Match Reaction v West Ham (away).

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Absolute shit.

Where's the whiskey?

[Letters]

Pathetic.

They can all fuck right off.

[Marc Overmars]

The Emery effect has well and truly worn off.

All the limitations we suspected were there are now on show for all to see. This team is in desperate need of an injection of quality, in about 5 or 6 positions of the pitch.

We won't be finishing 4th.

[Xhaka Can’t]

The Emery effect and any potential for him to drive the change we need is completely negated by the Stan effect.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

The Emery effect and any potential for him to drive the change we need is completely negated by the Stan effect.

What do you mean? All that massive turnover allows us the opportunity for loan signings, what more could you want?

[Marc Overmars]

It feels like we peaked with that win over Spurs and it’s been a cluster fuck ever since.

[Mac76]

The Emery effect and any potential for him to drive the change we need is completely negated by the Stan effect.

So was it Kroenke that opted to have Torreira on the bench and Mustafi and Xhaka being first on the team sheet? No, i thought not...

[dostoy]

Who honestly thought Arsenal would finish in the top 4 this season ?

I said 6th and that's what it will be, at best.

Whilst shithole Stan is the boss Arsenal will never finish higher than that as at least 250 million pounds needs to be spent on far better players than Arsenal have now.

I can understand people on here laughing and enjoying it when one of the big 5 lose but they are all far better than Arsenal so its not really funny.

No more CL football and as for winning the PL, forget about it.

I don't feel much any more whether they win or lose.

I'm still glad that French idiot has gone though as he was fucking useless.

[Xhaka Can’t]

So was it Kroenke that opted to have Torreira on the bench and Mustafi and Xhaka being first on the team sheet? No, i thought not...

Fuck off Josh.

[SMatthews]

So was it Kroenke that opted to have Torreira on the bench and Mustafi and Xhaka being first on the team sheet? No, i thought not...

Made little difference to the result, we were shite going forward. That’s where we lost the game today. Their crappy defence got off easy.

[Mac76]

Fuck off Josh.

Damn, found out... :lol:

[Globalgunner]

Bottom line is that this team has no personality. No desire. Each player plays as if the outcome of each match is water off a ducks back. The older players are the worst but AMN who hasnt even nailed a fixed place played like a seasoned " I dont give a fk" veteran. Guen and Torr are the only 2 players today worth keeping, If I owned a team, everyone would be on less than 100kpw, with a 30kper game match win bonus, 5k for a draw and nothing for a loss. Including the manager

[hobson's choice]

Or maybe the players have tuned Emery out already. He's one of these coaches that players get sick of soon. If we look at his history

[Mac76]

Or maybe the players have tuned Emery out already. He's one of these coaches that players get sick of soon. If we look at his history

That's if they can even understand what he's saying, i must say i can't - it must be like being managed by Paul Lambert...

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

The Emery effect has well and truly worn off.

All the limitations we suspected were there are now on show for all to see. This team is in desperate need of an injection of quality, in about 5 or 6 positions of the pitch.

We won't be finishing 4th.

Only watched the last 30 minutes and what I noticed was one team had a really good, serious and disciplined back 4- the commentators later echoed that.

How many times have we tried those high lines and how many times have they failed us? How many times have we tried putting 7-8 players behind the ball only for the other team to still score.

I missed their goal but wasn't surprised to see it came from a set piece with us having 8 men behind the ball with the manager's favourite, Xhaka , putting the ball in a dangerous area.

Yes, its debateable that we might not have the purse of Man City or any of our top 6 rivals but what does that have to do with constructing a good defence, managing your best players (Ozil) or making sure a player like Xhaka (who has done this over and over again) is not in a position to cost us the game?

West Ham constructed that back 4 we saw today with only £40m - we paid £41m for Mustafi alone.

Now they say we can only afford loans, yet even with that all I hear is Arsenal being linked with one attacking talent or the other.

The problem with this club is at least for over a decade now we have not and still do not have serious football people in our heirachy making decisions, both on and off the field

It's hard to be positive, as we never seem to be focusing on the right things, the right strategies or the right players.

Its been going downhill for quite a while and unfortunately it seems we are still firmly on that path.

[Mac76]

Yes, its debateable that we might not have the purse of Man City or any of our top 6 rivals but what does that have to do with constructing a good defence, managing your best players (Ozil) or making sure a player like Xhaka (who has done this over and over again) is not in a position to cost us the game?

Yes, was going to mention Ozil, we need him playing to provide creativity, which he does when he plays, Emery's too busy trying to show him who's boss to realise he needs to be in the f**king team

[SMatthews]

Yes, was going to mention Ozil, we need him playing to provide creativity, which he does when he plays, Emery's too busy trying to show him who's boss to realise he needs to be in the f**king team

Ozil can do one. Flimsy little fraud who turns up once every few matches. Take one look at his stats since he arrived and you’ll see he isn’t our creative genius at all. Sooner we see shot of him and a few others, the better. We’re performing exactly the same without him in the side as do with him in it.

[selassie]

The Emery effect has well and truly worn off.

All the limitations we suspected were there are now on show for all to see. This team is in desperate need of an injection of quality, in about 5 or 6 positions of the pitch.

We won't be finishing 4th.

Aye, I personally think top 4 is gone too. We lack the quality and to a degree mentality to finish top 4 IMO. That battle will be between the Chavs and Manure.

I don’t think we will win Europa Cup either, something not right about this team.

[Globalgunner]

Ozil aint worth it im afraid. If only we could get rid and replace

[Mac76]

Ozil can do one. Flimsy little fraud who turns up once every few matches. Take one look at his stats since he arrived and you’ll see he isn’t our creative genius at all. Sooner we see shot of him and a few others, the better. We’re performing exactly the same without him in the side as do with him in it.

The last time he played he helped create two goals, he links up well with laca and auba and we've not got better options - if we can't buy anyone we need to make the most of what we have, whether some people like it or not

[SMatthews]

The last time he played he helped create two goals, he links up well with laca and auba and we've not got better options - if we can't buy anyone we need to make the most of what we have, whether some people like it or not

We’ve tried for years to make the most of what we have with Ozil, and even under a different manager the results were the same. Which tells you the problem lies with the player, rather than the management of him. We’re scoring just as much without him, and he hasn’t been missed upfront. He turns up when he wants and is generally a waste of space.

Understandably, people are desperately looking for answers. But Ozil ain’t it.

[Marc Overmars]

I'm no Ozil fan but I think even at his worst he is still capable of producing something out of nothing, in a way Iwobi and Mkhi simply can't. I don't understand why Ramsey is getting more minutes than Ozil when we know for near enough fact that he is leaving. I think freezing Ozil out completely is a bit of a fallacy when inferior players are being afforded game time.

It's all a mess though. No money to spend, injuries and a coach who doesn't know his best 11 or set up.

[Mac76]

I'm no Ozil fan but I think even at his worst he is still capable of producing something out of nothing, in a way Iwobi and Mkhi simply can't. I don't understand why Ramsey is getting more minutes than Ozil when we know for near enough fact that he is leaving. I think freezing Ozil out completely is a bit of a fallacy when inferior players are being afforded game time.

It's all a mess though. No money to spend, injuries and a coach who doesn't know his best 11 or set up.

That's what it is for me, i'm no blind Ozil fanboy but we're definitely underusing him

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

I'm no Ozil fan but I think even at his worst he is still capable of producing something out of nothing, in a way Iwobi and Mkhi simply can't. I don't understand why Ramsey is getting more minutes than Ozil when we know for near enough fact that he is leaving. I think freezing Ozil out completely is a bit of a fallacy when inferior players are being afforded game time.

It's all a mess though. No money to spend, injuries and a coach who doesn't know his best 11 or set up.

You said it all.

Question: What logic anywhere justifies freezing out your star player and hoping he gets the message and leaves while giving inferior players more than enough opportunities to showcase their limited abilities.....

Ah, it must be Jose Mourinho logic :)

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

The last time he played he helped create two goals, he links up well with laca and auba and we've not got better options - if we can't buy anyone we need to make the most of what we have, whether some people like it or not

Why argue with facts when we can all just follow the leader blindy ?

[SMatthews]

I'm no Ozil fan but I think even at his worst he is still capable of producing something out of nothing, in a way Iwobi and Mkhi simply can't. I don't understand why Ramsey is getting more minutes than Ozil when we know for near enough fact that he is leaving. I think freezing Ozil out completely is a bit of a fallacy when inferior players are being afforded game time.

It's all a mess though. No money to spend, injuries and a coach who doesn't know his best 11 or set up.

The other question is how genuine all of these injuries and knocks are. That’s definitely open to debate and it wouldn’t surprise me if both player and manager were responsible for his abscene. At the start of the season Ozil was given the full backing of the manager - he even made him one of his captains - but that wasn’t returned in any of his subsequent performances. I think he prefers Ramsey because at least he’s ready to put the yards in and not shirk his responsibilities. Same can’t be said for Ozil, which makes an even bigger liability to the team. We’ve seen that plenty of times since he’s been here. I’ve definitely seen enough to show he will never work out at this club and will always remain inconsistent and a luxury player. We can’t afford those right now.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Just decided to look at another stat about clear errors leading to goals in the EPL, here's the leauge table for the top six:

1. Arsenal- 7 ( 4 players)
2. Tottenham. 2 (2 players)
3. Man U. 2 (2 players)
4.Liverpool. 2 (1 player. )
5.Man City. 1
6.Chelsea 1

Out of the 7 errors we've made, Leno leads the whole EPL with 3 while the managers pet Xhaka comes second with 2- yet some people don't see any problem with him playing deeply and causing us problems (btw this is pre-west ham).

[AFC Leveller]

I don’t understand how any manager can leave Ozil out of their 18 man squad?! I get that Emery isn’t Ozils biggest fan but surely he should include him? We are so shit lately I’m starting to doubt Emery. We don’t even look like scoring or even pushing for a goal in the last 20 minutes. We can’t defend and our strikers aren’t scoring.

