Arsenal Thread | 2024/25

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My view of Arsenal currently is simple. I think as a team we are good/very good at the defensive side of our game, but not so good at the attacking side of our game.
But that's always the issue in football. Teams are good at the defensive side because they're sacrificing attacking threat. There's often this simplistic view in football that if you're struggling for goals, buy a striker. But we bought the best striker in the world, he broke all kinds of goalscoring records, and the number of goals the team scored barely shifted.

The question for Arsenal would be can you control the game enough that you could get away with, for example, Declan Rice being your only cover in midfield (like Rodri was for us) freeing up a space to have another creative, forward-thinking player, or are you going to always need to insurance of Partey (or similar) alongside him? Because things like that, or having energetic, pressing types up front as the first line of defence, will always result in a good defensive record, but bringing in more attacking threat will inevitably be a balancing act unless you're getting absolutely world class players who can dominate their area of the pitch.
 
But that's always the issue in football. Teams are good at the defensive side because they're sacrificing attacking threat. There's often this simplistic view in football that if you're struggling for goals, buy a striker. But we bought the best striker in the world, he broke all kinds of goalscoring records, and the number of goals the team scored barely shifted.

The question for Arsenal would be can you control the game enough that you could get away with, for example, Declan Rice being your only cover in midfield (like Rodri was for us) freeing up a space to have another creative, forward-thinking player, or are you going to always need to insurance of Partey (or similar) alongside him? Because things like that, or having energetic, pressing types up front as the first line of defence, will always result in a good defensive record, but bringing in more attacking threat will inevitably be a balancing act unless you're getting absolutely world class players who can dominate their area of the pitch.

Yeah, I tried to make that point in my post as well. What I will say in reply is that Arsenal scored 88 and 91 goals the 2 seasons before this one, so he could get the team to score goals before this season, and last season we still conceded the least, but I do appreciate what you are saying.

This season it does seem to have gone a bit stale from an attacking point of view, even before the injuries, so it is in badly need of a freshen up and an injection of quality. When you through our names, Trossard, Martinelli, Jesus, Havertz, Saka, Sterling, bar Saka it's hardly a group that scares opposition, and 2 of them won't be available after the summer anyway.

However, like I did say, I do appreciate that first, we need to be able to sign the right players, and I don't think there's a great deal of quality out there just now, and secondly, we need to get them playing cohesively, both creating more chances and finishing a bit more ruthlessly, and that's easier said than done
 
I feel that Arteta has coached the attacking side of us out this season by trying to maintain a stranglehold in midfield, City style. Thing is you can have all the possession in the world but if you create the same number of chances as your opponents who only have 25% of the ball then don't be surprised if you don't outscore them.

We'll need more attacking players but also need to play more attacking football too. Case in point- MLS' goal for England on Friday. He ran onto a Bellingham through ball. How many times have you seen us (Arsenal) try that kind of pass to an overlapping full back? Very rarely. And if Odegaard is out of form (which he is currently) then we never play those kinds of passes.

My armchair manager remedy would be remove captaincy from Odegaard and give it to Rice. Encourage the wingers to dribble more and go wide, more overlaps from the full backs too.

It's all good and well having the best defence, Gabriel back slapping Saliba and roaring to the crowd when we've stopped an attack. But without someone sticking it in the net at the other end it's all irrelevant. We didn't spend all this money to become an Everton with better players.
 
I feel that Arteta has coached the attacking side of us out this season by trying to maintain a stranglehold in midfield, City style. Thing is you can have all the possession in the world but if you create the same number of chances as your opponents who only have 25% of the ball then don't be surprised if you don't outscore them.

We'll need more attacking players but also need to play more attacking football too. Case in point- MLS' goal for England on Friday. He ran onto a Bellingham through ball. How many times have you seen us (Arsenal) try that kind of pass to an overlapping full back? Very rarely. And if Odegaard is out of form (which he is currently) then we never play those kinds of passes.

My armchair manager remedy would be remove captaincy from Odegaard and give it to Rice. Encourage the wingers to dribble more and go wide, more overlaps from the full backs too.

It's all good and well having the best defence, Gabriel back slapping Saliba and roaring to the crowd when we've stopped an attack. But without someone sticking it in the net at the other end it's all irrelevant. We didn't spend all this money to become an Everton with better players.
Anyone recognise this problem?
 
Anyone recognise this problem?
Well I'd say that the City style works as long as you have a world class 8 who can thread passes through packed defences and that's backed with skilful players who can operate between the lines in tight spaces. And then a bastard in midfield who shuts down opponents and controls the space between the boxes.

So if you have an in form De Bruyne, Foden, Silva etc plus Rodri as chief dementor then you are on to a good thing but if you don't have that then you get fucked on the break.

Arsenal have Odegaard as their De Bruyne player but he's been absolute dogshit all season. There's no Saka, Martinelli/Trossard are nowhere near Silva/Foden quality (although Nwaneri may turn out to be in time) and the much maligned Havertz is actually really good at playing between the lines but isn't a natural finisher. I guess what the difference between us and City this season has been A Rodri (you guys don't rate Rice but he's more effective at controlling the midfield than Kovacic and it seems you're missing legs in midfield) plus your defence isn't on top form. Aside from that both teams have players nowhere near their best this season and we've let the victims run away with it.

