Hey gang, I see a lot of down faces this morning and I’m sorry. I’m sorry if you’re upset at Arsenal, at some of the players, at the coach, at the subs, at the ref, at the stadium, at the stars and that stupid comet that everyone else has seen except me, and I’m sorry if you’re upset at how a loss to that lot just darkens the week a bit more. I say “sorry” but I really mean “I empathize”. I get it, I truly do.
But you could see this loss coming a mile away. Well, I could. I’d watched them play and as I said in my blog a few days ago, they were very unlucky with some of their results lately. They are a hard working team with some very talented players (well, one: Son Hueng-min) and they love to kick and fight. They didn’t get to the Champions League final last season on luck alone. And.. I think if you’re intellectually honest you’d admit that they are probably just a few steps above Arsenal in terms of how they have built a team and how they are executing their game plan.
Arsenal are still in rebuilding mode after the disastrous last four years. Buying mediocre defenders who fit a certain profile (passmasters) but who haven’t really kicked on in terms of shoring up the back line turned out to be a huge mistake. Midfield is also still a mess, even if I have backed off on my white-hot rage* at that area of the park.
But hey, Arteta has done an insanely good job with what he’s got: Mustafi looks like a player we could actually sell, Xhaka too, and some of the guys up top have been rejuvenated as well. The team looks more organized and much calmer than I have seen from Arsenal in well over two years, closer to three. So, despite the loss, I still feel like this Arsenal side have a lot going for them.
In fact, I think (without even looking at the stats or anything else) this is our low point. I don’t think we will be worse next season. I think we will get better starting in Fall and I remain weirdly optimistic that the club are going to sell and buy some players this summer and start to rebuild the core of the team (center backs).
What I didn’t expect – not fully – was the nervousness shot through the team from the start. We all know the problems that Arsenal have with concentration and sometimes with organization but what I honestly didn’t expect was that David Luiz’ David Luizness would David Luiz the entire back line.
David Luiz is an emotional player and that can be good sometimes but at other times it’s just a disaster. Yesterday was one of those other times. And that energy seemed to infect the entire back line and even the midfield.
Xhaka did a video for the fans before kickoff and expressed a desire to show the fans something special, give us something to be happy about. But watching it, I got a brief pang of fear. That we were going to get a team that was nervous rather than confident. And sure enough, that’s what we got. Like literally, right from the opening whistle.
I think, though, that even more than the nervousness is the fact that despite having the lions share of the ball, Arsenal only created 5 key passes for each other. And worse, I think (the stats say) that we were out-hustled in nearly every category. The nervousness I understand, the laziness I don’t.
I probably shouldn’t be too harsh and probably shouldn’t even call them lazy. The more I think about the way that Spurs played – lots of long balls – the more it seems like maybe Arsenal couldn’t press as much as we liked? Perhaps Mourinho just did what Mourinho does – lots of long balls – and we weren’t able to deal with it.
I don’t know. Actually, I don’t even care. We are what we are: a mess. But I trust Arteta to get us playing good again. Just as soon as we get some new players in.
*I still can’t believe this club went from Vieira, to Fabregas, to Arteta, to Cazorla, to… Xhaka. Such a massive and obvious drop in quality.
But seriously, WTF is Arteta doing playing the 3 worst defenders in the club, if not the Division, in Luiz, Mustafi and Kolasinac. And worse, he has given Luiz a new contract and now wants to extend Mustafi.
All three were truly horrendous. Unbelievably bad.
The thing is Mourinho knows exactly how to beat Arsenal in much the same way Allardyce did. Play 4 across midfield and block out all our passing options. As Arsenal get more frustrated and commit men forward, just hoof the ball down the park and let their forwards run rings round our defenders, who can’t cope. Throw lots of crosses in because we can’t defend them. There’s a saying in football that you’re always at your most vulnerable after you’ve just scored a goal. Arsenal are living proof of that. Above all else keep going for 90 minutes because we get tired and lose concentration. Beating us must be the easiest thing on earth.
I think the Sam Allardyce thing is kind of overblown. So much was made of any game that he won against us, that people forget how profligate we were in those games and how his teams were often lucky whenever they beat us, which happened very few times. His record against us is abysmal.
Sir Alex on the other hand knew how to beat Arsene’s sides and even had a template, which was to stay solid and have good interceptors in you side.
This Arsenal side though? It beats itself regularly. With no way to progress the ball from deep midfield into zone 14 other than the passing lane that has been so integral to our play, which was Arteta /Carzola/Xhaka to Ozil or Sanchez. All we have now is direct passes from deep to our forwards or F ullbacks. The forwards can only hold it up for a non advancing midfield or try to turn and take a shot. Our fullbacks get forward well, but without good possession across the pitch, they never have enough space to be effective. Our lack of threat in central final third areas allows teams to over crowd the wide areas without worrying about being exposed on the other wing quickly.
