Slightly better than relegation form. There's a pattern under Arteta - get CL qualification in sight, then it's brown trousers time. Get a title shot in sight... yep, poop the togs. A lot of additions needed. Selling Tierney will be a backward step.

Emile Smith Rowe treatment is baffling and frustrating.
To bring on Viera ahead of him is a *%^@*** joke

Quite happy to see Forest earn the right to stay up, they gave us shirts you know. We haven’t pooped our pants, we ran out of gas, we tried to do with 14 players what city did with 18. Hope they can lift themselves for the last game to give the faithful something to cheer. Great season to build on.

Doubt it ! Not with the clear upward curve over the past couple of years

Yes, we were better than last year and played some good football at times.

But for people to deny that we have not bottled it, tanked, collapsed or mentally collapsed shows the level of denial at this club is at a defensive level not seen since the end of the Wenger era.

This has been the biggest mental collapse that I can remember, and that’s at a club where it has happened a number of times. At 29 games we were on 72 points, City had played 28 games for 64 points. The title was in our hands but we continued to freeze. We had games against Southampton, Westham, Brighton, Notts Forest to come. Soon as we could see the way forward each individual player failed to accept their responsibility. If you really were a champion team you could expect to maybe get a draw at City given all the other fixtures they had, but even a loss would not be fatal. Two up at Liverpool and a mental collapse.

Yes we played some good football this season but there were still a lot of games where we gave up big chances and were not punished. People seem to conveniently forget that. Reminds me a bit of Emery's first season run.

Arteta failed to manage the players both physically and mentally across the season. And when I say players I mean the whole squad. He surrendered all cups to get the EPL. Well if it works, great, but when it doesn't fingers must be pointed.

At the beginning of the season we would never have expected to be in our position at game 29. But it was in our hands at game 29 and it didn't matter how much money City had spent. Leicester did it despite how far down the spending list they were. Maybe their manager was more experienced.

James from Gunnerblog made an interesting point last night. He said we played good football at times this season. A bit like Brendan Rogers at Liverpool but you needed the next manager (Klopp) to get the title.

For me Arteta has one more season for him to produce and stop the late season rot. He has had support and money from the top that no other Arsenal manager has ever enjoyed. We must at least make the QF of CL and easily make the top 4 for me to consider him capable of remaining with the club. We collapsed mentally this season and last season as well : we need to ensure it does not continue.

I am sure that the forum will continue to be inundated with the people who celebrate mediocrity and will defend Arteta. Good luck to them but things won't change if you accept what happened this season. I am concerned this team peaked this season.

Other than Kiwi, I am sure most of you have never driven at night outside cities in Australia, particularly in the outback. But we had a whole mob of kangaroos standing on the road just watching the headlights of the truck approach after game 29. The truck did not stop and they stood frozen. By the way no one comes out to remove the carcasses, you just dodge them.

My word the state of this nonsense. It’s like a clown turning up sozzled for a children’s party with his flies undone unable to entertain and only embarrass

Oh dear, the Arteta apologist. We bottled it and you are incapable of accepting it. Even you want new players. Why is that. But then you’ve never been much of a judge of players: Xhaka the worst midfielder ever at the club as an example. Keep defending. What do you say about James from Gunnerblog views. Let’s not address the issues, personal attacks are better. But I don’t give a flying *%^@ what you say. And I think that really deep down that annoys you.

Not really, it’s just pointing out to someone that they have pissed their pants in public.

I generally agree. The games are largely pointless now and we blew it at West Ham and everything that followed needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.

What I would say is yesterday the moment I saw the line up I knew we’d would lose. (Didn’t watch the second half) It kind of feels we have unnecessarily shat our bed a lot and I find it really hard to believe that any manager would pick that back 4 and expect to win. (Why not play holding btw it was so baffling) if you are going down this route just play absolute young uns so it’s obvious

It might be a subliminal point to kroenke about budget or something but who gives a toss really when you are embarrassing yourselves in public. Oh well we go again next year and I’ll be at wolves to see them off for the last time

I think that is unlikely.

A Liverpool supporting friend sent me this...gotta admit it gave me a chuckle

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsQrjUBJ ... I2Ng%3D%3D

What if City do get a small points deduction? Don't we want to be getting as many points as possible instead of *&**ing around and maybe ending up 13 points behind City? Not to mention Arteta's chances as manager of the season.

Won't happen for this season.

In the unlikely event they did get a points deduction it would be a point less than required. They should get the same treatment they dished out to Rangers above the border.

Bottled?I hate that lazy term. It 5he modern world someone who loses is now always a bottler. Some win some lose. A young inexperienced team ran out of puff against a state sponsored juggernaut full of experienced players.

I'm not sure I would worry about that. Yes we've collapsed at the end, but hopefully the players we would be looking at can see that they would be able to help fix those holes. Imagine having for the last 10 games players like Caciedo/Rice/a striker who can score goals/an up to speed central defender rather than an unfit Partey/Xhaka/an ineffective Vieira/a non scoring Jesus/ etc....

Simon Jordan: "When all is said and done, Arsenal should have won the Premier League title this season after the position they found themselves in.

I won’t mention the dreaded ‘B’ word (as in bottled), but I do think they lacked the wherewithal to control their own destiny and contracted a bizarre case of altitude sickness.

