Mikel Arteta, success or failure? - Merged thread.

[A11M11]

Should have bought Laca on much earlier but Tavares was having a mare and getting roasted.

[Nos89]

Funny that Arteta is "useless" and "naive" again after a very, very poor result in the "tinpot tournament" known as the FA Cup. So many "kneejerkers" around it's laughable. The team pulled out a stinker of a performance, which is probably a knock-on effect after our defeat last week, when we outplayed the best team in the league. Hopefully, they've got it out their system and can go on another mini-winning run.

[Nos89]

Should have bought Laca on much earlier but Tavares was having a mare and getting roasted.

He had an opportunity to make up to 5 subs. Problem was he didn't have 5 subs on the bench that could've changed the direction of the game. I suppose he could've brought on Mari and Kolasinac a lot earlier to give us something in the midfield. But they're defenders not attackers.

[A11M11]

Which shows the parsity of the squad , With Partey as our only actual midfielder ,the ones he has always fallen back on Xhaka injured and Elneny in Africa and now with AMN in Italy with Torriera and Guendouzi in France the chickens have come back to roost.
Lokonga is a twenty minute sub to get experience when things are going ok , we are as weak in midfield as we were when he got the gig.
We all know that midfield is the engine room and if you control there you control the match .
It's all well and good having attractive attacking players up front and we have those in abundance . We need workers that play for a few years and get replaced when they are burned out.
Hale End produces nice touchy players that are great on the ball but once they get a bit of attention they are found wanting.
All credit to the tactics of Forest , they spotted our weakness and went for the throat and we had no answer.

[SteveO 35]

Funny that Arteta is "useless" and "naive" again after a very, very poor result in the "tinpot tournament" known as the FA Cup. So many "kneejerkers" around it's laughable. The team pulled out a stinker of a performance, which is probably a knock-on effect after our defeat last week, when we outplayed the best team in the league. Hopefully, they've got it out their system and can go on another mini-winning run.

WUM alert

"Tinpot" - you'll have to try a bit harder than that lad !

[Natural Born Gooner]

He has no more excuses now for a massive push for the top 4.

[SteveO 35]

He has no more excuses now for a massive push for the top 4.

No European football (first time in 26 years), no cups at all beyond mid January (apart from a potential one off final at the end of Feb), fewer injuries than any Arsena squad I can recall in 10-15 years, more investment in a single transfer window than any previous Arsenal manager, a board that have accepted finishing 8th as being successful /acceptable

[Gunner Rob]

Funny that Arteta is "useless" and "naive" again after a very, very poor result in the "tinpot tournament" known as the FA Cup. So many "kneejerkers" around it's laughable. The team pulled out a stinker of a performance, which is probably a knock-on effect after our defeat last week, when we outplayed the best team in the league. Hopefully, they've got it out their system and can go on another mini-winning run.

we lost...

[Gunner Rob]

the problem is that these days in the age of social media there is a tendency to over hype things, without using any perspective on a situation.

take the 5 match winning streak in December - ok great we won 5 in a row, but I never got too excited because of those earlier 2 defeats at United and Everton at the beginning of December. Those 2 defeats for me really hit home more than most in the past few years because it demonstrated that we really haven't improved that much under Arteta, if at all.

the 5 wins - Southampton at home - they are 14th in a poor Premier League
West Ham at home - ok good win but they were going through a really bad patch at that time
Leeds away - they are 16th in a poor Premier League
Sunderland in the league cup - league 1 fodder. the only level where Nketiajh will score goals at
Norwich away - they are fucking shit

yes we played ok against City, but they played badly and STILL managed to win away from home.

it is constantly 1 step forward with Arteta and then 1 step back.
but zero shots on goal in the FA Cup against a Championship club...wow that is bad, really bad

[Redarmy]

Should have bought Laca on much earlier but Tavares was having a mare and getting roasted.

Not so much getting roasted....mainly just unforced errors.....he had a shocking 30 mins or so...think arteta was right to bring him off and bring on Tierney

[A11M11]

Should have bought Laca on much earlier but Tavares was having a mare and getting roasted.