I loved how we pressed and played on the front foot before the shutdown. But A rteta must have seen some issues with our defence for him to step back on the attacking front and be so defensive. I hope he is able to build solidity though, as a strong defence gives so much confidence to the attack, just like the Arsenal women’s side under Joe Montemurro.
Maybe not Allardyce then, but certainly Mourinho. How many times have we beaten him? Twice, and never at his place? As much as I hate him, he obviously knows something about our shortcomings.
Who else should he play? I don’t want to see any of those three starting, but who else should? Sokratis is clearly in the dog house, and I’m not sure Holding looked better than Luiz or Mustafi. That’s all we got.
How about Laurel and Hardy, with Margaret Thatcher as sweeper?
A very even response, not the one I had at the final whistle.
The final whistle was it for me, Mikel does not stand a chance.
stan the maN owes close to $700 million for AFC, and crushing decreases in revenue streams means we got jack $h*te to spend the next few years.
With rauL and co. up top, in their ivory towers playing ball with kiA, what kind of talent are we going to get on the cheap? That is right-none.
Mikel would be better served to tell the idiots up top to get rid on the clowns at the back-like right now-today.
Bring up some youth, let Mikel work with it for a while and see where we end up. It will be better than 10th place, midpack, which is exactly where we are going to finish this season.
Glad we are out of CL and Europa futbol-we do not belong there with this bunch, no matter who coaches them.
Just EPL next year, and a change of scenery for the players who are not up to it moving forward.
I think we are going to sell a number of players and use that money to fund some new players.
Holding
Guendouzi
Lacazette
Emi
Torreira
Chambers
Maitland-Niles
That’s quite a bit of resources for a rebuild.
Can we sell all of Holding, Chambers, and AMN without getting into a homegrown player issue?
Would we actually be able to sell Chambers in this unusual transfer market situation while he’s injured.
And part of me says we might actually be better off keeping Emi instead of Leno. He’s been really good the last few matches.
Beyond that, you could add Kola, Sokratis, Mavropanos to that list.
The homegrown rule is stupid. We only use 20 players a season anyway but all it does is limit the number of players you can use.
but in this team we have
Tierney
Bellerin
Martinez
Willock
Saka
Nketiah
Nelson
So, more than enough.
I don’t know if we can find buyers for that many players in this Covid environment. Are there enough clubs with money to afford our players? Do they want our players and can we get better ones with the same budget? I want to clear things out, but I’m not super confident Raul can pull this off right now.
Tim – I have been ok with this loss for some reason, strangely. You are spot on. It seemed inevitable. We are not good, nor have we been for some time. I remember at the end of last season having a big debate here about Emery staying or going. And I was clearly on the wrong side saying he should get more time to prove himself. He was a dreadful coach, and sacking him was obviously the right choice. Within my stupid argument was the rationale that this squad was the problem. No one could make lemonade out of these lemons. And as I look at Arsenal I still believe it. No one could win consistently with our defense and midfield. The clown trio at the back, along with Xhaka in midfield would doom any side. Ceballos has had a good run of form but our appreciation of his play just shows how low our expectations are for midfield. He’s an ok player with clear physical limitations, but he’s a standout player for Arsenal. Ugh. There’s been dramatic turnover on the squad in the last 4 years, and with the exception of Auba and Leno you could argue we’ve taken a step back at every position. So this kind of loss seems entirely predictable. There will be more.
But Arteta has generally improved us. I just hope he is allowed to rebuild with players that fit his desired style of play, starting this summer. If not, I worry that we have not in fact hit bottom as you suggest. If Mikhel does not feel supported and can’t get the players to right the ship ship next season, he could leave . That’s an even further descent.
That said, I think he will get enough new players to see a revival next season. Not winning the league. But playing good football and building a winning culture. And that will be the turnaround we so desperately need.
And by the way, I’m not ruling out a big win vs Pool or City. It’s the nature of being in transition under a new coach. Lows come alongside highs.
Disappointing all the way around. It was pretty easy to see that Mou was likely to have Spurs play this way, and yet we had no plan to address it.
Ceballos worked hard, but still not a lot of end product. And in some ways we’re now asking Laca to be a 10, but he’s not a good enough passer to do that either. The Bellerin/Pepe thing is a mess too. Especially frustrating when you look at the fact that we spent about the same on Pepe as Chelsea spent on Pulisic.
As far as the center backs go, Mustafi actually looked pretty good for the first half, unlike Luiz and Kola. Then looked like a clown for most of the second. Holding has to come in. Not only is he a better passer than Kola, he’s also better in the air.