On today’s evidence there is no way we will finish top 4.

[Özim]

What a terrible result, the squad is getting badly exposed and is showing just how average he is, as I said this squad is average and we desperately need to get rid of a load of them, just think we didn't make enough changes last summer, Xhaka and co should have been ditched.

Emery really has his work cutout, but I also agree about Ozil, love him or hate him he's our most creative player and should be playing ahead of rubbish like Iwobi and Mhiki who are basically a waste of space, also to play Ramsey a guy who is leaving in a few months is a nonsense to be honest.

Our form is really poor at the moment the Wenger lot as we know don't turn up when the going gets tough, but also think the signings are a real mix bag, we didn't have much money in the summer but I'm unsure how well it was spent right now (Torreira and Guendouzi aside maybe).

Top 4 will be tough to be honest, we in reality lack the quality.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

No idea why Torreira didn't start today. Last game was ages ago having not started against blackpool. Ozil not in the bleeding squad again....and it says it all when you are now well used to an insane situation that should never be allowed to continue.

Guendouzi is still taking, far too many touches, far too long to pass the ball and showing no cutting edge with his final ball once he does pass it. Today he did a very good impression of Wilshere on a bad day. The whole team were sleep walking to defeat at times today, especially at the back and in midfield as if we had all the time in the bloody world to recover the situation. Emery promised us hard work at the start of the season....but there's no point in hard work if you slowly pass the ball around between your midfield, defenders and goalkeeper all the while not threatening to go anywhere or do anything.

The major surprise was him taking off both his favourites Xhaka and Mustafi.

Mustafi should have been flogged last summer at the latest and the money invested in a top Centre half to sit next to Sokratis. Emery should have been allowed to bring in Banega last summer because he doesn't like Ozil and we desperately lack creativity. Emery probably had a good idea of what sort of player Ozil was before he even took the job as well as Ramsey so to suddenly be in a situation where he doesn't fancy two of the highest earners at the club and in desperate need of creativity with a backline barely better than last season is galling.

Let's just sleep walk into our 5th/6th place finish this season and pretend as if next season WE MUST GET INTO THE CL....alloverafuhkingain knowing that nobody who actually matters is actually arsed about it enough.

[KSE Comedy Club]

You said it all.

Question: What logic anywhere justifies freezing out your star player and hoping he gets the message and leaves while giving inferior players more than enough opportunities to showcase their limited abilities.....

Ah, it must be Jose Mourinho logic :)

Ozil isn’t our star player.

He’s just on star player wages

[Ralpheroo72]

Emery reckons he is happy with the squad he has. If he truly believes that, then he is not fit for the job. The current playing group is very poor, bar a few players. Loans won’t fix the issue, it needs major investment, which we won’t get from Stan. What does Steve Bould actually do, if he is defensive coach, then he needs to walk, as the stats are there showing our defence to be among the worst in the division. This club is not about football, it’s about lining Stan’s pockets, he’s the worst thing to happen to this club.

[Özim]

To be honest it's hard to see a way out of this mess now, Wenger and Gazidis left us with a very average squad full of vastly overpaid under par players we'd struggle to get rid of, we have an owner not interested in football and not interested in investing a penny and not enough money for transfers.

Right now it's hard to see how this will improve unless we by some miracle get into the CL and get some CL money (and even then who knows how much money we'll get), if we don't we could have years of this because we've barely got any assets in the team worth anything.

There's also been some odd decisions from Emery, think our best bet would be finding some young players who turn out to be special (we don't see to have any at the club at the moment).

We're in between a rock and a hard place right now, desperate for money to invest in the team, but no money to do so, we also have quite a few ageing players in Aubameyang, Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal, Cech, Mikhitaryan, Ozil, Lichsteiner who will be worth next to nothing and will need replacing in the fairly near future, that's on top of duds like Xhaka, Mustafi, Iwobi, Elneny who aren't worth much.

What a mess.

[Mac76]

I don't agree about our young players not having potential.

Willock and one or two others are showing a lot of promise, and Nelson's having a great season at Hoffenheim

They're probably our best hope tbh

[KSE Comedy Club]

We have some good attacking players in the youth ranks which is promising and maybe emery needs to start putting them in the lineup - they can’t do much worse tbh.

But it seems we have no young defenders standing out.

It’s like defence has just been forgotten about at this club - like it doesn’t exist anymore.

[Mac76]

There's Medley, but not sure who else

https://www.arsenal.com/academy/players/zech-medley

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

We should want to get into the CL because that's where the top players want to be and that is the premier Europe competition. As far as making money from it....we don't know the money from it will be allocated to transfers. The owner can do whatever the fuhk he wants and he doesn't have to tell us about it. Thank you for your interest in our affairs, but get lost.

[Özim]

I don't agree about our young players not having potential.

Willock and one or two others are showing a lot of promise, and Nelson's having a great season at Hoffenheim

They're probably our best hope tbh

Nelson aside I don't think the others will make it personally, overall there's just not enough coming out of our youth teams, this despite almost two decades spent developing it.

What we're seeing now at the club are Wenger and Gazidis' legacies and as for our self sustaining model, it's one of the biggest jokes in football, it's not there for the good of the club, it's there for the good of the owners, there's zero benefit for the fans. I find it sad how this club has become what it is today, 15 years ago we had so much going for us, I never imagined we'd be where we are now, in a place where we'll have zero chance of competingf or the PL for years to come.

Incidentally I see Wenger still doesn't have a job despite the supposed load of offers he's had, we kept hold of this guy for over 2 decades and yet noone seems to want him now he's left.

[selassie]

We should want to get into the CL because that's where the top players want to be and that is the premier Europe competition. As far as making money from it....we don't know the money from it will be allocated to transfers. The owner can do whatever the fuhk he wants and he doesn't have to tell us about it. Thank you for your interest in our affairs, but get lost.

If we had a REAL ambition to make top 4 then we would be in the market now trying to improve our team. We are in no position to wait till the summer unless we have some great deals pre-agreed regardless of CL football next season.

I don’t know, I sense we are just ambling along, I don’t see any semblance of a sporting plan.

[Marc Overmars]

We knew Emery had an uphill battle from the start but I don't think he should be getting off lightly with some of the on the pitch decisions being made thus far. Also given the fact our defending has somehow become worse, when all the signings we made in the summer were supposed to bolster that aspect of our game, it's time he faced a few questions. If we lose to Chelsea any hope we had of finishing 4th can be laid to rest and it is only January. It's not good enough, Wenger hangover or not.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

On a slightly lighter note.....I thought Sokratis dealt with Carrol pretty well when he came on. I thought without a player like him, Carroll would have probably come on and put the game out of reach.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Nelson aside I don't think the others will make it personally, overall there's just not enough coming out of our youth teams, this despite almost two decades spent developing it.

What we're seeing now at the club are Wenger and Gazidis' legacies and as for our self sustaining model, it's one of the biggest jokes in football, it's not there for the good of the club, it's there for the good of the owners, there's zero benefit for the fans. I find it sad how this club has become what it is today, 15 years ago we had so much going for us, I never imagined we'd be where we are now, in a place where we'll have zero chance of competingf or the PL for years to come.

Incidentally I see Wenger still doesn't have a job despite the supposed load of offers he's had, we kept hold of this guy for over 2 decades and yet noone seems to want him now he's left.

Harry Kane :good:

Oh.....

[KSE Comedy Club]

We knew Emery had an uphill battle from the start but I don't think he should be getting off lightly with some of the on the pitch decisions being made thus far. Also given the fact our defending has somehow become worse, when all the signings we made in the summer were supposed to bolster that aspect of our game, it's time he faced a few questions. If we lose to Chelsea any hope we had of finishing 4th can be laid to rest and it is only January. It's not good enough, Wenger hangover or not.


Spot on, and exactly my thoughts too.

Emery is supposed to be trying to turn our fortunes around, not an easy task by a long shot but come on.
We should be showing some improvement by now not exacerbate existing ones.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

We made Nasri look as good as the day we sold him to City.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

Ozil isn’t our star player.

He’s just on star player wages

He is the player we have the world considers world class.

I hate to bring up other teams so frequently but just a month ago most of the press and so-called football pundits in the country were siding with Jose and saying Man U's players weren't good enough in quality, in particular a recent World cup winner (forgetting Jose had performed this same trick on Chelsea players including Hazard, then they won the title the very next season!!)

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/746667/Man-Utd-news-Paul-Ince-SLAMS-Paul-Pogba-Romelu-Lukaku-Premier-League/amp

https://amp.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/fa-cup/news/scholes-paul-pogba-not-good-enough_321181.html

https://talksport.com/football/461614/roy-keane-paul-pogba-manchester-united-liverpool/amp/

https://amp.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/news/dunphy-pogba-not-good-enough-for-united_315416.html



Now look at them purring.

I'm not saying Ozil is the answer or his abscence is the cause of our recent decline.... but Emery's inabilty to work with him or get anything out of him, despite having no close/adequate substitute for him, cannot be something we the Arsenal should overlook- it speaks volumes about the ability/limitations of our current manager.

[Özim]

We knew Emery had an uphill battle from the start but I don't think he should be getting off lightly with some of the on the pitch decisions being made thus far. Also given the fact our defending has somehow become worse, when all the signings we made in the summer were supposed to bolster that aspect of our game, it's time he faced a few questions. If we lose to Chelsea any hope we had of finishing 4th can be laid to rest and it is only January. It's not good enough, Wenger hangover or not.

I agree with this, some have however said the recruitment was down to Mislintat (I don't necessarily entirely agree) and if that's the case he needs to take the blame as well as the money we did have, which granted wasn't a lot hasn't been spent too well, Leno has been a bit suspect (not that unpexpected as he was prone to errors in Germany as well) but we still paid 20 odd million for him, Lichsteiner came on a free but again as suspected he's rubbish, Sokratis is a bit hit and miss, he's good at time and poor at other times but his age is a concern as he will need replacing before long so spending what money we did have on older players seemed odd.

