Quote Originally Posted by Mac76 View Post
No, 'bottling' implies fear, whereas in our case it's incompetence and being misguided - Arteta went for one attacking player (Sesko) in the summer then gave up when he coudn't get him and went back to his comfort zone of goalkeepers and defensive players

I've heard the club and Edu were far from convinced on prioritising Merino over an actual attacker and they were right

He simply seems to underplay the need for more attacking players and won't even consider someone if they aren't what he thinks is perfect for his setup, it plays into his stubborness and control freakery - again though it's not fear it's just his apparent mindset
I'd say that the word more connotes lack of courage, which for me in the context of our team (courtesy of Merriam Webster - 'mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty' - applies nicely. While I have said that I don't think its really fair to use the term in respect of last season we did suffer a late collapse at home to Villa in mid April 2024, just as our title hopes were ended by our debacle at home against Brighton in May the season before.

True champions find a way to win the games that really matter. At the time we played West Ham - the game really mattered as it was a chance to put pressure on Liverpool following a stumble. Our players and manager were found wanting. As they have before when trying to capitalise on liverpool dropping points.

Its true that we are decimated by injuries, and of course this is going to affect us. But this said, we are still a better team on paper than West Ham, and had 9 first team players starting the match. They fell short in dynamism and intensity and for me this is the key issue. Our team did not leave it all out there to get a result from this game, and key players did not step up.

The reason why I shy away from using 'bottling' last season was the run we went on. You have bad days in football, and the Villa home game was one of them. But I'd say that we have fallen well short of the winning mentality needed to succeed throughout the whole of this season. We have our excuses, but they do not alter this underlying point. And 5 1/2 years into Arteta's project I can see why some are asking questions as to whether our manager and his team have what it takes to bring it to fruition.