91 goals in the league last season, the most of any Arsenal team in the prem. lack of goals wasn’t a problem then, it’s a problem now because players have gone off form and we’ve had huge injuries to some of our best players

With the thin squad we have it’s better for us to get knocked out early in both cups. If you’re not building a squad to challenge on 4 fronts then going for the domestic cups is only going to damage the rest of the season.

Defensive made for Arteta starting pretty quickly. I think most people will give him this year and next but if we don’t have an EPL or CL he must go IMO.

One thing I long for is a set of attackers who can run defences ragged on their own. 3v4, 3v5, doesn’t matter they just have the upper hand because they should. Elite attackers beat even very good defenders, they should be quicker and more skillful.

It’s those times when the ball goes forward and you want your attacker to just drive at the defence, beat a man, commit him to making a mistake. We’ve not had that in so long…..since Henry really

So if we finish 2nd this season and next season, and we finish runners up in the champions league this season and next season…..Arteta should be sacked?
Does that view change if City are found guilty of most of their charges and are stripped of their most recent prem titles, so Arteta technically would have 2 prem titles?

Do you think if Liverpool had our injuries and we had theirs that the positions in the league would be reversed? And Arteta would be odds on to win the title. And people think of sacking him?

Where will Arteta go if we sack him? This isn’t some Solksjaer effort who remains unemployed for 3 years and turns up at Besiktas. Arteta gets an elite team if we sack him.

If you want Arteta gone then you should also have to name a replacement who in your view can do better than Arteta.

Anthony Gordon said Newcastle need to ‘stay humble’ in his post match interview. Of course it’s good banter if he meant it - but watch the reaction to it tomorrow - it will be one of complete hilarity and everyone saying what a great line it is to stick it to Arsenal. Plain as day

Hot the post at 0-0 in both legs, had to score both chances. Decided the tie because getting in front v Newcastle is so crucial. First goal in both games kills it.

My view remains exactly the same. Players want to win trophies or they move on. Fans want trophies. By the way some research (and I’m still looking) suggests Arteta has never, as manager, won a home tie in a 2 legged knock out round with us.

£650m and of our current forwards he signed Jesus, Havertz and Trossard (after missing out on Mudryk). It's not great really.

Since he won the cup in his first season, his record in the cups has been pretty awful.

That's not to say he hasn't done a very good job, because he certainly has, but he's also been backed like no Arsenal manager before and there is still lots of room for improvement.

This must be a joke

Brilliant indeed

I agree. The League cup winner gets £100k in prize money + gate revenues. It’s just not worth it, especially when everyone is putting out full strength squads every round. Play the reserves, get knocked out, who cares.

Even this Newcastle match it was always going to be near impossible to go to St James and win 3-0. As soon as they scored it was a certainty so understandable that the will went with it.

Didn’t even watch it tbh and also didn’t even flinch when I saw the score as it’s a complete waste of time and energy with a squad that’s running on fumes.

The volume of goals isn’t a problem and it isn’t about form. We don’t have players who can force the issue or score in moments in matches where we aren’t playing well. Where the opposition is managing the game well and we need to force the issue. Yesterday, Bayern away, Atlanta this season etc

The example I’d provide is early to mid 90s where we had a terrible midfield but Ian Wright up front getting us off the hook every week. A player like Isak can provide this as can a wright or Alexis Sanchez. We only know how to play one way. I also think this is why we do badly in the cups because we play our normal games in sporadic games with high intensity

Absolutely. Anyone who thinks we should sack the manager is deluded. He needs to be armed and helped. The new sporting director needs to find him 2 killers to add to this team.

That said arteta out was trending last night, D and Granty were right. Ignore that poxy competition next year.

Martinelli needs an MRI. Probably hamstring. May need a few weeks out

4 left

Trossard, Havertz, nwaneri, Sterling.

Nevermind the title we are going to have a massive fight for top 4 I think.

So we sack him, what will the players do then? Do you not think this will give them a huge reason to want to move? Who takes over? Who is your top choice for manager to take over Arteta that will lead us to these trophies - and what is that managers specific strengths that trump Arteta’s weaknesses - whilst also not himself having any weakness.?

You can’t have looked too hard with your not winning a home leg of a two leg knock out tie - just last season we beat Porto 1-0 at home.

Ok this is agree with. We desperately need the maverick up front, the players who score from nothing.
Considering we lost the title by a whisker in the last two seasons and may do so again this season, and we did all that without a genius up top whilst the teams who beat us had a prem record breaking goalscorer and a top 5 prem player of all time is it not worth giving Arteta the chance with one of those types of players before we sack him.

Anyone who thinks the lack of a top attacker is Arteta’s choice or fault is bonkers

I don't really care about the League cup or the result and wasn't expecting anything. Newcastle are just so perfectly set up to defend a lead against us. Big centre-backs, fast attackers, Isak, etc.