Guendouzi might turn out decent though after a good start to the season has faded somewhat, Torreira is the only real great signing.

But Emery also needs to be questioned on his tactics, choice of lineups and playing players in the wrong positions again (Maitland Niles). If he knew anything about English football and Arsenal in the 1st place players like Xhaka, Mustafi etc would have already been out, I believe in giving players a chance but not utter rubbish like them.

I also think his handling of the Ramsey and Ozil situations has been poor, he should have decided if he wanted to keep Ramsey last summer, then we could have sold him, instead again we have a player walking away on a free, as for Ozil, other than Ramsey he's our only creative player, to freeze him out as he has bearing in mind he's earning 350k is nonsense, he's happy to use a player (and make make him captain) who is leaving in a few months but won't play our highest earner who will be around next summer.

Emery needs a chance, but he needs to changes some of his ways and learn a bit more quickly, some of his decisions are baffling (he needs to prove he's up to the job despite thed difficult situation). I wanted him over a guy who had no managerial record in the summer (Arteta) but he wasn't anyones first choice in reality, most wanted an elite manager (which seems to be what Man U will look for in the summer unless Solkjaer carries on) but it became clear we weren't in the least bit interested in one and Gazidis made this appointment (despite choosing to leave a few months later - yet another odd thing to happen).

For me Emery needs to start playing Ozil, play AMN in his natural position, ditch Mustafi completely and replace him with Mavropanos when he's fit (he can't be any worse let's face it) and also play Torreira as often as he can, I'd also relegate Mhiki to the bench as the guy really has flopped so far.

In the summer we then need to flog, Xhaka, Mustafi, Mikhi, Cech, Elneny (possibly Kolasinac if we need more money) then we should probably ditch the like of Koscielny who is finished, Welbeck (who is out of contract), Jenkinson and start rebuilding this awful squad with some young players and a few quality buys (mid 20s), because right now if we stick with this bunch we're only going one way and it's not up.

[SMatthews]

Isn’t that the point of Mislintat, to recruit players? I’m sure Emery is invoked on some level but I’ve no idea how all of that works.

As far as I know AMN has been used as our defence was ruined by injuries. We’ve few options in defence for most of the season really with Kos/Monreal/Mav/Holding being out.

It seems he wanted to keep Ramsey and started him at the beginning of the season but then the contract mess happened and that came from above. Not sure what else he can do except use him as he has - which as mostly been from the bench.

Ozil, well I’ve said enough about him. With or without him we perform the same, as our position this season shows. And given his flakiness (his WC strop being another example) I’d genuinely question some of his ‘injuries’ too.

Torreira looked completely spent in his last 2/3 games and was not the same player. Whether that’s down to the amount of work he has to do to cover others, World Cup fatigue, or because he’s adjusting to having no winter break, I don’t know - but letting him rest a bit made sense. For some reason his performance levels have noticeably dropped recently. The loss of Bellerin has also been huge.

People were calling for Guendouzi to be a regular starter early in the season - but we are seeing you can’t rely on a 19 year old to do that job every week. But our options in that position are extremely limited - hence why Xhaka has to be a starter. Either that or it’s Ramsey (a proven disaster there), Elneny (average) or AMN (unproven and covering full backs) It also shows that the idea of throwing in kids right now will probably only make the situation worse.

At the start of the season, most fans did not expect us to finish top four, which I didn’t either. We have almost the same points/goals as this point last season and are a similar distance away from the top four. We are where we should be with this team. Chelsea are as flaky as us, but they have a stronger midfield and defence. No one expected Man U to fall off a cliff and they’re getting back to their old performance levels. Every team in the top 6 is better than us and we didn’t spend enough in the summer to strengthen the squad.

Selling some of our dead wood won’t raise much funds. If we aren’t going to get much to spend in terms of budget then money has to be raised in other ways to reshape this team, which means selling one or two of our most valuable assets and reinvesting smartly. And that means Lacazette, Bellerin or Ozil need to be sacrificed to inject us with us decent cash.

[KSE Comedy Club]

He is the player we have the world considers world class.

I hate to bring up other teams so frequently but just a month ago most of the press and so-called football pundits in the country were siding with Jose and saying Man U's players weren't good enough in quality, in particular a recent World cup winner (forgetting Jose had performed this same trick on Chelsea players including Hazard, then they won the title the very next season!!)

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/746667/Man-Utd-news-Paul-Ince-SLAMS-Paul-Pogba-Romelu-Lukaku-Premier-League/amp

https://amp.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/fa-cup/news/scholes-paul-pogba-not-good-enough_321181.html

https://talksport.com/football/461614/roy-keane-paul-pogba-manchester-united-liverpool/amp/

https://amp.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/news/dunphy-pogba-not-good-enough-for-united_315416.html



Now look at them purring.

I'm not saying Ozil is the answer or his abscence is the cause of our recent decline.... but Emery's inabilty to work with him or get anything out of him, despite having no close/adequate substitute for him, cannot be something we the Arsenal should overlook- it speaks volumes about the ability/limitations of our current manager.
See this is the problem.

Emery certainly has questions hanging over him, but basing any questions on him when it comes to Ozil is just plain wrong.

The world needs to realise that Ozil is done, no one can get anything out of him because he cant cut it at the top level consistently anymore. It’s his own limitations, injuries, mentality that is the problem not any managers.

Also as you point out, everyone was backing Jose and the players weren’t good enough, now it’s the opposite. Same goes for Ozil. He was useless and shit and now his absence is the reason we are doing so shit.

They are all clueless and look for any excuse rather than the real facts.

The sooner we can offload him the better.

[GP]

The world needs to realise that Ozil is done, no one can get anything out of him because he cant cut it at the top level consistently anymore. It’s his own limitations, injuries, mentality that is the problem not any managers.




Maybe, maybe not, but you can't tell me he couldn't have offered something from the bench at least against West Ham.

[selassie]

We knew Emery had an uphill battle from the start but I don't think he should be getting off lightly with some of the on the pitch decisions being made thus far. Also given the fact our defending has somehow become worse, when all the signings we made in the summer were supposed to bolster that aspect of our game, it's time he faced a few questions. If we lose to Chelsea any hope we had of finishing 4th can be laid to rest and it is only January. It's not good enough, Wenger hangover or not.

I agree mate. Emery has made some very dubious decisions recently in terms of picking the starting line-ups and I am finding myself questioning him more and more with our formation, this 5 at the back malarkey isn't working at all, we don't look solid and we seem to be suffering offensively.

We are actually going backwards....for a while throughout our unbeaten run we did actually look half decent at times...not now though...it's been a real struggle recently.

[SMatthews]

Maybe, maybe not, but you can't tell me he couldn't have offered something from the bench at least against West Ham.

The last time he came off the bench he offered nothing and barely put in any effort at all.

[Özim]

Isn’t that the point of Mislintat, to recruit players? I’m sure Emery is invoked on some level but I’ve no idea how all of that works.

Apparently so, so far though if it is him then he's not recruited as well as he could have done.


As far as I know AMN has been used as our defence was ruined by injuries. We’ve few options in defence for most of the season really with Kos/Monreal/Mav/Holding being out.

It seems he wanted to keep Ramsey and started him at the beginning of the season but then the contract mess happened and that came from above. Not sure what else he can do except use him as he has - which as mostly been from the bench.

Ozil, well I’ve said enough about him. With or without him we perform the same, as our position this season shows. And given his flakiness (his WC strop being another example) I’d genuinely question some of his ‘injuries’ too.

Torreira looked completely spent in his last 2/3 games and was not the same player. Whether that’s down to the amount of work he has to do to cover others, World Cup fatigue, or because he’s adjusting to having no winter break, I don’t know - but letting him rest a bit made sense. For some reason his performance levels have noticeably dropped recently. The loss of Bellerin has also been huge.

People were calling for Guendouzi to be a regular starter early in the season - but we are seeing you can’t rely on a 19 year old to do that job every week. But our options in that position are extremely limited - hence why Xhaka has to be a starter. Either that or it’s Ramsey (a proven disaster there), Elneny (average) or AMN (unproven and covering full backs) It also shows that the idea of throwing in kids right now will probably only make the situation worse.

AMN clearly can't play those positions, some players are more adaptable than others but I think he should be played in the centre where, his natural position, as for the injuries it seems to be a common problem with us.

IMO it's a nonsense to change your mind like this when you have a player who has a year left (especially given the limited money), you either decide to sell him for something in the summer or sign him up, you don't then change your mind, Emery should have done his homework before (likewise Gazidis though maybe he was more interested in feathering his nest at Milan, what a shambles that was to have him move 3 months into the season), especially given what's happen to us before. He also made the guy captain to be honest which should have never happened.

Ozil is on 350k, he's our most creative player and theres always a chance he'll produce something, he should not be frozen out as he has given that we have precious few options and those that we do have a frankly rubbish and need to be sold, it wouldn't hurt to bring him in even from the bench when you're losing, it's got to be better than keeping the rubbish we have who don't perform on the field.

Maybe but he's still better than the others, even at 50%, plus he didn't play the last match so had been rested.

Yes but you shouldn't play a kid all the time, he should be in and out, Emery should have recognised Xhaka was inadequate (it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see he's not much good) based on what he's done before and planned for that, either by selling him or by bringing in another option.



At the start of the season, most fans did not expect us to finish top four, which I didn’t either. We have almost the same points/goals as this point last season and are a similar distance away from the top four. We are where we should be with this team. Chelsea are as flaky as us, but they have a stronger midfield and defence. No one expected Man U to fall off a cliff and they’re getting back to their old performance levels. Every team in the top 6 is better than us and we didn’t spend enough in the summer to strengthen the squad.

