Arsenal Thread | 2025/26

I have always felt that for an English team to win the CL an awful lot of things have to fall in the right place.
Take tonight's teams. Bayern have the league sown up weeks ago. They can rest players when they need to.
PSG had games postponed so they didn't have to play before these two semi finals.

Madrid and Barca really don't have to worry about qualifying for next season's competition as they almost always come first and second in La Liga.

Contrast that with City, Liverpool and Arsenal who have to negotiate these quarter and semi finals whilst in the midst of ultra competitive league games.

Arsenal have abandoned their traditional style of play which was more like ours as it was consistently not good enough to beat us or Liverpool. So they have become dull, overcautious and introduced lots of playacting. But they are not the first team to do that.
I remember my favourite Brazil side in 1982, losing to a more pragmatic outfit in Italy. I was disappointed like I was when Holland lost to Germany and then Argentina. But that's sport for you. The beauty doesn't always beat the beast and it would be very boring if everyone played the same.
Having said that I hope one of today's teams wins the final as they both put entertainment at the top of their agenda.

I don't complain about teams coming to defend against us because if they tried to be expansive they get taken to the cleaners.

So far Arteta has found something that works but whatever they win they'll not be remembered for long although doubt gooners will care.

In fact the manner of our own win in the final against Inter means our team is not garlanded with the same praise as the PSG team last year who routed Inter. Had our magnificent win against Madrid been the final then we'd likely be remembered alongside Pep's Barca, du Stefano's Madrid and Cruyff's, the player, Ajax.
 
robbieh said:
I have always felt that for an English team to win the CL an awful lot of things have to fall in the right place.
Take tonight's teams. Bayern have the league sown up weeks ago. They can rest players when they need to.
PSG had games postponed so they didn't have to play before these two semi finals.

Madrid and Barca really don't have to worry about qualifying for next season's competition as they almost always come first and second in La Liga.

Contrast that with City, Liverpool and Arsenal who have to negotiate these quarter and semi finals whilst in the midst of ultra competitive league games.

Arsenal have abandoned their traditional style of play which was more like ours as it was consistently not good enough to beat us or Liverpool. So they have become dull, overcautious and introduced lots of playacting. But they are not the first team to do that.
I remember my favourite Brazil side in 1982, losing to a more pragmatic outfit in Italy. I was disappointed like I was when Holland lost to Germany and then Argentina. But that's sport for you. The beauty doesn't always beat the beast and it would be very boring if everyone played the same.
Having said that I hope one of today's teams wins the final as they both put entertainment at the top of their agenda.

I don't complain about teams coming to defend against us because if they tried to be expansive they get taken to the cleaners.

So far Arteta has found something that works but whatever they win they'll not be remembered for long although doubt gooners will care.

In fact the manner of our own win in the final against Inter means our team is not garlanded with the same praise as the PSG team last year who routed Inter. Had our magnificent win against Madrid been the final then we'd likely be remembered alongside Pep's Barca, du Stefano's Madrid and Cruyff's, the player, Ajax.
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Agree with most of your post but football has changed. Negative tactics almost killed the game in the 80s. Ticket prices are high and entertainment is paramount. Even Italian football has changed. Arsenal are a throwback. If other teams copy them the crowds will plummet.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
No envy just contempt from me. I liked Wenger’s team. Arteta’s team are the biggest cheats we have seen in this country. They are anti-football.
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This is the issue for me. When they are successful they set the tone and that tone is bottom feeder stuff. We've already seen plenty of teams try to emulate them in different ways. It works for the team that wins, as they probably will, but overall as a spectacle it becomes a race to the bottom. Pep's arrival forced other teams to raise their game and you saw teams across the pyramid try to emulate him. Legohead is encouraging a return to the dark ages.
 
threespires said:
This is the issue for me. When they are successful they set the tone and that tone is bottom feeder stuff. We've already seen plenty of teams try to emulate them in different ways. It works for the team that wins, as they probably will, but overall as a spectacle it becomes a race to the bottom. Pep's arrival forced other teams to raise their game and you saw teams across the pyramid try to emulate him. Legohead is encouraging a return to the dark ages.
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Arteta will never get another elite job. He has killed the reputation he built on the back of Pep’s coat tails. Modern club owners and matchgoing fans want to enjoy watching football. The London pundits who praise Arsenal don’t have to pay for tickets.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
Arteta will never get another elite job. He has killed the reputation he built on the back of Pep’s coat tails. Modern club owners and matchgoing fans want to enjoy watching football. The London pundits who praise Arsenal don’t have to pay for tickets.
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If Arteta wins the league Arsenal will keep him for another 6 years
 
waspish said:
If Arteta wins the league Arsenal will keep him for another 6 years
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They will be poor next season because refs will have to stop their cheating. I have done multiple away games this season. I have never seen such hatred from rival fans for any team. I met LFC and Everton fans on Monday night. They despise what Arsenal are doing to football. I predict the Arsenal fans will turn on Arteta next season whatever happens.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
Agree with most of your post but football has changed. Negative tactics almost killed the game in the 80s. Ticket prices are high and entertainment is paramount. Even Italian football has changed. Arsenal are a throwback. If other teams copy them the crowds will plummet.
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Correct im fed up of watching park the bus teams
 
Gumzy97 said:
Champions league final is more down to individual moments more than team effectiveness. Does Arsenal have a player that can produce a random moment of magic that's the question.
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It's just a game of football. Most games are about moments..

