Torreira was getting tackles in and at least was was breaking up their rhythm to some extent. The defence is constantly criticised but I think midfield is a bigger problem and if we got two good midfielders in, with the right coaching, we would improve to a huge extent. You just can't play with a dysfunctional midfield. Guendouzi is a promising kid but he's not a teenage Fabregas, Wilshere or Ramsey.

We certainly can do with a midfield monster type in our team. Torreira is a trier but not quite Kante or Vidal... someone like Danilo Pereira perhaps?

Went to bed after half-time. Was thinking, why would I stay up to watch Arsenal doing nothing with the ball? With Özil, we will always be 10 and a half men versus 11. Aubameyang was anonymous in the first half. Why?

Who is coaching them about team positional play? Some players over commit when trying to win back the ball, and then a gap opens up. That is how teams cut through our midfield like knife on butter.

Don't think you are quite on the money here Gaz ... Chambers is pretty hopeless , but so is Luiz and Sokratis and Mustafi ... Holding is injured . It would be fair to say we have the worst collection of centre halves in the top two divisions .... maybe the world .
I'd more subscribe to the view Freddie just doesn't know what to do .... he is miles out of his depth .

Resuscitating this train wreck of a club isn't a job for a rookie .

Certainly felt like City went up a notch on the quality compared to some of their recent games but was that more down to us being the easiest team to look good against? Nearly every other team in the league gave city more of a fright and fight than we did. The lack of effort is astonishing and unforgivable.
Players aren’t fools, they know that individually city are better players but that’s where the team ethic comes in. Plenty of worse teams on paper give better players bloody noses because they work for each other, trust each other, know their job, willing to do the ugly side of the game etc etc. We don’t have the stomach for it and half this team have mentally checked out for the season.

We used to always be 3 or so players from really having a team, I think were 10 or so players and a manager from having a competitive top 4 team. I don’t think any of our central defence or central midfield is currently fit for purpose for the premier league.

We need to get rid of so many. Özil, Xhaka, mustafi, Sokratis, luiz, Chambers, kolasinac all not up to it. Aubameyang, Lacazette, Torriera will probably all need to be sold to raise funds.

From what I saw, we were playing with belief for a good period in the first half, until their second goal. When the third went in, players who were expected to provide leadership failed to. The senior players did not do enough to motivate the team. Not sure how the second was for Aubameyang, but he was anonymous in the first. Could be the way we were set-up, but as Captain, he could have done more to show drive for the team. I think his heart is no longer in it. Can't blame him when we have tip-toe Özil trying (not) to assist our attacking play. Drop Özil for good. He does not bust a gut for the team.

Total shambles but heads up to Freddie for calling out the board in his presser. Three weeks since Emery was sacked and nothing.

And Özil can just *%^@ off too. Shadow of a player. Martinelli, Torriera, Guendouzi and Leno are all that's worth salvaging, long term from this current project, save for a couple of the youth players.

The excellent Swiss Ramble has just posted some early champions league money tables. So far the 4 English clubs have event about £60-70m each. Champions league money is getting bigger and bigger. Put this alongside matchday revenue becoming a much smaller differential because of the vast tv deals in the prem and Arsenal have somehow managed to reach a perfect storm of being rubbish just at the wrong time.

The only things lacking from our team are quality, power, athleticism, pace, organisation, discipline, brains and desire.

Apart from that we are all right.

Morning grumpy,

Mrs Kiwi is right, some of the kids are millionaires before they are out of their teens. Many are more interested in fast cars and loose women (and why wouldn't they be) than being the consummate professional.

However, in our case its the senior pros who are woeful.

I think things are now so bad defensively I'd actually take fat Sam until the end of the season.

He knows how to organise a defence and a few heads would be bashed together as well.

I’m not sure this is great actually. He knew what he was in for when he signed up to caretake

I think it’s indicative that he’s aware he’s not getting a chance at the job. Arseblogger was saying yesterday that he’s heard an announcement is imminent. If this is true I’d like to know what William Hill are offering on it being Ancellotti as he’d be a decent punt.

Before going to the game I said to my son I just hope the match isn't over as a contest too quickly....