However, it is a very worrying indicator for our chances in the CL. We certainly have the capacity to steamroll pretty much anyone. But when that doesn't work (increasingly, given our thin and diminishing attaching resources), many teams will fancy themselves against our labouring approach and high line.

On the plus side, Nwaneri and MLS looked excellent again, and Ødegaard is looking a bit sharper. But being reliant on Trossard, Martinelli, and Havertz for goals just looks hopeless. Top 4 will be a good season.

Newcastle’s official social media has a picture of the league cup ball titled ‘the culprit’ - again no problem, I mean Arteta never said that but that’s not going to stop a story running.
The media will absolutely lap this stuff up tomorrow.
But when a young black kid scores his first goal a week after being wrongly sent off and called the villain in that nonsense then were the club with no class

The problem last year was after a great 13 players we had no depth ready to match the best 11. This season we haven’t really turned the dial in that regard, we don’t have back up players who can be relied on to fill the gaps and keep performance levels right at the top.

This summer has to be huge - certainly in quality but just quantity, the squad just doesn’t have enough players.

I said before I can’t think of many title winners who scramble around for loan deals in the transfer window.

We’re complaining about the attack but midfield isn’t much better - Partey, Rice, Ødegaard…..but who comes in at their level if thy miss chunks of the season? Merino really hasn’t cut it, Jorginho is ok in some games and zero Ødegaard back up.

Defence has quality back ups but it’s where severe injuries have hit

Of course it doesn't mean we should fire Arteta--he's done an excellent job. BUT going into the season with such thin attacking resources was a massive blunder and our current predicament was all to predictable.

Arteta will have to fix this this summer, and further claims that the 'right player' is not available will not cut it, and people will start to reasonably think that lack of attention to the forward line is a weakness that trumps Arteta's other strengths.

The idea that nobody suitable was available for the 70 million we spent on Calafiori and Merino was hard to swallow. It won't suffice as an excuse again.

I can already see plenty of people telling Arsenal to ‘stay humble’. The biggest part people choose to ignore is when we’re Arsenal arrogant is we consider that the opposite of humble? Ignore the fanbase because fans of all clubs have obnoxious or annoying people. Where have Arsenal (more than any other club to vindicate the singling out) been completely in-humble?

If it is in some way saying literally don’t say anything until you’ve won the league or champions league then that in itself is far more arrogant.

Why is the assumption that Haaland’s ‘stay humble’ correct and then it’s just tit for tat after that?

But is it solely on Arteta that we didn’t reinforce the attack? Was Arteta the one who said don’t worry about signings I’ll take Sterling on loan and that’s my attack sorted?

If we’d spent the £70m for Calafiori and Merino on Sesko for example then who would have played all of Calafiori and Merino’s minutes this season? Zinchenko/Kiwior and I suppose don’t send Vieira on loan? Doesn’t scream a strong squad either - and Arteta would be criticised for not solving our left back issue or strengthening in midfield.

We had pretty much a net £0 transfer window. Arteta has said many times the squad was too thin and was on his knees for reinforcements. He’s not holding the purse strings.

We desperately need a top level director of football just as much as a striker

I do think there is an element of Arteta thinking we could get away with it. He clearly imagines we can strangle our way to victories like a boa-constrictor, and the lack of sharp fangs is something we can work around.

It is quite hard to argue that we needed another midfielder and defender more than we needed a centre- forward. Even if you look at the young players coming through, there is just nothing there. Not a single natural CF of any description anywhere near the first team You have Havertz, who is ok, Jesus, who is prone to injury and long scoring droughts. After that it is completely makeshift, drawing from our already scarce stock of first-team wingers.

But even to the extent that you are right, unfortunately it is the football manager that take the blame when things go wrong.

In any case, I doubt there will be serious pressure on Arteta for while unless things go very seriously pear-shaped.

Agree the League Cup is not worth it. Personally I'd have played a far weaker side earlier and given some kids a game.

Newcastle are a ln adrenaline team. High tempo crazy high energy pressing which they cannot sustain over a season. Mind you, with our thin squad we need to be more selective and preserve the legs of our players better.

The Martinelli injury could be really bad news.

One of the biggest concerns I have right now going forward is Ødegaard’s drop off.
Of course we’re all concerned with a lack of top quality striker and we all know the need for that and a top quality winger. I can’t think that efforts won’t be made to address that in the summer.
But there is no way we look to replace Ødegaard and we relied on him a lot for so much in our play. He has to drop deep to help build when we’re pressed high, he has to create, he has to combine with our wingers, he has to help win the midfield battle, he has to score goals to make up for the lack of prolific striker and he has to lead the high press. We rely on him a lot to be on top form - it’s only Saka who really shares a similar burden and responsibility in all those areas.
Is Ødegaard’s form a blip this season linked to a bad injury or is this more his level?
For me as much as we talk about attackers I think we desperately need some more creativity and ball carrying from the middle of the pitch.

