The 2021/22 Season

Jay29 wrote:Some reports recently about Qatari interest in buying Arsenal.

I haven't seen UK sources pick up on it so I don't know how serious it is. You'd have to think the Kroenke's would take any bid from them more seriously than Ek's.

Can't say I'd be very supportive of it but what can I do?

Isn't that from the guy @ES told us about in the Mbappe thread? Some BS tweeting clown from the Qatari royal family?

I think so?

Don't know if it originated from him but it's since been picked up by Arabic news sources.

nah... the guy that Kaladin mentioned in the other thread is a sideshow bob who tweeted yesterday... a more prominent figure in the family with the handle "@qatari" tweeted the interest in Arsenal today

Arsenal XI: Leno, Holding, Kolasinac, Alves Soares, Chambers, Tierney, Xhaka, Smith Rowe, Saka, Ødegaard, Aubameyang (c)

Subs: Lacazette, Okonkwo, Mohamed Elneny, Martinelli Silva, Maitland-Niles, Ramsdale, Sambi Lokonga, Marí, Tavares

That sure is a line-up.

Back 3 isn't a bad move, but Holding-Chambers-Kolasinac centre backs? That's a yikes from me.

Guessing it's going to be more 3-5-2 with Smith Rowe and Odegaard playing as 8s next to Xhaka and Saka in a free role behind Auba. We'll see how it plays but I'm concerned by the lack of steel in the middle of the pitch in a game we're not gonna see a lot of the ball.

At this point losing 1-0 would be a good result

lol

Two easy goals.

Same players letting the side down.

Xhaka new contract.

Lol

Should have accepted the 10m for Xhaka from Roma.

Honestly though, he won the ball didn't he? is he sent off for bad intention?

RealGunner wrote:Honestly though, he won the ball didn't he? is he sent off for bad intention?

He is sent off because PL refs love to send off Xhaka.

Only the 4th time in the club's history we've failed to win after three games. First time since the 50s.

Only the 2nd PL team ever to get 0 points and -9 GD after the opening three games. 1st team was Wolves in 03/04 who were relegated.

Lowest recorded possession in the club's history - 19%.

Lowest shot count in club's PL history - 1 (and it was Ederson kicking the ball at one of our players).

Have conceded more goals (9) than shots on target (6).

10 red cards since Arteta took over.

Xhaka has the joint most red cards since 2016 - tied with Fernandinho and Luiz.

Aubameyang has failed to score or assist vs City in 8 PL games.

Arsenal haven't won against City in the PL in 12 games (D2 L10).

Jay29 wrote:Only the 4th time in the club's history we've failed to win after three games. First time since the 50s.

Only the 2nd PL team ever to get 0 points and -9 GD after the opening three games. 1st team was Wolves in 03/04 who were relegated.

Lowest recorded possession in the club's history - 19%.

Lowest shot count in club's PL history - 1 (and it was Ederson kicking the ball at one of our players).

Have conceded more goals (9) than shots on target (6).

10 red cards since Arteta took over.

Xhaka has the joint most red cards since 2016 - tied with Fernandinho and Luiz.

Aubameyang has failed to score or assist vs City in 8 PL games.

Arsenal haven't won against City in the PL in 12 games (D2 L10).

All of this would have been avoided if we had just signed Rafa to replace Emery

Cedric Soares vs City; 0 tackles, 0 successful dribbles, 0 ground duels won , 0 aerial duels won, 0 key passes, 0 crosses, 0 accurate long-balls, 1 error leading to goal and 44% passing accuracy

Jay29 wrote:Only the 4th time in the club's history we've failed to win after three games. First time since the 50s.

Only the 2nd PL team ever to get 0 points and -9 GD after the opening three games. 1st team was Wolves in 03/04 who were relegated.

Lowest recorded possession in the club's history - 19%.

Lowest shot count in club's PL history - 1 (and it was Ederson kicking the ball at one of our players).

Have conceded more goals (9) than shots on target (6).

10 red cards since Arteta took over.

Xhaka has the joint most red cards since 2016 - tied with Fernandinho and Luiz.

Aubameyang has failed to score or assist vs City in 8 PL games.

Arsenal haven't won against City in the PL in 12 games (D2 L10).

pretty bleak hey

Here's another one:

The highest a team has finished after losing their opening three games was 7th.

at this point not even sure that replacing Artetta will do any good. Between him and Edu they have really put together a weak team.

