Don't want to have a go at him but Saka has been poor

[redgunamo]

It?s *the huge question that remains of Arteta?s in game management tactics. Villa were getting a pasting at Chelsea yesterday, something like 30% possession at one point with zero attempts in goal. Introduced three players and turned it around. Perhaps not a like for like example, but surely when players are flagging you introduce others with fresh legs, particularly up front.

Villa did well at Chelsea but can they do it on a cold, clear Tuesday night in NORTH London.

[Peter]

Right. But it is also the key to our relative success.

As yet, we can not afford a forward line good enough to have us 3-nil up in every game. You said it yourself.

True. But there comes a point where the squad should be good enough for us to be more adventurous. Otherwise, what was all that money for?

May as well just spend it on defenders.

[Peter]

Villa did well at Chelsea but can they do it on a cold, clear Tuesday night in NORTH London.

Yes. They can.

[redgunamo]

True. But there comes a point where the squad should be good enough for us to be more adventurous. Otherwise, what was all that money for?

May as well just spend it on defenders.

We wouldn't want to be accused of trying to BUY the title, would we.

It is incredibly difficult and complicated to be as good as we are.

[redgunamo]

Yes. They can.

Right. But they won't, I think. There'll be no Smith-Rowe as last man chasing Watkins.

[Peter]

We wouldn't want to be accused of trying to BUY the title, would we.

It is incredibly difficult and complicated to be as good as we are.

Which is probably the simple explanation for why we are not good enough.

Aeteta has done an amazing job for us but I am beginning to worry that there could become a point where he starts holding us back. Right now, I thino tjis squad is under performing. They certainly under performed last season.

If you look at that first title challenge, 3 years ago. We have improved the squad and first team across the board. Better keeper, better full backs, better midfield, more options up front, bigger squad all round.

But the football is worse and the results are no better (possibly slightly worse). We've become less exciting, more reliable, but about as likely to win anything.

[7sisters]

Which is probably the simple explanation for why we are not good enough.

Aeteta has done an amazing job for us but I am beginning to worry that there could become a point where he starts holding us back. Right now, I thino tjis squad is under performing. They certainly under performed last season.

If you look at that first title challenge, 3 years ago. We have improved the squad and first team across the board. Better keeper, better full backs, better midfield, more options up front, bigger squad all round.

But the football is worse and the results are no better (possibly slightly worse). We've become less exciting, more reliable, but about as likely to win anything.

Watershed moment if we lose to Villa at home. My instincts tell me we won?t lose; a draw is the most likely result. A defeat will crush the spirits and shake any remaining belief from the fans.
Bournemouth away
Scousers at home
United at home.
If we can get to the end of January and still be in contention, it?ll be a minor miracle.

[Peter]

Watershed moment if we lose to Villa at home. My instincts tell me we won?t lose; a draw is the most likely result. A defeat will crush the spirits and shake any remaining belief from the fans.
Bournemouth away
Scousers at home
United at home.
If we can get to the end of January and still be in contention, it?ll be a minor miracle.

I feel prerty much the way i did last season. Scraping results together just isnt enough.

I keep seeing fans saying every win is great because we are not playing well at the moment. How long can you keep saying that before you ask why we are we not playing well, and when are we likely to start playing better?

At some point you have to accept that maybe it isnt that we are not playing well at the moment. This is just how we play. And it isn't going to get better.

Two years ago we were falling apart over Christmas and then, post Dubai, we put together a stunning run of performances and results for the second half of the season. Wasn't quite enough (because of City) but it was impressive.

Unfortunately, it is looking as though that half a season was the deviation and the rest of the last 2 and a half years is the norm....

[7sisters]

I feel prerty much the way i did last season. Scraping results together just isnt enough.

I keep seeing fans saying every win is great because we are not playing well at the moment. How long can you keep saying that before you ask why we are we not playing well, and when are we likely to start playing better?

At some point you have to accept that maybe it isnt that we are not playing well at the moment. This is just how we play. And it isn't going to get better.

Two years ago we were falling apart over Christmas and then, post Dubai, we put together a stunning run of performances and results for the second half of the season. Wasn't quite enough (because of City) but it was impressive.

Unfortunately, it is looking as though that half a season was the deviation and the rest of the last 2 and a half years is the norm....