But I’m dreading Liverpool. Their attack is both better and faster than Spurs. We could easily get pummeled.
I could see the loss, combined with the City decision, as making the decision for Auba. Our chances of being in Europe are very small now. At this point, it’s starting to feel like we need to cash in on what we can this summer and start A LOT of rebuilding. We’ve got a few good young pieces to build on but it’s going to take either a fair amount of time or a huge investment to get us there.
Remember when Kolasinac was in the Bundesliga team of the year? Lol. And then we bought him? Lollllllzzzzz.
I ask you, is there a more stupid club in the Premier League than Arsenal in terms of our relative resources and stature? I don’t think so. The transfers, the contracts, the mentality, the injuries, the whatever whatever. Remember when we thought we should follow FFP like some starched-shirt matching socks Charlie while literally no other wealthy club did and got away with it? Lol. Remember how we’re owned by a slimy billionaire who held his hat out to the players for donations while literally no other club in the Premier League asked for wage cuts? Remember remember. The path to the “next Everton” has been ten years in the making, but it didn’t need to go that way, not with the clout Arsenal had and continually squandered.
Speaking of memories: Luiz. I’ll never forget during the national anthems of the 2014 World Cup final match, how hard I laughed at the image of David Luiz shaking with tears while he held up Neymar’s shirt, the other arm around a teammate for support; had Neymar been slaughtered in a vicious attack? Had he died from a terrible disease? Hahaha! I knew at that moment–and savored the knowledge–that Brazil would lose badly. Luiz just brought the fragile factor to that entire defensive structure.
And then we brought him to Arsenal and extended his contract? Lol!
lokl
Funny thing is, Gazidis is about to take his plan for Arsenal and implement it at AC Milan. He is putting the whole structure how he wanted at Arsenal and getting in certain specialists to push them back to the top. His whole “being like Bayern” assertion wasn’t just business speak. I think he might get it right.
I however do have some issues with how he left. He left on the back of being out voted for who should be Arsenal manager after Ars ene and his appointment in Mislintant was undermined when the promise of him taking over as director of football wasn’t kept. So did Gazidis bring in Sanlehi? If he did, did Sanlehi take over under his nose? Was Sanlehi a Kroenke appointment?
It is wierd that Vinai and Sanlehi’s vision of the club is so vastly different from the data driven, tactical and cost effective approach that Gazidis was chasing with the Mislintant appointment, the revamping of the youth facilities and organisational structures, and his choices for manager after Wenger. For people who were supposedly appointed to have the same vision, they have taken the opposite direction at every point and seem to believe in something vastly different from Gazidis’ vision.
It is wierd, no?!
Arteta has a lot to do to make this squad better; and i think the best way to get his work cut out is to qualify for the Europa league. Though it might seem like a tournament for losers its our best way to get back to the champions league. i dont see us making the top four anytime soon and considering how much our rivals have strengthen i can only see the gap btwn us and the top 4 getting wider
Hi Tim, haven’t commented here for a while.
Some thoughts:
1. This squad is best used as a counter attacking unit. Our defenders lack pace and mobility (and sometimes a brain). Their weaknesses are best hidden when we play a low block near our 18 yard line.
2. Our midfield is desperately lacking creativity. Ozil for the lack of games he’s played this season is still statistically our most creative midfielder (37 chances created). Fourteen teams have more shots per game than Arsenal. Through balls, key passes – we just haven’t improved in this area.
3. As a consequence our attack play is hugely dependent on wing-play and crosses (how Emery).
Yesterday Mourinh0 went full throttle looking for an early goal (which they nearly got); set up Spvrs to stifle us on the wings; and in the second half played a low block waiting for another mistake or a set piece opportunity. My dog could describe his game-plan it’s so predictable. Shame our manager didn’t get the memo.
Yesterday felt like ‘final days Wenger’ – Five at the back; play it safe in midfield so we don’t get countered with pace; throw in crosses and hope our forwards create their own opportunities.
The season is as good as over. No European football next year. Very limited transfer budget. I don’t see the current squad being all that different next season.
Arteta’s got his work cut out. He joined us in 8th place and we’ll finish this season at best 8th. What’s he going to do differently next season with pretty much the same squad?
Hi Tim, haven’t commented here for a while.
Some thoughts:
1. This squad is best used as a counter attacking unit. Our defenders lack pace and mobility (and sometimes a brain). Their weaknesses are best hidden when we play a low block near our 18 yard line.
2. Our midfield is desperately lacking creativity. Ozil for the lack of games he’s played this season is still statistically our most creative midfielder (37 chances created). Fourteen teams have more shots per game than Arsenal. Through balls, key passes – we just haven’t improved in this area.
