AWIMB 2024/2025 season review

[Peter]

That save from Odegaard was the best save I've seen this season. Absolutely, no right to get down to it and then have the strength to push it round the post.

Raya's double penalty save at Atalanta takes some beating.

[PSRB]

Was thinking exactly the same thing. It is Raya. Rice has had an outstanding second half of the season but he was nowhere to be seen before Christmas.

Timber has had a fantastic season as well, and the special mention goes to MLS.

Timber having ankle surgery, he's been carrying a niggle all season.

[7sisters]

Raya's double penalty save at Atalanta takes some beating.

Raya?s pulled off some incredible stops but it shouldn?t be forgotten that many of them were initially caused by his monumentally stupid distribution choices.

[IUFG]

Could only think of Rice perhaps - but even he started slowly - and then Raya

Gabriel Magalhaes, along with Rice, would be my shout..

[PSRB]

Raya?s pulled off some incredible stops but it shouldn?t be forgotten that many of them were initially caused by his monumentally stupid distribution choices.

Said exactly this yesterday when my mate was saying Raya's kept us in it.

[Peter]

Said exactly this yesterday when my mate was saying Raya's kept us in it.

Only one of those yesterday was a result of his poor pass. To be fair, he doesn't make that many mistakes with his feet.

He has proved an excellent signing and was a definite upgrade on Ramsdale.

[Peter]

Timber having ankle surgery, he's been carrying a niggle all season.

Well, he has carried it rather well. Very impressed with him.

[Rich]

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

Clearly we lack a leetle bit the attacking flair of other top sides. Even Saka is more of an output type player rather than someone who is going to put their opponent on their backside.

You'd like to think that will be addressed in summer as Trossard and Martinelli are not of the required standard - which I appreciate sounds harsh.

Indeed, i think that we are so hamstrung by personnel that we have that it has forced Arteta's hand in the way we setup.

[Peter]

Clearly we lack a leetle bit the attacking flair of other top sides. Even Saka is more of an output type player rather than someone who is going to put their opponent on their backside.

You'd like to think that will be addressed in summer as Trossard and Martinelli are not of the required standard - which I appreciate sounds harsh.

Indeed, i think that we are so hamstrung by personnel that we have that it has forced Arteta's hand in the way we setup.

This is the slightly irritating thing about it. We are NOT short of attacking flair or creativity, and if you want Saka to put people on their backside, he'll do it. He is more than capable. So is Martinelli. And Odegaard can find gaps anywhere.

We've proved we can rip teams to pieces, we have proved we can outscore the rest of the league, with these players. For three quarters of the last two seasons we have failed to do it consistently. Arteta needs to work out why that is happening.

Why is Odegaard performing a mile below his creative best. Why does Martinelli constantly get stranded out on the touchline with two to beat and no support? Why do we retreat into ****housery mode within ten minutes of taking the lead?

These are our problems. New faces won't change that. It is down to coaching and mindset.

That said, better players will also make us better. Assuming we buy the right ones. I was a little perturbed by Arteta's remarks about them upstairs doing their job. He has always expressed himself as being part of that decision making. I do hope he still is. I think our recruitment has generally been very good. It needs to be continue to be, otherwise you become United pretty quickly. Or, even worse, Spurs

[Rich]

This is the slightly irritating thing about it. We are NOT short of attacking flair or creativity, and if you want Saka to put people on their backside, he'll do it. He is more than capable. So is Martinelli. And Odegaard can find gaps anywhere.

We've proved we can rip teams to pieces, we have proved we can outscore the rest of the league, with these players. For three quarters of the last two seasons we have failed to do it consistently. Arteta needs to work out why that is happening.

Why is Odegaard performing a mile below his creative best. Why does Martinelli constantly get stranded out on the touchline with two to beat and no support? Why do we retreat into ****housery mode within ten minutes of taking the lead?

These are our problems. New faces won't change that. It is down to coaching and mindset.

That said, better players will also make us better. Assuming we buy the right ones. I was a little perturbed by Arteta's remarks about them upstairs doing their job. He has always expressed himself as being part of that decision making. I do hope he still is. I think our recruitment has generally been very good. It needs to be continue to be, otherwise you become United pretty quickly. Or, even worse, Spurs

From Josh's programme notes. To me that says that they're going to provide liquidity in order to get what Arteta needs.

We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season. We’re delighted we have our sporting director, Andrea, who will play an important role in this. He is part of a unified and strong team, supported by the board, who are crystal clear on exactly what we need to do and the way in which we want to do it. The right way. The Arsenal way.