Alvarez appears to be our number one summer target. We'll have to pay beyond what we

[Rich]

100% agree. I'd be delighted with those two.

Still leaves us pitifully short in attacking areas.

Just watch Alvarez. He is literally perfect for us. The style of forward we had in Arteta?s first few seasons. Would be an amazing signing but going to cost ?110m ish

[Peter]

Still leaves us pitifully short in attacking areas.

Just watch Alvarez. He is literally perfect for us. The style of forward we had in Arteta?s first few seasons. Would be an amazing signing but going to cost ?110m ish

You know what leaves us pitifully short in attacking areas? Having eleven men behind the ball in their own third.

We have plenty of attacking talent. Saka, Odegaard, Havertz, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Eze. We ruin them by starving them of possession and support and exhausting them with defensive work. Which is why you see their initial output slowly drop.

We'll do it to Alvarez. Even to that Georgian lad.

The problem isnt the players. It's the approach.

Arteta needs a line of coke and a few Stones album. Get a bit of confidence going, a bit of swagger

[WES]

You know what leaves us pitifully short in attacking areas? Having eleven men behind the ball in their own third.

We have plenty of attacking talent. Saka, Odegaard, Havertz, Martinelli, Gyokeres, Eze. We ruin them by starving them of possession and support and exhausting them with defensive work. Which is why you see their initial output slowly drop.

We'll do it to Alvarez. Even to that Georgian lad.

The problem isnt the players. It's the approach.

Arteta needs a line of coke and a few Stones album. Get a bit of confidence going, a bit of swagger

Hmmm, not entirely sure I see what you see, Peter. No argument on the coke and the Stones, of course

I see plenty of players forward, fullbacks routinely overlapping, midfielders making runs into the box. We see this all the time. The problem is we too often see it after excruciatingly slow and safe build up play through midfield. And by that time the opposition have 11 players in and around their box. You need better attacking players than we have at that point.

For me this is the problem, it's like Arteta has drilled safety first into our play through midfield to the point that the players lack the confidence in themelves to move it quickly. I think we saw this Sunday. Start of second half Pep had 4 players across the top of our box pressing. And we lacked the confidence to pass it through them so we started playing it long from the keeper or down the lines from the fullbacks. And given that we then seemed to lose EVERY SINGLE DUEL FOR 20 CONSECUTIVE MINUTES, well I don't need to tell you the rest.

City conversely, passed it through our press often, and they maintained their defensive responsibilities throught the match.

We should expect no less imo. Arteta needs to fix it. Sadly, it may have to wait until next season.

[Peter]

Hmmm, not entirely sure I see what you see, Peter. No argument on the coke and the Stones, of course

I see plenty of players forward, fullbacks routinely overlapping, midfielders making runs into the box. We see this all the time. The problem is we too often see it after excruciatingly slow and safe build up play through midfield. And by that time the opposition have 11 players in and around their box. You need better attacking players than we have at that point.

For me this is the problem, it's like Arteta has drilled safety first into our play through midfield to the point that the players lack the confidence in themelves to move it quickly. I think we saw this Sunday. Start of second half Pep had 4 players across the top of our box pressing. And we lacked the confidence to pass it through them so we started playing it long from the keeper or down the lines from the fullbacks. And given that we then seemed to lose EVERY SINGLE DUEL FOR 20 CONSECUTIVE MINUTES, well I don't need to tell you the rest.

City conversely, passed it through our press often, and they maintained their defensive responsibilities throught the match.

We should expect no less imo. Arteta needs to fix it. Sadly, it may have to wait until next season.

Absolutely, that is the problem. And if you had Partey, and the old Odegaard, it would have been fixed. But we dont. Raya would have helped as well.....

We are utterly predictable and Pep knows it. He cut off the pass to the full backs and we were stuck. Nowhere to go.

And of course we take too long to move the ball. But that isnt because of the quality of the attacking players. It is because of the approach we take. And it is ruining our attacking players.

The even bigger problem is game management once we are ahead. We do all of this without the ball, sitting ridiculously deep and shifting back and forth to block. Players dont see the ball at all.

It is exhausting and horrible to play in. And I'm sorry to say it but it is how bad sides defend a lead and control a game. Good sides do it with the ball.

You come to Arsenal as a defender and your stock will go through the roof. Come here as a forward and your reputation will be in tatters within 3 years.

The only hope is that we somehow scramble over the line this season and Arteta chills out and get a bit more adventurous. Otherwise, I'm just going to be sat here frustrated and waiting for him to leave.

[PSRB]

Hmmm, not entirely sure I see what you see, Peter. No argument on the coke and the Stones, of course

I see plenty of players forward, fullbacks routinely overlapping, midfielders making runs into the box. We see this all the time. The problem is we too often see it after excruciatingly slow and safe build up play through midfield. And by that time the opposition have 11 players in and around their box. You need better attacking players than we have at that point.

