The Arsenal FC - Related News and Devts for 2021-22 Season

[Siddonlook11]

two balls to Nketiah's feet.

First he rolls and runs over the ball.. second he trips over his own feet in the box !
Chai we are really blessed with strikers.

[Siddonlook11]

Oh lord what kind of foolish play was that by Pepe

[Sleaky72]

Full time.
We did it
Honestly guys like Pepe have zero football IQ.
Regardless, huge win for the Gunners heading into
the break. To think some people actually rated this dude Leno. What a poor goalie.
Miles behind Emi and Ramsdale

[Cito]

two balls to Nketiah's feet.

First he rolls and runs over the ball.. second he trips over his own feet in the box !
Chai we are really blessed with strikers.

We’re u expecting anything else?

[ojafranpa]

Matty Cash:
Fouls - 4
Yellow Cards - 0

Granit Xhaka:
Fouls - 1
Yellow Cards - 1
Reason - “Persistent fouling.”

Referee’s are a joke.

[Siddonlook11]

Matty Cash:
Fouls - 4
Yellow Cards - 0

Granit Xhaka:
Fouls - 1
Yellow Cards - 1
Reason - “Persistent fouling.”

Referee’s are a joke.

Truth be told the perception for Xhaka can never be changed in the mind of the EPL refs. Even new refs will deal with him the same way.
Recall the Liverpool game Thiago slid for a tackle with studs high got the ball and body swiped the arsenal player ( note not with his feet the momentum ) but studs dey show. Any day that would have been a red for Xhaka . but tXj was asking me if I was serious. Even the kid Ramsey today was fouling up and down and got a yellow before Steve G removed him. One Kick by Xhaka which the bonehead Buedia deserved btw - he gets yellow.

[Sleaky72]

Please Edu do not waste the few remaining prime years of TP5. We are now seeing major glimpses of the Boss man at Athletico Madrid.
Give him an adequate partner before Father Time and the attrition of being a one man midfielder claims his great form

[kajifu]

3 points in the bag,4 points clear of Manu with a game in hand.Now we hope West Ham and Spurs cancel each other tomorrow.

[elerineye]

I don't know what Arsenal fans are lamenting about,you lost to a team way above your league. Rather than compare your team to Liverpool ,it would serve you better to assess your team by how far the rebuilding process has come. There has been a steady progression and this is the best position in terms of performance I have seen Arsenal in the last 3 or even 4 seasons.

Just a couple of months ago the fans could barely watch their teams, a draw like last night would have seen an expectation of goals against Arsenal.

I don't know what many fans were watching last night,if I had read only this thread and not seen the game I would have thought the performance was still pretty much like the dross we were seeing at the beginning of the season.

The difference in the game last night was the class in quality of personnel on the field. Arsenal have as much as they got and they had chances which were not taken.

Any team losing to Liverpool or City should not even fret ,those two belong to a different league.
As far as I am concerned this team is growing, they are going on winning runs and doing it steadily.

It is not a top 4 team yet ,but it can easily do it and if it continues in this projection,it will settle there in the next couple of season.

The boys it would appear are adjusting to Arteta ,there are still tweaks needed here and there. Arteta is getting a lot out of the team,to be fair to him he has.

There was a time when some Liverpool fans felt Klop was not doing enough too,heck some even mocked him for not winning trophies,today Liverpool is arguably one of the best teams in the world right now.

I am not comparing Arteta to Klopp, but I see a similarity in terms of the development and progression of the club. Whether Arsenal fans accept it or not,I see progress. For someone who over the last decade have found joy watching the team drop points ,something which I really enjoyed most at the beginning of the season,I find that joy being denied me in the last couple of months as Arsenal have consistently raked in the points with wins after wins.

Thank you sir.

