Mikel Arteta, success or failure? - Merged thread.

[augie]

No chance. We are with him as long as he want the job. He's considered elite for some reason. All the moronic fan boys who were all akbs for years as they like their club freebies, like legrove and arseblog defending his tinkering and his persistence with havertz as being oh so clever and seeing things other lesser football geniuses can't see when the reality is we have gone from looking a decent side last year who needed some quality additions and back up, to a team of strangers and a system that has made us less of a threat and yet its all some brilliant ruse to make us less predictable and any minute we will go bang.

It not that arteta is a arrogant fucker trying to be too clever with too many favorites, no clue about in hame management, and no clue about running players into the ground like saka.

I don't think arteta is clueless I think he's stubborn and egotistical like wenger and doubles down when everyone is criticising, see havertz, see no striker, see Eddie, see viera, see no esr, see changing our system this season and it not working. If he got rid of that trait he could be very good. He won't so he isn't.

The only hope in him leaving is barca or city coming in for him fooled by this undeserved elite badge the media have given him for coming 2nd last year.

THIS ^^^

A week is a long time in football.

You know, it's the 12 year old attitude of grown men when it comes to football that used to amaze me...it doesn't anymore. The ability to assess a manager, player, or a side by any more than the colour of the shirt and the last result is completely absent amongst so many supporters. It's the kind of mindset that kept Wenger in place for at least 10 years too long.

As glad as I am that we beat City, I'm not deluded enough to think it was a cracking performance. Neither team played well and the most I took from the game was that Arteta might have realised that we needed to keep it tight and a bit deeper defensively, rather than imagining that we could out-football City and ending up beaten yet again. I'll need to see more of that to believe it's dawned on him, but hopefully it has.

We nicked the win with a heavily deflected goal. Good, but nobody should be getting carried away. We haven't played well this season and certainly not a patch on the early part of last season, but we've hung in there to be joint top. We going to have to improve quickly to stay there, because you can't keep getting away with iffy performances, it eventually comes home to roost.

If we lose at Chelsea, will you follow up your last post with "A fortnight is a long time in football"? Somehow I doubt it.

Blimey you just can't please some people can you. We have lost one game all season. In terms of points. I believe if we beat Chelski and Sheff Utd we will be in a better position than we were last season, which was the best start to a season in years.

What did you expect us to do for the City game, given the personnel we had to start that day open up and go toe to toe with CIty? Football is all about knowing when to put your foot on the pedal and when you need to be more cautious, George Graham was famous for navigating games like Sunday.

We have an international break that seems like its going to work out well for two of our main players to finally get a rest (especially Saka), and hopefully come back to play against Chelski.

How many times have we had Partey, Rice and Odegaard starting in midfield this season. Given that can you not even acknowledge that Rice has made a huge difference in filling the void when Partey got his expected injuries. With last seasons squad I am almost certain we wouldn't have our current points tally in the league.

This is the thing, we haven't apart from maybe against PSV played at the sorts of levels we did in the first half of last season, and yet here we are well and truly in the mix. That's something to embrace not to be a miserable old git about. You talk about maturity, there is no worse trait in a fan of a big club than being entitled.

Progression doesn't go up in a straight line, it comes with setbacks for many reasons.

A lot less than we should have, but that is because el basque decided playing partey at right back and dropping gabriel was the right thing to do - figure that one out if you can
I understand your logic that being in the mix having played badly is a good sign, but you are totally ignoring the fact that the manager is a large part of the reason why we havent been playing well - axing gabriel, playing partey at right full, sticking with poorly performing havertz and nketieh are major parts of the reasons why we are seriously under performing, and those selections are not changing so how can we be confident going forward with a blinded manager ?

[Retro Gunner]

THIS ^^^

A week is a long time in football.

You know, it's the 12 year old attitude of grown men when it comes to football that used to amaze me...it doesn't anymore. The ability to assess a manager, player, or a side by any more than the colour of the shirt and the last result is completely absent amongst so many supporters. It's the kind of mindset that kept Wenger in place for at least 10 years too long.

As glad as I am that we beat City, I'm not deluded enough to think it was a cracking performance. Neither team played well and the most I took from the game was that Arteta might have realised that we needed to keep it tight and a bit deeper defensively, rather than imagining that we could out-football City and ending up beaten yet again. I'll need to see more of that to believe it's dawned on him, but hopefully it has.