For me this is the problem, it's like Arteta has drilled safety first into our play through midfield to the point that the players lack the confidence in themelves to move it quickly. I think we saw this Sunday. Start of second half Pep had 4 players across the top of our box pressing. And we lacked the confidence to pass it through them so we started playing it long from the keeper or down the lines from the fullbacks. And given that we then seemed to lose EVERY SINGLE DUEL FOR 20 CONSECUTIVE MINUTES, well I don't need to tell you the rest.

City conversely, passed it through our press often, and they maintained their defensive responsibilities throught the match.

We should expect no less imo. Arteta needs to fix it. Sadly, it may have to wait until next season.

We looked shattered in the 2nd half. Pep's PEPs helped them

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Absolutely, that is the problem. And if you had Partey, and the old Odegaard, it would have been fixed. But we dont. Raya would have helped as well.....

We are utterly predictable and Pep knows it. He cut off the pass to the full backs and we were stuck. Nowhere to go.

And of course we take too long to move the ball. But that isnt because of the quality of the attacking players. It is because of the approach we take. And it is ruining our attacking players.

The even bigger problem is game management once we are ahead. We do all of this without the ball, sitting ridiculously deep and shifting back and forth to block. Players dont see the ball at all.

It is exhausting and horrible to play in. And I'm sorry to say it but it is how bad sides defend a lead and control a game. Good sides do it with the ball.

You come to Arsenal as a defender and your stock will go through the roof. Come here as a forward and your reputation will be in tatters within 3 years.

The only hope is that we somehow scramble over the line this season and Arteta chills out and get a bit more adventurous. Otherwise, I'm just going to be sat here frustrated and waiting for him to leave.

In late autumn, he listened to the criticism and started Odin and Easy as twin inside forwards, with Dec at DM and Zubi on the bench. But Odin got injured after half an hour, Zubi came on and made both goals. 'Twas never tried again.

I do think that's what he wanted at times. He tried Dec-Kai-Odin when they signed for half a season before Kai moved up top, he signed MnM but never got to try him at inside left with Dec at DM, and he played B inside when he brought on the young Doctor.

I think he likes the idea of a 4-1-2-3 with Dec as the DM like he became under AW {when he had Santi and Ozil ahead of him} but as Dec can do it all, his defensive-mindedness has led him to play a double pivot.

[redgunamo]

Absolutely, that is the problem. And if you had Partey, and the old Odegaard, it would have been fixed. But we dont. Raya would have helped as well.....

We are utterly predictable and Pep knows it. He cut off the pass to the full backs and we were stuck. Nowhere to go.

And of course we take too long to move the ball. But that isnt because of the quality of the attacking players. It is because of the approach we take. And it is ruining our attacking players.

The even bigger problem is game management once we are ahead. We do all of this without the ball, sitting ridiculously deep and shifting back and forth to block. Players dont see the ball at all.

It is exhausting and horrible to play in. And I'm sorry to say it but it is how bad sides defend a lead and control a game. Good sides do it with the ball.

You come to Arsenal as a defender and your stock will go through the roof. Come here as a forward and your reputation will be in tatters within 3 years.

The only hope is that we somehow scramble over the line this season and Arteta chills out and get a bit more adventurous. Otherwise, I'm just going to be sat here frustrated and waiting for him to leave.

I'm reminded of something Austin Healey said, about his time at Leicester Rugby Football Club. It was along the lines of "Oh, great! Another forward; it's easy for us to sign THEM because they love the way we play... much harder to get backs to join because they know they'll only see the ball once every three weeks!"

Perhaps Arteta was serious when he said an Arsenal forward that couldn't handle not scoring for ten games didn't belong at the Emirates and needed to find another club.

You're far too harsh on the boss though; he's doing a terrific job under the most trying of circumstances!

[Peter]

I'm reminded of something Austin Healey said, about his time at Leicester Rugby Football Club. It was along the lines of "Oh, great! Another forward; it's easy for us to sign THEM because they love the way we play... much harder to get backs to join because they know they'll only see the ball once every three weeks!"

Perhaps Arteta was serious when he said an Arsenal forward that couldn't handle not scoring for ten games didn't belong at the Emirates and needed to find another club.

You're far too harsh on the boss though; he's doing a terrific job under the most trying of circumstances!

Nonsense! He's a hound, and a rotter, and he's going to be shot!

[redgunamo]

Nonsense! He's a hound, and a rotter, and he's going to be shot!

Glock has scored a hattrick for Sweden tonight.

So, yeah, probably

[7sisters]

Nonsense! He's a hound, and a rotter, and he's going to be shot!

Gyokeres hatrick for Sweden tonight though. Food for thought ?