[elerineye]

I don't know what Arsenal fans are lamenting about,you lost to a team way above your league. Rather than compare your team to Liverpool ,it would serve you better to assess your team by how far the rebuilding process has come. There has been a steady progression and this is the best position in terms of performance I have seen Arsenal in the last 3 or even 4 seasons.

Just a couple of months ago the fans could barely watch their teams, a draw like last night would have seen an expectation of goals against Arsenal.

I don't know what many fans were watching last night,if I had read only this thread and not seen the game I would have thought the performance was still pretty much like the dross we were seeing at the beginning of the season.

The difference in the game last night was the class in quality of personnel on the field. Arsenal have as much as they got and they had chances which were not taken.

Any team losing to Liverpool or City should not even fret ,those two belong to a different league.
As far as I am concerned this team is growing, they are going on winning runs and doing it steadily.

It is not a top 4 team yet ,but it can easily do it and if it continues in this projection,it will settle there in the next couple of season.

The boys it would appear are adjusting to Arteta ,there are still tweaks needed here and there. Arteta is getting a lot out of the team,to be fair to him he has.

There was a time when some Liverpool fans felt Klop was not doing enough too,heck some even mocked him for not winning trophies,today Liverpool is arguably one of the best teams in the world right now.

I am not comparing Arteta to Klopp, but I see a similarity in terms of the development and progression of the club. Whether Arsenal fans accept it or not,I see progress. For someone who over the last decade have found joy watching the team drop points ,something which I really enjoyed most at the beginning of the season,I find that joy being denied me in the last couple of months as Arsenal have consistently raked in the points with wins after wins.

Chief the issue is not about comparison but rather where we want to be. Do we want to be like the rest in the EPL bar Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea? Based on this lies how to judge Arteta's performane.
IMHO, Arteta is simply on a never-ending rebuilding process. Come summer, Kroenke and co will make money available and the results will be the same. The main issue here is Arteta never built a competitive team prior to his appointment as the coach. And as such does not know how to actually go about forming a team talkless of rebuilding one.
Take a little walk to Crystal Palace and see the amazing work Viera has done with the players at his disposal. Is not a joke to take 4 points off Man City in a season. This is no mean joke considering the resources at his disposal. Give the current Arsenal team to Viera and back him to the tilt the way Arteta has been backed and in less than the time Arteta has been here, Arsenal will be competiting for the title.
I hope Arsenal owners come calling soon enough before Man City does.

Strangely enough you said it is not about comparison and in the same response you proceeded to compare Arsenal with CP ,and PV. To start with you did mention that Arteta has never built a competitive team before ,yes ,but he managed to win an FA cup and has taken this team to within making top 4. If that is not progress for a team of the calibre I see out there ,then you guys can keep on moaning. ManU have better by far personnel,but I know who has a better team of the two, that again is another progress.

Is the team a finished product hell no, at no point am even insinuating that. The problem here is that it does not matter where you want to go,moaning unnecessarily won't get you there,but recognising the process and seeing measurable growth indices can help to restore hope.

I am happy you brought in Kroenke which again highlights my point,the team has done well inspite of the distraction those guys might have become. In fairness to the man , Arsenal had three great signings this season possibly 4, Ramsdale,The Japanese guy, Partey and Ben the guy from Brighton. Those 4 helped transformed the team. Don't worry if you fans cannot spot these things ,we neutrals will highlight it.

Arteta I want to believe has navigated the learning curve and has done it successfully ,the team I believe now understand him and he has a firm control over the team now. He has a dressing room that is fully under his control. These things are needed for the team building. If they finished top 4 this season,they over achieved ,but they should finish in top 6. Now for a team that has been in the wilderness that is a massive come back.

You fans should pray that the team build on what they have achieved this season. For now Arteta seems to be the way to go.

As for CPL well Viera has more experience than Arteta and if by now it cannot start to show,then he must be a bad manager. Yes he has done well ,as far as CP level is concerned.

I see no comparison between PV ,CP and Arteta ,Arsenal....both operate on separate lanes. But yes both have done well this season,I think that is the only comparison.

