2023/2024 Season prediction

[HCZ_Reborn]

Yeah Havertz is a bit of a head scratcher.

On one hand a truly top striker is something that’s at a premium currently, Mbappe and Haaland are the current best in the world but after that there really isn’t anyone who comes near that (that’s why Bayern are going for a 30 year old Kane). On the other hand if you look at the purchases Arteta has made they all seem to be majority defenders - Mari, Cedric, Gabriel, Tavares, White, Tomoyasu, Kiwior, Zinchenko and Timber. I make that around 175 million spent purely on defenders. Jesus is the only out and out striker we’ve signed since he’s been here, and he’s not really an out and out striker.

I’m not as negative on the squad as the idiot Scotsman is, I don’t think you can have one of the most valuable squads in the world and it not have a lot of top players in it.

The first half of last season wasn’t achieved with a different set of players, so it surely must follow from that that the players are capable of challenging, scoring goals and being hard to beat.

Speaking to my brother today about Havertz and said that he was more bought for ability to allow us to play a different way and have a player who can hold up the ball as well as offer aerial threat, well that rather depends on where he plays.

If I’m honest I think Timber is an excellent player but I do wonder if he was a signing we actually needed. I actually think we probably don’t just need a striker we need a creative midfielder who can come deep. There are ITK links suggesting Inter will give us Barella for Balogun and Tomoyasu, now that wouldn’t be a bad bit of business but I suspect we will want the cash.

[Marc Overmars]

I think we can challenge again but how much closer we get I’m not sure. Will see how I’m feeling after 10 games or so, if we’re playing well but still conceding goals easily and getting ourselves involved in high scoring affairs then I won’t be confident.

The drama throughout last season was great but it caught up with us in the end. Would rather we became a little more pragmatic in that sense. Especially at home.

[HCZ_Reborn]

In terms of defence, clear to me the system was the issue rather than the players. Especially given that we were excellent away from home defensively (9 clean sheets from 14 games and only 9 goals conceded in that time). At Home the system we play makes us keep an unfeasibly high line which whilst it helps us keep attacking momentum exposes us to pace.

As much as I don’t rate Tomoyasu, arguably losing him was just as much of a blow as losing Saliba. If it had only been Saliba, White could have been moved to centre back and would have helped double up on players attacking down our left hand side.

[mandela8]

I have a similar gut feeling which ultimately comes down to Arteta

First of all his failings in terms of organising the team and giving everyone enough
minutes (I'm expecting him to freeze out at least two significant players next season, one of them being Trossard, due to 'disciplinary' reasons, i.e. their not being happy at being neglected)

Also while I don't dislike the player I think Havertz was a mistake, too much money on a player I feel we didn't need, meamwhile we're crying out for a striker, which leads me onto another huge failing, namely the belief that Eddie is good enough - which he totally ain't

Aye, agreed on Trossard.

He must be looking at Saka and Martinelli and thinking what he has to do to displace them, because it's clearly not based on performance, effectiveness or contributions.
I do think he'll eventually take Martinelli's place most of the time simply because it'll become ridiculous he's not in the team.

Havertz...if he plays midfield then one of Partey or Rice drop out. Despite being better it'd be Partey as you can't spend 100m on a player who doesn't start. But that weakens the team and pressure will inevitably tell.

Like I said, a more natural CM and an elite striker (and Timber) was the optimal way to improve the team, imo.

[Mac76]

Yeah Havertz is a bit of a head scratcher.

On one hand a truly top striker is something that’s at a premium currently, Mbappe and Haaland are the current best in the world but after that there really isn’t anyone who comes near that (that’s why Bayern are going for a 30 year old Kane). On the other hand if you look at the purchases Arteta has made they all seem to be majority defenders - Mari, Cedric, Gabriel, Tavares, White, Tomoyasu, Kiwior, Zinchenko and Timber. I make that around 175 million spent purely on defenders. Jesus is the only out and out striker we’ve signed since he’s been here, and he’s not really an out and out striker.

I’m not as negative on the squad as the idiot Scotsman is, I don’t think you can have one of the most valuable squads in the world and it not have a lot of top players in it.

The first half of last season wasn’t achieved with a different set of players, so it surely must follow from that that the players are capable of challenging, scoring goals and being hard to beat.

Speaking to my brother today about Havertz and said that he was more bought for ability to allow us to play a different way and have a player who can hold up the ball as well as offer aerial threat, well that rather depends on where he plays.

If I’m honest I think Timber is an excellent player but I do wonder if he was a signing we actually needed. I actually think we probably don’t just need a striker we need a creative midfielder who can come deep. There are ITK links suggesting Inter will give us Barella for Balogun and Tomoyasu, now that wouldn’t be a bad bit of business but I suspect we will want the cash.

We absolutey need Timber, to have an alternative to Zin who can actually play this inverted LB thing (given Arteta is insisting on it) without running around like a dickhead and giving the ball away

[HCZ_Reborn]

The inverted left back thing is bullshit though, you know it, I know it. If we want an extra presence in midfield why not play Zinchenko there, have actually suggested as much we wouldn’t get rinsed so much on our left hand side. Timber is going to limit our options going forward and that’s why I wouldn’t play him on the left that much (or to be honest at all, because that would mean playing Ben White on the right and he’s not a fullback…I’d rather use him at centre back to rest Saliba and play Timber or Tomoyasu there)

Don’t get me wrong wouldn’t play Zinchenko there in big games, as silly as playing Xhaka there…not going to deal with the high press, but Martinelli gets the ball more often and in a quicker time frame when that awful Ukrainian plays.


