Mikel Arteta | Lego Pep watch

Yup, he’s nothing like Pep. Someone on here nailed it early in his reign, he’s Benitez 2.0.

He fecking wishes he was Benitez. Can't see him ever getting near what the waiter did with Valencia.
 
It was simply a move that looks to be too soon for him. Had a fabulous purple period last year winning the Cup but since then they've become more and more predictable, bland and mentally fragile. He's made some odd decisions along the way too.

Again, a top job that came far too soon.
 
1 shot on target in a game you need to score one goal to get to the final. Wow, that stat is really telling :lol:
 
On the one hand, the football his teams play makes people want to harm themselves, on the other, he distanced himself from the Barca job a few weeks back despite the fact that I have to assume the reporter was taking the piss, so it's hard to know what to believe.
 
Was Aubameyang on the wing again ?

No he was the 9. Bigger issue was Arsenal played 4-3-3 for what I think was the first time in months - absolutely bizarre for Arteta to debut a 4-2-3-1 with a false 9 and then a 4-3-3 with Odegaard and Smith-Rowe as 8s in the biggest fixtures of their season.

Seemed a total FIFA mentality from Arteta - lacked a basic understanding that throwing on more attackers does not equal more goals. Should have gone with Elneny and Partey in midfield to allow for the front 4 to express themselves, instead he had a front 5 that could only half-commit and a single 6 who was completely overrun.
 
His appointment and the fanfare that accompanied it has been one the weirdest things ever. He went from putting out the cones for Pep to managing Arsenal, he’s not even a legend for them. Their football is awful and they’ve been languishing in mid-table but he has constantly been given a free ride. So many people in the media look stupid right now.

 
Will be seeing him managing the likes of Alaves, Eibar and Valladolid in a few years time.

Bet Arsenal fans are really chuffed they forced Wenger out of the club now!
 
I need to beat myself with a belt for thinking this melon is better than Ole. Shameful.
 
Emery gets his revenge. It is indeed best served in the ebening.
 
Fine margins of football. That header from Auba span off the inside of the post and away from goal. His performance in the league involved slightly less fine margins though.
 
He doesn't though. His football is shite. Guardiola's team even when they're bad/not performing rack up goals - they had a shocking season last year and still scored 100+ goals. Arsenal are toothless

Not a huge point in arguing this, but Pep's teams were often regarded as pointless tiki-taka, endless sideways passing with no penetration etc. Honestly I can see similarities between Arteta's side, and Pep's before the latter was able to buy all the players he needed to make his system work.
 
I think if Wenger came back for the 2021/2022 season, he would do a better job. Would Arsenal fans want him again ?
 
His appointment and the fanfare that accompanied it has been one the weirdest things ever. He went from putting out the cones for Pep to managing Arsenal, he’s not even a legend for them. Their football is awful and they’ve been languishing in mid-table but he has constantly been given a free ride. So many people in the media look stupid right now.



Delaney is being hammered with that screenshot tonight. It'll be engraved on his tombstone if the mob get their way.
 
Not a huge point in arguing this, but Pep's teams were often regarded as pointless tiki-taka, endless sideways passing with no penetration etc. Honestly I can see similarities between Arteta's side, and Pep's before the latter was able to buy all the players he needed to make his system work.
City still often looked like the best team in the PL, beat Barcelona, finished a comfortable third and literally just repeatedly committed suicide on a regular basis. Then they replaced the poor players that dragged the team down and broke most PL records

Arsenal just look average. There is literally nothing good about them. It's not a matter of 2 or 3 subpar players dragging the team down. If they didn't have Saka they would be bottom 10 in the league this season
 
His appointment and the fanfare that accompanied it has been one the weirdest things ever. He went from putting out the cones for Pep to managing Arsenal, he’s not even a legend for them. Their football is awful and they’ve been languishing in mid-table but he has constantly been given a free ride. So many people in the media look stupid right now.