By the way longest time,trust you are keeping well.

Again, thank you sir!

[Waffiman]

Hello guys. Still browse now and again.

Let hope we make top 4.

[100%Naija]

The Loserpool game was painful. We just couldn't finish in the final 3 but the lads played a heck of a game. Followed it with a win yesterday against Villa. Much respect to Arteta for what he is assembling. I certainly wasn't onboard with his hiring and it appears i was dead wrong about him. Hope things continue to progress in the right direction. I will eat that humble pie with the same excitement and pleasure Chxta had when he kpomo'd his pants after ukpeke for London touched his arm abi na head.

Salute

[tolahs]

Gents & Dolls, how body?. We're looking good - but gotta raise the funny feeling of giving Barca an elite striker on free!!! People argued he was washed up. Xavi's showing how to simplify things for a great talent.



@Squawka
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang generated more xG (1.64 vs 0.85) and had more shots on target 5 vs 4) than the entire Real Madrid team combined.

[Sleaky72]

Hmm people went off on Martin Keown for saying Spurs would get top four ahead of Arsenal. They are breathing down our necks and we better pray the boys stay healthy and can pull out results in some big games coming up. Including tough road games vs Palace, Chelsea, West Ham, and Newcastle … gonna be hard

[Waffiman]

And if I may add, when Arteta came on board and with the team he met on ground, as bad as those players were claimed to be, he defeated Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. But since he began his overhaul and rebuilding process beating any of those 3 teams has been a mirage.
That explains all you need to know about Arteta.

My bro, surely Arteta has done enough to earn some respect and believe from you.

Yes he did, beat the top teams then. It is cos they had the unity between players and coaching team. But things changed both on and off the pitch, and Arteta was forced to adapt with the kids. Those players almost got him fired but the club stuck with him.

I once feared the worst for Arteta and saw us as a mid table team at best start of the season. The basis of my reasoning was his reliance of too few players. Not anymore. No one expected what they are seeing with this team. More players have come in and given us a fine young team in the making. The fact is, we are not supposed to be doing what we are doing. But we are doing it and doing it with panache, swagger and style.

Yes. He has had huge backing but this has been a planned process, you and I may not have agreed with all the decisions but we cannot argue with what are are becoming as a team.

I know many are still not convinced for whatever reason(s). That's fine, it is part of the game. Ultimately, it is what happens on the pitch that decides footballing issues there. People will always find reasons to be convinced, and your reason about the top 3 is valid IMHO. However, my view is you are too quick to judge on this issue. It will take time and we are heading the right direction.

Some see this young team's togetherness, enjoying their football, winning away from home, then they complain because we celebrate. It is like they want to dictate to us how we should celebrate our victories. They don't get it. Wolves thought it was about them. Villa tried to convince themselves it was about beating them. The fact is it has got nothing to do with them. It is about us, not about them.

There's something going on with us that is transcending, it is new, it is young, it is transformational. It is our team, It is about most of us fans, our manager, our club. We can feel it, they can't.

My bro, I hope you are are feeling it. I beg you, put everything aside, and enjoy this ride because they don't come often. The last time we had a young team with Academy players get results and change the mood of the club, was over 30 years ago - A young manager called George Graham and his young team. Many of us see this team and remember, Rocastle, Adam's, Davis, Thomas and what their beginning brought to us. There are so many similarities.

We have won 10 of the last 13. Only Liverpool and City have beaten us, and we outplayed both for long periods.

We won 5 in a row away from home.

We have developed in defence and are hard to score against. We are still getting better here too.

We are very strong at set-pieces - scoring and defending. Indeed, we are yet to concede a goal from a corner this season.

The fans are once again the 12th man. The unity of the fans being behind the players, has visibly affected a young team positively.

