Aye. Liverpool had the same issue with City. That season where they got 97 points and didn't win it must have been soul destroying. But they picked themselves up and won it. We haven't pushed on, we've gone backwards.
Aye. Liverpool had the same issue with City. That season where they got 97 points and didn't win it must have been soul destroying. But they picked themselves up and won it. We haven't pushed on, we've gone backwards.
This game had 0-0 all over it. Bar the first 5 minutes, Inter offered relatively little. We controlled the game to a large extent, and going a very unfortunate penalty goal down to a team like Inter was always going to be a tough ask. A draw would have been a fair, and an OK away result for us.
But...we lost the game. And for me this was a combination of:
- Arteta's selection mistakes. A MF of Partey; Merino and essentially Havertz - with an out of form Trossard up top was never going to take the game effectively to Inter, (not enough craft) and the second half from us was better after Merino had been taken off and. The problem was that it was too late by then - if we struggle to break down Bournemouth and Newcastle's low block then trying to score against arguably the best defence in Europe with them a goal in front was always going to be a tough ask.
While I thought Partey did OK, we needed the guile of Jorghino - and I cannot for the life of me understand why he has been discarded in favour of the manager's new toy, who simply is not working at the moment.
I agree with all those who advocated for Nwaneri - who should have replaced Merino at half time. 10 minutes at the end was not enough. By getting rid of Smith Rowe and Vieira, the manager left us with only Nwaneri to replace what Odegard brings to the team. While I understand a certain amount of caution in throwing Nwaneri in at the deep end, when this is your only option for creativity, you have to be bold and let him play. There was not a great deal to lose in this game, given the game state and the obvious problems we were having breaking Inter down. there are times when Arteta's stubbornness is infuriating.
- Out of form players. I thought Trossard (again); Martinelli (again), and even Saka (I know he was double marked, but even so he was subdued) were disappointing. Martinelli in particular frustrated me in his failure to take players on. I wonder, however, whether this is part and parcel of the way we are set up, and our lack of creativity in MF. It was noticeable how slow were were in progressing the ball, and were almost always outnumbered 2:1 in their third.
- Tactics. What I was thinking in the first part of the game was the contrast between a team that breaks quickly and shoots from distance, and our team that spends so much time passing square and backwards, giving the opposition all the time in the world to get into defensive shape. If we have as good a defence as is claimed, does this not give us a certain license to take a few risks in trying to progress the ball? I saw Partey trying to do so. Maybe Saliba and Timber, but few others. Possession, safety first football is not working for us, and its almost embarrassing trying to rely on set pieces to score - as though we are Everton or Stoke. Also, has anyone considered why we get so many corners (that are no longer a 'guaranteed' goal opportunity BTW - has anyone noticed this?). It's because our wingers are playing for them, first because there are so few runs being made into the opposition's box, and second because they have become a sort of obsession for us.
We have seen all this before - ponderous, robotic build up play; the horseshoe of doom; lack of movement; inability to finish. It's becoming the hallmark of Arteta's play, and we are one dimensional. We thought that our sparkling second half of last season had seen a departure from this - but it seems that as the result of one player's absence, we have reverted to type. This is not good enough given the money that has been spent on this squad.
Last edited by IBK; Yesterday at 10:41 AM.
Putting the laughter back into manslaughter
The playing for corners and it becoming an obsession is spot on.
Not much more to add, its quite clear there is a healthy consensus here (and really with the rest of footballdom).....the question is, is it worth waiting for Arteta to catchup with the rest of us.
Like someone said on here, its like we are doing the AW thing all over again .
And that is the crux of this - We should be the team that are challenging consistently now for every trophy - but yet again we've been nearly men and then dropped off.Originally Posted by IBK
We were still 2-3 players short after the summer (which is inexcusable) and are brilliant attacking football that saw us do so well 2nd half of last season has come undone due to 1 injury.
Imagine if Slot wins the PL in his first season as well .
I just don't see how Arteta can stay if we fail again this season.
Arteta cannot possibly stay if we fail again. Especially after spending £650m on players.
But we all know he will, he's nowhere near being sacked unless we lose the next ten games straight, even then I think they would be heavily influenced by our coming close in the last two seasons to give him more of a chance
I've said it before, say what you like about a club like Abramovic's Chelsea, no manager stayed beyond their sell-by date and there's something to be said for that
That club is an absolute hot mess, and often coaches are hung out to dry as a quick fix without addressing the underlying issues which are either a toxic dressing room or squad issues.
Then again neither do I want to emulate the United model of keeping managers on long past time (although as Amorim will discover, changing managers there will not help them)
Getting rid of Arteta needs to be purposeful, as in making sure someone is identified who could do a better job with our team.
There is equally the issue of whether the club would back this personal financially with the money we need to bring in the attacking players we need
They are now yes, which is why i emphasised Abramovic's Chelsea, not Boehly's
You really do need to read properly before you go off on one
Another case of officialdom determining the outcome because we allowed them to do it. The solution is similar to Trump's recent strategy. Make it too big to rig. Score more goals. Become less conservative and more ambitious. Take the losses that occur and which have been accruing anyway, but also take the extra points that are being chucked away through a lack of intent.
Für eure Sicherheit
Erm no, they were just as bad for that sort of thing under Abramovich, if you think the instability at that club has only been a feature the last couple of years, I don’t know what to tell you
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