We?ve not had the squad consistency to draw a definitive conclusion. Calafiori limping off during the warm up, Timber, landing awkwardly in training. It?s becoming a fkin embarrassment.
Two players in each position and we?re resorting to deploying Rice at RB.
It?s one step forwards and two backwards.
The interplay between Saka, White & Odegaard was developed and perfected over half a season, nothing like that can develop while we keep shoehorning in players to cover for all these injuries.
December?s been kind but the next run of games won?t be and I suspect Arteta?s going to be out of excuses if it all goes tits up in January.

[Peter]

We?ve not had the squad consistency to draw a definitive conclusion. Calafiori limping off during the warm up, Timber, landing awkwardly in training. It?s becoming a fkin embarrassment.
Two players in each position and we?re resorting to deploying Rice at RB.
It?s one step forwards and two backwards.
The interplay between Saka, White & Odegaard was developed and perfected over half a season, nothing like that can develop while we keep shoehorning in players to cover for all these injuries.
December?s been kind but the next run of games won?t be and I suspect Arteta?s going to be out of excuses if it all goes tits up in January.

The injury situation has been going on for 18 months. Again, same points as above- that is too long for it to be an aberration or bad luck.

It isnt getting solved, it is getting worse.

Having a bigger squad just seems to mean that we have more players to injure. And I am not convinced that Arteta is that great at making choices.

Example- it is becoming pretty embarrassing how blindingly obvious it is that Declan Rice is the leader in that dressing room. He should be the club captain.

[redgunamo]

I feel prerty much the way i did last season. Scraping results together just isnt enough.

I keep seeing fans saying every win is great because we are not playing well at the moment. How long can you keep saying that before you ask why we are we not playing well, and when are we likely to start playing better?

At some point you have to accept that maybe it isnt that we are not playing well at the moment. This is just how we play. And it isn't going to get better.

Two years ago we were falling apart over Christmas and then, post Dubai, we put together a stunning run of performances and results for the second half of the season. Wasn't quite enough (because of City) but it was impressive.

Unfortunately, it is looking as though that half a season was the deviation and the rest of the last 2 and a half years is the norm....

We are not scraping results, we are winning games! There's all the difference in the world; we had loads of chances against Brighton and Hove Albion, for example.

All the years without a title means we simply will not feel good about ourselves until we are twenty-one points clear with just twenty left to play for. And probably not even then

[redgunamo]

The injury situation has been going on for 18 months. Again, same points as above- that is too long for it to be an aberration or bad luck.

It isnt getting solved, it is getting worse.

Having a bigger squad just seems to mean that we have more players to injure. And I am not convinced that Arteta is that great at making choices.

Example- it is becoming pretty embarrassing how blindingly obvious it is that Declan Rice is the leader in that dressing room. He should be the club captain.

Is there a chance that because our players aren't actually good enough, they have to play above and beyond their capabilities in order to keep up; thereby risking more injuries. There's plenty of hounds like that; they shouldn't really be any good but they run on "heart".

Anyway, foreigners don't see captaincy the same way. Rice could be Arteta's choice now (based on skippers he had during his playing days at Everton and Rangers) but returning Odegaard to the ranks would be unnecessarily complicated and controversial so we plough forward.

[Peter]

We are not scraping results, we are winning games! There's all the difference in the world; we had loads of chances against Brighton and Hove Albion, for example.

All the years without a title means we simply will not feel good about ourselves until we are twenty-one points clear with just twenty left to play for. And probably not even then

The last thing we want is the team feeling good about themselves.

You don't win titles if you have to spend the season convincing yourself you can. This is exactly the sort of old flannel that creeps in on the big occasion.

This is why we retreated at Anfield. We still don't quite believe we can do it. If we don't believe it, why should anyone else?

[Peter]

Is there a chance that because our players aren't actually good enough, they have to play above and beyond their capabilities in order to keep up; thereby risking more injuries. There's plenty of hounds like that; they shouldn't really be any good but they run on "heart".

Anyway, foreigners don't see captaincy the same way. Rice could be Arteta's choice now (based on skippers he had during his playing days at Everton and Rangers) but returning Odegaard to the ranks would be unnecessarily complicated and controversial so we plough forward.

We are stalling, and what we are doing isnt getting us over this hump. It is time to start looking for new answers. That might be changing captains, or trying to score goals. Let's think radical!

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present, etc etc

[redgunamo]

The last thing we want is the team feeling good about themselves.

You don't win titles if you have to spend the season convincing yourself you can. This is exactly the sort of old flannel that creeps in on the big occasion.

This is why we retreated at Anfield. We still don't quite believe we can do it. If we don't believe it, why should anyone else?

The table tells you how good you are, regardless of what anyone believes. We're pretty good.