It was unforgivable in some respects to have thrown away the points they did against Everton, West Ham, Southampton and Liverpool. Arsenal had the trophy in their hands and decided to hand it back, like some demented game of pass the parcel. They had multiple chances to unwrap the present but didn’t do it!"

Simon Jordan is a perma tan *%^@. I wouldn't listen to a word that bloke says.

Completely agree. "Bottling" it is something that armchair critics love dishing out.

And even to the extent that the pressure played its part and we made mistakes, what on earth do people expect? We've got a young team and a young manager, because basically that is the only way other than blatant financial doping, that we can even hope to get the talent that will give us even a chance of building towards having a team that can compete at the top level.

9 points out of 24 when you've been the best team in the league up to that point is pretty much bottling it, isn't it?

Inexperience, injuries and luck all played their part but 9 points out of 24 is near relegation form.

Finishing 2nd far exceeds most expectations but the collapse at the end when the pressure was on feels very Wenger and very Arsenal.

Not really. The team blew it v West ham and saints and knew it. Mentally after the Newcastle game they have been on the beach once 2nd was confirmed but the same players who got us to top of the table couldn’t maintain the run. If you want to totalise the number of dropped points you aren’t really being fair.

The season is over. The players know it too unfortunately it’s just a pity some of our fans are using the bad results to lambast the players and manager who served us well this year.

…. That said *%^@ knows what the manager was doing picking that back 4 because we were always going to lose and I’m genuinely surprised at his sadness at a defeat that was totally inevitable. At least if he played complete youngsters everyone would have known we couldn’t be arsed.

By the way a 5 point lead with 12 games to go is far from in your hands. A loss and a draw and it’s properly on you.

Questions the last few games has raised for me

What’s happened to Jesus? Doesn’t look a threat and all of a sudden we look desperate and I mean desperate for a new striker.

Saka just looks dead on his feet (why not push Jesus wide yesterday and play Nketiah)

What’s going on with partey ? The best midfielder in the league until the Liverpool game is now a substitute right back

Defence,defence, defence


There’s a bunch of weird things going on

Fatigue more than anything else. Arteta made the fewest changes of any manager this season. Chelsea and Man City the most. No prizes for guessing why.

I read something that said no PL team has gone as long as we did in first place and not won the title.

Chelsea already down 1-0 and no Haaland, DeBruyne, and many of the first team.

This is the thing really. City’s back up striker is better than anyone we have at the club

To compete there are going to need to be some very ruthless decisions around personnel. They are just relentless

I vaguely remember reading this unique story.

I used to think Chelsea would be the club to eventually pass us in league titles but City is odds on faves. We may see ourselves caught before the decade is finished.

I think accusations of bottling it aren't nuanced enough. I'm not saying that there wasnt an element of fear during the team's recent collapse, but I believe that was probably less to do with a defect of character, and more to do with the team's realisation and subsequent loss of confidence that it could get back into games due to the injuries and loss of form of key players. Yesterday's defeat was in a game with no real pressure as the title had gone yet we were completely lacklustre and blunt.

And they signed Phillips for £45m and he’s just made his first prem start for them today. A luxury signing….for £45m!

I posted before that the stats show it was the two games against City that had to biggest effect. Both us and City dropped silly points to weaker sides.
City led 1-0 v Everton, villa, forest, Newcastle and Man U and ended up just taking 4 points from those 5 games they led and got the important first goal in

Ornstein saying we want gundogan. Whilst he’s precisely what we need I’m not sure we should keep looking at city players

Also says we are interested in Mason Mount which would be interesting and a step in the right direction as a Xhaka replacement.

Great player, hugely underrated. But City want to keep him, he wants a longer contract or more money from them - so if we did get him it would be based on primarily those reasons and I’m not sure we should be offering expensive and long contracts to a player who will be 33 in October, even on a free transfer.
2 year contract and I’d take him for sure

I prefer we spend our available funds on younger players

I think you need a blend. If you are selling xhaka you probably need another older head to come in.

If not who are our experienced lads, trossard 28, Partey 29, gabby M 25. Jorginho 31 but don’t be shocked if he goes back to Italy this summer

Ornstein says we are definitely interested in Mason Mount.
So so underwhelming.
What can he provide that Emile Smith Rowe cant??
Mount would be a waste of a huge transfer fee and wages in my opinion.

No to Gundagan at 32 as well.
Lets move on from City/Chelsea players.

Agree 100%. Mount is more experienced but Emile Smith Rowe could play in the same position.

I can't imagine Arteta seriously being interested in an over 30 Gundogan. And I find it even more improbable that City would allow it after Jesus and Zinny.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football ... t-30039812

No he can’t. He just doesn’t have the defensive instincts and is anywhere near combative enough to play that position. He’s played that role before and we haven’t been able to control the midfield in those games. The only success he’s had has been playing off the left in martinellis absence and I don’t think you’ll see many advocates of trying gabby in that position either.

I’m not a huge fan of mount however he unquestionably possesses more of the attributes required to play the Xhaka midfield position in that he has a range of passing but can do the dirty work and press as well. All irrelevant really though as feels to me like he’s destined for Liverpool