Selling some of our dead wood won’t raise much funds. If we aren’t going to get much to spend in terms of budget then money has to be raised in other ways to reshape this team, which means selling one or two of our most valuable assets and reinvesting smartly. And that means Lacazette, Bellerin or Ozil need to be sacrificed to inject us with us decent cash.

It's not really about top 4, like others have said it's about seeing some sort of methodolgy, some plan, something which appears to point to change, what we're seeing right now is something too similar to last season and that's not good enough to be honest, we don't want the Wenger way going forward we want something different, something better and Emery isn't doing enough, the defence is a total shambles (despite the signings), the midfield is average and the players still don't look up for it enough.

Selling dead wood also reduces the horrendous wage bill and frees up money for potential new players, yes we won't get a lot, but it's better to get something and take a punt on someone else than stick to the average players that are there not turning up week in week out, this club needs change and a part of that is personnel change, I suggest most of the Wenger players need to go as they are use to be allowed to under perform with no repercussions and right now the same cycle seems to be repeating itself.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

See this is the problem.

Emery certainly has questions hanging over him, but basing any questions on him when it comes to Ozil is just plain wrong.

The world needs to realise that Ozil is done, no one can get anything out of him because he cant cut it at the top level consistently anymore. It’s his own limitations, injuries, mentality that is the problem not any managers.

Also as you point out, everyone was backing Jose and the players weren’t good enough, now it’s the opposite. Same goes for Ozil. He was useless and shit and now his absence is the reason we are doing so shit.

They are all clueless and look for any excuse rather than the real facts.

The sooner we can offload him the better.

I agree with you that we fans shouldn't base our opinions on the fair weather media and failed/bitter ex-legends who couldn't cut it as managers.

This is one of the main reasons I come on this board and have been on it for years- no matter where ever I happen to be in the world, I don't underrate the perspective a Fan Forum gives when you look at a club

The point is there is not a consensus opinion on here (or anywhere) that Ozil is finished, some fans and the manager think so- but he rates Xhaka, plays weak starting lineups and seems to think the solution to his defensive crisis is signing more attacking midfielders!!

Personally I don't think Ozil is finished, but like I said before- our current malaise is bigger than just this Ozil issue- I'm looking more and more at the manager's decisions and in particular his indecision on dealing with key issues he inherited from the AW era.

[Letters]

I suggest most of the Wenger players need to go as they are use to be allowed to under perform with no repercussions and right now the same cycle seems to be repeating itself.
I think that's bollox. We finished 6th last year which was the lowest we'd finished under Wenger.
Wenger was poor tactically and a poor motivator. I'm struggling to believe that a different manager couldn't get more out of this lot, whether that manager is Emery remains to be seen. There were early promising signs but now it's all gone to shit. Emery should be given some time to get things right and we definitely need some squad improvements, but I don't buy that we need a massive clearout.

[selassie]

I think that's bollox. We finished 6th last year which was the lowest we'd finished under Wenger.
Wenger was poor tactically and a poor motivator. I'm struggling to believe that a different manager couldn't get more out of this lot, whether that manager is Emery remains to be seen. There were early promising signs but now it's all gone to shit. Emery should be given some time to get things right and we definitely need some squad improvements, but I don't buy that we need a massive clearout.

Our rivals have improved, we are no longer a shoe-in for top 4 and as such NEED to improve upon the players we have and our current playing style (which is still very undefined).

I don't think we can just assume a new manager can come in and finish top 4 with largely the core of the team which has finished outside of the top 4 for two seasons running now.

Moreover, Emery seems to have issues with Ozil, doesn't seem fully convinced of his best starting XI and doesn't seem fully convinced on the teams formation.

Unless he has been given a pass to finish outside of the Top 4 this season Emery needs to stick to a favoured starting XI and formation, all this chopping and changing isn't productive and won't get us top 4....

I personally think the starting XI could be improved in quite a few positions. Right now, the only players I would keep as starters are....Bellerin, Kola, Sokratis, Torreira, Laca & Auba. The first three are questionable too.

[Özim]

I think that's bollox. We finished 6th last year which was the lowest we'd finished under Wenger.
Wenger was poor tactically and a poor motivator. I'm struggling to believe that a different manager couldn't get more out of this lot, whether that manager is Emery remains to be seen. There were early promising signs but now it's all gone to shit. Emery should be given some time to get things right and we definitely need some squad improvements, but I don't buy that we need a massive clearout.

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but even when we were doing well we were getting away with a lot of mistakes that went unpunished, IMO this squad needs a lot of surgery, the goalkeepers haven't so far proved good enough, we need a left back (Monreal is 33 now) and right back as Lichsteiner isn't up to it and Bellerin still needs competition and to learn to defend, we need a CB or two (Mustafi, Koscielny aren't any good), we need a replacement for Xhaka and we need a winger and if Ozil isn't up to it another player to replace him, that's 7-8 players right there.

We'll probably also need to replace Sokratis and Aubameyang in the not too distant future too as Sokatris is 30 and Auba is 30 in June.

There's too many average players in this squad and it's not going to change until we replace them because frankly they're not good enough and never will be regardless of who is managing the side.

[selassie]

I'm no Ozil fan but I think even at his worst he is still capable of producing something out of nothing, in a way Iwobi and Mkhi simply can't. I don't understand why Ramsey is getting more minutes than Ozil when we know for near enough fact that he is leaving. I think freezing Ozil out completely is a bit of a fallacy when inferior players are being afforded game time.

It's all a mess though. No money to spend, injuries and a coach who doesn't know his best 11 or set up.

Aye, I agree with this. I'm not a fan of Ozil either but our lack of creativity with him and to a lesser extent Mkhi not being in the team is glaringly obvious.

It's all very well Emery having an issue with him..but if he doesn't have an alternative...which he doesn't...then Ozil should be getting games.

[Letters]

Let's leave aside whether we finish top 4 or not. Last year we were miles away from it, we finished 12 points off of 4th and with 63 points.
The biggest issue is clearly defence, we conceded 51 goals, 13 more than anyone else in the top 5.

I don't believe that a new manager can't come in and immediately improve some of that with a couple of signings.
After a promising start we now only have 2 more points now than we did at this stage last year.
We are scoring more but we are conceding more

I've been saying that Emery gets a free pass this season but it's time to start asking some questions.

[Marc Overmars]

It’s a free pass as long as there is evidence of improvements being made.

This time next year if we are still bumbling along like we are now then I’m not going to blame anyone if they feel he should be given the boot. He’s only on a 3 year deal so there has to be some marked improvement pretty soon if he’s going to see that contract out.

The competition is very stiff though. Even when we had the unbeaten run we were still 5th most of the time because the consistency required now is through the roof. You can’t be losing to trash like Southampton and West Ham and expect to be challenging for 4th.

[SMatthews]

Apparently so, so far though if it is him then he's not recruited as well as he could have done.



AMN clearly can't play those positions, some players are more adaptable than others but I think he should be played in the centre where, his natural position, as for the injuries it seems to be a common problem with us.

IMO it's a nonsense to change your mind like this when you have a player who has a year left (especially given the limited money), you either decide to sell him for something in the summer or sign him up, you don't then change your mind, Emery should have done his homework before (likewise Gazidis though maybe he was more interested in feathering his nest at Milan, what a shambles that was to have him move 3 months into the season), especially given what's happen to us before. He also made the guy captain to be honest which should have never happened.

Ozil is on 350k, he's our most creative player and theres always a chance he'll produce something, he should not be frozen out as he has given that we have precious few options and those that we do have a frankly rubbish and need to be sold, it wouldn't hurt to bring him in even from the bench when you're losing, it's got to be better than keeping the rubbish we have who don't perform on the field.

Maybe but he's still better than the others, even at 50%, plus he didn't play the last match so had been rested.

Yes but you shouldn't play a kid all the time, he should be in and out, Emery should have recognised Xhaka was inadequate (it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see he's not much good) based on what he's done before and planned for that, either by selling him or by bringing in another option.




It's not really about top 4, like others have said it's about seeing some sort of methodolgy, some plan, something which appears to point to change, what we're seeing right now is something too similar to last season and that's not good enough to be honest, we don't want the Wenger way going forward we want something different, something better and Emery isn't doing enough, the defence is a total shambles (despite the signings), the midfield is average and the players still don't look up for it enough.

Selling dead wood also reduces the horrendous wage bill and frees up money for potential new players, yes we won't get a lot, but it's better to get something and take a punt on someone else than stick to the average players that are there not turning up week in week out, this club needs change and a part of that is personnel change, I suggest most of the Wenger players need to go as they are use to be allowed to under perform with no repercussions and right now the same cycle seems to be repeating itself.

The only other option in the wing back/full back role was Lichtsteiner or a kid. At the very least AMN had played in LB for some of last season. He hasn't been great there, but I don't think he's been a liability. He's just 'done 'a job'.

He didn't change his mind about Ramsey. Literally 2 weeks after Gazidis left and two new guys came in the contract was taken off the table. So there's no confusion about what happened there. He seemed happy enough to have him before that when Gazidis was ready to pay him a high wage. The new guys aren't, so he's out the door. Remember, although he might be involved, he doesn't have the same power or influence as Wenger in that department. If Gazidis was still around, Ramsey would be signed up and in the team starting. We have several captains, so I'm not sure that makes much of a difference to anything.

I keep hearing Ozil is our most "creative player" but as always, memories are short. Over the past two seasons there have been constant calls to drop him because he's so lazy, a liability etc. He's only now become the solution because he's not around. There's obviously something going on behind the scenes. I don't think it's as straightforward as him just being frozen out for the sake of it. The times he has come off the bench he has offered nothing to the team. He was in the team last season with these same players and we are performing exactly the same with him out of the side. The way Ozil quit Germany says a lot about his ego and flakiness, and probably why Wenger bent over backwards to pamper him. Ozil has had more than a fair shot under Emery - he was publicly backed at the start of the season, yet he delivered fuck all on the pitch. One assist in 16 appearances - and most of those have been starts.

