defences.

We’ve basically build a squad where the first few holes we had to plug were to somehow make us more solid, or less easy to score goals against (bar tonight). But that’s it for now

I look at the players we have though Rich and whilst not being anywhere near the level of City or Liverpool they shouldn't be getting schooled by Villa at home FFS!"

Why are Lacazette and Willian still starting?

I feel a little sorry for Lacazette because he is clearly trying but he is nowhere near the player he was a couple of seasons ago. His sharpness, mobility and finishing have gone. I don't know whether injuries have taken their toll or he is just in a natural decline but he should not be starting.

Willian, likewise, is a shadow of the player he was at Chelsea.

I actually recall Arteta not picking Martinelli before his injury and it seemed he just didn't fancy him. He seems to have his favorites.

I think the truth is our team and squad is average. It’s not the coach

Which of our lot gets in a top 4 side? Based on our previous title winners qualities I’d suggest possibly 6 players Leno, Bellerin, Aubameyang, partey, Gabriel and Tierney.

Some of our players are so over rated by our fans. Xhaka and ceballos look bog average to me yet people defend them to the hilt, lacazette once good but a spent force now and Nketiah should be playing for a side in the championship not Arsenal. Willian looks a retirement home signing to me

I long for players from our recent past and even ones that divided opinion like Ramsey, Ox and Wilshere. They would look like gods compared to the midfield of our current side.

This won’t be a quick turnaround but it’s not the manager

If Pépé and Nketiah our in the performance of willian and Lacazette they’d be dropped immediately for the next game. The problem is I’m not sure anyone has any faith that Pépé and Nketiah will do any different.

Feels like Willock deserves a chance. No other player like him in the squad

Arteta's tactics at home are pretty negative.

Yes I am concerned about his favouritism. As for Lacazette, Arteta wants him to play a role which no player at the club is built to play. People carry on about missed chances. Every striker misses chances. Look at Liverpool players they get 4-5 good clear chances every game and maybe score 1 or 2. Our team does not create many chances and most of them are not clear cut. I put it down as one clear cut chance today and maybe 1-2 against Leicester. We are the home team and have no game plan.