I thought we played really well today, dominated a decent Fulham side from start to finish at Craven Cottage which not many teams do.

However, if you look at our xG stats from open play its abysmal. Apparently, only one xG from open play in the last 8 PL matches and only 3 in 15 games since the beginning of the season. That ranks us 13th in the PL for open play xG.

A title challenge is just not sustainable based on those kind of stats.

I think Rich said it earlier but the way we are playing, we desperately need a top striker and a more productive left sided player because Martinelli has looked increasingly like a great option from the bench.

Could easily see Chelsea winning their next 7 in the league. They’ve got a pretty much fully fit squad, their first 11 only plays once a week and their second 11 should win the conference league in their sleep. Their defence isn’t strong but they score a lot of goals to compensate. I don’t see Chelsea losing many games 1-0 - but that’s the only way I see us losing.

If we take out the 2 league cup games we’ve had 20 games so far this season so 19 opportunities to name the same back 4 as the previous game, we’ve only been able to do it 5 times!

https://x.com/carra23/status/1865848786 ... -j6VVZXEoA

Carragher shamelessly stealing an Arteta analogy and passing it off as his own punditry

At what point should we give Sterling a start wide left, I think it’s his best position but he’s generally been used wide right as Saka cover

We’re on the wrong end of fine margins currently - BUT, it feels like we play a lot of games to allow games to be decided by fine margins.

Why couldn't we play Tierney left back and keep Partey in midfield?

https://x.com/kimmofc/status/1865810166 ... -j6VVZXEoA

Looks like a deliberate elbow to the head here. Follows Caicedo’s tackle he was lucky not to be red carded for. Refs are not clamping down on this and 2 footed tackles but we’re getting 3 red cards for technical infringements no one else picks up

When was the last time Tierney played a competitive game? He’s not the profile Arteta wants at all, MLS if fit could have played at LB

The defensive injuries are such an exceptional set of circumstances right now, 5 senior defenders out injured. Every team would suffer, I posted earlier what the Liverpool and City defence would look like with the same injuries

Hi Soc,

I don't think we played really well. We had lots of controlled possession but we barely caused them any problem at all in the first half. Out of possession we are very very good, but our attacking play is almost designed to prioritise safeguarding against the impact of losing possession rather than playing free flowing football with risk but high reward.

Sometimes I wonder about that too

Just when I started to heap praise on Kiwior, he resorts to his brainless, fearful self again. What was he doing before the build-up to the Fulham goal? Caught in 2 minds because he is not as switched on as Gabriel would have been. Gabriel would have either cut Jimenez off, failing which, would have run hard at him to prevent Jimenez a clear runway. Instead, he remained static for nearly a second, and that was enough for Jimenez to speed away.

Kiwior lost his opportunity to show Arteta that he can be counted on.

It just doesn't make sense to me. If Arteta knows he is not the profile at all, why keep him and if he is not match-ready, why keep having him on the bench week after week?

Moving Partey to right back should be absolutely a last resort, given that

a) we absolutely need Partey at the base of midfleld.
b) we aboslutely need Timber at right back.

Saka and Ødegaard seem far more effective when we do that. It seems mad to mess with that.

To be fair, I think the wind held it up and he wasn't expecting it. It still look very dozy. I think he was trying to control it rather than hit says it all really.

He wasn't the only one of our forwards who looked a bit blunt and sheepish when presented with opportunities. The over-elaboration disease seems to have struck again. There was one Saka one where he was in an excellent position to hit one with his left foot, and strangely chose to take it wide and try a right footed shot. Even with our goal, I have a suspicion that Havertz was trying to head it across goal rather than score himself.

People saying it is a decent away result. It wasn't. It was two points needlessly thrown away. They were there for the taking, but we gifted them a goal and then failed to take advantage of some very decent opportunities, both from set pieces and open play.

I think Tierney was there as experienced LB and CB cover in an emergency. Our only other defenders n the bench were MLS and Heaven we literally have no one else which is the only reason he’s on the bench

I think he’s been criminally under used. He’s a far better player than the minutes he’s getting.

Hi Rich,

Was playing Partey at RB not an emergency then?

Given Partey's form I would have though keeping him in the middle would be a priority.

At least Tierney is a proper LB, albeit old school.

Timber could have remained ar RB continuing his evolving relationship with Saka and Ødegaard.

Talking of which, our team is so unbalanced. The right side bias in attack might be one of the reasons we score so few goals from open play.

Two of those 5 defenders are hopelessly injury prone. The defence wasn't the problem yesterday in any case. The attacking was slow and predictable and this in a game where both Saka and Rice played very well. Havertz is back to being ineffective (notwithstanding his physical effort) and we are terribly short of players who just stick it in the net. The summer transfer business isn't looking too hot right now.

Hi Dec,

There is a lot to admire about Havertz's game, his touch, movement, hold-up play and physical effort but ultimately his ball striking is poor and his finishing is decent but not clinical.

I know we have this transfer approach of only signing the right players at the right price but sometimes title chasers only have a small window of opportunity to bag that trophy. We've been in the mix for three years now but still so not have a recognised CF, a back-up for Saka or a topclass LW threat (Martinelli is simply no longer hitting the heights required and Trossard is not a winger).

If slot and the new Chelsea manager finish above us this season people will start questioning the manager for the first time in a while.

When he has played he hasn't exactly set the world alight.

You could have something there TG.
Really like what that guy is doing at Bournemouth. Wondering if he could make the step up in the future with a big club like us.