Since the KSE bought into the club its been declining slowly and steadily year on year. In the owners eyes, we are Arsenal PLC, an overseas investment, and not The Arsenal, one of the most historic and iconic football clubs in the world.

KSE's aims are different to those of us supporters, and as long as they own our club I think our football aspirations are completely reliant on KSE's ability to sign great players and manager on a budget determined by KSE's investment criteria.

The question then becomes:

1) how do we get KSE to sell Arsenal to an owner with real sporting ambitions?
2) or how do we persuade KSE to manage Arsenal in a way that is befitting of our history and status?

If your low on confidence and lacking battle Goodison park is the last place I’d go.

They always chase every ball, the crowd is always on the back of the ref and our youngsters will be getting kicked all over the park in cold conditions.

I don’t fancy that game A single bit and think we won’t be able to stabilise ourselves until the new year.

I genuinely can’t see us finishing higher than we are and I’ve never seen an Arsenal team in my life that contains such little self belief.

Indeed it isn't. Now that our fullbacks are all crock we are really up *%^@ creek.

We needed to go three at the back even if it had to be three of those four jokers. The gaps in our defense for the first two goals were ridiculous (the third was just de Bruyn's brilliance). The second goal is just inexplicable. Giving every team that plays us two goals, let alone giving City two in the first 20 minutes ...

I'm happy that he picked Aubameyang, Martinelli and Pépé. We have to stick with that.

Özil? But who on earth to replace him? Smith Rowe? AMN?

Torriera and and Guendouzi? Again ... who else?

I'm certainly no fan of Fat Sam but given our inability to defend, and players like Özil wafting around the pitch, it would be quite funny watching the effect of him managing until the end of the season. I see an image of a chicken coop with loads of crashing, thumping and feathers puffing out of the windows....

Overreaction. Pépé, Lacazette, Aubamayeng, Torriera, Tierny (from what little I've seen), Bellerin, Holding, Guenduzzi and yes Xhaka are all Premier league quality.

Kroenke thought that we would get top 4 forever and Wenger was a gift from god. He made somewhere in the region of 700 million to a billion quid on the value of his shares so far. Not sure if his American business provides that and in fact he’s had to put a billion of his own money into his LA stadium.

The moment the competition sorted their lives out spurs, Leicester and Liverpool over took us and it was too late.

It’s not just the lack of money it’s the absenteeism and lack of understanding that has killed us.

It will take massive protests to oust him but I looked around the ground yesterday as it emptied in front of my eyes and realised I spent 150 quid on tickets, had been served up dross entertainment and that in fact Kroenke may have to sell to stop the decline of his business as believe me many supporters WONT be renewing their season tickets this summer and the consumers HE has created are getting served poor entertainment at high prices.

It’s just not much fun going down The Arsenal anymore

He will have to play CB for us but he is probably still an improvement

2nd half - City eases up & still should have got another 3. Just rewatching the match. It doesn’t look any better now. Not a lesson learnt for these players at all.

Freddie surrended the game when he told the players not to let the crowd get to them. He prepared them for defeat. And then was smiling and chatting with Pep after the game. He hasn’t got the mentality to manage and I now want him gone from the club when the new manager comes in. He might have thought the defeat was funny as he was crawling up Peps arse but I certainly didn’t.

I have a feeling it's an ex player.

Arseblog puts in this line to end today's blog, after earlier saying about an imminent appt.

I think you're right but I also think we face a battle to keep Aubameyang and Lacazette. I think you can add Martinelli to that list - he looks a real talent. Missing out on the CL is going to kill us.

I think it's Arteta. Vinai and Huss Famy left his house at 1.20am this morning.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7796731/Arsenal-chief-Vinai-Venkatesham-leaves-Mikel-Artetas-Manchester-mansion-1-20am.html

Evening CheerGerm .... yes I agree with your following post ; Big Sam is the Go To Guy for lost causes .

We really have painted ourselves into a corner .

We persevere with Ljingberg I can only see relegation on the horizon .

Miracles can happen but I see Everton's more organised desperation trumping our headless chickens .

