Mikel Arteta, success or failure? - Merged thread.

[DB10GOONER]

Fifth or sixth. Not because we are good enough but just because the PL is so poor and has been for a decade now despite what hysterical bullshit SlySports feed us. There just are not that many teams better than us.

Arteta might have made us slightly more solid at the back but he is getting some of the really big decisions wrong. He sold the wrong keeper. I guarantee you Butter Wrists' penchant for parrying the ball back into the danger area will bite us on the arse. Arteta persists with Xhakatard the worst player I've ever seen. This cùnt would get the run around from anyone on my old Thursday night 5 aside ffs. Arteta is deep down the Wenger road to playing players out of position which smacks of an ego-driven attention seeker.

[SteveO 35]

Lets be absolutely clear about where we are with this manager

1. He has chosen to leave Ozil and Saliba out of all his squads - by definition that means he thinks the likes of Willock and Mustafi are better options
2. He chose to spend the majority of his transfer funds on another centre half (who admittedly has done a good job) when we already have several, and a defensive midfielder, again when we have several
3. He decided to fund that by selling arguably the better of our two keepers at half his market value
4. He decides to play Xhaka every game when the c.unt had one foot out of the door just over a year ago
5. He decides to play Auba on the wing and give Eddie or Lacazette down the middle
6. He chose to pack Torreira off on loan and retain Elneny and the other holding muppets
7. He chose to bring Ceballos back here on loan despite barely making an assist last season


There are things at the club he can't control, just like Emery couldn't - namely the fact that his boss is one of the biggest c.unts known to man.

However, those seven things above are all entirely of his own making and just like any other manager he will live or die by those decisions. Personally I think they are all completely mystifying and I don't see any of them working. He has left us with a completely unbalanced squad and unlike with Emery where I could at least see him actively trying to offload some of our trash here we are still with players clogging up squad places stealing a living - how many more games does he need to see that Xhaka and Mustafi are two of the biggest c.unts known to man?? Under the previous manager they were dead ducks, both halfway out the door. Ten months later they are here still, taking 300k per week out in wages and yesterday both appearing in our backline.......and yes there are other options (see 1 and 6 above)

The honeymoon period is now well and truly over. There was a massive love in on the back of the cup win - totally understandable - but the fact is that we have now lost 3 games already this season and playing a brand of football to make Burnley blush. Imagine if Dyche was in charge and serving up this sort of dross every week???

We are a midtable team and it isn't going to improve.

He can however win us the Europa League, and or the League Cup/FA Cup because he has proven that in a one off situation we can nobble one of the big guns through sheer discipline and some Auba magic. It's almost identical to the last couple of years of GG's reign. Beat Parma, but finish mid table playing sterile, mindnumbing football every week

Great post Steve! Depressing but pretty much covers everything.

We did actually finish 4th in 1994 the year we beat Parma in the CWC but I take the point you're making. The football in the league was pretty sterile at times but with the 3 cup successes and another CWC final in '95 there were still enough moments over that 3 year period to keep the pulse racing.

This season has the feeling of being a real slog. The excitement and entertainment level is nil! I can accept sterile if we're challenging for the title because of it .... but these safety first tactics and filling the midfield with defensive players is as detrimental to our chances as Wenger filling the midfield with lightweight technicians (and Alex Song).

When was the last time we had a really well balance team? The Highbury years?

Its a good question mate - the last time I felt positive about our chances to compete for a title was around 07/08. I'd forgiven Wenger for the break up of the Invincibles, and throught we were really going somewhere. The team finished 3rd that season, only 4 points off Man U and although at the time it was the third season in a row without a trophy, we weren't long off being CL finalists and had some real talents coming through

Gallas and Toure were in their peak CB years, Sagna and Clichy the first choice full backs - not world beaters but a decent enough back line. Flamini, Gilberto and Diarra were decent holding options and with Cesc, Abou Rosicky, Hleb, and a year later Nasri and Arshavin there was no end of creative players

Greedy and Van Judas were top drawer at the time and Eduardo a decent back up

Waiting in the wings were the likes of Theo, Jack, Gibbs, then Ramsey and although they all went on to disappoint, there was a lot of eager anticipation and glimpses of what they could be.

A few weak links in the squad but good enough to mount a challenge as backed up by the league table. When Wenger and our chumps above him let that team break up, the rot truly set it and since then we've always had significant gaps in the squad and never looked like worthy title challengers. After that Wenger was a gonner for me - a grade A loser who was outdated and overtaken. Sadly it took a decade for those in power to agree

[g88ner]

Certainly not top 4 but fighting for 5th-7th is probably our level. Liverpool and City are streets ahead whereas Sp*rs and Chavs will have enough firepower to accumulate enough points to see us off. That leaves Arsenal, United, Leicester and Everton fighting for a Europa League place.