With Torreira, that doesn't make any sense - "at 50% he's better than the others". In reality, no he isn't. And is it any use to us playing him if he was at that sort of level? That's just a throw away statement that means nothing. And if he is tired or feeling the pace for whatever reason, it makes some sort of sense to let him rest so we can use him in this final stretch. Against the teams we were playing, he shouldn't have been missed that badly.

Given the obvious limited resources, it isn't just a case of getting a replacement for Xhaka last summer. Emery had to come in and give the team a clean slate to see what they are made of. There were other areas of the team that needed spending. With Torreira coming in alongside him, you don't want two brand new players in the centre of the team. That's way too risky. And anyway, how much would we get for Xhaka last summer and what sort of replacement could we have got at that point - especially as he was away at the WC? Not a lot is the answer. He's been of more use than not this season, even with his mistakes.

Until we start getting in different players, we are going to see the same results and patterns. Time has to be allowed for the manager. That's why the summer is so important. Even then, it comes down to how much backing he gets. You can't use the same tools and expect different results. You can try to use them in a different way but at the end of the day, those tools can only do the same job they did before. Fans keeping saying "he gets a free pass this season" and in reality he isn't being given that at all.

As usual, everything is over analysed to death and expectation levels after 6 months are too high. But the reality is, this frustration isn't because of Emery. It's because of the mess left behind by the last lot and that is continuing to spill over into this season. It was bubbling under the surface even before this bad period. Unless a manager is given hundreds of millions to spend to transform this club on the field, then I guarantee whoever is in the manager's job will be put in this same situation after only 6 months. Just look at Utd for a reminder of what happens when you are trying replace a 20-odd year legacy. And that's with hundreds of millions of pounds spent. Manager's need a bit of time to at least prove themselves right but that's seemingly impossible and Arsenal fans better buckle up and face up to the fact that with our without Emery we will get more of the same.

[selassie]

Let's leave aside whether we finish top 4 or not. Last year we were miles away from it, we finished 12 points off of 4th and with 63 points.
The biggest issue is clearly defence, we conceded 51 goals, 13 more than anyone else in the top 5.

I don't believe that a new manager can't come in and immediately improve some of that with a couple of signings.
After a promising start we now only have 2 more points now than we did at this stage last year.
We are scoring more but we are conceding more

I've been saying that Emery gets a free pass this season but it's time to start asking some questions.

I'm pretty much in agreement with you TBH. I think Emery needs time but he also needs to show that he has some kind of plan, I sort of saw one earlier on in the season... but don't anymore. Defence has been a major issue all season, we got away with it earlier in the season due to the unbeaten run and a whole heap of luck.

I think Emery and the coaching staff are doing a poor job on defence, as bad...if not worse than Wenger TBH. I don't believe for a second this defence is as bad as the number of errors or disorganisation we are seeing now and have been seeing all season.

Right now we look no better than last season...we did at times look better than last season earlier on in the season...but only due to some encouraging performances in the big games and improved away form...that is essentially the only real sign of progress.

Emery absolutely has to step up now....the performances and results NEED to improve.

[GP]

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
He tried to implement a style early on but he's realised he doesn't have the squad for it. He's only had one transfer window so it's not really his squad yet.

[Letters]

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but even when we were doing well we were getting away with a lot of mistakes that went unpunished
Agreed, that run did flatter us somewhat. And I agree that the defence needs some improvement. Some of the other improvements you suggest are probably right too, but those can be done over the next few years, I don't accept we need 7-8 players replaced now to see any improvement


it's not going to change until we replace them because frankly they're not good enough and never will be regardless of who is managing the side.
What happened to "any manager would do better"? :shrug:
That's what was being said last season.

[GP]

Agreed, that run did flatter us somewhat. And I agree that the defence needs some improvement. Some of the other improvements you suggest are probably right too, but those can be done over the next few years, I don't accept we need 7-8 players replaced now to see any improvement


What happened to "any manager would do better"? :shrug:
That's what was being said last season.

Brexit means Brexit

[Letters]

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
He tried to implement a style early on but he's realised he doesn't have the squad for it. He's only had one transfer window so it's not really his squad yet.

Largely agreed although, honestly, I was expecting a bit more.
Some of Wenger's weaknesses were being a poor tactician - he didn't prepare us for the opposition - and motivator - exacerbated by a lack of a proper captain - and a neglect of the defence.
I did expect a bit of improvement from a new manager, there were early promising signs and while the winning run flattered us a bit I was enjoying the football at times.
Right now it's back to the rubbish we've seen over the last couple of seasons.

[Özim]

Agreed, that run did flatter us somewhat. And I agree that the defence needs some improvement. Some of the other improvements you suggest are probably right too, but those can be done over the next few years, I don't accept we need 7-8 players replaced now to see any improvement

I listed the players I think we need to replace and it's between 6 and 8 players, if you disagree fine but I think all those positions need replacements



What happened to "any manager would do better"? :shrug:
That's what was being said last season.

They could but they have to change things, Emery should be implementing his methods, just like Klopp did, it might be hit and miss at this stage as the players don't fit in or are not good enough but he should still apply his methods, the problem right now is we're looking much like the Wenger team of old. In reality though Wenger messed it up for him as he's left him with next to nothing to spend, so making the changes are harder than they ever would have been when Wenger was in charge.

Saying that I agree with MO if things aren't different next season he should be given the boot.

[selassie]

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
He tried to implement a style early on but he's realised he doesn't have the squad for it. He's only had one transfer window so it's not really his squad yet.

It kind of did work though in the sense that we at least looked a lot more solid and a lot more fluid going forward earlier on in the season.

Injuries played a part in the mess we are currently in...but I don't understand why he doesn't just revert to type and go back to the previous formation.

He needs to bury the hatchet with Ozil and get him back in the team IMO.

[GP]

I don't know what's going on with Ozil but yes, we can't have 300k a week not even on the bench.

[Globalgunner]

The problem with Ozil is that half a dozen managers have identified the same mental weakness in him but he himself doesnt see it. He thinks he is this eccentric, mercurial oddity that others should compensate for simply because he can occasionally produce that stand up and wow moment. He forgets that he is a sportsman not a university lecturer. Any top sportsman that can be bullied off the ball by mediocre players and will do absolutely nothing to get it back is a liability. Less than 2 months ago we was given the captains armband in another of his numerous comebacks and delivered another "I dont give a toss" performance. He is a liability to the team and to Emerys prospects on the job. Emery has concluded as I do that he would rather fail without him than with him.
Ozil has already "retired" in his mind.

On the larger issue I dont know whats going on with the defence. Holding is the only main cog that is missing, but he shouldn't be that important to the team, except he is apparently. Mustafi is braindead and unnerves the rest of the defence. We played well against Chelsea away to the point I was not upset that we lost because 3 open goals were missed by Iwobi, Auba and 1 other person. We should have won that game. My take on it is we should drop Xhaka and Mustafi, forget that Ozil even exists and hope 2 or 3 loanees can save our skins. I would take Cahill and the other Ex leicester MF guy on loan from Chelsea and see if a playmaker can come in from Spain, whether it be Suarez or Banega. we desperately need one. If Emery continues to play Xhaka then he deserves the sack.

[Mac76]

****** means ******

can we keep this shit off a football messageboard pls?

it's enough with it being all around us

[Mac76]

He forgets that he is a sportsman not a university lecturer.

a bit harsh on lecturers - now universities are a business, what makes you think they don't have to turn up and give good lectures, mark papers, tutors students, produce results etc or be fired?

[Globalgunner]

a bit harsh on lecturers - now universities are a business, what makes you think they don't have to turn up and give good lectures, mark papers, tutors students, produce results etc or be fired?

Don't get me wrong mate, Lecturers are fundamental members of society. What i meant is that academics allows a great latitude of opinion. There aren't many lazy lecturers but plenty of eccentric ones

Only today. I was wishing that politicians could have their salaries pegged to the same as university lecturers. Fkn leeches!

[KSE Comedy Club]

The problem with Ozil is that half a dozen managers have identified the same mental weakness in him but he himself doesnt see it. He thinks he is this eccentric, mercurial oddity that others should compensate for simply because he can occasionally produce that stand up and wow moment. He forgets that he is a sportsman not a university lecturer. Any top sportsman that can be bullied off the ball by mediocre players and will do absolutely nothing to get it back is a liability. Less than 2 months ago we was given the captains armband in another of his numerous comebacks and delivered another "I dont give a toss" performance. He is a liability to the team and to Emerys prospects on the job. Emery has concluded as I do that he would rather fail without him than with him.
Ozil has already "retired" in his mind.



This is exactly what I was trying to say earlier.

There is no point having a player in the team, on the bench or in the squad - just in case he might play 1 game in 4 and possibly, maybe, create a goal scoring opportunity.
In Emery's defence on this subject, I can understand where he is coming from and his actions.

It's the rest of the squad and what is going on with them that I can't defend him too much for.

[Mac76]

Don't get me wrong mate, Lecturers are fundamental members of society. What i meant is that academics allows a great latitude of opinion. There aren't many lazy lecturers but plenty of eccentric ones

Only today. I was wishing that politicians could have their salaries pegged to the same as university lecturers. Fkn leeches!

no problem and agree with the bit about politicians :)

[Mac76]

This is exactly what I was trying to say earlier.

There is no point having a player in the team, on the bench or in the squad - just in case he might play 1 game in 4 and possibly, maybe, create a goal scoring opportunity.
In Emery's defence on this subject, I can understand where he is coming from and his actions.

It's the rest of the squad and what is going on with them that I can't defend him too much for.

as Ian Wright said on MOTD, we need to play Ozil xconsistently at least for a few games to see if he can deliver more often.

