1 cup early doors, made the semi of the league cup & got put out by Liverpool remember.
Mikel Arteta | Lego Pep watch
- Thread starter Samid
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1 cup early doors, made the semi of the league cup & got put out by Liverpool remember.
Miracle worker? The players you named have barely featured all season. It’s not like they were integral part of your starting eleven all season. Nketiah, Soares, Elneny weren’t getting games till what, 5 games ago? and even that you lost 3 in a row somewhere in between.
This is absolutely true. We were trash in both those matches.
Overall, with Arteta you can't just look at the point total or the finish, you need to look at the big picture stuff as well.
Arsenal were in much worse shape when he took over than United are now. We had a lot of the same cultural problems in terms of playing power and entitlement in the dressing room, with a far less talented group of players and some truly poisonous characters. We had almost no high level young talent on the first team roster, a bunch of players with overpriced contracts that couldn't be moved (especially once Covid hit), and an ownership group that wasn't interested in sanctioning any spending. And we were even more screwed up at board level, no real footballing brains in the operation and being led by a bona fide crook in Raul Sanllehi, who was thick as thieves with superagents and likely working kickback schemes. The atmosphere among supporters was 100% poisonous as well.
Its not just that Emery had us around 10th in the table, its that we absolutely deserved to be there, and given everything else going on in the club it wasn't looking like a momentary blip. We had no plan at all for getting back into the top 4-5, no elite young first team players to really build around, no manager to build a team, and no sporting directors to bring in the right players or manager.
Now we have:
-A very promising core of 9-10 likable young players who seem fully invested in the manager's project and are all on reasonable wages.
-A very thin roster, but we have played some very good stuff, at a very high tactical level, when we have our best 11 on the pitch at the same time.
-A complete transformation in the attitudes of match going supporters, who are overwhelmingly positive about the club.
-A sensible and revamped club management structure that seems pretty functional in terms of recruitment, work between first team and academy, etc.
-An owner who completely believes in Arteta/Edu, to the extent that he has been willing to sanction a lot of spending to back their vision and will do so again this summer.
It will be massive for Arsenal if we can finish 4th this year and very disappointing if we don't, given the opportunity. But all of this stuff is 10x more important in the long run than whether we finish 4th or 5th in a single season. Whether Arteta can take Arsenal to the next level is a totally open question and you can reasonably argue that he might not be the guy to do it. But Arteta and Edu together have basically pulled the club back from the brink and, unless you're one of the miserable bastards that are overrepresented on Twitter and elsewhere online, made it actually fun to support the club again.
This is one of the major issues I have with Arsenal fans, they get too jumpy way too soon. Already counting 4th place finish for the season like it's sealed already. You'd do well to remember Arsenal is a team that just lost 3 in a row to a bunch of midtable teams and are perfectly capable of losing another 3 on the trot. In fact I would not be surprised if they pick just 5 points from the remaining 15 they have to play for.
As regards Arteta, one thing the whole Ole episode has taught me and I am sure majority of the United fan base is never to count your eggs before they hatch. Ole finished top four two seasons in a row and as with Arteta there was the same narrative about how young our squad is, how we were building towards something with Martial, Greenwood and Rashford. Sancho to join those three, Bruno and Pogba behind, Awb the best thing since slice bread and yet it all came to nothing, in fact Ole even finished 2nd in the same time frame Arteta as now spent in Arsenal. You would think Arsenal fans of all people would know all about false dawns.
As regards Arteta, one thing the whole Ole episode has taught me and I am sure majority of the United fan base is never to count your eggs before they hatch. Ole finished top four two seasons in a row and as with Arteta there was the same narrative about how young our squad is, how we were building towards something with Martial, Greenwood and Rashford. Sancho to join those three, Bruno and Pogba behind, Awb the best thing since slice bread and yet it all came to nothing, in fact Ole even finished 2nd in the same time frame Arteta as now spent in Arsenal. You would think Arsenal fans of all people would know all about false dawns.
Arsenal's form from the second half of last season suggested they could easily challenge for top four this campaign, nothing to do with no European football and we actually got to the semi-finals of the league cup. Next season squad rotation will be easier with the new signings incoming.
Have you even read the posts on here, especially the good post before yours by Powderfinger? No-on has said we'll finish 4th for sure, in fact a few have still said it's 50/50 with Spurs.
As for false dawns, again as far as I can see, no-one is claiming this is going to be the start of an era where we'll cement top 4 and go on to challenge City & Liverpool. Everyone knows how hard it is, how hard the competition is, how much we still need to do. People are just outlining the strategy we've taken, & how there seems to be a different atmosphere around the club and actually at the games because they have a group of players they can relate to & finally have a board & management structure that seems to be working to a plan.
As for Ole, he did a good job for a couple of seasons, if Arteta did similar that would be classed as a big success. Perhaps his downfall was in buying players the likes of Ronaldo & Varane he went away from the strategy Utd were taking under him & he lost power & control of the dressing room.
However, you guys seem so obsessed with him that all the young managers managing their former clubs seem to be compared to him....Lampard, Arteta, even on the Xavi thread he's being called their Ole. It's strange.
Over time my evaluation of areteta has varied considerably but I feel that I now have a more tempered view after 2/5 years.
He basically is doing the right job ( youth, controlling player power, shipping out deadwood , Implementing a coherent style etc etc) but he simply isn't good enough and never will be, he's also extremely over his head.
Arsenal will be probably better off after he leaves compared to when he came so not that bad I guess.
He basically is doing the right job ( youth, controlling player power, shipping out deadwood , Implementing a coherent style etc etc) but he simply isn't good enough and never will be, he's also extremely over his head.