'Very Visibly Good', I'll be sure to use that going forward
 
Fine margins of football. That header from Auba span off the inside of the post and away from goal. His performance in the league involved slightly less fine margins though.
Even if he did score, it doesn't change that awful performance. We had absolutely no control from start to finish. 1 shot on target in 180 minutes is a disgrace.
 
Nope. Touched the ball 3 times, hit the post twice

Genius took him off for Willian when he needed a goal :lol:

Think the only possible justification is that he isn't fully fit due to malaria? But yeah if not that it's an absurd decision. Willian is utter dogshit - was having PTSD at his two terrible floated corners to the far post when Arsenal were chasing a goal :lol:
 
Even if he did score, it doesn't change that awful performance. We had absolutely no control from start to finish. 1 shot on target in 180 minutes is a disgrace.

I didn’t see the whole game. Just tuned in for the last 10 minutes. Arsenal are competing with two recently promoted sides in mid-table this season. It’s a shocking decline that few people seem to be talking about.
 
Think the only possible justification is that he isn't fully fit due to malaria? But yeah if not that it's an absurd decision. Willian is utter dogshit - was having PTSD at his two terrible floated corners to the far post when Arsenal were chasing a goal :lol:
He was their only player who looked even remotely capable of scoring. Don't matter if he can't run anymore, you need a goal, you don't take off your one world class player for a pensioner
 
Not a huge point in arguing this, but Pep's teams were often regarded as pointless tiki-taka, endless sideways passing with no penetration etc. Honestly I can see similarities between Arteta's side, and Pep's before the latter was able to buy all the players he needed to make his system work.

By who?

For example Guardiola's Man City team in his first season (i.e. the one before "he could buy all the players he needed") still scored 80 goals in the league - something we've never managed since Fergie's retired. They were just leaky on the end until he plugged the gaps at the back.
 
His appointment and the fanfare that accompanied it has been one the weirdest things ever. He went from putting out the cones for Pep to managing Arsenal, he’s not even a legend for them. Their football is awful and they’ve been languishing in mid-table but he has constantly been given a free ride. So many people in the media look stupid right now.


Honestly don't know how he's got such a top level job. He's shown time after time that he's clueless.
And dont get me started on his laughable transfer exclusives.
 
Not a huge point in arguing this, but Pep's teams were often regarded as pointless tiki-taka, endless sideways passing with no penetration etc. Honestly I can see similarities between Arteta's side, and Pep's before the latter was able to buy all the players he needed to make his system work.

Not really though, Barcelona, City or Bayern have rarely been 'toothless' when he was manager, I can't think of a time where I've ever seen a Guardiola team and thought they struggled in attack.

At City his teams have scored 80, 106, 95, 102 goals in the league, 71 so far this season.
At Bayern his teams scored 80, 80, 94 goals (34 game league)
At Bayern his teams scored 114, 95, 98, 105 goals.

In the past 2 seasons, Arsenal have scored 56 and 46 goals so this season.
 
Seriously did you?
Well after he won the fa cup I kind of jumped on the bandwagon, thinking he’ll be good. Coupled with our horrible end to the season if I recall correctly.
 
I didn’t see the whole game. Just tuned in for the last 10 minutes. Arsenal are competing with two recently promoted sides in mid-table this season. It’s a shocking decline that few people seem to be talking about.
Oh we are talking about it but rightfully so, our struggle is just irrelevant now for most football fans. Future is dark, it's going to take a lot of time and efforts before we become relevant again.
 
His appointment and the fanfare that accompanied it has been one the weirdest things ever. He went from putting out the cones for Pep to managing Arsenal, he’s not even a legend for them. Their football is awful and they’ve been languishing in mid-table but he has constantly been given a free ride. So many people in the media look stupid right now.



Yeah it’s one of the strangest things I can remember. The emperor’s new clothes is an over-used phrase but really, these people must wonder what they were looking at all this time...
 
He was their only player who even remotely capable of scoring. Don't matter if he can't run anymore, you need a goal, you don't take off your one world class player for a pensioner

Oh completely agreed. Meant more that the medical team might have had a strict minutes limitation given the malaria (and the links between plasmodia infections and blood clots).