We nicked the win with a heavily deflected goal. Good, but nobody should be getting carried away. We haven't played well this season and certainly not a patch on the early part of last season, but we've hung in there to be joint top. We going to have to improve quickly to stay there, because you can't keep getting away with iffy performances, it eventually comes home to roost.

If we lose at Chelsea, will you follow up your last post with "A fortnight is a long time in football"? Somehow I doubt it.

Blimey you just can't please some people can you. We have lost one game all season. In terms of points. I believe if we beat Chelski and Sheff Utd we will be in a better position than we were last season, which was the best start to a season in years.

What did you expect us to do for the City game, given the personnel we had to start that day open up and go toe to toe with CIty? Football is all about knowing when to put your foot on the pedal and when you need to be more cautious, George Graham was famous for navigating games like Sunday.

We have an international break that seems like its going to work out well for two of our main players to finally get a rest (especially Saka), and hopefully come back to play against Chelski.

How many times have we had Partey, Rice and Odegaard starting in midfield this season. Given that can you not even acknowledge that Rice has made a huge difference in filling the void when Partey got his expected injuries. With last seasons squad I am almost certain we wouldn't have our current points tally in the league.

This is the thing, we haven't apart from maybe against PSV played at the sorts of levels we did in the first half of last season, and yet here we are well and truly in the mix. That's something to embrace not to be a miserable old git about. You talk about maturity, there is no worse trait in a fan of a big club than being entitled.

Progression doesn't go up in a straight line, it comes with setbacks for many reasons.

A lot less than we should have, but that is because el basque decided playing partey at right back and dropping gabriel was the right thing to do - figure that one out if you can
I understand your logic that being in the mix having played badly is a good sign, but you are totally ignoring the fact that the manager is a large part of the reason why we havent been playing well - axing gabriel, playing partey at right full, sticking with poorly performing havertz and nketieh are major parts of the reasons why we are seriously under performing, and those selections are not changing so how can we be confident going forward with a blinded manager ?

Now now Augie, you are not only entitled, but are also a miserable old git. Get the red and white spectacles on ffs.

[nut flush gooner]

THIS ^^^

A week is a long time in football.

You know, it's the 12 year old attitude of grown men when it comes to football that used to amaze me...it doesn't anymore. The ability to assess a manager, player, or a side by any more than the colour of the shirt and the last result is completely absent amongst so many supporters. It's the kind of mindset that kept Wenger in place for at least 10 years too long.

As glad as I am that we beat City, I'm not deluded enough to think it was a cracking performance. Neither team played well and the most I took from the game was that Arteta might have realised that we needed to keep it tight and a bit deeper defensively, rather than imagining that we could out-football City and ending up beaten yet again. I'll need to see more of that to believe it's dawned on him, but hopefully it has.

We nicked the win with a heavily deflected goal. Good, but nobody should be getting carried away. We haven't played well this season and certainly not a patch on the early part of last season, but we've hung in there to be joint top. We going to have to improve quickly to stay there, because you can't keep getting away with iffy performances, it eventually comes home to roost.

If we lose at Chelsea, will you follow up your last post with "A fortnight is a long time in football"? Somehow I doubt it.

Blimey you just can't please some people can you. We have lost one game all season. In terms of points. I believe if we beat Chelski and Sheff Utd we will be in a better position than we were last season, which was the best start to a season in years.

What did you expect us to do for the City game, given the personnel we had to start that day open up and go toe to toe with CIty? Football is all about knowing when to put your foot on the pedal and when you need to be more cautious, George Graham was famous for navigating games like Sunday.

We have an international break that seems like its going to work out well for two of our main players to finally get a rest (especially Saka), and hopefully come back to play against Chelski.

How many times have we had Partey, Rice and Odegaard starting in midfield this season. Given that can you not even acknowledge that Rice has made a huge difference in filling the void when Partey got his expected injuries. With last seasons squad I am almost certain we wouldn't have our current points tally in the league.

This is the thing, we haven't apart from maybe against PSV played at the sorts of levels we did in the first half of last season, and yet here we are well and truly in the mix. That's something to embrace not to be a miserable old git about. You talk about maturity, there is no worse trait in a fan of a big club than being entitled.