In the Burnley game he helped create two goals and was the creative feed, ok not for the whole match but enough to make the crucial difference. And other times he was making himself available for the ball a lot but Xhaka wasn't putting his head up to spot him (in the same way he often doesn't spot Kola in space either)

Xhaka really is shit btw that header to cause the goal in the West ham match was non-league stuff

[Letters]

I listed the players I think we need to replace and it's between 6 and 8 players, if you disagree fine but I think all those positions need replacements
I don't entirely disagree but I don't think they need immediate replacement before we see some improvement.
If there's not much left to spend then I suggest you look at the owners, we are bringing in shitloads of money.
Our net spend is actually quite high over the last few years, but nowhere near the likes of City and Utd

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/revealed-premier-league-net-spending-table-sparks-a-debate-over-managerial-achievements-36861511.html

And our wage bill, while high, is only 5th highest both in terms of average pay per player and overall:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-lead-way-premier-13650048
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/06/premier-league-finances-club-guide-2016-17

Our wages are 47% of turnover, lower as a percentage than anyone bar Spurs and Man Utd.

[hobson's choice]

Emery is a jobber who can only really manage highly functional cloggers. Please get rid.

[Özim]

I don't entirely disagree but I don't think they need immediate replacement before we see some improvement.
If there's not much left to spend then I suggest you look at the owners, we are bringing in shitloads of money.
Our net spend is actually quite high over the last few years, but nowhere near the likes of City and Utd

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/revealed-premier-league-net-spending-table-sparks-a-debate-over-managerial-achievements-36861511.html

And our wage bill, while high, is only 5th highest both in terms of average pay per player and overall:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-lead-way-premier-13650048
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/06/premier-league-finances-club-guide-2016-17

Our wages are 47% of turnover, lower as a percentage than anyone bar Spurs and Man Utd.

No we don't need to replace them all immediately but the sooner the better if we're going to get challenging again.

Our net spend is reasonable, in reality though we've waste a lot of money on the wrong players and also sold poorly and lost players for nothing who were worth a fair amount (Sanchez should have been worth 60-70 million).

Klopp has done amazingly though, he's brought in quality whilst selling really well, meaning their net spend in 18 million and yet there they are top of the league (and in the CL final last season - his 2nd season so Emery has got to get a move on), Spurs too have worked wonders, 50 million net spend and yet they are miles ahead of us overall.

Our setup has been terrible for years and we've done it again with Ramsey, lost out on 40-50 odd million and based on last summers' budget we could illafford to miss out on that kind of money, on top of that we have very few players in the squad who are worth anything of note, so unless we get lucky with some talented youngsters or cheap buys we're going to struggle without significant investment in the team from somewhere.

[Mac76]

Emery is a jobber who can only really manage highly functional cloggers. Please get rid.

yeah spot on - he's trying to bring the club down to his Europa-League level rather than bring himself up to (what should be) ours, i.e. title-winning

potentially very dangerous and unless we're proved wrong by the summer he should go

my worry is he suits the Kroenkes because he won't cause trouble and knows he doesn't have the clout to demand more cash

[Bumble]

yeah spot on - he's trying to bring the club down to his Europa-League level rather than bring himself up to (what should be) ours, i.e. title-winning

potentially very dangerous and unless we're proved wrong by the summer he should go

my worry is he suits the Kroenkes because he won't cause trouble and knows he doesn't have the clout to demand more cash

we haven't won the league in nearly 15 years!!! I am not sure we are a title winning club we are 4th - 6th place club so Emery does suit us. In terms of wages we are behind Chelsea, United, City and possibly Liverpool (not sure on that). In terms of spending we are behind Chelsea, United, City and Liverpool (although again they seem to make a ton of cash on players to re-invest). So we should be 5th.

the frustrating thing is the stadium move was supposed to push us to the next level. but again its the players who have done well out of the stadium move with the salaries we are paying.

and I agree with others here who have said the football seems to be reverting back to last season. I was enjoying the football, it was good to watch, we attacked and scored goals and committed stupid defensive errors but it was still enjoyable to watch. Now the scoring has stopped, and we are still comedic in defence.

Anyway Chelsea up next so that could spur us onto another unbeaten run or thinks could get a bit spicy already especially with United in the cup on the horizon.

[fakeyank]

No we don't need to replace them all immediately but the sooner the better if we're going to get challenging again.

Our net spend is reasonable, in reality though we've waste a lot of money on the wrong players and also sold poorly and lost players for nothing who were worth a fair amount (Sanchez should have been worth 60-70 million).

Klopp has done amazingly though, he's brought in quality whilst selling really well, meaning their net spend in 18 million and yet there they are top of the league (and in the CL final last season - his 2nd season so Emery has got to get a move on), Spurs too have worked wonders, 50 million net spend and yet they are miles ahead of us overall.

Our setup has been terrible for years and we've done it again with Ramsey, lost out on 40-50 odd million and based on last summers' budget we could illafford to miss out on that kind of money, on top of that we have very few players in the squad who are worth anything of note, so unless we get lucky with some talented youngsters or cheap buys we're going to struggle without significant investment in the team from somewhere.

:gp:

I think we are generally just a very poorly run 'top' club. Emery really has his work cut out at this club.

[SMatthews]

we haven't won the league in nearly 15 years!!! I am not sure we are a title winning club we are 4th - 6th place club so Emery does suit us. In terms of wages we are behind Chelsea, United, City and possibly Liverpool (not sure on that). In terms of spending we are behind Chelsea, United, City and Liverpool (although again they seem to make a ton of cash on players to re-invest). So we should be 5th.

the frustrating thing is the stadium move was supposed to push us to the next level. but again its the players who have done well out of the stadium move with the salaries we are paying.

and I agree with others here who have said the football seems to be reverting back to last season. I was enjoying the football, it was good to watch, we attacked and scored goals and committed stupid defensive errors but it was still enjoyable to watch. Now the scoring has stopped, and we are still comedic in defence.

Anyway Chelsea up next so that could spur us onto another unbeaten run or thinks could get a bit spicy already especially with United in the cup on the horizon.

Fans perceptions are crazy sometimes. Emery is trying shift a 20 odd year legacy out of the club and that won’t happen overnight. Take one look at Utd and that shows us everything we need to see. Of course we aren’t going to switch into a new, permanent style in the first season. It will be great sometimes, and at other times not. And West Ham was the first time we’ve not scored in the PL this season, so I’ve no idea where this idea ther we’ve stopped scoring has come from - we’ve even scored more now in the PL than at the same stage last season (6 more). And some fans are even saying he should go at the end of the season - I can just see the big names queuing up to take the job to replace him...

[Letters]

I think we are generally just a very poorly run 'top' club. Emery really has his work cut out at this club.
I used to think we were really well run and I think back in the day we were but now, not so much.
I pretty much agree that Wenger made some bad decisions and mismanaged certain things but the problems run much deeper than that.
I always felt that while there were problems at board level replacing Wenger wouldn't achieve much (although I agree that needed to happen).

https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2019/1/11/18176857/arsenal-transfer-news-kroenke-investment

[selassie]

Fans perceptions are crazy sometimes. Emery is trying shift a 20 odd year legacy out of the club and that won’t happen overnight. Take one look at Utd and that shows us everything we need to see. Of course we aren’t going to switch into a new, permanent style in the first season. It will be great sometimes, and at other times not. And West Ham was the first time we’ve not scored in the PL this season, so I’ve no idea where this idea ther we’ve stopped scoring has come from - we’ve even scored more now in the PL than at the same stage last season (6 more). And some fans are even saying he should go at the end of the season - I can just see the big names queuing up to take the job to replace him...

Its not about him going, it’s about him working with what he has and getting the absolute maximum performance out of them. He has regularly said that he is happy with his squad and has top class players.

I personally think the team has another level or two in it if really pushed, we have seen glimpses of what the team is capable of already this season, where is the consistency?

I realise the team / squad has limitations, I realise that we are realistically the 6th best team in the league, but I’m not entirely sold on Emery, I’m not clear on his playing style, favoured starting line up, formation and his ambition. It all seems a bit vague to me and I’m not comfortable with that.

At some stage Emery is going to have to be judged on a results and performance basis, that’s all he is accountable for.

[SMatthews]

Its not about him going, it’s about him working with what he has and getting the absolute maximum performance out of them. He has regularly said that he is happy with his squad and has top class players.

I personally think the team has another level or two in it if really pushed, we have seen glimpses of what the team is capable of already this season, where is the consistency?

I realise the team / squad has limitations, I realise that we are realistically the 6th best team in the league, but I’m not entirely sold on Emery, I’m not clear on his playing style, favoured starting line up, formation and his ambition. It all seems a bit vague to me and I’m not comfortable with that.

At some stage Emery is going to have to be judged on a results and performance basis, that’s all he is accountable for.

There are certainly more people saying he should go - even on this forum, which is probably the smallest sample size available. Of course he’s going to say he’s happy with the squad if he’s not being given the money right now to replace them - the summer will show whether that’s the truth or not. We’ve seen Jose throw several players under the bus at Utd and that worked out really well for him.

He’s shifted formations to try and protect the defence but it hasn’t worked. We always wanted a manager who reacted to the opposition and set up accordingly, so it works both ways. His style is clear enough but whether this squad can implement is another matter entirely. He’s six months into the job and has been given hardly anything to spend - what sort of identity or changes are we expecting already? You won’t find consistency when trying to radically change a style and identity that has existed for well over a decade. It will be in fits and starts at this point.

There’s this constant demand for instant results but it’s unrealistic given the scale of his job. He needs to be judged properly if there is a budget in the summer and then what Mislintat and co do with it, then we can see where we are next January. Six months doesn’t even scratch the surface of the job on his hands here. Emery may not be the answer, but he at least deserves more patience than he’s getting. The very best managers make mistakes all the time - the difference is they usually have great players to cover them up. Emery doesn’t. And unless we sell to reinvest, or miraculously stumble across a few hundred mill down the back of the sofa - 5/6th is as good as it gets.

Two different managers, same players and same results - it shows where the problems are to be fixed - Arsenal fans have been banging on about that for years. Now this team all of a sudden has more to offer but it’s the managers not getting it out of them? On paper, or on the field, this squad is performing to its limit, which we saw during the unbeaten run, and even then we were as creaky as hell at times.

