Arsenal Thread | 2025/26

[Pingu the Penguin]

Notable change in tone from our arsenal visitors isn’t there? Still half a season left of pressure for them too

 

[supercity88]

You've "improved drastically" yet you flubbed a title challenge against LiVARpool last season finishing ten points off the pace and 15 points less than the previous season to that.

Arsenal haven't improved at all. Win their next two games and they'll be on 45pts at the halfway mark so 90pts for the season. But the second half has consistently been their problem. Games come thick and fast and I still believe Arteta is trying to win everything because he needs to win something. They'd be better sacking off the cups and focussing on the league title - it's there if they prioritise it.

Last season it should have been theirs. 74pts having got 89pts the year before was a disaster and there wasn't any justification for it. They should have strengthened the squad having been so close in their battle with us. The signs were there that we'd decline. The dippers shouldn't have come from where they were and won it.

I'm not sure what will happen this season. We're generally better in the 2nd half of the season, largely because we don't get much of a pre-season. But a lot of our players are raw so can they step up like previous City sides did? The title is there if we can and we should buy in January to make it happen.

 

[the-ecstacy-of-eight]

We were literally 1 point off you in one season and 4 in your treble season. If this had been given as a penalty we'd have won the league (just in case the usual diatribe that refs are against City comes out which it frequently seems to from the short of memory on here).
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Fucking hell! Have you got scouse blood in your veins?

"If it wasn't for this singular incident.....", absolute BULLSHIT pal!

What you really mean, but haven't got the backbone to say, is that if you hadn't bottled it and if you'd been able to sustain your form when it mattered, you might've won something other than a charity shield (or is it two of those "major" honours that you've bagged under Lego head?)

 

[the-ecstacy-of-eight]

Obviously the games we won by 1 goal, it's the same thing, a dodgy deflection in the box or a set piece, and points are dropped.

Or a penalty? ;)

 

[grandsolo]

We were literally 1 point off you in one season and 4 in your treble season. If this had been given as a penalty we'd have won the league (just in case the usual diatribe that refs are against City comes out which it frequently seems to from the short of memory on here).
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Since then our squad has improved drastically. So in theory we would have been better equipped in those 2 seasons and therefore if Arteta can't win it vs a City side that's not at the level of the one that just pipped us to the title, despite us spending a fortune on the squad since then, then he has to go.

After this weekend, you’ve lost any right to moan about a missed penalty call

 

[HelloCity]

He literally does every game. Just faster and more effectively. Come on man, you seriously can't be comparing Bernardo Silva with Saka! Today's Silva wouldn't get into our Carabao cup side!

The mask has started to slip.

I suspect from the pressure of City catching up to Arsenal in the league.

 

[Danny Tiatto]

We were literally 1 point off you in one season and 4 in your treble season. If this had been given as a penalty we'd have won the league (just in case the usual diatribe that refs are against City comes out which it frequently seems to from the short of memory on here).
View attachment 178101


Since then our squad has improved drastically. So in theory we would have been better equipped in those 2 seasons and therefore if Arteta can't win it vs a City side that's not at the level of the one that just pipped us to the title, despite us spending a fortune on the squad since then, then he has to go.

Literally the same venue, same penalty box, same season. This Bridge guy is having an absolute nightmare

 

[Gorbachev]

It could well be the spawny equaliser they scored against us wins the title.

Could be.

I do think if we lose the league by 3 points or so, I think Pep will look back at the fact we had no proper pre-season and went into the season with 1 week preparation and 1 game against a second division Serie A team leaving us to be so physically unprepared against Brighton and Spurs.

Those teams were already on their 9th and 11th game of the season (including pre-season games) by the time they played us.

That CWC will end up being a curse for anyone who has to play in it.

 

[Lowtower]

Too obvious.

Nobody has ever "berated" Bernardo Silva, and mentioning him in the same breath as Madueke is clearly WUMming.