Plus if your argument is based on the assumption that Arteta will use the inverted full back system come what may (which would be a likely correct prediction), you would also have to conclude that Zinchenko will be his first choice to play there when fit.

[Mac76]

The inverted left back thing is bullshit though, you know it, I know it. If we want an extra presence in midfield why not play Zinchenko there, have actually suggested as much we wouldn’t get rinsed so much on our left hand side. Timber is going to limit our options going forward and that’s why I wouldn’t play him on the left that much (or to be honest at all, because that would mean playing Ben White on the right and he’s not a fullback…I’d rather use him at centre back to rest Saliba and play Timber or Tomoyasu there)

Don’t get me wrong wouldn’t play Zinchenko there in big games, as silly as playing Xhaka there…not going to deal with the high press, but Martinelli gets the ball more often and in a quicker time frame when that awful Ukrainian plays.


Plus if your argument is based on the assumption that Arteta will use the inverted full back system come what may (which would be a likely correct prediction), you would also have to conclude that Zinchenko will be his first choice to play there when fit.

Yes the ILB thing is BS, I suppose i'm just trying to be realistic and accept we'll play it, in which case Timber is a better option than Zin, who slows our game down and makes too many mistakes and should be sold

I like the cut of Timber's jib, he has that Saliba-like calmness, though i realise it's not realistic to think Arteta will ever drop Zin if he's fit, he's another teacher's pet I think and can do no wrong in Arteta's eyes

Also I don't agree with your Martinelli point, what i saw last season (watching all home games live) was both Zin and Xhaka regularly ignoring Martinelli and instead passing inside

[HCZ_Reborn]

Yes the ILB thing is BS, I suppose i'm just trying to be realistic and accept we'll play it, in which case Timber is a better option than Zin, who slows our game down and makes too many mistakes amd should be sold

I like the cut of Timber's jib, he has that Saliba-like calmness, though i realise it's not realistic to think Arteta will ever drop Zin if he's fit, he's another teacher's pet I think and can do no wrong in Arteta's eyes

Also I don't agree with your Martinelli point, what i saw last season (watching all home games live) was both Zin and Xhaka regularly ignoring Martinelli and instead passing inside

Ah the Teacher’s pet argument again. It’s a strange one unifying theory to rely on when it comes to players you don’t rate.


Rightly or wrongly he specifically earmarked Zinchenko to play that position, I doubt he asked Pep about how good he was at blow jobs.


It would just be easier at this point to accept that he has an infuriating tendency to play certain players to death. Willian wasn’t played constantly because of his willingness to wipe Arteta’s ring piece it was because Arteta wanted to prove what a genius signing he was….it’s the same hubris as underpins Havertz. He thinks he’s smarter and more of a lateral thinker than everyone else, if anything he could do with a lot less confidence and with caring what other people think.

I apologise to other users for recycling this boring argument, but Arteta may be many things but insecure and in need of validation is not one of those things.

[Mac76]

Ah the Teacher’s pet argument again. It’s a strange one unifying theory to rely on when it comes to players you don’t rate.


Rightly or wrongly he specifically earmarked Zinchenko to play that position, I doubt he asked Pep about how good he was at blow jobs.


It would just be easier at this point to accept that he has an infuriating tendency to play certain players to death. Willian wasn’t played constantly because of his willingness to wipe Arteta’s ring piece it was because Arteta wanted to prove what a genius signing he was….it’s the same hubris as underpins Havertz. He thinks he’s smarter and more of a lateral thinker than everyone else, if anything he could do with a lot less confidence and with caring what other people think.

I apologise to other users for recycling this boring argument, but Arteta may be many things but insecure and in need of validation is not one of those things.

Thing is, Hitler reputedly only had one testicle and this was almost certainly, along with his being rejected as an artist, part of his determination to show he was just as much of a man as the next guy, even more so in fact as how many guys could claim to have conquered half of Europe?

He shares the same arrogance and lack of self-reflection you talk about with Arteta and yet you fail to see that at the heart of it all is an essential insecurity

And Hitler had his teacher's pets too...

[HCZ_Reborn]

Thing is, Hitler reputedly only had one testicle and this was almost certainly, along with his being rejected as an artist, part of his determination to show he was just as much of a man as the next guy, even more so in fact as how many guys could claim to have conquered half of Europe?

He shares the same arrogance and lack of self-reflection you talk about with Arteta and yet you fail to see that at the heart of it all is an essential insecurity

And Hitler had his teacher's pets too...

Hitler is something that Arteta does not appear to be, a narcissist. A narcassist would have railed against the criticism of his touchline antics, would have been unable to resist responding to Auba’s criticism. Arteta seems totally indifferent both to praise and criticism. It doesn’t matter what you think, it’s what he thinks that matters.


Plus Everyone was Hitler’s teachers pet….anyone who didn’t address him as “Mein Fuhrer” probably could expect a visit from the Gestapo. Hitler just had people he thought were useful, Rohm was a good ally once until he no longer needed him or the street thugs of the SA…then he was shot in a prison cell after being arrested whilst found in bed with his chauffeur.

Hitler was totally unforgiving of people who he felt were incompetent no matter how obsequious they were. He didn’t really have any friends, and often turned on people….even going back to his days giving stump speeches in Munich beer halls.

Someone can lack self reflection and be insecure, it doesn’t make them synonymous. Hitler was insecure only in the sense that he hated his generals, because he felt they were rich academy trained snobs who looked down on him and resented the advancement of the Wehrmacht at the start of the war and took a more active role.

Arteta doesn’t even seem to have this simmering resentment, what you’re talking about is projecting confidence to mask inner doubt. Arteta doesn’t have the inner doubt, and the only trait he shares with Hitler is a tendency to be callous with those who are no longer useful to him