AWIMB 2024/2025 season review

2nd in the league and a CL semi-final in which we were highly competitive with the best side in Europe and probably went out only because their keeper played 2 blinders.

Given the injury situation this has to be seen as an achievement and overall a positive season.

Biggest upside - destroying Madrid and playing PSG close over two legs with our injuries makes it clear we are capable of playing with the best teams in Europe.

Biggest downside - too many impotent displays going forward, even with our injuries we had good enough players that this happened far too often.

Summer activity - Zubimendi and a striker and another wide option and Arteta getting the attacking play/controlling the game balance right

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Originally Posted by WES

2nd in the league and a CL semi-final in which we were highly competitive with the best side in Europe and probably went out only because their keeper played 2 blinders.

Given the injury situation this has to be seen as an achievement and overall a positive season.

Biggest upside - destroying Madrid and playing PSG close over two legs with our injuries makes it clear we are capable of playing with the best teams in Europe.

Biggest downside - too many impotent displays going forward, even with our injuries we had good enough players that this happened far too often.

Summer activity - Zubimendi and a striker and another wide option and Arteta getting the attacking play/controlling the game balance right

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Agree with that but the lack of striker has cost us and that was glaringly obvious from Day 1.

We've achieved a third consecutive second place which is a historical precursor to a league and cup double the following season.

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Originally Posted by WES

Biggest downside - too many impotent displays going forward, even with our injuries we had good enough players that this happened far too often.

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I understand that abject football manager, Gary Neville, said our attacking was predictable.

I'm loathed to admit it...he's correct.

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Originally Posted by WES

probably went out only because their keeper played 2 blinders.

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PSG made us look like a farkin' pub side you big moose noncing lummox.

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Originally Posted by WES

2nd in the league and a CL semi-final in which we were highly competitive with the best side in Europe and probably went out only because their keeper played 2 blinders.

Given the injury situation this has to be seen as an achievement and overall a positive season.

Biggest upside - destroying Madrid and playing PSG close over two legs with our injuries makes it clear we are capable of playing with the best teams in Europe.

Biggest downside - too many impotent displays going forward, even with our injuries we had good enough players that this happened far too often.

Summer activity - Zubimendi and a striker and another wide option and Arteta getting the attacking play/controlling the game balance right

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Other won't agree but I think the significance of the injuries has been hugely overplayed. No question, losing both your strikers at the same time for such a period is extremely unlucky. But we were more than 20 games into the season when that happened and hadn't looked even remotely as effective as we did last season. The problems were there all season, even when we were at full strength.

We are going to finish at least 15 points behind last season's total. That is a huge step backwards. No doubt some of that is from the injuries, but not the majority.

We don't score enough goals. We don't do nearly enough to pursue and control games when we go in front. We make too many silly mistakes defensively.

Some key signings are a must this summer but Arteta's biggest job is on the training pitch. If this use of game management mode is his idea, he needs to change his mind. If it is a psychological response to a lack of form and missing players then he needs to batter it out of them in training. We need to learn how to control the game with the ball. Controlling it without the ball should be the last resort.

We will never, ever win the League playing like that. It is impossible.

The other big change is rotation. He doesn't rotate enough and puts far too much pressure on a small group of key individuals- Saka, Odegaard, the two centre backs, Rice. I appreciate he doesn't really trust his squad below players 1-15 or so but that has to change. If we want to be competitive in the Champions League we need to trust the squad more. We can't expect our best players to play two games a week all season and keep producing their best.

Saliba and Gabriel do not need to play every game. Surely we can trust Kiwior and others for a few games here and there. And to revert back to injuries, look at the number of muscular injuries. Arteta has to look at that as a problem he can address. If your players keep pulling up with hamstring injuries, you have to look at yourselves.

My overall assessment is that the season has been a disappointment. Despite all the problems, we are capable of much better than this. And that means this isn't good enough.

Excellent points, all.

Would just add that I find myself genuinely happy for Crystal Palace :-\

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Originally Posted by IUFG

I understand that abject football manager, Gary Neville, said our attacking was predictable.

I'm loathed to admit it...he's correct.

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He annoyed me when he was banging on about us passing it around too much and then we nearly scored. In fact, he just annoys me in general.

Sky were desperate for us to lose that match and not finish 2nd.

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Originally Posted by redgunamo

Excellent points, all.

Would just add that I find myself genuinely happy for Crystal Palace :-\

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Grealish has to be off in the summer. Also happy for Palace as it's wound my Brighton supporting mate right up.

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Originally Posted by Herbert Augustus Chapman

PSG made us look like a farkin' pub side you big moose noncing lummox.

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Exactly so. We lack the special players required to go from runners-up to winners.

Where is our Bergkamp, our Vieira, our Henry, Pires of Fabregas? We don't have a single player of that calibre - lots of very good players, yes, but no one special.

And our tactics are miserable. :-(