[Penguin]

It's disappointing how we've faded away and gone back to old habits after a promising start. When I watch us play there are still too many similarities to Wenger's faults. It was never going to be plain sailing but I at least expected Emery to fix up our defending, give us a faster and more positive style of football.

Emery needs a chance to sign the players he wants and get rid of the players he doesn't. The squad is full of Wenger flops and Emery shouldn't be judged because of them. But if August comes and Mustafi and Xhaka are still here and starting matches for us I'll give up on Emery.

[KSE Comedy Club]

as Ian Wright said on MOTD, we need to play Ozil xconsistently at least for a few games to see if he can deliver more often.

In the Burnley game he helped create two goals and was the creative feed, ok not for the whole match but enough to make the crucial difference. And other times he was making himself available for the ball a lot but Xhaka wasn't putting his head up to spot him (in the same way he often doesn't spot Kola in space either)

Xhaka really is shit btw that header to cause the goal in the West ham match was non-league stuff

Yes but this is entirely the point & what Wright and others keep failing to see.

We do need to play him consistently for him to have an impact or try to.

The problem is we can’t as he is injured every other game or two, or doesn’t turn up mentally (as witnessed the past season or two, prior to Emery).

Emery knows this and clearly, has tried to make some effort with Ozil this season but has seen something in him that can’t be changed - hence why he has fallen so out of favour with him now, that he doesn’t even make the squad.

My opinion is that he is done at the top level. Yes he might be able to produce the odd moment of magic but they have become few and far between and he isn’t cable of being consistent enough to warrant being here anymore or at any other top club for that matter.

We will be really lucky if we can sell him in the summer for a reasonable fee tbh.

[KSE Comedy Club]

There are certainly more people saying he should go - even on this forum, which is probably the smallest sample size available. Of course he’s going to say he’s happy with the squad if he’s not being given the money right now to replace them - the summer will show whether that’s the truth or not. We’ve seen Jose throw several players under the bus at Utd and that worked out really well for him.

He’s shifted formations to try and protect the defence but it hasn’t worked. We always wanted a manager who reacted to the opposition and set up accordingly, so it works both ways. His style is clear enough but whether this squad can implement is another matter entirely. He’s six months into the job and has been given hardly anything to spend - what sort of identity or changes are we expecting already? You won’t find consistency when trying to radically change a style and identity that has existed for well over a decade. It will be in fits and starts at this point.

There’s this constant demand for instant results but it’s unrealistic given the scale of his job. He needs to be judged properly if there is a budget in the summer and then what Mislintat and co do with it, then we can see where we are next January. Six months doesn’t even scratch the surface of the job on his hands here. Emery may not be the answer, but he at least deserves more patience than he’s getting. The very best managers make mistakes all the time - the difference is they usually have great players to cover them up. Emery doesn’t. And unless we sell to reinvest, or miraculously stumble across a few hundred mill down the back of the sofa - 5/6th is as good as it gets.

Two different managers, same players and same results - it shows where the problems are to be fixed - Arsenal fans have been banging on about that for years. Now this team all of a sudden has more to offer but it’s the managers not getting it out of them? On paper, or on the field, this squad is performing to its limit, which we saw during the unbeaten run, and even then we were as creaky as hell at times.

This is very much the crux of it.

Realistically, Emery needs 2-3 seasons to cement his vision for the squad and play style, with the personnel he needs, before we can even think about him outlaying his plans for the title and future successes tbh.

We have spent a decade in a footballing knightmare where mediocrity and failure were allowed, encouraged and rewarded and to be ‘ok’.

The whole culture of the players is set in it’s ways and we are seeing that now with the way the team are performing

We do need a clear out. We do need some fresh blood and a new perspective in the squad, but that takes time and money.

For me, Emery gets three seasons.

Three seasons, to turn things around and change the mindset of what this team has become.

Am I happy with our recent performances? No way.
Am I happy about our defence becoming even worse than ever? Hell no!
Am I happy about our slow paced, passing back to keeper with no attack whatsoever? Not a fucking chance!

These are all questions that need to be asked of Emery as to what the fuck is going on in training right now and why he hasn’t chosen a consistent starting eleven - he doesn’t get away Scot free because the players are being twats.

But he still gets his three seasons to try and make a difference.

2021 Unai. The clock is ticking :good:

[KSE Comedy Club]

It's disappointing how we've faded away and gone back to old habits after a promising start. When I watch us play there are still too many similarities to Wenger's faults. It was never going to be plain sailing but I at least expected Emery to fix up our defending, give us a faster and more positive style of football.

Emery needs a chance to sign the players he wants and get rid of the players he doesn't. The squad is full of Wenger flops and Emery shouldn't be judged because of them. But if August comes and Mustafi and Xhaka are still here and starting matches for us I'll give up on Emery.


Agreed :good:

[selassie]

There are certainly more people saying he should go - even on this forum, which is probably the smallest sample size available. Of course he’s going to say he’s happy with the squad if he’s not being given the money right now to replace them - the summer will show whether that’s the truth or not. We’ve seen Jose throw several players under the bus at Utd and that worked out really well for him.

He’s shifted formations to try and protect the defence but it hasn’t worked. We always wanted a manager who reacted to the opposition and set up accordingly, so it works both ways. His style is clear enough but whether this squad can implement is another matter entirely. He’s six months into the job and has been given hardly anything to spend - what sort of identity or changes are we expecting already? You won’t find consistency when trying to radically change a style and identity that has existed for well over a decade. It will be in fits and starts at this point.

There’s this constant demand for instant results but it’s unrealistic given the scale of his job. He needs to be judged properly if there is a budget in the summer and then what Mislintat and co do with it, then we can see where we are next January. Six months doesn’t even scratch the surface of the job on his hands here. Emery may not be the answer, but he at least deserves more patience than he’s getting. The very best managers make mistakes all the time - the difference is they usually have great players to cover them up. Emery doesn’t. And unless we sell to reinvest, or miraculously stumble across a few hundred mill down the back of the sofa - 5/6th is as good as it gets.

Two different managers, same players and same results - it shows where the problems are to be fixed - Arsenal fans have been banging on about that for years. Now this team all of a sudden has more to offer but it’s the managers not getting it out of them? On paper, or on the field, this squad is performing to its limit, which we saw during the unbeaten run, and even then we were as creaky as hell at times.

Oh Emery is a far superior tactician to Wenger, I have no doubt about that and I have been happy in the main with his pragmatic approach to game management.

Where I'm uncomfortable with Emery is with his recent chopping and changing of the formation and personnel to protect the defence. It isn't working, if anything we look a lot worse in all areas, he absolutely should not be persisting with this 5 at the back malarkey. We were doing fairly well last year with the 4-3-3 formation, yes we got lucky and yes the defence was leaky...but I see no improvement or progress with this back 5, we look worse!

I know I have come across quite strong on Emery but it is only because what I saw in the early stages was very promising compared to the current mess.

I didn't expect top 4 this season and am happy to write off this season but I do want to see some sort of progress, yes I realise that we may not have the personnel that Emery wants to execute his project, but at some point he is going to have to stick to a trusted formation with the players he has and make do with it. Yes we have limitations in the team / squad....but we genuinely did look like we were moving forward earlier on in the season, we looked like a legit top 4 team...not anymore...we have gone back to that "Wenger" clone team of last season!

[SMatthews]

Oh Emery is a far superior tactician to Wenger, I have no doubt about that and I have been happy in the main with his pragmatic approach to game management.

Where I'm uncomfortable with Emery is with his recent chopping and changing of the formation and personnel to protect the defence. It isn't working, if anything we look a lot worse in all areas, he absolutely should not be persisting with this 5 at the back malarkey. We were doing fairly well last year with the 4-3-3 formation, yes we got lucky and yes the defence was leaky...but I see no improvement or progress with this back 5, we look worse!

I know I have come across quite strong on Emery but it is only because what I saw in the early stages was very promising compared to the current mess.

I didn't expect top 4 this season and am happy to write off this season but I do want to see some sort of progress, yes I realise that we may not have the personnel that Emery wants to execute his project, but at some point he is going to have to stick to a trusted formation with the players he has and make do with it. Yes we have limitations in the team / squad....but we genuinely did look like we were moving forward earlier on in the season, we looked like a legit top 4 team...not anymore...we have gone back to that "Wenger" clone team of last season!

This is a large part of the point I’m making - when you are changing such an ingrained culture any progress won’t be continual in the early stages. You’ll take forward steps and backward steps along the way. The only way to get a clear view on how well Emery is performing is after about 18 months. So I’m not surprised we’ve looked good at times with a new identity, then at others we’ve looked liked the team of old.

Especially in defence where we’ve been down to bare bones during December, so I’m not surprised we’ve chopped and changed back there with the personnel we’ve had. Holding’s been out, Kos has struggled to come back, Mustafi has been out, along with Bellerin, Mav and Monreal - so I guess he’s been trying to figure out what to do with what we have. I also think the change in our style in terms of work ethic has taken its toll on the team, which is only natural. The same thing happened to Liverpool during their first season under Klopp. I know that by mid-November we’d put in more yards than any other team in the league, so again I’m not surprised in our first season we see some drop off at around this stage. It takes time to get that style into players who have never done it every week. And, of course, some of the players just aren’t up to it.

The big difference is that Klopp didn’t have such a legacy to shift out of the players and the set-up around them. If there is a budget in the summer and Mislintat spends it well so we can make some changes squad and we are still going through the same old thing next January, then we should be concerned.

[Özim]

Emery will get some time, but I think by next season we have to see a dramatic improvement and clear vision, right now it's a bit all over the place, there's an over reliance on sub standard players (I know some have said he came here and wanted to start with a clean slate, but for me sometimes that's not necessary, you can see how poor someone is based on how they performed in the past few seasons), no defensive solidity at all and some odd decisions.