Some of our players are feared and respected even by the best. You dont leave Saka one on one anymore in the league. The problem is you don't leave Martinelli one on one either. Even Klopp came to Arsenal knowing he had to make a decision, he chose to overload our right side, leaving Martinelli the space to kill Arnold. We did not make the most of it in that game but everyone in the league knows what they are seeing. We are now intimidating the other teams.

Like him or not, I believe Arteta has the gift. I am also not overlooking his level of ambition. I note his responses to the press. Some days ago, he was asked about a striker in the summer. He answered a different question. He said: "The teams that win the league score 90 or 100 goals." That's like George Graham and Arsene Wenger. That's where he is aiming.

It has been hard getting here, and it will not be easy getting there. There will be Ups and Downs. But Arteta shares our ambitions.

On the pitch, we are not beating the top 3 teams yet, but we are not far off. Look below at the numbers against Liverpool.



The most important stat is 2 nil, I know. But our young team and Manager deserve some credit even if they have not won a thing yet.

The only problem for us getting top 4 is our squad. The club took a massive gamble by mot spending in the January window. They now have a huge scope for purchases and contract renewal in the summer if we get in the top 4. But if this gamble fails, I actually don't think as bad as many think it will be. But our squad remains a huge worry till the end of the season.

Look at Cedric, he is the weakest link. Just watch how they press him when he gets the ball. But remove that weakness, he has done a good job in place Tomiyasu.

But if we lose Partey or Xhaka, we are in trouble. It is this position where we have really picked up this season. Arteta has tweaked the system of recent, with Xhaka playing more like a number 8, although against Liverpool, he played much deeper.

Partey and Xhaka, lay the foundations for our young forwards to play. All season, if one of them is missing, our game goes because our forwards are not the same without them. And without a striker, we will really struggle to make top 4. But Spurs are even worse, without Son and Kane, they are mid table mediocrity.

The positive is we play one game a week, and if we keep the key players fit, to me top 4 is looking extremely good. We even have a chance for top 3

In recent games, Arsenal fans have come together. I saw the fans stand up and sing in unison, stand up for the Arsenal. This was the first time since Wenger was at the club. The team and the fans are now together, and yesterday, for the first time the Away supporters sang Arteta's name.

We are developing something really good, and who knows, it might end up being special. We have to keep the faith and keep going game by game.

[azuka]

And if I may add, when Arteta came on board and with the team he met on ground, as bad as those players were claimed to be, he defeated Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. But since he began his overhaul and rebuilding process beating any of those 3 teams has been a mirage.
That explains all you need to know about Arteta.

My bro, surely Arteta has done enough to earn some respect and believe from you.

Yes he did, beat the top teams then. It is cos they had the unity between players and coaching team. But things changed both on and off the pitch, and Arteta was forced to adapt with the kids. Those players almost got him fired but the club stuck with him.

I once feared the worst for Arteta and saw us as a mid table team at best start of the season. The basis of my reasoning was his reliance of too few players. Not anymore. No one expected what they are seeing with this team. More players have come in and given us a fine young team in the making. The fact is, we are not supposed to be doing what we are doing. But we are doing it and doing it with panache, swagger and style.

Yes. He has had huge backing but this has been a planned process, you and I may not have agreed with all the decisions but we cannot argue with what are are becoming as a team.

I know many are still not convinced for whatever reason(s). That's fine, it is part of the game. Ultimately, it is what happens on the pitch that decides footballing issues there. People will always find reasons to be convinced, and your reason about the top 3 is valid IMHO. However, my view is you are too quick to judge on this issue. It will take time and we are heading the right direction.

Some see this young team's togetherness, enjoying their football, winning away from home, then they complain because we celebrate. It is like they want to dictate to us how we should celebrate our victories. They don't get it. Wolves thought it was about them. Villa tried to convince themselves it was about beating them. The fact is it has got nothing to do with them. It is about us, not about them.

There's something going on with us that is transcending, it is new, it is young, it is transformational. It is our team, It is about most of us fans, our manager, our club. We can feel it, they can't.