Cost for 3 tickets in the family enclosure yesterday around 150 quid plus travel and food and beverages all in probably around 220 quid for Top Gun.

This Sunday wot are we up to ? New Star Wars movie and followed by a pizza cost 60 quid. The kids will probably have more fun.

This is a calculation that doesn’t make sense or add up long term. I think this will drive Kroenke out, his business model wont work. Charging premium prices for bad entertainment in a sport that he doesn’t really understand. However I think he will damage Arsenal significantly before realising his mistake.

I’ll always be an arsenal fan but I just go less these days. The apathy will get worse and people will desert the cause.

Goodness, it must be him if Fahmy is there.

Santi Cazorla as a player assistant coach please with Xhaka going in the opposite direction

I do find it interesting how in the same way Liverpool are lazily labelled by the media as the greatest supporters the world has ever seen, Arsenal are now being labelled the worst supporters. As if somehow we have no right to be angry/sad/apathetic that our great club is slowly being mismanaged into a slow and expensive decline before our very eyes.

And to pick up on TG's point, as a season ticket holder since Highbury, the idea of giving it up always seemed like a non starter, but its becoming harder to justify it when you see the club being run by an American investment company who have no interest in Arsenal as a sporting institution.

the only thing equal in the second half Greeny ... was we both had eleven players on the pitch although it seemed they had about twenty .

They eased off and decided to conserve their energy for a real test ...who have they got next Leicester ?

If we'd have scored first that wouldn't have put them on the back foot ; it would have p***sed them off and they would have put eight passed us .

...and with Everton in crisis it isn't a great time to play them , they be busting a gut to get all three points .

Hi Darren,

It would not surprise me at all, and to a certain extent it would be quite an exciting appointment (into the unknown and all that). However, it must be said he has no real management credentials because he hasn't managed before and everyone says the manager's job is a far different proposition than a coach's job. How many no.2's have gone on to be great managers?

It would be a huge gamble and one of the issues is that because of the hectic fixure schedule he would have no time at all on the training ground to implement any of his ideas. Things could go pear-shaped very quickly if luck is not on his side given the set of fixures we are facing.

Would he be a strong enough personality to handle the bunch of overpaid undercommitted clowns we have in our squad, could he actually do anything with them (silk purse from a sow's ear)?

Hi Soc.

From what I've read about him, he wasn't concerned about rattling a few cages when at the club as a player. I think he and Mertesacker had enough credibility and personality when they were captain and vice-captain. I think he has the personality. He would, however, need the full backing of the club in any rebuild etc.

This pretty much mirrors my concerns.

It’s an easy appointment for the board, cheaper and an easy extraction from his current situation than say getting a Pochettino or Rogers.

He’s also got a reputation for being a nice guy and working with players but when I was watching yesterday’s game I was thinking to myself you need something of a villain to sort out this mess with over paid prima donnas performing poorly.

I wish him all the luck in the world because right now it feels like he would need to be a miracle worker.

Guardiola had one year managing Barcelona's B team before he was made manager of the senior team. Didn't turn out too bad.

He should be fined.

I suppose that’s a fair point and true.

Little bit easier to learn on the Job when you have Messi and Ronaldinho in your squad than Xhaka

Yes great idea

Let’s make our environment so hostile that any remaining decent player wants to bugger off

Arteta eh? Is he a strong enough character?

To me Ljungberg has got nothing to lose and should experiment with the young players. We have a good bunch of players but we do not need to strengthen our spine with players who can provide leadership and organisation.

That's very true, Gunny, and I suppose every great manager has to start somewhere.

Make no mistake, though, this is a mammoth task. This isn't Guardiola taking over at Barca or Zidane at Madrid, this is a humungous undertaking that would test the abilities of even the greatest manager.

This sums up precisely how I feel after yesterday’s game. This is bang on the money


https://www.onlinegooner.com/articles/view/4921

He couldn't really throw on the young players against City, though. A completely disfunctional central midfield AND central defense at the same time pretty hard to fix. We just need to somehow shore things up at the back and hope we can outscore enough teams to keep our heads above water until the January transfer window.