Quote Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club View Post
I agree, these players do know how to do those things you have said, they just seem like they know they will be getting a massive bollocking if they dare try!
My experience watching us for years is that players will put on an extra pass when they aren’t confident. Havertz against Man City for example squared to Odegaard who had to take a touch for our first goal against City last month

It’s indicative for me of people lacking the confidence in their own ability to put it in the net. Partey apart from anything else loves taking on shots from outside the box and I’ve never had reason to believe he’s been actively discouraged to do so. There is of course a system designed to strangle the life out of opposition and it is rigid, but equally you’ve seen players fairly recently break out and try something individualist. Odegaard stank the place out first half against Ipswich but then decided to go on a couple of solo runs in the second half of that game to open up space, as far as I’m aware he wasn’t bollocked or dropped in the next game for this.

I think Arteta might do that only if in doing so a player played their way into trouble, giving the ball away in a dangerous area, at least unlike Guardiola he won’t try and berate the players on the pitch.

I still very much think a lot of people on here, are doing everything to avoid accepting the fact that our ability to score goals which was far from consistent when we had everyone fit, is now greatly diminished because of what’s available to us.

But again, so there’s no confusion in terms of talking at cross purposes. If it’s argued that we shouldn’t rigidly stick to this system and go for a more direct style of play (I’m not going to say counter attack because most teams are not going to go on the front foot against us) and work on a route one alternative and bring in technically minded footballers. Of course I agree with that, I’ve said as much for long enough