Progression doesn't go up in a straight line, it comes with setbacks for many reasons.

A lot less than we should have, but that is because el basque decided playing partey at right back and dropping gabriel was the right thing to do - figure that one out if you can
I understand your logic that being in the mix having played badly is a good sign, but you are totally ignoring the fact that the manager is a large part of the reason why we havent been playing well - axing gabriel, playing partey at right full, sticking with poorly performing havertz and nketieh are major parts of the reasons why we are seriously under performing, and those selections are not changing so how can we be confident going forward with a blinded manager ?

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

[nut flush gooner]

Reading what Retro Gunner says genuinely makes me dizzy. Can I be arsed to reply!!!!

Maybe for the sake of his BP, should just leave it be!

[Natural Born Gooner]

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

[augie]

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

What manager in their right mind would drop one of his best centre backs even if his agent was fluttering his eyes at other clubs ? Only a c.unt wth a massive ego would put his own agenda ahead of what is best for the team, and I dont think that was the case here - gabriel was dropped to allow pep's cone boy show that he (not pep himself) is THE master tactician, and he bought white to play centre back and still clung to the belief that he is good enough to play there (he isnt btw)

[Stuart L (2)]

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

He just signed a new contract a year ago !

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... i=89978449

[Natural Born Gooner]

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

He just signed a new contract a year ago !

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... i=89978449

Think he needs a new agent more than a new club then

[Retro Gunner]

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

What manager in their right mind would drop one of his best centre backs even if his agent was fluttering his eyes at other clubs ? Only a c.unt wth a massive ego would put his own agenda ahead of what is best for the team, and I dont think that was the case here - gabriel was dropped to allow pep's cone boy show that he (not pep himself) is THE master tactician, and he bought white to play centre back and still clung to the belief that he is good enough to play there (he isnt btw)

Agreed. No one knows for sure, but it seems pretty clear that Arteta was trying to shoehorn Havertz in and therefore moved Partey to RB...a ridiculous decision. Apart from disrupting the defence, Partey is a totally different player to Zinchenko and imagining that he could play an inverted full back role was fucking stupid. Trouble is, I'm not convinced he won't do something similar again, now that Partey is fit. Legohead will want his new favourite Kai to get game time.

[Retro Gunner]

Reading what Retro Gunner says genuinely makes me dizzy. Can I be arsed to reply!!!!

Maybe for the sake of his BP, should just leave it be!

No idea what BP means, but don't worry about replying to my previous post. You had clearly got the wrong end of the stick regarding my comments about the tactics in the City game...it happens.

Mind you, I would have liked an answer to my question about how or where Arteta might squeeze Havertz in, now that Partey is fit. You think that Rice, Partey, Odegaard is the best centre mid line up (I agree), so what to do with Havertz? Do you think Mikel might have blown £65m on a bench warmer, or will he disrupt the team to make room for him? Maybe he'll leave out Partey and ruin your midfield line up? Any ideas?

[nut flush gooner]

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

He just signed a new contract a year ago !

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... i=89978449

Have you looked up his salary Stu? He's on around £100k pw. There's loads of stuff about him being linked away before the transfer window closed. When he signed his contract is irrelevant, apart from his sell on value.

[Stuart L (2)]

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

He just signed a new contract a year ago !

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... i=89978449

Have you looked up his salary Stu? He's on around £100k pw. There's loads of stuff about him being linked away before the transfer window closed. When he signed his contract is irrelevant, apart from his sell on value.

I didn’t to be fair
But if he was happy enough to sign up for 4/5 years a year ago he must have been okay with what was offered at the time.

He won’t be in the top earners but it’s hardly chicken feed either, doubt that many clubs would be capable or willing to give him a substantial rise on top of that figure.
I get that Saudi money will turn heads, but he is playing at a top club in the premier league and champions league and has just started getting game time for Brazil ( and a goal last night )

Plenty of time to wind down on stupid money when you hit 32 or higher ….
He looks committed to the cause when he plays to me, so hopefully it was an issue that has now been sorted.

By the way I agree leaving him out and playing Partey makeshift right back was a shite decision by Arteta, and one I hope we don’t have to suffer again this season.

[nut flush gooner]

Have you not thought why Gabriel was dropped? Think about what happened at the back end of last season/during the summer. His mate Saliba got a big pay rise. And he was touted by his agent to Saudi, whether the links were true or not who knows.