The players let Arteta down. The inconsistencies in the refereeing is honestly laughable, if Kola got a yellow for putting his hand on Jesus, then the second goal shouldn't have stood.

Also the defending was so horrible. The first goal was just lazy defending and the second goal was just clownish defending. Also, Xhaka getting that red card by going in for a two footed tackle at a time when we need control is just ‍�

Imagine now our midfield is going to have Elneny starting. We need a box to box so badly.

Arsenal have fallen and everyone can see how badly this club needs reform than the people who actually can make the change. I knew Kronke buying the club was going to destroy this club.

I would go further, Holding and Chambers should be nothing more than B team late subs. Saka and ESR are nowhere near ready to lead a team and Artetta seems to try and rely on them. Tactically it looks like Artetta wants people to play a position on the field and not man mark. Then he has no plan for when things do not go right. We send Saliba out on loan again, with Kolasanic being out best CB on the day. I am at the point now that I am not wondering if a new manager can turn things around. Just how many years it will take to do it.

Chambers has been a bit-part player for Arsenal since he arrived. Now all of a sudden he's our starting RB and CB. It's so clear that Holding is completely out of his depth, both defending and playing the ball out. When Kolasniac is your best CB you know you are shit.

Cedric can't even get a look in a Southampton now he's starting at Arsenal?

Our defense is deplorable. Not even Maldini in his prime could save our disaster backline.

Was Bellerin really that bad?

We are a club full of rejects. Season over in August can't make this shit up.

I am as idealistic as they come in wanting Arsenal to succeed self-sufficiently, with a former player becoming a special manager while leading a crop of homegrown players. It all sounds lovely and it means a lot of difficult moments like these, if you are going to see it through.

But holy crap, what was that lineup?

The points have been battered home by others but it speaks to such terrible planning when you start players who are so clearly below the level needed or who were expected to leave.

Wish this would be the nail in the coffin for Xhaka. Nothing reactionary, he's just let us down too many times and had his heart set on Roma. Fair enough, why extend his deal? To protect his value? He's tanking his own value.

Kolasinac starting? At CB? Saliba weeps.

Cedric bad.

Up front we actually looked sharp in the early stages. That's a group we can rely on if Partey and Gabriel/White stabilize things.

Hopefully this is rock bottom because I don't see an easy fix. Highly doubt Arteta will be sacked before October, if that.

It is just me or all we do at defending is just duck down in the ninja position in front of the attacker and either keep backing up or just stay there until the man runs past you. Cedric. Tierney. Kolasinac. Holding. Pepe. Saka etc all have the very same technique. They seem to be a manequin while defending one on ones. Getting beat in the air is something our players specialize at. The last two players I could bank on winning a header was either Giroud or a preinjury Vermaelen.

We have been bullied in the air for almost a decade now. Still remember the feeling a late sub of opponents bringing in an Andy carrol or a Peter crouch would bring me. In all these years we havent done *anything* to sort it out either by personel or by tactics. We have been labelled as *soft* since those stoke days and we have stagnated at the very point we were almost a decade ago. This is beyond a mangers sorting. We need a leader at the top who is ruthless and has zero tolerance towards mediocrity. If your performance as a player/coach/manager/kit man/doctor/scout/board member/owner etc is mediocre you should be shown the door.

things that concern me the most after 3 games:
- we have no idea how to defend
- we start games with a good energy but as soon as we concede our spirits drop

those are all signs of a team who are not drilled well enough, lack of serious accountability and has no believe in what they are doing.

Without resorting to hyperbole or exaggeration, this is as low as I've felt as a gunner in my 20+ supporting this club. I can't even get excited for upcoming games. The idea of watching us play depresses me because I know what I'm in for. The Arteta experiment is over and, frankly, I cannot wait for us to be snapped up by oil money and take our rightful place back at the top of world football. Lord knows Arsenal deserve a bit of pampering after years and years of "trying to play football the right way" Yeah, fuck that.

The whole "Arsenal way" is horeshit anyway.

Arsenal won nothing major playing high possession, walk the ball into the goal football. All of their major honours came from fast transitions.

Yeah, they put together long passing moves too, because the technical level of the side was excellent. But their main routes to goal were midfield turnover > give ball to Pires or Bergkamp > set Henry away > Henry does his thing.

Whereas the last five years has been start from the back > defenders pass among themselves 20 times > ball gets to midfield > goes nowhere. Striker makes a run into space and is ignored.

I'm not a fan of the club trying to push this bland style of football as "Arsenal DNA".