3. As a consequence our attack play is hugely dependent on wing-play and crosses (how Emery).
Yesterday Mourinh0 went full throttle looking for an early goal (which they nearly got); set up Spvrs to stifle us on the wings; and in the second half played a low block waiting for another mistake or a set piece opportunity. My dog could describe his game-plan it’s so predictable. Shame our manager didn’t get the memo.
Yesterday felt like ‘final days Wenger’ – Five at the back; play it safe in midfield so we don’t get countered with pace; throw in crosses and hope our forwards create their own opportunities.
The season is as good as over. No European football next year. Very limited transfer budget. I don’t see the current squad being all that different next season.
Arteta’s got his work cut out. He joined us in 8th place and we’ll finish this season at best 8th. What’s he going to do differently next season with pretty much the same squad?
I’m not down today.
I believe in the first 15 minutes of the second half we had 83% of possession. We’d hit the cross-bar and forced a world-class save out of Lloris.
It was not a great game by either side, but that’s what 7th vs. 8th place games look like. We’re not going anywhere, neither are they.
Can I argue that we might want to bring back Ceballos and perhaps send Guendouzi the other way if they’ll have him? I always thought they were very similar players (defensively weak, dribbled too much with the ball, slow), but I think Ceballos has shown more room for growth and is obviously coachable – he’s moving the ball quicker, making himself available for outlet passes, limiting his dribbling. I still would love to get him in the weight room to add another 10-15 lbs of muscle. But I think he’s had a very good run of games here.
Jack – I agree Dani has had a good run of games, and may even have some upside. But he is so slow. And pairing him with Xhaka and is “Slow and Slower” If we keep Dani, we need to find a more athletic, speedy partner for him. He might be the best we have, but I still don’t think he’s good enough. But maybe that’s where we are…
Nice piece. Gives me a modicum of optimism.
I appreciate the balanced take and measured comments here but folks, it’s a derby. Regardless of circumstances, 1st in the table or tenth in table, whether we have Henry leading the line or Gervinho, or Lacazette, winning the NLD is extra special and losing it is extra hurt.
This always hurts, especially so when, apart from Arteta and his efforts, there seems to be little light at the end of this particular tunnel. It may be a bridge or a tunnel too far for him. Of course I hope that isn’t so, but we are looking up a table with much better teams teams right now.
Another top quality post Tim.
I have to agree with the general sentiment on the blog. We are 7th in goals scored and 7th in goals conceded and 8th in goal differential. We had a short run of good form prior to this game which generated a bit of excitement but the same thing happened last season. I was in favor of giving emery another chance at the beginning of this season. In retrospect we over performed last season. However I was wrong about Emery and we should have sacked him sooner then we did. Arteta has done a nice job of making us tougher to beat but there is only so much he can do. I think our table position is exactly where we belong given the talent level in the squad.
here’s broken-record joshuad:
it doesn’t matter who arsenal buys, they will not find success until they bring in a proper cdm. a cdm means our center forwards don’t have to do so much defending. it means arsenal don’t have to play with a back 3 or a double-pivot. it means you have an intelligent player capable of controlling the flow of the game, particularly in tough games against top teams. it means when you don’t know what to do with the ball, everyone just gives it to him and he’ll always make the right decision. it means you have a screen for your defense and a base for your attack. it means we have a mentor to the talented yet inexperienced youngsters in the arsenal midfield.
does anyone remember when real madrid sold claude makalele to chelsea? how many years did they go without winning a trophy? the galacticos!!! the best collection of talent that money could buy couldn’t win a trophy for years because they sold this short french holding player who didn’t score goals or create chances; he simply screened the defense, did ball recoveries, and got the ball to the playmakers.
it’s the most important position on the pitch and arsenal don’t even have one in the squad.
oh, i forgot to mention, having a proper cdm means you get to have 3 players in midfield instead of only two, which helps you control the midfield in central areas as well as wide.
lastly, it didn’t help that someone at the club decided to troll tottenham after they lost to sheffield united…that only fired up the scum fanbase.
Agreed Josh,
Don Howe, who coached both Arsenal and England, and was probably the finest coach of his generation, said the way you “balance” a midfield. You need (put simply)
Someone to get the ball.
Someone to give the ball.
Someone to run through.
That probably sounds like “old hat” nowadays, but the principles still apply, more or less. You have to have all those components.
Put simply, the Arsenal midfield is chronically imbalanced and doesn’t really function.
The other thing you look for in a team are “partnerships”. Players who understand and complement another player in the team. All the best teams have this, going back as far as you like. The names roll off the tongue. This is particularly true in midfield and centre defence. Think Adams and Bould. Vieira and Petite. Think of one and the other one immediately springs to mind.
In that regard, this Arsenal side is completely lacking.