When will Arteta be sacked by

[Marc Overmars]

There’s been progress no doubt. Arteta has changed the culture and given the foundation for the team to win games more often than not. The squad has been stripped bare for a reason and I feel like we’re in the final stage of this project now. We’ve barely signed anyone up front for years and that’s the one area left for Arteta to put his stamp on the team. He’s clearly been building from back to front.

The only issue really is that will we find some quality forwards without CL? So it might be a tough pill to swallow if we miss out now.

Carragher said the other day he thinks Arsenal are waiting for their Alisson and Van Dijk signings, players that ultimately took Liverpool to another level. I thought that was a good way to describe where we are potentially at now.

[IBK]

There’s been progress no doubt. Arteta has changed the culture and given the foundation for the team to win games more often than not. The squad has been stripped bare for a reason and I feel like we’re in the final stage of this project now. We’ve barely signed anyone up front for years and that’s the one area left for Arteta to put his stamp on the team. He’s clearly been building from back to front.

The only issue really is that will we find some quality forwards without CL? So it might be a tough pill to swallow if we miss out now.

Carragher said the other day he thinks Arsenal are waiting for their Alisson and Van Dijk signings, players that ultimately took Liverpool to another level. I thought that was a good way to describe where we are potentially at now.

We will find quality forwards - just need to be even cannier than we were last Summer...

[Letters]

What is also easy to ignore is the other ways that the manager has almost revolutionised our team and the general atmosphere around it. He has built a togetherness in the team and connection with the fans that could easily have been harmed by signing a mercenary striker in January.

Right

This is a key thing and shouldn't be underestimated. Right now I like this team again. I feel they're fighting for each other, and the fans.
So sure, last night was a bad day at the office but it's easier to accept those when generally it feels like the team have spirit and will fight for results.
The important thing is we react now. My gut feeling is we'll fall short when it comes to top 4, but there's been clear improvement since last year and I wouldn't be too hard on a young squad which doesn't have enough depth. We have to push on in the summer but I agree with MO that it'll be difficult to get a striker of the of the calibre we need. Partly because they don't grow on trees, partly because it's so obvious that's what we need the prices for us will he sky high.

[selassie]

As others have stated we have made quite significant improvements since last season in both performance and results. Last night was a bit of a shock to be honest, not the defeat per say but the manner in which we were comprehensively outplayed and outfought. All teams have blips so if we can excuse last night as a bad day at the office then we will be right in the mix for CL until the end of the season.

Do I think we will finish top 4? Not so sure now given the mounting injuries and tough schedule. What is important more than anything is we put up a fight to finish in the top 4, we can only do what we do.

This team has shown resilience this season after a defeat so lets hope we put another little run together.

[KSE Comedy Club]

The optimism ballon may have deflated, but I think your criticism of Arteta is OTT. Like Letters says he has quite obviously made progress this season, and had we won last night the plaudits for our manager would be continuing. Yes not signing a striker in January was a gamble but W11 D1 L3 since Aubameyang's last game is hardly evidence that this has not paid off.

What is also easy to ignore is the other ways that the manager has almost revolutionised our team and the general atmosphere around it. He has built a togetherness in the team and connection with the fans that could easily have been harmed by signing a mercenary striker in January. Whether we finish 4th or 8th this season, for the team's longer term health signing the right player(s) is arguably more important than signing someone to try a top 4 push that I do not believe was the objective at the start of the season.

Let's give the manager the benefit of the doubt after a rare disappointment since this young team bedded in.

I'm not an 'Arteta out' by any means, but that does not put his flaws beyond reasonable criticism.

We have made some great progress yes, but there are still problem areas which need addressing and be it naivety or a lack of experience, from Arteta as a manager.

No one mentioned signing a 'mercenary striker' though?

We had a clear long term target, but seemingly no back up option.
A top four finish has been a target for a few seasons now - it was for Emery and it was for Arteta, it's just that the goal posts have once again been shifted.

We have also had some good fortune in that our goals recently have mainly come from the midfielders or defenders, and we have put in some pretty decent defensive displays to hold out on 1-0 wins instead of 2 or goal leads.
That is results you would expect with having a decent striker in the team.

[KSE Comedy Club]

This time last year we were:

P29 W12 D6 L11 F40 A32 Pts42

At this stage. Now we are:

P29 W17 D3 L9 F44 A34 Pts54

I'd suggest that's a pretty clear improvement so far. We only need 7 more points to get the same points as we finished on last year, it seems pretty clear there's going to be improvement this year.
It might not be enough for top 4 but overall I'm seeing positive signs in the team. Last night was a bad day at the office, we have reacted well after other setbacks, if we do again then I don't think we'll be far away from top 4 this year.
I don't think anyone thinks we're the finished product but for all my "Arteta out" wobbles this season I think he's taking us in the right direction and has earned the right to try and continue that.