My bro, I hope you are are feeling it. I beg you, put everything aside, and enjoy this ride because they don't come often. The last time we had a young team with Academy players get results and change the mood of the club, was over 30 years ago - A young manager called George Graham and his young team. Many of us see this team and remember, Rocastle, Adam's, Davis, Thomas and what their beginning brought to us. There are so many similarities.

We have won 10 of the last 13. Only Liverpool and City have beaten us, and we outplayed both for long periods.

We won 5 in a row away from home.

We have developed in defence and are hard to score against. We are still getting better here too.

We are very strong at set-pieces - scoring and defending. Indeed, we are yet to concede a goal from a corner this season.

The fans are once again the 12th man. The unity of the fans being behind the players, has visibly affected a young team positively.

Some of our players are feared and respected even by the best. You dont leave Saka one on one anymore in the league. The problem is you don't leave Martinelli one on one either. Even Klopp came to Arsenal knowing he had to make a decision, he chose to overload our right side, leaving Martinelli the space to kill Arnold. We did not make the most of it in that game but everyone in the league knows what they are seeing. We are now intimidating the other teams.

Like him or not, I believe Arteta has the gift. I am also not overlooking his level of ambition. I note his responses to the press. Some days ago, he was asked about a striker in the summer. He answered a different question. He said: "The teams that win the league score 90 or 100 goals." That's like George Graham and Arsene Wenger. That's where he is aiming.

It has been hard getting here, and it will not be easy getting there. There will be Ups and Downs. But Arteta shares our ambitions.

On the pitch, we are not beating the top 3 teams yet, but we are not far off. Look below at the numbers against Liverpool.



The most important stat is 2 nil, I know. But our young team and Manager deserve some credit even if they have not won a thing yet.

The only problem for us getting top 4 is our squad. The club took a massive gamble by mot spending in the January window. They now have a huge scope for purchases and contract renewal in the summer if we get in the top 4. But if this gamble fails, I actually don't think as bad as many think it will be. But our squad remains a huge worry till the end of the season.

Look at Cedric, he is the weakest link. Just watch how they press him when he gets the ball. But remove that weakness, he has done a good job in place Tomiyasu.

But if we lose Partey or Xhaka, we are in trouble. It is this position where we have really picked up this season. Arteta has tweaked the system of recent, with Xhaka playing more like a number 8, although against Liverpool, he played much deeper.

Partey and Xhaka, lay the foundations for our young forwards to play. All season, if one of them is missing, our game goes because our forwards are not the same without them. And without a striker, we will really struggle to make top 4. But Spurs are even worse, without Son and Kane, they are mid table mediocrity.

The positive is we play one game a week, and if we keep the key players fit, to me top 4 is looking extremely good. We even have a chance for top 3

In recent games, Arsenal fans have come together. I saw the fans stand up and sing in unison, stand up for the Arsenal. This was the first time since Wenger was at the club. The team and the fans are now together, and yesterday, for the first time the Away supporters sang Arteta's name.

We are developing something really good, and who knows, it might end up being special. We have to keep the faith and keep going game by game.