Arsenal will be probably better off after he leaves compared to when he came so not that bad I guess.
Miracle worker
Damn top 4 really is a trophy again, insane the hype he and arsenal are getting. Yous are going to get your highest finish not really on this excellent job he is doing.
I am not sure whether he is good enough for arsenal but at least for now the board thinks he is and that's what matters. Player comes and goes, and it is the same for manager. Vieira is doing a great job with Palace so may be he will be tempted to be head coach of Arsenal in the future.
It's a very risky job, it could ruin your career if you don't win things, look at emery a great coach who's reputation got dragged through the mud.
But we'll see, teta might actually do pretty decently in the league next season.
He has achieved nothing. 4th place. Big deal. Ole Gunnar LegoPep.
OK. We see
Yep still out though.
Agree the good times are gone, Arteta sack next season, watch this space.
Of course, but that wasn't the point in my reply, I don't class a semi final early doors. Utd played 4 extra games than Arsenal this season, although of course we didn't have to worry about the European travel.
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There would have to be some amount of signings! Both number 9s are leaving and you are one injury away from playing Cedric, Tavares, Elneny and Holding.
I think the young attacking midfielders are very exciting, but the squad is as shallow as it gets. You are a good 5-6 players away from a CL squad. Do you think there will be money in the summer?
I personally don't think there will be a lot of money available for transfer and wages given the current state of the economy, inflation, the war, and the increase of the cost of living. I am afraid the EPL TV broadcast money will not go up forever. Arteta as a head coach however he needs to live with the players he has on hand and deliver the best result he can, as long as the board's expectation is realistic. A guarantee top 4 finish every season is not realistic for Arsenal head coach.
No one expect Leeds, West Ham or Brighton head coach to win anything. There are other ways to measure the success of a head coach.
Your not leeds, ham or Brighton for gods sake, your arsenal as shit as you may have become you lot still carry the name of arsenal, the third best team in British football.
There definitely is an expectation to win stuff or at least I think there must be.
We have to agree to disagree on this. It is just like saying Man Utd is the best team in British football.
Historically yes we are (though we go to second place if pool win either the league or the cl)
The pedigree won't go away , the expectations will always be there, that has been the case for us no matter how shit we've been.
If they get fourth it's a very solid season for Lego Pep. Exactly as I was arguing for, give a young manager with a young squad the chance to make decisions and a period of time to make a difference before leaping to conclusions.
The problem for him now, is where do they go? The financial backing only seems to come up to a point at Arsenal. How does he really attempt to bridge that gap with the profile of signing they're going for? It's going to be a long old period of shuffling around 4th or 5th I would think. I guess the remit is to consistently make the champions League for a while and pray these players progress.
The problem for him now, is where do they go? The financial backing only seems to come up to a point at Arsenal. How does he really attempt to bridge that gap with the profile of signing they're going for? It's going to be a long old period of shuffling around 4th or 5th I would think. I guess the remit is to consistently make the champions League for a while and pray these players progress.
A lot will depend on the budget of course if we qualify for top 4, but I think we'll spend similar to this summer.
I think we'll sign 2 forwards, at least 1 maybe 2 midfielders depending on what happens with Xhaka, and a full back.
Maybe not these exact players but I think you could look at something like this;
Fwd DCL
Fwd Jesus
Mid Tielemans
New Left Back
CB Saliba coming back.
Then the players will leave to join teams that can challenge for title. Henry, Fabregas, Van Persie did that for this very reason. It is the reality.
Keep your hat on, just having a bit a laugh. Let's go again next season.
Finishing 5th won't be bad for Arsenal this year, but 4th will attract more players for next season. Arsenal needs some quality reinforcements if they want to finish anywhere near the top 5 next season.
Such a weird club
I think it's a nice gesture for a young inexperienced player who received horrible abuse for simply missing a penalty in one of the most intense games he'll ever play in.
Such a weird post.
I guess, it just seems weird for Arsenal to do and not England. Maybe that because for a lot United fans it’s always club before country(Would include myself in this).
I really like that actually
loved the support the England lads got after that
loved the support the England lads got after that
I think it’s a bit on the weird side. Players miss penalties. It happens.
I think this may not be about the penalty miss but maybe the mountain of racist abuse he received for weeks.
He’s such an insufferable prick on the touch line. Would love the opposing manager to just fill him in.
Well I, for one, am embarrassed to be associated with a club that showcases the genuine connection fans have with an local academy graduate who suffered a torrent of racial abuse and decided to rally round and communicate their support.
Saka already has the letters and this is reproduction that is now a permanent wall. It’s bit much imo(Arsenal are not going to do the same for other players who get abused, I mean the club wouldn’t stand with a player for talking about the persecution of the uyghurs Muslims ).
Reminds of their special kit to try and end knife crime. Just another in the long list of stupid pr stunts.
Ah okay, the club should just do nothing then.
I’m totally with you in terms of how we treated Ozil in light of him speaking up. All sarcasm aside, I actually was embarrassed about that.
And you’re right, we’re unlikely to repeat anything like this in the near future. But that’s because we’re unlikely to have a black kid whose been with the club since he was eight years old miss the fifth penalty in the European Championships Final shootout at Wembley Stadium and receive racist abuse en masse.
It’s a pretty singular set of circumstances, which is why it has a unique response.
All in all, I’d say supporting a player and simultaneously highlighting the inclusive attitudes that (I hope) represents the majority of the British public is a good thing.
I hope they get top 4, and Conte leaves Spurs. Can't see them doing anything under Arteta, having more than 1 game a week will hit them hard and fast next season.
Maybe Arsenal getting top 4 wouldn't be the worst of outcomes. This fraud gets to live another day and maybe Conte fecks Spurs off too.