Newcastle signed Lloyd Kelly for free this summer with all parties knowing he’d be 4th choice CB at best, they’ve just sold him to Juventus for £20m. It’s crazy.

Newcastle were a club sailing very close to P&S rules last year, they’ve had some deadline day dashed to sell Anderson to Forest and then take Forest gk to be their 3rd choice gk for £20m. They also had to sell Minteh to Brighton for £35m

The likes of Newcastle, Forest, Villa, Everton, and possibly Man U and Chelsea will all need to sell if they want to buy in the summer.
Newcastle and Villa in particular have big problems with their income to wages ratio - both really unhealthy

There really hasn’t been a better time for a club to cash in when they are in good financial health. The pool of clubs who haven’t cheated or gamed the system with outrageous creative accounting is growing smaller.

Sell Trossard & Zinchenko plus merino at half price back to a Spanish club.

Use the money plus Blow the entire *%^@*** budget on strikers and wingers. The lot. Have so many they are sat around in the vain hope one day they get on.

We should be trying to sign Watkins and Sesko.

Not hard to imagine what the pace and movement of a player like Ollie Watkins might have given us last night.

Balls over the top, down the channels, between the CBs. Not to mention the desire to get into proper goal scoring positions in the box.

https://www.football365.com/news/gary-n ... ood-enough

Can’t disagree with the main point Neville makes here. We want to and need to strengthen the squad. But it’s the ‘the bid sends a message to the squad that they don’t think they’re good enough’ - I mean this can be applied to any team, any manager at any point in history whenever they bid for a player!
When City sign Marmoush what message does that send to Grealish/Doku/Savinho? And you could go on.

Arteta has built a really good team. We are having a season disrupted with injuries, bad luck, and admittedly an unbalanced squad. But make no mistake we are a really good team. We are a few attacking players short and the club hasn’t addressed this for what will be a year in the summer. But if we can keep the squad together and get those game changing attackers, I really think we can push on and finally win something big. (I don’t include the Carabao or Hospital cup). But as as Isak has shown, a brilliant attacker can win you games from nothing. My worry is that our star players will get itchy feet if we let more seasons slip by. So it’s absolutely Imperative that we pull out the stops and sign our top targets this summer. No excuses.

The thing is yes we need stickers and wingers but the whole squad is thin.
This summer you’re looking at Neto and Sterling returning from loans, Partey and Jorginho contracts expiring, Tierney definitely off, Kiwior not good enough and should go, Zinchenko half out the door already, Trossard possibly being sold as he’s not keen on the deal we’ve offered, question marks on Tomiyasu due to fitness concerns, Jesus with an ACL otherwise he’d be sold and most fans not sold on Merino as a player.
That leaves us with a first team squad of:
Raya
Timber, white, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, MLS
Rice, Ødegaard, Nwaneri
Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
13 players! Blowing any budget we have on 2-3 attackers won’t cut it. The squad needs a pretty big shake up and we can’t be thinking it’s all £50m+ players who come in….and almost certainly can’t think all those ‘problem’ players listed above will leave

Havertz has many good points but the number of times a ball was played down the side and he seemed to just fall over with a bit of contact or couldn’t hold the ball cleanly enough, or when he had a defender to take on the touch was off.
The need for that striker who can naturally look like he’s the best footballer on the pitch is huge. The technical level in our forward positions is quite poor, we can’t be effective but the guile and magic isn’t there

Good summary of where we are. Still time to run Liverpool down this season but I have my doubts.

By all means if kiwior and zinchenko leave sign a replacement. Bar that *%^@ it play kids

We lost to a team with Botman, burn and Tonali in it. Total shite

Sign murderers please

Just the sheer joy of somebody only looking to run in behind and not drop short. Our wingers knowing if they cross someone will be attacking the penalty area. Not a beanpole trying to outfox 2 of their beanpoles

Hi Rich,

I remember either Arteta or Edu saying how vital each transfer window is and the most needs to be made of each and every one.

Well, that didn't age well did it. Our last few windows have been poor and the latest non existant.

I have listened to some podcasts with a few people supposedly close to the club or close to agents who have experience of the club.

Some are saying that Arteta is a very difficult personality who gets fixated on his top targets and has no flexibility. He wanted Merino when others didn't but got his way.

Others suggest that Edu was partly to blame in that his alternative targets were just not good enough.

Exactly.

There was one time where Raya played a ball over the top and it split their CBs leaving Havertz with a potential run on goal. His first touch was not good enough but it didn't really matter because he did not have the pace to get away and he ended up falling over and trying to win a foul.

Exactly the same thing happened v city. Havertz was breaking from the right and slowed the move down. A different player would have meant a threatening break. Salah or Isak? You are probably thinking GOAL the moment they took possession even 20 yards away from the penalty area.