My predictions are shit though

Qualifying for the Europa League via the league is sadly as much as we can hope for.

We’re a cup team at the moment so Europa League is our best chance of getting CL Football.

Emery and Arteta have the same problem. Too many shite players who are impossible to shift. It’ll take time.

[OneBardGooner]

[Almunia is a clown]

I think there's at least 8 teams better than us!

[Almunia is a clown]

I thought we finished 11th in '94, the CWC winning year? Anyway I would rather finish mid table & win a trophy, same as the '70 European Fairs Cup winning season, I think we were 12th.

Last season & the ones above are better achievements than just finishing 4th for me!

Plus they go proudly on the clubs list of honour!

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

A long way off

[Redarmy]

That useless tosser Mustaffi apparently been offered a new contract, and hes looking to refuse it,

[falkirk goon]

After the euphoria of the cup win and our start at Fulham I rather foolishly thought we could have a good season however annual limp cocked efforts at Citeh and red dippers* and then last nights joke of a performance have lowered my expectations considerably..Weve got Manure A Villa H Leeds A Wolves H in November which is usually a shite month for us.I can't see us getting any more than 5 or 6 points from that lot and that's being seriously optimistic..If he persists with Swiss fannybulge and that German fannyhole at centre half we could easily end bottom half.

[augie]

Is arteta the new teflon manager ? Let's make a few comparisons -

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

After 5 games Pirlo is already being question - 5 fcuking games without his main player and second best striker His tactical and formation choices are being questioned, and his failure to maximise the undoubted talents of dybala is also a source of criticism.
Meanwhile our manager continues to pick a useless c.unt (xhaka), fcuks about with the formation, constantly plays players out of position, and playing xhaka as a centre back last night was a disgrace, but yet today no-one c.unt in the media is questioning him If people think that dybala isnt being maximised properly, try coming to north london and look at arteta's continual misuse of auba

Onto another manager

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... y-him.html

I quoted the daily mail article but I could have quoted any number of media outlets cos they are all questioning the lack of action the dutch kid is getting at manure, but none of these outlets are asking the same questions about saliba at AFC At manure it is that ole doesnt rate van de beek, but with AFC the narrative is that saliba must be shite Both are highly rated young players that came for big money, and both play in positions of need in their teams, yet neither is getting game time but arteta seems to be getting a free pass whilst solskjaer is getting grilled

[herbert]

Who voted top 4?

COYG

[herbert]

Is arteta the new teflon manager ? Let's make a few comparisons -

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

After 5 games Pirlo is already being question - 5 fcuking games without his main player and second best striker His tactical and formation choices are being questioned, and his failure to maximise the undoubted talents of dybala is also a source of criticism.
Meanwhile our manager continues to pick a useless c.unt (xhaka), fcuks about with the formation, constantly plays players out of position, and playing xhaka as a centre back last night was a disgrace, but yet today no-one c.unt in the media is questioning him If people think that dybala isnt being maximised properly, try coming to north london and look at arteta's continual misuse of auba

Onto another manager

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... y-him.html

I quoted the daily mail article but I could have quoted any number of media outlets cos they are all questioning the lack of action the dutch kid is getting at manure, but none of these outlets are asking the same questions about saliba at AFC At manure it is that ole doesnt rate van de beek, but with AFC the narrative is that saliba must be shite Both are highly rated young players that came for big money, and both play in positions of need in their teams, yet neither is getting game time but arteta seems to be getting a free pass whilst solskjaer is getting grilled

I think Pirlo is under a lot more scrutiny tham Arteta due to Juve winning the league 9 times in a row and having the best squad in Italy?

I am really pissed off about the non playing of Saliba especially has I have seen him play well v top strikers(psg lyon etc) but the Dutch lad is 3 or 4 yrs older and played well with Ajax in the CL so I would imagine these are the reasons The MUFC manager is getting more stick for not playing him

[SteveO 35]

Admiring the opimism of those who think top 6

City, Liverpool, Scum and Chavski will all certainly finish above us. The plastic Mancs have got too much in their squad not to improve significantly despite the best efforts of the little goblin and will go on some sort of run like they did last year

Wolves and Everton are better teams than us. Then there's always one that takes the league by surprise - perhaps its Leeds this year.

We were 8th last season and I'd argue playing better football than we're producing now. Can't see top six at all.

[markyp]

This season is heading the exact same way as last,early wins playing crap that then became defeats playing crap,I reckon by Christmas we will be having to watch our backs so that we don't get dragged into a relegation fight, let's hope the virus kicks off big time and the season is stopped as I can't take anymore of this insipid shit we are having to endure

[the playing mantis]

im nealry done with him.

xhaka selection, 0 creativity. we look to be worse than last year.