Really disappointing result exacerbated by celebrating like a madman thinking we had got the win only for *%^@*** var to get involved.
You can't even celebrate without having the fear that var are going to get involved.
Absolutely detest it.
I'm staggered that wolves were not backed more heavily when they suggested it be scrapped.
If the scorer is not offside then why do they have to keep going back into previous phases to find an offside. Just looking for a reason to cancel the goal.
We should have done more. We started really well like we meant business then give away such an annoying cheap goal.
At least Liverpool have been pulled back to 4.
Unfortunately not by us.
Everyone including me laughed at Chelsea for having so many players but it's working out for then as they are resting all their important players for Europe and the domestic cups.
They are a real threat again Unfortunately.

We have to win all our games before we play Brentford and Brighton away back to back. Not sure we will as Palace away is tricky as city found out

He’s barely featured at all. He impressed in the league cup games and hasn’t been utilised apart from being an energy sub for Saka at times. He really hasnt had the opportunities

If that happens, then I think there would be legitimate reasons for questioning him, so long as it's not "Arteta Out!" nonsense. If we fail to take advantage of a City off-season, it will be a huge opportunity missed. The football isn't as good as last season despite Saka being brilliant. Rotation is also an issue. There's a long way to go but right now we don't look like league winners.

Have to say I agree with a lot Charlie watts says on this here.

https://youtu.be/TphpK09n2Ls?si=S_vQiTegt80WJsAl

Can’t disagree.

My concern though is that Jesus is a ‘sulker’ because he isn’t getting picked, and performing poorly is, in his head, a way of paying back that slight on his ‘ability’.

What is going to happen with Chelsea though? Aren’t they still under a historic investigation relating to Roman’s dealings? This summer they had a relatively modest £50m net spend, following summers of £200m and £400m net spend. They have players on 9 year contracts who are losing value. The reason they were able to sign so many players at extortionate prices without any champions league money was because of the amortisation of those fees over the length of their contracts. So a £80m player on an 8 year deal costs them £10m per season in accounting terms and the FFP rules. That’s great for now but they have to find big sales every year to balance those books.
They may decide to sell Mudryk, Badiashile and other players who haven’t worked out but they won’t get what they paid for them. There is no way this strategy doesn’t come back to bite them even if it means them having to sell a player they’d rather not sell

No chance. Arteta wouldn't stand for that for a second. He got rid of Özil and Aubameyang due to their attitudes and both were vastly superior players to Jesus.

Also, how annoying is it that Özil has turned into a fitness freak since he gave up football?

Arsenal’s win % this season WITH:

Timber AND Calafiori: 83.3%

Timber at RB (+ any LB): 87.5%

Calafiori at LB (+ any RB): 80%

NONE of the above: 30%

Partey at RB: 25%

Calafiori was available for 38 games out of 38 for Bologna last season. He was a big signing to fix a genuine problem position last season. He’s only played 500 minutes in the league this season out of a possible 1350.

Missing our full backs and Ødegaard have killed us this season but we must find a way to cope when we miss players, Arteta has to do better to not move too many pieces around and players need to step up when others are missing.

It will be very interesting what we do in January. Winter window is difficult but we’ve bought well before.
Last summer we all but broke even on transfers and it was well known we bid for Sesko and had Nico Williams as a top target. With their release clauses that would have been £100m in signings. We ended up with a £27m Raya which would have been budgeted for from last year, then £70m on Calafiori and Merino. I just can’t see a situation where we had about £100m to spend decided it was a striker and a winger and when we couldn’t get them changed to sign a defender and a central mid. The target will have been for all 4 positions. Remember on deadline day we were bidding decent money for a back up gk from Spain (£20m ish) the money has to be there for a January outlay in the attacking positions. It felt like we had a handful of targets who we wanted and wouldn’t settle, so ended up getting Sterling on loan and hoping Havertz continued improving and others would contribute. It’s not worked out so we have to fix it in January.

What I don’t get is why we didn’t sign a wide player. I understand signing strikers is difficult but if you can’t get one then add another wide player.

There were players like Pedro Neto and micheal Olise available. Adding another explosive player to our ranks in the final third was absolutely essential. Why in gods name we didn’t go for Olise I don’t know. He would have been absolutely perfect in our set up.

It’s going to cost us our season. I can’t see us moving for anybody in January.

Those stats are meaningless because of the really small sample size. Calafiori has only played 8 league games and he was missing for the games against Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Man Utd. Furthermore, the "any other right back" includes Ben White, our £50m defender. We can't seriously consider Ben White's inclusion in the team as a weakness.

I get that Palmer is a very very good player but the media overhype him at every opportunity. ‘The closest the prem has to Messi!’ Not even in the same stratosphere, also has he not even heard of Salah. Salah has been the best player in the league this season and over the last 6-7 seasons. How does Palmer, and Foden, get this much hype?

Look at Palmer’s record in big games, he regularly cannot influence them, 2 penalties v a woeful spurs side doesn’t change that for the time being

I take your point on small sample size but it’s just what we have to work with, or we can use our eyes and see we’re a far better balanced team with Calafiori at left back.
The any other RB I don’t think is showing the other RB as a weakness more showing the strength of having Calafiori at LB is optimum for our team

I didn't even realise Myles Skelly was on the bench yesterday. Why did Arteta not play him at left back, keep timber at right back and partly in midfield.
He obviously doesn't fancy Tierney anymore but if Myles Skelly made the bench then start him!!

30 million punt on Evan Ferguson. He's fallen down the pecking order I think Brighton would accept. This boy was being spoken about in massive terms not that long ago.....
I like Jao Pedro as well at Brighton. Probably cost a lot more though.
Jesus is unrecognisable. Think this is his last season with us. Just not the same player