Not so much getting roasted....mainly just unforced errors.....he had a shocking 30 mins or so...think arteta was right to bring him off and bring on Tierney

Their right back who was my man of the match not only had Martinelli in his pocket but took time to close Tavares down and caused a lot of his errors . He wasn't allowed to settle and his touch went completely.

[SteveO 35]

the problem is that these days in the age of social media there is a tendency to over hype things, without using any perspective on a situation.

take the 5 match winning streak in December - ok great we won 5 in a row, but I never got too excited because of those earlier 2 defeats at United and Everton at the beginning of December. Those 2 defeats for me really hit home more than most in the past few years because it demonstrated that we really haven't improved that much under Arteta, if at all.

the 5 wins - Southampton at home - they are 14th in a poor Premier League
West Ham at home - ok good win but they were going through a really bad patch at that time
Leeds away - they are 16th in a poor Premier League
Sunderland in the league cup - league 1 fodder. the only level where Nketiajh will score goals at
Norwich away - they are fucking shit

yes we played ok against City, but they played badly and STILL managed to win away from home.

it is constantly 1 step forward with Arteta and then 1 step back.
but zero shots on goal in the FA Cup against a Championship club...wow that is bad, really bad

Exactly right Rob, every word

I even predicted the six game unbeaten run after the first win against Saints (Wolves game was postponed but we wouldn't have lost that either). We went to OT - he didn't play Laca, we lost and we gave them the ball endlessly for 30 minutes. What part of him thought it would work yesterday? Nketiah has had endless chances in the league and against better teams and fluffed his lines almost every time. Wow, a hat trick against Sunderland....lets give the man a new deal

Everyone said how much better it would be with no European football. Well after yesterday's debacle we will have far less games than any of our rivals and here we are playing Cedric, Nketiah, Lokonga, Patino etc in January.

It won't be better - the highest we will finish is 6th, and more than likely between 8th and 10th

[g88ner]

Funny that Arteta is "useless" and "naive" again after a very, very poor result in the "tinpot tournament" known as the FA Cup. So many "kneejerkers" around it's laughable. The team pulled out a stinker of a performance, which is probably a knock-on effect after our defeat last week, when we outplayed the best team in the league. Hopefully, they've got it out their system and can go on another mini-winning run.

Woah, wtf?! you’re calling the FA Cup a tinpot tournament?

[SteveO 35]

Funny that Arteta is "useless" and "naive" again after a very, very poor result in the "tinpot tournament" known as the FA Cup. So many "kneejerkers" around it's laughable. The team pulled out a stinker of a performance, which is probably a knock-on effect after our defeat last week, when we outplayed the best team in the league. Hopefully, they've got it out their system and can go on another mini-winning run.

Woah, wtf?! you’re calling the FA Cup a tinpot tournament?

Don't even feed the WUM mate!

Tinpot competition lol - its the only reason the clown still has a job as our manager as he's the first Arsenal manager since the 80s who hasn't been capable of getting qualification for Europe through our league placing. Even Rioch managed it and the "clown" Emery.

Without the FA Cup, old legohead would be f+++ed and we all know it !

[Nos89]

Funny that Arteta is "useless" and "naive" again after a very, very poor result in the "tinpot tournament" known as the FA Cup. So many "kneejerkers" around it's laughable. The team pulled out a stinker of a performance, which is probably a knock-on effect after our defeat last week, when we outplayed the best team in the league. Hopefully, they've got it out their system and can go on another mini-winning run.

Woah, wtf?! you’re calling the FA Cup a tinpot tournament?

No, I'm not calling the FA Cup a tinpot tournament, I've always been a traditionalist, I was just quoting others on this forum that scorned the FA Cup when we were regularly playing in the Champions League, and are now bitterly crying that we're out of a tournament they used to think was a waste of time. For me, the FA Cup will always hold more value and prestige than the Champions League.