The absolute worst thing about that ****show

[redgunamo]

But we're only ahead of them because they've been ****......

That's league football, that's how it works!

Nobody gets 114 points.

[Peter]

That's league football, that's how it works!

Nobody gets 114 points.

Or 115 charges.

[redgunamo]

Or 115 charges.

Well quite. Absolutely.

But our Summer Supermarket Sweep might actually have helped their case. At least in the public mind

[Rich]

Total *******s.

Two years ago we switched to a more expansive brand of football. We won a lot more games, scored a lot more goals and finsihed with a lot more points with a smaller squad and the same forwards. The year before that, the same with an even smaller squad and no Havertz.

We didn't win the league in either season but we were a damn sight better than we are now.

The low block excuse is rubbish as well. Every good side faces it and every good side finds a way to tackle it. Bad sides make excuses.

And let us say you are right and we just dont have the forwards. Who answers for that? We spent nearly 180 million on forwards last summer.

Have a look at this. We have to face deeper blocks than anyone in the league. Therefore we require players with outstanding technical qualities in tight areas; which we are not hugely blessed with.

So we have to rely on the current brand of football to score goals.

https://x.com/themagic_tophat/status/2013740421231394976?s=12

[Peter]

Have a look at this. We have to face deeper blocks than anyone in the league. Therefore we require players with outstanding technical qualities in tight areas; which we are not hugely blessed with.

So we have to rely on the current brand of football to score goals.

https://x.com/themagic_tophat/status...231394976?s=12

Heavily flawed data, and i will tell you why.

We take so bloody long to move the ball forward that a pub side would have time to get back in position. So of course their average defensive interactions are deeper.

Show the data from the second half of 2023/4, where teams were just as scared but we moved the ball quickly. I promise you it will be a marked difference.

Saka, Odegaard, Trossard, Havertz.... they dont have the technical quality to play in tight spaces? Tell me, who does then?

It's a bull**** excuse to justify our modest returns. Those returns are caused by overly cautious football, not by some tactical conspiracy on the part of the Premier league.

Talk to fans coming out of the ground, they all say the same thing. Negative, playing not to lose, playing with fear, failing to react in games......

[redgunamo]

Heavily flawed data, and i will tell you why.

We take so bloody long to move the ball forward that a pub side would have time to get back in position. So of course their average defensive interactions are deeper.

Show the data from the second half of 2023/4, where teams were just as scared but we moved the ball quickly. I promise you it will be a marked difference.

Saka, Odegaard, Trossard, Havertz.... they dont have the technical quality to play in tight spaces? Tell me, who does then?

It's a bull**** excuse to justify our modest returns. Those returns are caused by overly cautious football, not by some tactical conspiracy on the part of the Premier league.

Talk to fans coming out of the ground, they all say the same thing. Negative, playing not to lose, playing with fear, failing to react in games......

Mostly victorious too though, and largely unbeaten.

You know, the reason Bayern have won so many Bundesliga titles that nobody knows who has won the second most, and Real Madrid have won nearly half of the La Liga titles available since that league was established is precisely because they've been able to gaslight everyone else into trying to play like them but with far worse resources.

Performances, rubbish football, anti-football, set pieces, long balls; we are NOT Real Madrid or Bayern Munich or even Manchester City or Liverpool.

[Peter]

Mostly victorious too though, and largely unbeaten.

You know, the reason Bayern have won so many Bundesliga titles that nobody knows who has won the second most, and Real Madrid have won nearly half of the La Liga titles available since that league was established is precisely because they've been able to gaslight everyone else into trying to play like them but with far worse resources.

Performances, rubbish football, anti-football, set pieces, long balls; we are NOT Real Madrid or Bayern Munich or even Manchester City or Liverpool.

I loved George's sides. But the sides that won titles were not negative. They were strong defensively, but not negative.

I could forgive the dull football if I thought it was our best route to success. It isnt.

[redgunamo]

I loved George's sides. But the sides that won titles were not negative. They were strong defensively, but not negative.

I could forgive the dull football if I thought it was our best route to success. It isnt.

Fine.

When Alan Smith was winning Golden Boots, his competitors were Tony Cottee,
John Aldridge, Gary Lineker, Dean Saunders, and Ian Wright at Crystal Palace. Not exactly Europe's goalscoring elite.

Different times, different times.

[Peter]

Fine.

