Unfortunately Arteta doesn't get that, he has a poor grasp of what motivates players outside the select few, it's like the teacher who only bothers with the kids who sit at the front of the classroomOriginally Posted by Niall_Quinn
Unfortunately Arteta doesn't get that, he has a poor grasp of what motivates players outside the select few, it's like the teacher who only bothers with the kids who sit at the front of the classroom
Point of order, one "eke"s out draws. Eek is what you say when you see a ghost.But that pedantry aside...
I'll be disappointed if we don't finish 2nd. We've been the 2nd best side in a very poor league this season. The fact that Liverpool will wrap up the title this early is testament to how poor the quality has been, they're better than everyone else but they're not that special.
The only real difference between 2nd and 3rd is a bit of prize money - which we've more than made up for with our CL run anyway. We're not going to have an open top bus parade for finishing 2nd again.
You decried the Top 4 Trophy thing, do you now want the 2nd place trophy?
I want us to finish 2nd, but if we do slip to 3rd of 4th then it isn't really going to add much extra disappointment if any to the already disappointing season.
Only the CL can mitigate that now.
Umm. You know we drew both league games before the two Real games, right?
I understand a bit of frustration but I'd finding the depth of it a bit weird in the context of a long since dead league campaign and a CL semi-final to think about.
Not an unreasonable statement at all. The only benefit from finishing 2nd is prestige (which in fact would paper over a pretty horrible season).Point of order, one "eke"s out draws. Eek is what you say when you see a ghost.
I'll be disappointed if we don't finish 2nd. We've been the 2nd best side in a very poor league this season. The fact that Liverpool will wrap up the title this early is testament to how poor the quality has been, they're better than everyone else but they're not that special.
The only real difference between 2nd and 3rd is a bit of prize money - which we've more than made up for with our CL run anyway. We're not going to have an open top bus parade for finishing 2nd again.
You decried the Top 4 Trophy thing, do you now want the 2nd place trophy?
I want us to finish 2nd, but if we do slip to 3rd of 4th then it isn't really going to add much extra disappointment if any to the already disappointing season.
Only the CL can mitigate that now.
But it’s strangely important to me, although I realise there’s no reason why it should be
As for the Palace game itself, I thought the team played within itself and was hesitant at times where I disagree with people on here is that this was a deliberate tactical decision and not players a) thinking about the semi finals (is it acceptable or professional? No but it’s human) b) worried about the Palace counter attack, because I have to say in the league there isn’t the confidence that we can outscore teams (and with good reason)
Apparently this makes me a self declared tactical genius to say that we are more confident playing teams like Real Madrid who will have more possession but in doing so leave more space, than teams who will soak up the pressure and break on you. I don’t just accept that we will struggle against teams that allow us to control possession, but given we are playing with no strikers and we arent set up nor do we have the players to benefit from playing more direct….i can understand when it has been a struggle.
I don’t think we simply tried to hold on to a one goal lead but I think when we struggle to extend it as we did last night it can make us retreat within ourselves somewhat. I don’t think that’s a conscious decision though.
It's 18 apparently
I think drawing 13 games and twice giving away a lead at home is frustrating as fuck
I think albeit tentatively I think we tried to extend our lead, but often I think because we know we are struggling to finish teams off, that affects us mentally. Either in being too cautious going forward or making silly mistakes at the back
The worry now is not about just dropping a position or two, it is the fact that we are only one more dud result away from being in danger and fighting to stay in the top 5. Which is a ridiculous situation to find ourselves in given the cushion we had.Point of order, one "eke"s out draws. Eek is what you say when you see a ghost.
I'll be disappointed if we don't finish 2nd. We've been the 2nd best side in a very poor league this season. The fact that Liverpool will wrap up the title this early is testament to how poor the quality has been, they're better than everyone else but they're not that special.
The only real difference between 2nd and 3rd is a bit of prize money - which we've more than made up for with our CL run anyway. We're not going to have an open top bus parade for finishing 2nd again.
You decried the Top 4 Trophy thing, do you now want the 2nd place trophy?
I want us to finish 2nd, but if we do slip to 3rd of 4th then it isn't really going to add much extra disappointment if any to the already disappointing season.
Only the CL can mitigate that now.
We now have to beat Bournemouth sandwiched between PSG and then hope for something at Anfield followed by Newcastle who could conceivably be in a position to overtake us with a win that fixture.
The only saving grace is that we have Southampton on the final day but as I said, the fact this is even a conversation now is pathetic.
YepIt's 18 apparently
1-1 Brighton
2-2 Man City
2-2 Liverpool
1-1 Chelsea
1-1 Brighton
2-2 Aston Villa
1-1 Everton
1-1 Brentford
2-2 Palace
In all but one of those games we only had a one goal lead and I think the struggle to build on that lead, where we either overcommit or make a mistake at the back (or in 5 of those 9 games have match officials punishing us) causes this.
I thought we played well against Brentford but ultimately you give the ball away and you have opposition players steaming down the pitch and you don’t cut out one ball and they are there
I don’t think defensively we are really any weaker, in terms of goals conceded we are still the best defence in the league
I think these dropped points are all about failing to kill teams off. And again despite what people on here claim, I don’t think that’s a tactical choice to sit on a one goal lead (because in fact most of the time we aren’t).
I don’t think we can be blasé, but equally we have been dropping points left, right and centre and really we’ve come no closer to dropping out of 2nd than we were a month ago (and now with fewer games). It seems that no team can get the required momentum
I’m frustrated because the opportunity was there to put it to bed. But I’ve had the worry you’ve expressed here for the last month or so, and in reality it’s not materialised.
I wasn’t worried before because I felt we had a string of winnable fixtures but now we’ve fluffed them all, we’re left with the most trickiest games that we’ll need results in. There hasn’t been any momentum in the league for months so I do genuinely feel that our top 5 place is in danger. If we don’t beat Bournemouth then it’s squeaky bum time for sure.
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