In City's case you're probably closer to solving that issue once Rodders is back and Foden wakes up, Arsenal would need to get a Foden/Silva quality player alongside Saka and Nwaneri and also get a ruthless bastard in front of the goal. And hope they all integrate fast.

In short, still a way off challenging unless we get lucky.

Edit and also stop slowing the game down. You'd have to be a thicko not to realise that if you're a superior team then keeping the match flowing is in your interests. Timeouts and injury breaks only work if you're not as good as the opposition and in 95% of our games that isn't the case. It's stupidity. Slowing the game down vs Madrid is fine. Against West Ham it's idiotic.
 
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No it isn't. In fact it's incredibly simple. What I think will happen is what's happened every single year for the last 10. If I get on a bus at 9am every morning for 10 years and then one day it turns up at 9.05am, I'm not going to say "well its impossible to predict what time it will be here tomorrow". I'm going to presume that incident was a freak event and actually the last decade of consistency is the truth.

You people are so fucking arrogant and oblivious. It's why everybody hates you and laughs at you. You are nowhere near as good as you seem to think. You are certainly nowhere near as big as you think.

Do you not understand that you're the laughing stock of football? That people piss themselves when you lose because you have entertaining headlosses on social media?

You're not a real threat. Nobody takes you seriously. Not for a single second have I ever worried about Arsenal in a title race. You're a meme club.
v9Gv01V.gif
 
Madrid could have Mbappe, Vini Jr, Rudiger and Ceballos suspended for the Arsenal tie as UEFA are investigating alleged gestures made to the crowd after the Atletico game.

Depends if UEFA hear the case in time - as it's Madrid they likely won't.
 
No it isn't. In fact it's incredibly simple. What I think will happen is what's happened every single year for the last 10. If I get on a bus at 9am every morning for 10 years and then one day it turns up at 9.05am, I'm not going to say "well its impossible to predict what time it will be here tomorrow". I'm going to presume that incident was a freak event and actually the last decade of consistency is the truth.

You people are so fucking arrogant and oblivious. It's why everybody hates you and laughs at you. You are nowhere near as good as you seem to think. You are certainly nowhere near as big as you think.

Do you not understand that you're the laughing stock of football? That people piss themselves when you lose because you have entertaining headlosses on social media?

You're not a real threat. Nobody takes you seriously. Not for a single second have I ever worried about Arsenal in a title race. You're a meme club.


Yeah...but apart from that?
 
No it isn't. In fact it's incredibly simple. What I think will happen is what's happened every single year for the last 10. If I get on a bus at 9am every morning for 10 years and then one day it turns up at 9.05am, I'm not going to say "well its impossible to predict what time it will be here tomorrow". I'm going to presume that incident was a freak event and actually the last decade of consistency is the truth.

You people are so fucking arrogant and oblivious. It's why everybody hates you and laughs at you. You are nowhere near as good as you seem to think. You are certainly nowhere near as big as you think.

Do you not understand that you're the laughing stock of football? That people piss themselves when you lose because you have entertaining headlosses on social media?

You're not a real threat. Nobody takes you seriously. Not for a single second have I ever worried about Arsenal in a title race. You're a meme club.
savage-fred.gif
 
Saka could be back for the game vs Fulham. Probably from the bench. But should hopefully be much fitter for the Madrid ties.
 
Madrid could have Mbappe, Vini Jr, Rudiger and Ceballos suspended for the Arsenal tie as UEFA are investigating alleged gestures made to the crowd after the Atletico game.

Depends if UEFA hear the case in time - as it's Madrid they likely won't.
These Madrid players all now charged by UEFA.

Based on my unbiased review as an Arsenal fan, all 4 players should get an immediate 2 match ban. However I believe Ceballos was goaded into his actions by Bellingham who should serve the punishment instead.
 
These Madrid players all now charged by UEFA.

Based on my unbiased review as an Arsenal fan, all 4 players should get an immediate 2 match ban. However I believe Ceballos was goaded into his actions by Bellingham who should serve the punishment instead.
They’ll get fined. There’s precedent for this. CR47 and Simeone have previously been fined for making “obscene gestures” to fans after a game.
 
These Madrid players all now charged by UEFA.

Based on my unbiased review as an Arsenal fan, all 4 players should get an immediate 2 match ban. However I believe Ceballos was goaded into his actions by Bellingham who should serve the punishment instead.

UEFA are more likely to fine Arsenal for Madrid's behaviour. Absolutely no chance that are banned
 
Madrid could have Mbappe, Vini Jr, Rudiger and Ceballos suspended for the Arsenal tie as UEFA are investigating alleged gestures made to the crowd after the Atletico game.

Depends if UEFA hear the case in time - as it's Madrid they likely won't.

I think you need to understand how it works with Madrid & UEFA but there’s fucking no chance of this happening. There’s also no chance of any of there players accumulating yellows no matter how many fouls they make.
 
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