Mods sack this guy off.

They always get excited and a bit brave this time of year mate

Easter is when the fannies start crying again.

 

[bridgeno1]

Too obvious.

Nobody has ever "berated" Bernardo Silva, and mentioning him in the same breath as Madueke is clearly WUMming.

Mods sack this guy off.

Look I'm not seeking a fight and after this post I'll leave it be on this argument as I'm a guest on this forum and the mods have messaged me at times over my membership here to wind my neck in (and on reflection rightly so as they don't need a bunch of non-City fans coming here to wind up the regulars) but as a point of correction, re City fans not berating Silva, you can check out multiple matchday threads over the past 12 months and some members here have called him out for being too slow, seemingly not bothered etc. I didn't make this up.

Anyway I want to clarify that my comments on Silva were based on my perceptions of him today and not on his past achievements as he has been an unbelievable match winner in the past and at his peak was above the aforementioned Saka/Madueke etc. And my perceptions may be incorrect (not the first or last time I'll be wrong) as I don't see him day in day out like City fans will.

That's it, I'll leave it be, I'm not looking to make enemies, once again I appreciate that I'm a guest on this fine forum, something that absolutely would never be afforded to me on something like RAWK or thefightingcock and for that I remain very appreciative.

 

[bridgeno1]

Yes because his game intelligence is above all those. He knows what to do at the right time every time. Every time I watched England & saw Saka ignore Foden in the perfect position I realised he doesn’t have game intelligence. Why do you think Pep says Doku, Cherki & Savio still have so much to learn.

This is fair enough re Saka. We have a striker (Gyokeres) who hasn't lit the world on fire, we play low blocks most weeks and yet there is always at least one moment every game where either Saka or Odegaard has a simple ball to put Gyokeres through or easy cross to him and the player doesn't do it. Saka in particular - he's a greedy bastard at times. So game intelligence is probably a factor.

 

[cheekybids]

This is fair enough re Saka. We have a striker (Gyokeres) who hasn't lit the world on fire, we play low blocks most weeks and yet there is always at least one moment every game where either Saka or Odegaard has a simple ball to put Gyokeres through or easy cross to him and the player doesn't do it. Saka in particular - he's a greedy bastard at times. So game intelligence is probably a factor.

Less is more at times.

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

Anyway I want to clarify that my comments on Silva were based on my perceptions of him today and not on his past achievements as he has been an unbelievable match winner in the past and at his peak was above the aforementioned Saka/Madueke etc. And my perceptions may be incorrect (not the first or last time I'll be wrong) as I don't see him day in day out like City fans will.

What, exactly, has Madueke achieved?

 

[Dobsy]

Look I'm not seeking a fight and after this post I'll leave it be on this argument as I'm a guest on this forum and the mods have messaged me at times over my membership here to wind my neck in (and on reflection rightly so as they don't need a bunch of non-City fans coming here to wind up the regulars) but as a point of correction, re City fans not berating Silva, you can check out multiple matchday threads over the past 12 months and some members here have called him out for being too slow, seemingly not bothered etc. I didn't make this up.

Anyway I want to clarify that my comments on Silva were based on my perceptions of him today and not on his past achievements as he has been an unbelievable match winner in the past and at his peak was above the aforementioned Saka/Madueke etc. And my perceptions may be incorrect (not the first or last time I'll be wrong) as I don't see him day in day out like City fans will.

That's it, I'll leave it be, I'm not looking to make enemies, once again I appreciate that I'm a guest on this fine forum, something that absolutely would never be afforded to me on something like RAWK or thefightingcock and for that I remain very appreciative.

Ok fair enough, I appreciate you saying all that.

Maybe it will help to say that in the context of this forum, opinions expressed on the Matchday threads don't get taken very seriously because it's like a free hit for people to lose their heads and get lost in the emotion, sometimes embarrassingly so. I can see how you'd have got there but yeah, where I'm coming from I'd totally discount anything said on the Matchday threads hence my response.