Yes, it's amazing what £200m can buy you

The progress has been great but we are years in to 'the project' now and games like last night do highlight our inefficiencies.

[KSE Comedy Club]

Right

This is a key thing and shouldn't be underestimated. Right now I like this team again. I feel they're fighting for each other, and the fans.
So sure, last night was a bad day at the office but it's easier to accept those when generally it feels like the team have spirit and will fight for results.
The important thing is we react now. My gut feeling is we'll fall short when it comes to top 4, but there's been clear improvement since last year and I wouldn't be too hard on a young squad which doesn't have enough depth. We have to push on in the summer but I agree with MO that it'll be difficult to get a striker of the of the calibre we need. Partly because they don't grow on trees, partly because it's so obvious that's what we need the prices for us will he sky high.

And there in lies the problem.

We cannot push on properly if we don't finish in the CL spaces, and we won't finish in the CL spaces if we don't push on and buy properly.

[Letters]

We cannot push on properly if we don't finish in the CL spaces

I don't think that follows. If a player buys into the vision of a team and wants to move to London and we pay the big bucks then I think we can attract top players.

[IBK]

I'm not an 'Arteta out' by any means, but that does not put his flaws beyond reasonable criticism.

We have made some great progress yes, but there are still problem areas which need addressing and be it naivety or a lack of experience, from Arteta as a manager.

No one mentioned signing a 'mercenary striker' though?

We had a clear long term target, but seemingly no back up option.
A top four finish has been a target for a few seasons now - it was for Emery and it was for Arteta, it's just that the goal posts have once again been shifted.

We have also had some good fortune in that our goals recently have mainly come from the midfielders or defenders, and we have put in some pretty decent defensive displays to hold out on 1-0 wins instead of 2 or goal leads.
That is results you would expect with having a decent striker in the team.

Definitely not saying he's above criticism, but I do think that your original critique of Arteta was a little unfair. Re last night - yes we can say that the players seemed totally undercooked, but you can't lay all of that on the manager - the players need to shoulder some blame. I wonder whether the 'telepathy' that our forwards can show requires a run of games, and the rustiness after the internantional break seemed palpable. Also, I think we missed Tierney for his application as well as his defending. It can't be a coincidence that he is regarded as the front runner for the captaincy. With Partey White and Gabriel having absoute shockers in terms of being switched on too that seemed to set the tone.

The manager did try to switch up in attack tactically in the second half, and we had a hatful more chances than we did in the Villa game. But basically mistakes and lack of focus killed us.

As for failure to invest in a striker in January, firstly I am not sure that would have made a difference last nigtht anyway with the whole team having 'one of those games' - just like Chelsea did 2 days beforehand. 'Mercenary striker' was my term - and intended to describe any striker bought simply to fill a gap rather than being a planned purchase. Clearly there were no target players available which would have meant taking a punt on a stop gap - with all the potential damage that this could have caused. Breaking the bank to prise a player away from another team would have been a different type of gamble with no guarantee of a CL place either but put the progress made with Arteta's developing team in jeaopardy.

Just saying that some things we are not happy with need to be placed in context, is all.

[Globalgunner]

Progress? What progress. Are we here believing the current top 3 wont get any better next year, that they will stagnate and wait for Arteta to get his shit together. Is the Arsenal project about getting Arteta to improve or Arsenal to improve?. Man United will get miles better with a competent manager. If the Spuds finish above us then they will get the pick of attacking players in the summer ahead of us unless Kane and Son drop off a cliff post 30. We delude ourselves if we think world class players are dying to play for Arteta. Dream on

This time next year we will have been in Arteta`s 4th season in charge and im sure we will still be talking about the project. Sometimes I wonder if we all believe we have an infinite amount of time to reach the pinnacle of football in our lifetimes. 26 years since " the greatest" Wenger took over and led us to the cusp of success but not its summit. 16 years since we left Highbury. For what exactly? Are we still a work in progress?. So even if we by some miracle edge our way into 4th (unlikely. I cant see us beating Spuds or United in later games). Are we seriously going to contend to win the CL with Arteta in charge, barging our way past the likes of Bayern, PSG and Madrid. Will Arteta suddenly come of age next season?. The guy cant even pilot his way past Nottingham Forest in an FA cup. Are we fans now only worried about the CL for its cash contributions. Does Kroenke even care about that?

The club has become the Arteta weaning academy, soon to lose 2 of the best prospects in football in Guendouzi and Saliba, just to salve our baby managers fragile ego. It would be nice to win the league again and maybe the CL in this lifetime, not my next.

Supporting this club is like having a slow acting poison lacing your daily cup of tea. Faint but inexorable demise.