Welcome back my brother. I know you never left but it's nice to see you posting again.
As you know at the beginning i am one of Arteta's biggest supporters on here if not the biggest. But then with time i noticed so many things with him especially his man management that got me disillusioned about him. Nothing typifies this than Auba at Barca today.
Look don't get me wrong, Arsenal under Arteta has made good progress. But the progress in my opinion is akin to taking a step forward and then taking 2 steps backward. He's undoing the progress he has made with his own hands. Wait till summer and you will see him on another discarding process all in the name of rebuilding. The question is how long do you rebuild?
Yes we see the young squad he has punching above expectations. I have 2 questions here for how long will 1 or 2 of these youngies step out of the line and they are shown the door under Arteta? Also do you in all honesty believe these players can achieve their full potential under Arteta? IMHO i doubt it. But i hope I am wrong.
Yes too we are in all probability make the top 4. If we do this season, it will no doubt be a big achievement. And a big UPs to Arteta. But is that our ultimate goal? Do we see ourselves in a couple of seasons competing with the Liverpools, Man Citys and Chelsea of these worlds?
That he has been supported by the owner is not in doubt. But has the money provided being judiciously and well spent? Does the progress under Arteta justify the amount already expended on the team?
Look i like Arteta as a coach. He will one day achieve his potential and step up to the category of the likes of Tuchei, Klopp, Pep and co no doubt. But today, Arsenal is too big a task for him. That's my opinion. Arsenal today is basically a resume building job. His biggest problem he has is that having not build a team before he's finding it difficult to build the type of squad he wants, that's assuming that he has an idea of the type of team he wants. And that's responsible for his bad man management.
Well for the sake of my club i wish him luck.
And once again welcome back.

[ojafranpa]

Azuka baba,

I really want to get what you are driving at with he's finding it difficult to build the type of squad he wants? How do you know it's difficult for him? All managers starts from somewhere sometimes it may take 3 seasons to have your team. You also said assuming that he has an idea of the type of team he wants? if he doesn't , he won't go for Partey, Odegaard, Ramsdale and White. According to rumors the recruiting team wanted Emerson Royale he said no and got Tomiyasu, that shows he knows what he's doing.

On man management - all young magaers will go through this patch. There is harmony in the team and they are playing well. Let support the gaffer and stay behind the team.

[Siddonlook11]

Wow Arteta is winning people over o ! Hmm me sef don stop to yab am , and get behind the lets support him and OUR team before na only team me dey support.

BUT dem still fall my hand for player recruitment and exits.

That said I receive humble pie and will trust the process and the man . even if we no get 4th ( i do feel this is a big ask ) i am hoping we get Europa , get some solid guys in and let some rugrats go.

Hmmm its sweeting small small to be and Arsenal fan o.

Danfo sef don stop to come our thread yab us

[azuka]

Azuka baba,

I really want to get what you are driving at with he's finding it difficult to build the type of squad he wants? How do you know it's difficult for him? All managers starts from somewhere sometimes it may take 3 seasons to have your team. You also said assuming that he has an idea of the type of team he wants? if he doesn't , he won't go for Partey, Odegaard, Ramsdale and White. According to rumors the recruiting team wanted Emerson Royale he said no and got Tomiyasu, that shows he knows what he's doing.

On man management - all young magaers will go through this patch. There is harmony in the team and they are playing well. Let support the gaffer and stay behind the team.

Chief let me start by saying as long as Arteta is Arsenal coach, he got my support even though i might not agree with his ways. There might be some madness in his ways though, time will tell.
Now to the main issue of building a team. Name a coach that builds a team by embarking in such massive overhaul that Arteta has undertaken in such a short period? At least we are all witnesses to Pep at Man City and Klopp at Liverpool. Right beside us is Tuchei at Chelsea who arrived at a team that was hovering around the relegation zone and yet has not done any overhaul despite the unlimited finance at his disposal.
If you are a coach, will you pay 50m for White when you have Saliba? Or do you pay 50m for a CD just because he can play the ball from the back?
Shebi summer transfer season is around the corner and if what we read in the papers is anything to go by, at least 5 or more players will be let go in another rebuilding process. So tell me are these the signs of someone who knows what his team will look like. Arsenal in my opinion is simply a practise lab for Arteta.

[ohenhen1]

The Villa win was a good victory. Still think top 4 will be difficult to get. But will settle for Europa cup.

[YemiBrazil]

The Villa win was a good victory. Still think top 4 will be difficult to get. But will settle for Europa cup.

Poor attempt at reverse psychology jo

[Sleaky72]

Guess that didn’t take too long lol.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... Tufan.html

Auba and Ozil were both kicked out of Arsenal by Mikel. One has gone to gone to Turkey to stink up and divide the joint while the other has gone to an elite squad to repair his rep.

