Are we getting carried away with the doom and gloom?

[IBK]

We do okay when we play at a higher tempo. If you remember back to the days when we used to score goals from open play (youngsters will just have to take my word for it), once we start moving the ball at a higher pace it plays to the strengths of Auba, Pepe, Ceballos, Saka, and anyone who has a technical bone in their body. That's how we unlock the extra cash we have spent on these players and gain the advantage over less affluent opponents. Up the tempo. Move the ball faster.

Instead the priority is to keep it tight, keep it organised, at the expense of all else. That way we don't suffer from those blowouts against the bigger teams, but we also lose out on the flat track bully status we had going for us and allowed us to mingle in the top six. And it's boring. Even the canned audience groans at it.

Arteta is afraid to fail which in turn means he's afraid to win. His better players will get bored, and you could see that with Auba last night. He just was't interested.

Arteta is also stubborn. He's going to need Ozil if he wants to pick the pace of the play up. But I'm not sure he does, he shows no signs of changing anything.

That's a really good post - especially the summary of how Arteta appears to be...

[IBK]

Tactically it’s been the same all year long, he hasn’t done anything different. The statistics are similar win, lose or draw. We don’t play football, we set up to shut out the opponent and then maybe spring something on the counter. This happens even against so called lesser teams. He’s been found out, that’s why we we’re not scoring goals or winning games now.

I don’t see him being sacked because I think the club have gone all in on him. However if things continue to go as they are they’ll need to make a decision. We’ve spent a lot of money and have some decent players, there’s no way we should be floating around in the bottom half of the table.

Maybe the fans being allowed back now will shake them up into finding their mojo again, however I struggle to see how they can find it again with such a huge disconnect in the team. They don’t know how to make each other tick anymore because the tactics have beaten that out of them. Wolves started to panic after 70 mins or so last night but we couldn’t even lay a glove on them. That summed up everything for me.

Everything Arteta has shown so far has been learned from a book. Coaching for dummies. He’s no visionary or pioneer that is for sure.

Yet he learnt under a manager that is widely regarded as being the best there is. I'm beginning to wonder whether, as NQ says, Arteta's real naivety is trying too hard to lay down his own will, even as the goodwill that he built up with the players last season dissipates...

[Mac76]

People who don’t know their Arsenal history

well of course I expect he's talking about since the PL began after all there wasn't any football worth talking about before then was there...

[Letters]

We haven't gone back down since we were promoted in 1919 (Spurs ) tbf.

[Chippy]

well of course I expect he's talking about since the PL began after all there wasn't any football worth talking about before then was there...

Thank you, Mac76. Yes I was

[Mac76]

Thank you, Mac76. Yes I was

Anytime

[WGC Goon]

One of our main issues is if Aubameyang doesn't score then we're in big trouble. It wasn't so long ago that we would point the finger at Spurs being a one man team (Kane) and here we are in the exact same position. Apart from the odd set piece goal no one consistently contributes to our goal tally. A lack of creativity has made us boringly predictable and pretty easy to set up against from the oppositions point of view. Aubameyang needs help and maybe it's time to give Ozil a chance again, though I'm not sure Arteta wouldn't see that as some sort of stand down on his behalf.

[Letters]

Spurs aren't even a one man team now. Son is quality and now they've added Bale.
They're going to tear us apart this weekend, I reckon.


Welcome to the board, by the way

[Mac76]

maybe it's time to give Ozil a chance again, though I'm not sure Arteta wouldn't see that as some sort of stand down on his behalf.

that will be fascinating if things don't pick up by January - he will surely have to consider putting Ozil in the PL squad but it will be a huge climbdown - all of his own making of course

someone - and given the hollowing-out of the club management i don't even know who it would be - will have to tell him it needs to happen

i'd absolutely love it if Ozil started appearing and playing well - Arteta would look like a prize prawn - no doubt he'd come out with some BS about how Ozil's 'attitude had changed' though ...

[Letters]

i'd absolutely love it if Ozil started appearing and playing well - Arteta would look like a prize prawn - no doubt he'd come out with some BS about how Ozil's 'attitude had changed' though ...

If that happened then I don't think anyone would lose out.
We'd presumably pick up better results. Ozil would be playing again. Arteta could say that his tough love worked. Everyone wins.