IMO Lacazette and Auba must play most matches and if we're not winning stay on from start to finish as they are the most likely to get a goal, AMN should be given a shot in CM ahead of Xhaka (alternate him and Guendouzi), Torreira again must sart most games other than (maybe not cup games), obviously he can have a rest where possible but the reality is we have no cover so he should just play.

I wouldn' mind seeing Elneny over Xhaka as well if the two kids need a rest as he can't be any worse.

I'd bring Ozil back in as well, he's our highest paid player, is better than Mhiki and Iwobi who aren't that great or that effective (Iwobi has the odd decent game so I'd play him over Mikhi as well who should be sold as he's rubbish) and there's always the chance he can create something, let's face it it couldn'thave hurt using him against West Ham, we lost the game after all and our form in recent games which he hasn't featured has been dreadful so the other guys hardly deserve to be in the team themselves. At the end of the day Emery is playing Ramsey even though he's leaving, so even if he doesn't get on with Ozil he should play him and then try and sell him in the summer, what he shouldn't be doing is cutting off his nose to spite his face when he has no real decent alternatives.

Defence for me will have Mavropanos in as soon as he's fit, may as well give him a shot as Koscielny is finished and leaving in the summer I would think and Mustafi is an awful defender.

The other issue is the goalkeeper, I wanted Leno to get a chance to see if he was any good but in reality I wasn't sure about him given his lower stock and reputation for clangers in Germany. So far he's been a bit disappointing, basically confirming his reputation, we only have Cech as an option so realistically we should stick with him and see if he improves, if he doesn't our 20 million investment might have turned out as a bit of a waste, but then it was always a risk signing a keeper who's form and reputation had fallen like his.

Emery has a lot of work to do, but firstly he needs to stop sticking with certain players who don't make the grade like Xhaka/Mustafi/Mhiki etc and try something different, I don't want to see another manager who's too stubborn to see sense. In the summer I expect some decent signings as well, we need a CB for sure (a decent one, possibly two), also the full back area is a problem then I think a winger is a must and then possibly someone in midfield with some creativity to replace Ramsey, we also will probably need cover for Torreira (obviously we'd need to get rid of quite a few as well if we can).

If Leno isn't the answer then a keeper comes next.

[selassie]

Emery will get some time, but I think by next season we have to see a dramatic improvement and clear vision, right now it's a bit all over the place, there's an over reliance on sub standard players (I know some have said he came here and wanted to start with a clean slate, but for me sometimes that's not necessary, you can see how poor someone is based on how they performed in the past few seasons), no defensive solidity at all and some odd decisions.

IMO Lacazette and Auba must play most matches and if we're not winning stay on from start to finish as they are the most likely to get a goal, AMN should be given a shot in CM ahead of Xhaka (alternate him and Guendouzi), Torreira again must sart most games other than (maybe not cup games), obviously he can have a rest where possible but the reality is we have no cover so he should just play.

I wouldn' mind seeing Elneny over Xhaka as well if the two kids need a rest as he can't be any worse.

I'd bring Ozil back in as well, he's our highest paid player, is better than Mhiki and Iwobi who aren't that great or that effective (Iwobi has the odd decent game so I'd play him over Mikhi as well who should be sold as he's rubbish) and there's always the chance he can create something, let's face it it couldn'thave hurt using him against West Ham, we lost the game after all and our form in recent games which he hasn't featured has been dreadful so the other guys hardly deserve to be in the team themselves. At the end of the day Emery is playing Ramsey even though he's leaving, so even if he doesn't get on with Ozil he should play him and then try and sell him in the summer, what he shouldn't be doing is cutting off his nose to spite his face when he has no real decent alternatives.

Defence for me will have Mavropanos in as soon as he's fit, may as well give him a shot as Koscielny is finished and leaving in the summer I would think and Mustafi is an awful defender.

The other issue is the goalkeeper, I wanted Leno to get a chance to see if he was any good but in reality I wasn't sure about him given his lower stock and reputation for clangers in Germany. So far he's been a bit disappointing, basically confirming his reputation, we only have Cech as an option so realistically we should stick with him and see if he improves, if he doesn't our 20 million investment might have turned out as a bit of a waste, but then it was always a risk signing a keeper who's form and reputation had fallen like his.

Emery has a lot of work to do, but firstly he needs to stop sticking with certain players who don't make the grade like Xhaka/Mustafi/Mhiki etc and try something different, I don't want to see another manager who's too stubborn to see sense. In the summer I expect some decent signings as well, we need a CB for sure (a decent one, possibly two), also the full back area is a problem then I think a winger is a must and then possibly someone in midfield with some creativity to replace Ramsey, we also will probably need cover for Torreira (obviously we'd need to get rid of quite a few as well if we can).

If Leno isn't the answer then a keeper comes next.

:gp:

[Mac76]

:gp:

Seconded, great post

[KSE Comedy Club]

Emery will get some time, but I think by next season we have to see a dramatic improvement and clear vision, right now it's a bit all over the place, there's an over reliance on sub standard players (I know some have said he came here and wanted to start with a clean slate, but for me sometimes that's not necessary, you can see how poor someone is based on how they performed in the past few seasons), no defensive solidity at all and some odd decisions.

IMO Lacazette and Auba must play most matches and if we're not winning stay on from start to finish as they are the most likely to get a goal, AMN should be given a shot in CM ahead of Xhaka (alternate him and Guendouzi), Torreira again must sart most games other than (maybe not cup games), obviously he can have a rest where possible but the reality is we have no cover so he should just play.

I wouldn' mind seeing Elneny over Xhaka as well if the two kids need a rest as he can't be any worse.

I'd bring Ozil back in as well, he's our highest paid player, is better than Mhiki and Iwobi who aren't that great or that effective (Iwobi has the odd decent game so I'd play him over Mikhi as well who should be sold as he's rubbish) and there's always the chance he can create something, let's face it it couldn'thave hurt using him against West Ham, we lost the game after all and our form in recent games which he hasn't featured has been dreadful so the other guys hardly deserve to be in the team themselves. At the end of the day Emery is playing Ramsey even though he's leaving, so even if he doesn't get on with Ozil he should play him and then try and sell him in the summer, what he shouldn't be doing is cutting off his nose to spite his face when he has no real decent alternatives.

Defence for me will have Mavropanos in as soon as he's fit, may as well give him a shot as Koscielny is finished and leaving in the summer I would think and Mustafi is an awful defender.

The other issue is the goalkeeper, I wanted Leno to get a chance to see if he was any good but in reality I wasn't sure about him given his lower stock and reputation for clangers in Germany. So far he's been a bit disappointing, basically confirming his reputation, we only have Cech as an option so realistically we should stick with him and see if he improves, if he doesn't our 20 million investment might have turned out as a bit of a waste, but then it was always a risk signing a keeper who's form and reputation had fallen like his.

Emery has a lot of work to do, but firstly he needs to stop sticking with certain players who don't make the grade like Xhaka/Mustafi/Mhiki etc and try something different, I don't want to see another manager who's too stubborn to see sense. In the summer I expect some decent signings as well, we need a CB for sure (a decent one, possibly two), also the full back area is a problem then I think a winger is a must and then possibly someone in midfield with some creativity to replace Ramsey, we also will probably need cover for Torreira (obviously we'd need to get rid of quite a few as well if we can).

If Leno isn't the answer then a keeper comes next.

A good post.

Except for the stuff about Ozil as he needs to go and be replaced also.

[Özim]

A good post.

Except for the stuff about Ozil as he needs to go and be replaced also.

Yes but even if you believe that are Iwobi and Mikhi doing any better, that was my point it's all very good not playing him if you have other options and they are working, but since Ozil hasn't played Iwobi and Mikhi haven't done a lot and we've bene in pretty poor form, so they aren't any better, at least he's capable of creating something.

It's making the best out of a bad situation really, by all means replace him in the summer, but right now we don't have any better options and he's being paid 350k so we may as well try and use him.

Don't get me wrong I agree Ozil hasn't been performing, it's just that he has more ability than those who are playing instead and we've not been winning without him so clearly the replacements aren't any good. We lost againt West Ham, there's a chance that if Ozil had come on we may have got a point, there's nothing to lose at the moment really.

If it works he creates some goals we win some games and his stock goes back up, if it doesn't we're no worse off as we don't have anyone who could do better. As it stands, he's a drain on resources, we're not getting anything out of it and his value is falling and he's even harder to sell, at the end of the day we need a buyer or we're stuck with him on 350k, there's no getting round that and not playing him isn't going to help us find buyers.

[Bumble]

We will need another keeper next year anyway with Cech retiring.

But I do agree - maybe its worth integrating the kids like Emile Rowe etc into the first team this season, to push up their experience for a more serious effort next season to push up the table. As I think if we lose to Chelsea then top 4 is over and we wont finish lower than 6th as the other teams are too far behind and we will always be able to score enough goals against teams to keep those below at arms length.

So why not give the youth a go now like Ozim said about AMN, shame about Holding as he was doing ok and I think he does have a future, him and Mavro/Sokratis could develop an understanding. Mustafi must be quite high up on the worst Wenger signings ever.

With Ozil its difficult - I imagine he will play against Chelsea, he is our most creative player and he only needs to create one chance to be worthwhile. but if Emery doesn't want him or like his attitude then might as well get rid asap if that's possible. A sale could be difficult so a loan out but we will probably end up covering £200k/week wages anyway. So we are screwed.

So a loss this weekend and a defeat against United we might as well start planning for next season.

[Blink 1nce Quince 2wice]

Ozil Iwobi and Mhiki can all play in the same side anyway. Emery has left Ozil out because he has an issue with Ozil....not because he thinks Iwobi or Mhki are straight up better players.

I think even if we beat Chelsea we will not finish top 4. Chelsea aren't their own best iteration right now but they still have the remnants of a title winning tea there and Manure as we can all see are playing with the momentum they should have been playing with since August.