Proof is in the pudding.
Well done Auba

[Waffiman]

And if I may add, when Arteta came on board and with the team he met on ground, as bad as those players were claimed to be, he defeated Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. But since he began his overhaul and rebuilding process beating any of those 3 teams has been a mirage.
That explains all you need to know about Arteta.

My bro, surely Arteta has done enough to earn some respect and believe from you.

Yes he did, beat the top teams then. It is cos they had the unity between players and coaching team. But things changed both on and off the pitch, and Arteta was forced to adapt with the kids. Those players almost got him fired but the club stuck with him.

I once feared the worst for Arteta and saw us as a mid table team at best start of the season. The basis of my reasoning was his reliance of too few players. Not anymore. No one expected what they are seeing with this team. More players have come in and given us a fine young team in the making. The fact is, we are not supposed to be doing what we are doing. But we are doing it and doing it with panache, swagger and style.

Yes. He has had huge backing but this has been a planned process, you and I may not have agreed with all the decisions but we cannot argue with what are are becoming as a team.

I know many are still not convinced for whatever reason(s). That's fine, it is part of the game. Ultimately, it is what happens on the pitch that decides footballing issues there. People will always find reasons to be convinced, and your reason about the top 3 is valid IMHO. However, my view is you are too quick to judge on this issue. It will take time and we are heading the right direction.

Some see this young team's togetherness, enjoying their football, winning away from home, then they complain because we celebrate. It is like they want to dictate to us how we should celebrate our victories. They don't get it. Wolves thought it was about them. Villa tried to convince themselves it was about beating them. The fact is it has got nothing to do with them. It is about us, not about them.

There's something going on with us that is transcending, it is new, it is young, it is transformational. It is our team, It is about most of us fans, our manager, our club. We can feel it, they can't.

My bro, I hope you are are feeling it. I beg you, put everything aside, and enjoy this ride because they don't come often. The last time we had a young team with Academy players get results and change the mood of the club, was over 30 years ago - A young manager called George Graham and his young team. Many of us see this team and remember, Rocastle, Adam's, Davis, Thomas and what their beginning brought to us. There are so many similarities.

We have won 10 of the last 13. Only Liverpool and City have beaten us, and we outplayed both for long periods.

We won 5 in a row away from home.

We have developed in defence and are hard to score against. We are still getting better here too.

We are very strong at set-pieces - scoring and defending. Indeed, we are yet to concede a goal from a corner this season.

The fans are once again the 12th man. The unity of the fans being behind the players, has visibly affected a young team positively.

Some of our players are feared and respected even by the best. You dont leave Saka one on one anymore in the league. The problem is you don't leave Martinelli one on one either. Even Klopp came to Arsenal knowing he had to make a decision, he chose to overload our right side, leaving Martinelli the space to kill Arnold. We did not make the most of it in that game but everyone in the league knows what they are seeing. We are now intimidating the other teams.

Like him or not, I believe Arteta has the gift. I am also not overlooking his level of ambition. I note his responses to the press. Some days ago, he was asked about a striker in the summer. He answered a different question. He said: "The teams that win the league score 90 or 100 goals." That's like George Graham and Arsene Wenger. That's where he is aiming.

It has been hard getting here, and it will not be easy getting there. There will be Ups and Downs. But Arteta shares our ambitions.

On the pitch, we are not beating the top 3 teams yet, but we are not far off. Look below at the numbers against Liverpool.



The most important stat is 2 nil, I know. But our young team and Manager deserve some credit even if they have not won a thing yet.

The only problem for us getting top 4 is our squad. The club took a massive gamble by mot spending in the January window. They now have a huge scope for purchases and contract renewal in the summer if we get in the top 4. But if this gamble fails, I actually don't think as bad as many think it will be. But our squad remains a huge worry till the end of the season.