Some CL finals have been arid viewing, some have been great spectacles, just like any other league or competition.

Of course they can win it
 
carlosthejackal said:
They could well win the league and Champions league , which by any standard would be a fantastic achievement. Keep sniping at them stinks of envy , bit like the rags when we were winning the lot .
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Not sure I agree. As much as I hate the scousers there was plenty to admire about klopp’s teams. Aside from the diving
 
Pingu the Penguin said:
Not sure I agree. As much as I hate the scousers there was plenty to admire about klopp’s teams. Aside from the diving
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If Klopps team weren’t our league rivals and had played in Germany or Spain I would have gone out of my way to watch them as often as I could because they played fantastic football.

Artetas brand of football has destroyed the game that I love. I just despise everything about it. It makes me sick thinking that they may be rewarded with silverware for it.
 
give it to gordon said:
Correct im fed up of watching park the bus teams
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Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Palace, Fulham, Sunderland have shown the way with few resources by attacking. Wolves and Burnley are going down with dinosaur football. There are lots of attacking skilful teams in the lower leagues as well. Fans pay top dollar and need to get value for money.
 
give it to gordon said:
Correct im fed up of watching park the bus teams
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I have been watching a lot of non-league stuff for the past few years, and I've enjoyed it so much more than the pro stuff that I probably won't ever bother going to a Prem game again. It saddens me to say it, but the extortionate cost of the ticket and the travel to and fro is a luxury I can ill-afford now that I'm in my twilight years.
Twenty-odd years ago, it was great fun. Meeting up with mates, watching the game, and a few beers afterwards - what's not to like? Nowadays, the atmosphere in most grounds is flat; the football itself is not as good as it once was, and the whole experience always leaves me saying to myself: "Is this it? Is this what football has come to?"

The most depressing thing is that it won't get any better in the foreseeable future. The fun has gone out of the whole matchday experience, maybe down to VAR or the application of it, but whatever the cause is, I fear it's terminal.

It's like when I used to go and see a big 'name' band somewhere: you pay through the nose to stand about half a mile away from the stage, being jostled and trampled underfoot by the crowd, a pint costs about three times as much as it would in your local pub, and a lot of the time the band are playing to a backing track!
Nowadays, I go and watch a young, up-and-coming band slogging their guts out for little more than petrol money in some back street pub somewhere. They are there because they want to be there; they are not going through the motions, they are giving it their all, and their obvious enjoyment is infectious. It might be because I see myself in them 40 years ago, but whatever it is it's great fun, and I get pleasure from doing it.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
Agree with most of your post but football has changed. Negative tactics almost killed the game in the 80s. Ticket prices are high and entertainment is paramount. Even Italian football has changed. Arsenal are a throwback. If other teams copy them the crowds will plummet.
Click to expand...
Completely agree.
Arteta is not Arse(d) about how they play.
It is "win at all costs", which has gone out of fashion.
So-called smaller clubs such as Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton & Fulham are playing far more attractive football that is entertaining.
It's not sour grapes, if the Arse win the League, as City haven't been consistent this season.
But, there are plenty of exciting teams in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal are certainly not one of them...
 
KentBlue said:
I have been watching a lot of non-league stuff for the past few years, and I've enjoyed it so much more than the pro stuff that I probably won't ever bother going to a Prem game again. It saddens me to say it, but the extortionate cost of the ticket and the travel to and fro is a luxury I can ill-afford now that I'm in my twilight years.
Twenty-odd years ago, it was great fun. Meeting up with mates, watching the game, and a few beers afterwards - what's not to like? Nowadays, the atmosphere in most grounds is flat; the football itself is not as good as it once was, and the whole experience always leaves me saying to myself: "Is this it? Is this what football has come to?"

The most depressing thing is that it won't get any better in the foreseeable future. The fun has gone out of the whole matchday experience, maybe down to VAR or the application of it, but whatever the cause is, I fear it's terminal.

It's like when I used to go and see a big 'name' band somewhere: you pay through the nose to stand about half a mile away from the stage, being jostled and trampled underfoot by the crowd, a pint costs about three times as much as it would in your local pub, and a lot of the time the band are playing to a backing track!
Nowadays, I go and watch a young, up-and-coming band slogging their guts out for little more than petrol money in some back street pub somewhere. They are there because they want to be there; they are not going through the motions, they are giving it their all, and their obvious enjoyment is infectious. It might be because I see myself in them 40 years ago, but whatever it is it's great fun, and I get pleasure from doing it.
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You sound a proper grumpy old sod, who lives in the past ?
I also could have wrote it, though...
 
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