When Alan Smith was winning Golden Boots, his competitors were Tony Cottee,
John Aldridge, Gary Lineker, Dean Saunders, and Ian Wright at Crystal Palace. Not exactly Europe's goalscoring elite.

Different times, different times.

To me that was Europe's goalscoring elite....

[redgunamo]

To me that was Europe's goalscoring elite....

Yes, me too. But foreigners have ruined the game for everyone.

You can see for yourself though, that what George had was basically Mikel's team but with a Haaland upfront.

We're not all that far away

[Peter]

Yes, me too. But foreigners have ruined the game for everyone.

You can see for yourself though, that what George had was basically Mikel's team but with a Haaland upfront.

We're not all that far away

I'd politely suggest that George's team also had George.....

I'm not knocking Arteta but by every measurable metric we are getting worse. He HAS to look at that and acknowledge it. What have we stopped doing? Or started doing wrong? What happened in Dubai two years ago? Do that again!

[Rich]

I'd politely suggest that George's team also had George.....

I'm not knocking Arteta but by every measurable metric we are getting worse. He HAS to look at that and acknowledge it. What have we stopped doing? Or started doing wrong? What happened in Dubai two years ago? Do that again!

We were less of a known quantity when Dubai happened. If you look at the highlights from that season you'll see teams tried to attack us leaving plenty of space in behind. Now, as we know, that's not the case.

There are no amount of tactical changes that are going to radically move the needle here. The fact remains that we need more quality in forward areas.

Carragher said it at the weekend; it's unsual that Arsenal are top because they have no superstars and that none of Arsenal's forward / advanced midfielders would be close to getting into a PL team of the year.

It's a lack of technical quality. Odegaard has that quality but none of the others do. Doesn't make them bad players but it makes them succeeding when faced with a wall of 10 opponents very unlikely.

So Arteta has found alternative options in terms of goals / winning football games.

[Peter]

We were less of a known quantity when Dubai happened. If you look at the highlights from that season you'll see teams tried to attack us leaving plenty of space in behind. Now, as we know, that's not the case.

There are no amount of tactical changes that are going to radically move the needle here. The fact remains that we need more quality in forward areas.

Carragher said it at the weekend; it's unsual that Arsenal are top because they have no superstars and that none of Arsenal's forward / advanced midfielders would be close to getting into a PL team of the year.

It's a lack of technical quality. Odegaard has that quality but none of the others do. Doesn't make them bad players but it makes them succeeding when faced with a wall of 10 opponents very unlikely.

So Arteta has found alternative options in terms of goals / winning football games.

So just to clarify.... after leading the league for 3/4 of the 2022/3 season we entered 2023/4 as an 'unknown quantity' and nobody used a low block against us.

This season, having served up ****e last year, everyone is digging trenches against us whilst charging forward against everyone else, including last season's champions.

And in 2023/4, presumably they started the season with a low block (where we struggled for goals in tje first half of the season) but then stopped doing it in the second half of the season because it appeared to be working......

Yeah, that makes perfect sense....

Let me ask you one further question. How do you explain the gigantic disparity between our scoring rates home and away this season? 28 goals at home, 14 away, over the same number of games.

Are teams deploying an even lower block at home than when they come to the Emirates?

[Peter]

We were less of a known quantity when Dubai happened. If you look at the highlights from that season you'll see teams tried to attack us leaving plenty of space in behind. Now, as we know, that's not the case.

There are no amount of tactical changes that are going to radically move the needle here. The fact remains that we need more quality in forward areas.

Carragher said it at the weekend; it's unsual that Arsenal are top because they have no superstars and that none of Arsenal's forward / advanced midfielders would be close to getting into a PL team of the year.

It's a lack of technical quality. Odegaard has that quality but none of the others do. Doesn't make them bad players but it makes them succeeding when faced with a wall of 10 opponents very unlikely.

So Arteta has found alternative options in terms of goals / winning football games.

And by the way, Carragher's point re the PL team of the year is ridiculous. Declan Rice has appeard in the last two. Odegaard two years running until last season, Saka as well.

It may well be true that none will get in this year. But using that as evidence that they are not good enough is as stupid as arguing that they are not capable of reaching goal totals that they've reached before.

The question you should be asking is how we keep managing to ruin forward players. Look at Eze with us. Is that the guy we signed? Not even close. He currently looks like a **** Iwobi.....

[IUFG]

Look at Eze with us. Is that the guy we signed? Not even close. He currently looks like a **** Iwobi.....

Maybe we can sell him for ?40m...