But how would you feel if you were a vital part of a defensive duo, and your partner in crime who's three years younger now pretty much earns double your wage? Arteta disciplined Gabriel, he's not stupid he said I am boss and you won't dictate any part of your existence at Arsenal to me. So if you have been flirting with other clubs, even if just to prompt a payrise, here is the bench.

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

He just signed a new contract a year ago !

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... i=89978449

Have you looked up his salary Stu? He's on around £100k pw. There's loads of stuff about him being linked away before the transfer window closed. When he signed his contract is irrelevant, apart from his sell on value.

I didn’t to be fair
But if he was happy enough to sign up for 4/5 years a year ago he must have been okay with what was offered at the time.

He won’t be in the top earners but it’s hardly chicken feed either, doubt that many clubs would be capable or willing to give him a substantial rise on top of that figure.
I get that Saudi money will turn heads, but he is playing at a top club in the premier league and champions league and has just started getting game time for Brazil ( and a goal last night )

Plenty of time to wind down on stupid money when you hit 32 or higher ….
He looks committed to the cause when he plays to me, so hopefully it was an issue that has now been sorted.

By the way I agree leaving him out and playing Partey makeshift right back was a shite decision by Arteta, and one I hope we don’t have to suffer again this season.

This is my point, was a bit of shenanigans from his representatives. I am almost certain he had no intention of leaving, but he's pissed Arteta off.

And Arteta is a genius at spinning things. As soon as Timber got injured he was probably thinking about revisiting Partey as the inverted RB. And used that as an excuse to drop Gabriel. The games he tried the formation out were Forest and Fulham amongst a few others. Arteta probably thought he could get away with it and it kind of bit him in the bum against Fulham. That game in particular looked like the first nail in the coffin for Ramsdale. Lets just get this clear for balance theres a few things Arteta done in terms of team selection and setup that have pissed me off, but I can see both sides of what he is trying the good and bad, unlike some posters on this forum who get off by continually slagging him off no matter what he does.

He has been forced to play our more conventional defence in recent weeks because of injuries, and there is more stability now thank fuck.

[Retro Gunner]

Lots of if, bits and maybes about the first paragraph.
Second paragraph. Saliba needed to sign a new contract otherwise we'd have been risking him signing for a new club this winter transfer window for nothing next summer.

And about dropping Gabriel because of his agent. Yeah great man management

Personally I think Gabriel is a great defender, has a bit of bollocks about him and doesn't shirk when it gets tough. As soon as Saliba signed his contract, Gabriel should have been next with an extension, not treated like an outcast because of supposed actions out of his control that's could piss him further in the future.

He just signed a new contract a year ago !

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... i=89978449

Have you looked up his salary Stu? He's on around £100k pw. There's loads of stuff about him being linked away before the transfer window closed. When he signed his contract is irrelevant, apart from his sell on value.

I didn’t to be fair
But if he was happy enough to sign up for 4/5 years a year ago he must have been okay with what was offered at the time.

He won’t be in the top earners but it’s hardly chicken feed either, doubt that many clubs would be capable or willing to give him a substantial rise on top of that figure.
I get that Saudi money will turn heads, but he is playing at a top club in the premier league and champions league and has just started getting game time for Brazil ( and a goal last night )

Plenty of time to wind down on stupid money when you hit 32 or higher ….
He looks committed to the cause when he plays to me, so hopefully it was an issue that has now been sorted.

By the way I agree leaving him out and playing Partey makeshift right back was a shite decision by Arteta, and one I hope we don’t have to suffer again this season.

This is my point, was a bit of shenanigans from his representatives. I am almost certain he had no intention of leaving, but he's pissed Arteta off.

And Arteta is a genius at spinning things. As soon as Timber got injured he was probably thinking about revisiting Partey as the inverted RB. And used that as an excuse to drop Gabriel. The games he tried the formation out were Forest and Fulham amongst a few others. Arteta probably thought he could get away with it and it kind of bit him in the bum against Fulham. That game in particular looked like the first nail in the coffin for Ramsdale. Lets just get this clear for balance theres a few things Arteta done in terms of team selection and setup that have pissed me off, but I can see both sides of what he is trying the good and bad, unlike some posters on this forum who get off by continually slagging him off no matter what he does.