 

[Danny Tiatto]

What, exactly, has Madueke achieved?

He had a couple of decent games where he looked dangerous at the beginning of this season.

 

[lasereyes]

Look I'm not seeking a fight and after this post I'll leave it be on this argument as I'm a guest on this forum and the mods have messaged me at times over my membership here to wind my neck in (and on reflection rightly so as they don't need a bunch of non-City fans coming here to wind up the regulars) but as a point of correction, re City fans not berating Silva, you can check out multiple matchday threads over the past 12 months and some members here have called him out for being too slow, seemingly not bothered etc. I didn't make this up.

Anyway I want to clarify that my comments on Silva were based on my perceptions of him today and not on his past achievements as he has been an unbelievable match winner in the past and at his peak was above the aforementioned Saka/Madueke etc. And my perceptions may be incorrect (not the first or last time I'll be wrong) as I don't see him day in day out like City fans will.

That's it, I'll leave it be, I'm not looking to make enemies, once again I appreciate that I'm a guest on this fine forum, something that absolutely would never be afforded to me on something like RAWK or thefightingcock and for that I remain very appreciative.

Shows character to write that post. Dont worry mate, you're a decent poster and welcome here IMO fwiw. Football fans of opposite stripes rarely agree on much of anything so there's always gonna be someone here who calls you a gooner **** for expressing your view.

 

[Gingers Dad]

What, exactly, has Madueke achieved?

Always has his hair and bandana just right

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Look I'm not seeking a fight and after this post I'll leave it be on this argument as I'm a guest on this forum and the mods have messaged me at times over my membership here to wind my neck in (and on reflection rightly so as they don't need a bunch of non-City fans coming here to wind up the regulars) but as a point of correction, re City fans not berating Silva, you can check out multiple matchday threads over the past 12 months and some members here have called him out for being too slow, seemingly not bothered etc. I didn't make this up.

Anyway I want to clarify that my comments on Silva were based on my perceptions of him today and not on his past achievements as he has been an unbelievable match winner in the past and at his peak was above the aforementioned Saka/Madueke etc. And my perceptions may be incorrect (not the first or last time I'll be wrong) as I don't see him day in day out like City fans will.

That's it, I'll leave it be, I'm not looking to make enemies, once again I appreciate that I'm a guest on this fine forum, something that absolutely would never be afforded to me on something like RAWK or thefightingcock and for that I remain very appreciative.

A fair post. Most of yours are. In all honesty, it was pretty provocative, even ill-advised, to say that Bernardo would not even get into your B team. On a City forum. You might want to rethink that. I can only imagine the pile-on of a baying, howling wolf pack if I put something like that on Arsenal Mania about one of Arsenal's major players over the years, one, furthermore, still making useful contributions to the team effort.
Bernardo is not the player he was, there's no arguing with that, but then it is a bit odd, isn't it, that one of the best managers the game has ever seen keeps on selecting him for our A team? But it is true, people on here have said some stupid things about Bernardo, especially last season. But then there were people last season posting that Pep had to walk. “You don't know what you've got till it's gone.”

 

[stevemacca]

Less is more at times.

You are Pep and I claim my £5

 

[Gingers Dad]

A fair post. Most of yours are. In all honesty, it was pretty provocative, even ill-advised, to say that Bernardo would not even get into your B team. On a City forum. You might want to rethink that. I can only imagine the pile-on of a baying, howling wolf pack if I put something like that on Arsenal Mania about one of Arsenal's major players over the years, one, furthermore, still making useful contributions to the team effort.
Bernardo is not the player he was, there's no arguing with that, but then it is a bit odd, isn't it, that one of the best managers the game has ever seen keeps on selecting him for our A team? But it is true, people on here have said some stupid things about Bernardo, especially last season. But then there were people last season posting that Pep had to walk. “You don't know what you've got till it's gone.”

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot