In the highl;ights of the 97-98 season you can see how football ought to be played.

[Peter]

Pressing combined with footballers being fitter, stronger and referees letting them 'play more' is killing football imo

We always moan about foreigners diving and European refs giving everything and it's not a man's game etc etc

But watching Barca and Atl Madrid was a joy, less pressing, less physical play and much more football.

Of course, Pep is to blame for all this pressing nonsense.

Yet his Barcelona side were one of the best I have ever seen. Not because of how they won the ball back but because of what they did with it once they had.

I watched Leeds at Old Trafford earlier in the week and they were fantastic. Fast, aggressive, lots of movement, one touch passing.

You cant blame pressing for teams being dull. Ultimately, it is a choice.

We are at our best when we press high up the pitch with aggression. We are at our most frustrating when we sit in low block and refuse to play the game.

[WES]

Yet his Barcelona side were one of the best I have ever seen. Not because of how they won the ball back but because of what they did with it once they had.

I watched Leeds at Old Trafford earlier in the week and they were fantastic. Fast, aggressive, lots of movement, one touch passing.

You cant blame pressing for teams being dull. Ultimately, it is a choice.

We are at our best when we press high up the pitch with aggression. We are at our most frustrating when we sit in low block and refuse to play the game.

I think we're at our best when we try to move the ball forward as quickly as possible once we get it, wherever we win it. Those Pep teams were wonderful to watch because they were so confident on the ball, they could move it quickly forward or keep it at will. And if they started playing dull possession football Messi ran through 5 players and scored

I think we tend to start games well, but if the oppo are pressing us and we start to give it away, instead of persisting, we stop playing. And next thing you know every time we win possession we start playing it back instead of forward and then the inevitable slow, cautious, conservative passing game starts and we seem unable to shake out of it.

You can say it is Arteta's fault for not teaching the players to stay with it, or teaching them to pass it better, and you might be partly right. But I think the injured players and the players out of form means we're more likely to give it away and more likely to revert than otherwise.

[Peter]

I think we're at our best when we try to move the ball forward as quickly as possible once we get it, wherever we win it. Those Pep teams were wonderful to watch because they were so confident on the ball, they could move it quickly forward or keep it at will. And if they started playing dull possession football Messi ran through 5 players and scored

I think we tend to start games well, but if the oppo are pressing us and we start to give it away, instead of persisting, we stop playing. And next thing you know every time we win possession we start playing it back instead of forward and then the inevitable slow, cautious, conservative passing game starts and we seem unable to shake out of it.

You can say it is Arteta's fault for not teaching the players to stay with it, or teaching them to pass it better, and you might be partly right. But I think the injured players and the players out of form means we're more likely to give it away and more likely to revert than otherwise.

Has to be said, his focus when buying midfielders is not primarily on their technical level. Rice and Zubimendi are fine players but they are not exactly Fabregas when it comes to holding, shielding, touch etc. Nor are Merino and Norgard.

You have to assume that is what he wants. And that if his plan was to pass through midfield then he would buy something else. Compare our play in midfield to PSG. Then compare the midfielders.

My biggest gripe is, as you know, what happens when we go 1-0 up, particularly away from home. And occasionally at 0-0. More than anything else, that is what has cost us this title. For every Fulham, United and Brighton there is a Sunderland, Brentford and Wolves. And a Liverpool. And a Villa. And a Forest

That is all mentality and tactical approach. Nothing else. And that is Arteta.

One of the other reasons our season has got more difficult is that Liverpool and City have shown sides how you can easily contain us. Our predictability has become a vice as teams have worked out the weaknesses.

You are of course right that injuries and poor individual form has been a big issue recently. Having Saka out or stinking the place out is a huge, huge miss for us. But the way we play always delivered fine margins. The slightest drop in efficiency was always going to hurt us.

I said, from Anfield on, that you cant win the league playing like this. We may still prove me wrong. But whatever happens, I hope we dont try and repeat it next season. It would be lovely to actually enjoy the odd game