He has been forced to play our more conventional defence in recent weeks because of injuries, and there is more stability now thank fuck.

He dropped Gabriel and used Partey in the inverted RB position from the start of the Forest game, so nothing to do with Timber getting injured. Gabriel, Tomi and Kiwior were all on the bench, so he had no reason to start Partey in a RB position, other than it was his choice to do so.

Similarly, for the Fulham game, Gabriel and Zinchenko were on the bench, so he again had options and had no reason to start Partey at RB. His brainless decision making probably cost us two points in that game. Let's hope it doesn't make a difference at the end of the season!

Even if your theory about punishing Gabriel is correct...and you have no way of knowing if that is fact...then Arteta was a prat for putting the team in jeopardy out of spite. To be honest, if he really was punishing Gabriel, then surely he would have left him out of the squad for the game altogether?

As for the second part in red, that is indeed the worry. The better defensive set up has been forced upon him, but now that Partey is fit, will he revert to sticking him at RB because he thinks it's a good move, or indeed, to squeeze Havertz in midfield? We all know (or most of us) that the sensible decision is to bench Havrertz, stick Partey in midfield with Rice and leave the fucking defence alone.

[KingHenry]

He just signed a new contract a year ago !

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... i=89978449

Have you looked up his salary Stu? He's on around £100k pw. There's loads of stuff about him being linked away before the transfer window closed. When he signed his contract is irrelevant, apart from his sell on value.

I didn’t to be fair
But if he was happy enough to sign up for 4/5 years a year ago he must have been okay with what was offered at the time.

He won’t be in the top earners but it’s hardly chicken feed either, doubt that many clubs would be capable or willing to give him a substantial rise on top of that figure.
I get that Saudi money will turn heads, but he is playing at a top club in the premier league and champions league and has just started getting game time for Brazil ( and a goal last night )

Plenty of time to wind down on stupid money when you hit 32 or higher ….
He looks committed to the cause when he plays to me, so hopefully it was an issue that has now been sorted.

By the way I agree leaving him out and playing Partey makeshift right back was a shite decision by Arteta, and one I hope we don’t have to suffer again this season.

This is my point, was a bit of shenanigans from his representatives. I am almost certain he had no intention of leaving, but he's pissed Arteta off.

And Arteta is a genius at spinning things. As soon as Timber got injured he was probably thinking about revisiting Partey as the inverted RB. And used that as an excuse to drop Gabriel. The games he tried the formation out were Forest and Fulham amongst a few others. Arteta probably thought he could get away with it and it kind of bit him in the bum against Fulham. That game in particular looked like the first nail in the coffin for Ramsdale. Lets just get this clear for balance theres a few things Arteta done in terms of team selection and setup that have pissed me off, but I can see both sides of what he is trying the good and bad, unlike some posters on this forum who get off by continually slagging him off no matter what he does.

He has been forced to play our more conventional defence in recent weeks because of injuries, and there is more stability now thank fuck.

He dropped Gabriel and used Partey in the inverted RB position from the start of the Forest game, so nothing to do with Timber getting injured. Gabriel, Tomi and Kiwior were all on the bench, so he had no reason to start Partey in a RB position, other than it was his choice to do so.

Similarly, for the Fulham game, Gabriel and Zinchenko were on the bench, so he again had options and had no reason to start Partey at RB. His brainless decision making probably cost us two points in that game. Let's hope it doesn't make a difference at the end of the season!

Even if your theory about punishing Gabriel is correct...and you have no way of knowing if that is fact...then Arteta was a prat for putting the team in jeopardy out of spite. To be honest, if he really was punishing Gabriel, then surely he would have left him out of the squad for the game altogether?

As for the second part in red, that is indeed the worry. The better defensive set up has been forced upon him, but now that Partey is fit, will he revert to sticking him at RB because he thinks it's a good move, or indeed, to squeeze Havertz in midfield? We all know (or most of us) that the sensible decision is to bench Havrertz, stick Partey in midfield with Rice and leave the fucking defence alone.

What if Partey hadn't have got injured where would Gabriel be now? Arteta's plan all along was to play Partey at RB. Havertz was bought in to replace Xhaka Rice was bought in to replace Partey in midfield. I wouldn't be surprised if Partey started at RB v Chelsea