Look at Cedric, he is the weakest link. Just watch how they press him when he gets the ball. But remove that weakness, he has done a good job in place Tomiyasu.

But if we lose Partey or Xhaka, we are in trouble. It is this position where we have really picked up this season. Arteta has tweaked the system of recent, with Xhaka playing more like a number 8, although against Liverpool, he played much deeper.

Partey and Xhaka, lay the foundations for our young forwards to play. All season, if one of them is missing, our game goes because our forwards are not the same without them. And without a striker, we will really struggle to make top 4. But Spurs are even worse, without Son and Kane, they are mid table mediocrity.

The positive is we play one game a week, and if we keep the key players fit, to me top 4 is looking extremely good. We even have a chance for top 3

In recent games, Arsenal fans have come together. I saw the fans stand up and sing in unison, stand up for the Arsenal. This was the first time since Wenger was at the club. The team and the fans are now together, and yesterday, for the first time the Away supporters sang Arteta's name.

We are developing something really good, and who knows, it might end up being special. We have to keep the faith and keep going game by game.

Welcome back my brother. I know you never left but it's nice to see you posting again.
As you know at the beginning i am one of Arteta's biggest supporters on here if not the biggest. But then with time i noticed so many things with him especially his man management that got me disillusioned about him. Nothing typifies this than Auba at Barca today.
Look don't get me wrong, Arsenal under Arteta has made good progress. But the progress in my opinion is akin to taking a step forward and then taking 2 steps backward. He's undoing the progress he has made with his own hands. Wait till summer and you will see him on another discarding process all in the name of rebuilding. The question is how long do you rebuild?
Yes we see the young squad he has punching above expectations. I have 2 questions here for how long will 1 or 2 of these youngies step out of the line and they are shown the door under Arteta? Also do you in all honesty believe these players can achieve their full potential under Arteta? IMHO i doubt it. But i hope I am wrong.
Yes too we are in all probability make the top 4. If we do this season, it will no doubt be a big achievement. And a big UPs to Arteta. But is that our ultimate goal? Do we see ourselves in a couple of seasons competing with the Liverpools, Man Citys and Chelsea of these worlds?
That he has been supported by the owner is not in doubt. But has the money provided being judiciously and well spent? Does the progress under Arteta justify the amount already expended on the team?
Look i like Arteta as a coach. He will one day achieve his potential and step up to the category of the likes of Tuchei, Klopp, Pep and co no doubt. But today, Arsenal is too big a task for him. That's my opinion. Arsenal today is basically a resume building job. His biggest problem he has is that having not build a team before he's finding it difficult to build the type of squad he wants, that's assuming that he has an idea of the type of team he wants. And that's responsible for his bad man management.
Well for the sake of my club i wish him luck.
And once again welcome back.

Bro, your points are noted as usual. It must be said, we hope Arteta is learning, the signs are, he is.

Ultimately, resources expended are judged by return. It is showing promise although it must be said, his investments are in the minority in terms of impact on the team.

Ramsey, Partey, Odegaard and Tomiyasu are his buys. He did not sign Gabriel or Martinelli, these deals were agreed long before he became coach. I am still not convinced about our other CD but he is improving. His other buys are mainly flops so far. Let's hope he gets it right for the next 3 because it will make or break him at Arsenal.

On Auba, as much as it is a vexing to give Barca such a present and this might hunt Arteta come the end of the season. I also try to look at the other side.

Auba did not fit in the system which does not create enough chances. Also, Arsenal earned 31 points out of 39 since Auba was dropped.

We have also improved defensively without Auba. Barca have a 10 goals against in 8 games since Auba joined them. Arsenal do not create chances like Barca, so we cannot afford to give spaces Auba leaves defensively for teams to exploit. Huge reason Pepe is not in the team.

It has worked out very well for everyone for now. Come the end of the season, we will know for sure.