Honestly, I’m tired of defending him. I still think there’s a decent coach in there somewhere, who intermittently produces exciting, innovative football, and tbf I’ve never known any Arsenal manager to have more fires to put out with less structure or support around him... but if he’s going to keep doing stupid, suicidal shit like we saw last night, and I mean keep doing it, over and over and over again... sorry pal, you’re on your own.
This sums it up for me too.Originally Posted by I am invisible
Putting the laughter back into manslaughter
Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it - it’s like watching the managerial equivalent of self-harm! Everything I’ve heard from people still at or still associated with the club suggests that his training methods are genuinely elite, and when the right team is forced in him it all starts to come together beautifully... but he just doesn’t seem to be able to pick a decent team by himself or make in-game decisions?! I can forgive the second of those to a certain extent - we knew we were hiring a rookie, and some things you just have to accept that he’s going have to learn on the job. But the team selections are just bizarre, and it’s become as much of an issue as the self-destructing players now.
So frustrating - I genuinely want it to work out with him, but I can’t keep defending this same crap, every week. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.
I've been thinking about this. Part of me is worried about what appears to be stubborness on the manager's part, or perhaps hubris in thinking that he can play players out of position, or others who are not up to the task in his system and get good results. Part of me understands that all of his weaknesses are those that might be expected from a manager who has never managed a team before! Similarly I waver between frustration at a club the size of our being content to allow a rookie to experiment/cut his teeth/make mistakes while learning on the job, and acknowleging that there is no quick fix at arsenal in any event, and that the long play is needed with Arteta to bring sustained success. After all, its not as though Arteta has not already won more silverware than our North London neighbours have won in 13 years, or that we are near the relegation zone. Other big clubs have taken similar punts on relative rookies recently, so there is clearly a feeling that there is some merit in trying the untried.
And that's where we are with Arteta. Part of the frustration is that we can see his quality, another part is that we are simply not in a position to do a Chelsea and introduce yet more instability to the club.
Putting the laughter back into manslaughter
Because I'm sad, another thought has occurred to me about Arteta - that is very worrying. The corollary to thinking that he can play players out of position, or others who are not up to the task in his system and get good results is the manager's blind spot in turning his back on the very players that his system requires. So GK - Martinez much better than Leno at distribution but gets canned. Holding played a lot at CB when he cannot pass out, but Saliba - whose progressive passing is presumably why he was bought - is frozen out. Elneny selected when he can't progress the ball. Martinelli overlooked when if you want a dynamic pressing player he is tailor made for it, and Aubameyang often played on the left when he can't press. Pepe - one of our best progressive players - in and out of the team. When you look at it this way, its almost like Arteta wants to sabotage his own system. It's nuts.
Also - I'm worried about the dressing room - and this isn't helped by the manager's bizzare decisions and the fights he seems to pick with certain players. Why aren't we discussing Bernd Leno's apparent desire to leave for example? When a player who is no higher than Arsenal level, was preferred over an arguably better alternative and seemed happy at the club wants to leave - its an indication of real trouble behind the scenes.
Putting the laughter back into manslaughter
It’s a lengthening charge sheet isn’t it and while up to now I’ve thought it was mainly his lack of experience to blame, maybe it’s worse and he really isn’t just very good - when you look at the sheer number of mistakes he makes you start to think it isn’t just lack of experience but something more fundamental
Agreed - and that's a worry. Lack of experience means that you make mistakes one, or twice. Not again and again. I think what's becoming clear is that certainly at this stage he may be a decent coach but he's not a manager...
Putting the laughter back into manslaughter
Arteta's career and reputation is on the line as far as I am concerned ahead of tonight's game. I'm certainly tired of all the excuses and the "BIG Project" talk, he needs to deliver now and by that I mean tonight and lifting the trophy, no more excuses. He should be judged on a results only basis from now on.
The playing players out of position worries me too, it's very "Pep" lite and Arteta is in no position to start experimenting with the teams when he can't even get the basics right.
My opinion of him is that if he fails to deliver Europa / CL place on the back of this disastrous season then he should be fired.
I think Arteta is very lucky that there have been no fans in the ground. As the players would have been booed off plenty.
The playing players out of position worries me too, it's very "Pep" lite and Arteta is in no position to start experimenting with the teams when he can't even get the basics right.
My opinion of him is that if he fails to deliver Europa / CL place on the back of this disastrous season then he should be fired.
We aren't going to finish top 4 but Europa league is possible and we are lucky to still be in that.
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