Arsenal FC | 2023/24 Season

[Amjid Javed]

What does that even mean?

Mourinho in his prime couldn't get Chelsea over the line in Europe but a flop manager like Di Matteo won Chelsea a UCL. Wenger was a great manager but he failed in Europe. A lot of managers would have won a UCL with the 2001-2005 Arsenal team. Wenger's failure to get Arsenal over the line in Europe is the reason why he pales in comparison to managers like SAF and Pep.

As far as Arteta is concerned, the main priority has to be to win the league. The league is the true litmus test of the capabilities of a team and its superiority unlike the UCL whose knockout nature leaves plenty of room for upsets and shock results.

A team that finishes 5th or 6th in the league can go on to win in Europe that season, but you have to be the best or close to being the best to win the league.

I would obviously love to see Arsenal win the UCL but if I have to choose between the two, I would go with winning the league because it is a true reflection of how good a team is.

Mourinho win the CL with Porto and inter Milan so let's not even go there.

Also dismiss winning in Europe is what fans being sore losers do.

 

[MK7Z]

This thread has become a bit of a joke...

It reminds me of the arguments in the school playground during break time when I was a child...

There is a sheer lack of perspective from fans of Arsenal and then those non Arsenal fans are jumping in to exploit it.

A true fan understands that Odeguard is not one of the very best midfielders in the world, that Havertz has a long way to go to justify his pay tag and may never even get there... that Zinchenko is not a good left back and Arteta is a young, inexperienced coach that is still learning the job. The list goes on...

However, and in spite of all this, one can still see improvements in the team, the way we play and our defensive strength which for around 10 years was our weakness.

Do Arsenal fans want more? Of course they do but most can see the improvements and anyone who knows the game will tell you that we're just two or three players short of being amongst the current best sides in the world...

We're literally one striker and a creative midfielder away away from being the very best... it's cruel what happened to Timber but these things happen so I won't hold the management accountable for that position.

Arteta has made mistakes, of course he has, every manager has in their career... but he has to be given credit too for creating a side that is finally able to compete and, just like eith the players we have, there is potential too in Arteta to become a better manager.

So as a lifelong Gooner I support this team and all the players, as well as the manager and reserve my judgment until the end of the season.

Perfect post mate. I enjoyed this thread but the last week or so its turned into personal agendas rather than Arsenal talk. Rival fans blatantly trolling with odd statements. Glad you see it to. I've refrained from posting on it to much.

 

[Technics 1210]

This thread has become a bit of a joke...

It reminds me of the arguments in the school playground during break time when I was a child...

There is a sheer lack of perspective from fans of Arsenal and then those non Arsenal fans are jumping in to exploit it.

You have missed the most pertinent point of them all, a TRUE Arsenal fan would never rate Arteta over Wenger, especially when Arteta has nothing to show for it and was contemplating his future last season.

It is laughable to see so called Arsenal fans (not you) complaining about non-Arsenal fans, when said fans should be pulling up these Next-Gen Arsenal fans for rating Arteta above Wenger, despite Arteta not having won anything of substance.

Wenger won 3 Premier League Titles, SEVEN FA CUP titles, created the invincible team, introduced and nurtured PL greats like, Thierry Henry, and I have not even touched on Dennis Bergkamp. Wenger may not have won a title in Europe, but as far as domestic titles go, Wenger was the best ever for Arsenal.

The glory hunter Arsenal fans are the ones who need to be pulled up and exposed, they are letting the sincere Arsenal supporter base down.

 

[KingKhanWC]

View attachment 139962

Thread is about Arsenal

Lets keep cross chat about other clubs off this.

Sure.

ON THE 23RD of December. Liverpool will beat Arsenal to end their dreams of the title.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Klopp has no legacy in the PL. He is about to enter his 9th year and has won 1 title only. I would back Arteta to win more PL titles than Klopp by the time he is finished at Arsenal.

Klopp is no barometer for success and no benchmark because he has not been successful.

When you look at the quality of players that Klopp has had at his disposal, winning 1 league in 9 years is a a failure.

Arsenal now has the pull to attract any player in market as long as Arsenal can pay the fee. Same was said about Rice and how he wouldn’t go to Arsenal after Bayern and City came in for him.

Arsenal has the money and the pull to sign someone like Osimhen or any other world class striker that becomes available next summer.

Jesus was signed for £45m in 2022 and it was a very good price for someone like him. You will not sign Mbappe or Haaland for that price. At that point Arsenal were rebuilding in all areas of the pitch and signing one £100m player wouldn’t have been the smartest thing to do.

Spending big isn’t always the solution as we have seen with Chelsea or even with Darwin Nunez at Liverpool who has never looked like the £85m player that Liverpool paid for.

Arsenal did very smart business in summer of 2022 and the signings of Jesus, Zinchenko and integrating Saliba propelled Arsenal as title challengers and now the the addition of Rice and one top class striker next summer will help Arsenal go to a different level.

You look at Chelsea and Man United and you realize that Arsenal have been very smart and strategic with the way they have spent money and built their squad.

Both teams were in better position than Arsenal 4 years ago and now the are much worse off in spite of spending more money than Arsenal.

Arteta and Edu have done a fantastic job and they don’t get enough credit for it but there is no point in blaming rival fans when even a lot of Arsenal fans are too blind to see the work they have done and where they are taking Arsenal.

Klopp promised to win the league in 4 years, he did it.

If Arteta doesnt win it this season, he has not matched the LFC manager.

Arteta so far has won ONE FA cup , not even his team. lol.

4 years are up this season, Arteta wont win the league, he wont win anything imo.

 

[IMMY69]

You have missed the most pertinent point of them all, a TRUE Arsenal fan would never rate Arteta over Wenger, especially when Arteta has nothing to show for it and was contemplating his future last season.

It is laughable to see so called Arsenal fans (not you) complaining about non-Arsenal fans, when said fans should be pulling up these Next-Gen Arsenal fans for rating Arteta above Wenger, despite Arteta not having won anything of substance.

Wenger won 3 Premier League Titles, SEVEN FA CUP titles, created the invincible team, introduced and nurtured PL greats like, Thierry Henry, and I have not even touched on Dennis Bergkamp. Wenger may not have won a title in Europe, but as far as domestic titles go, Wenger was the best ever for Arsenal.

The glory hunter Arsenal fans are the ones who need to be pulled up and exposed, they are letting the sincere Arsenal supporter base down.

Yes this is true.

My 20 year old son and 23 year old daughter (both Gooners) have never seen us lift the Premier League but still know how good Wenger was...

 

[Amjid Javed]

Klopp promised to win the league in 4 years, he did it.

If Arteta doesnt win it this season, he has not matched the LFC manager.

Arteta so far has won ONE FA cup , not even his team. lol.

4 years are up this season, Arteta wont win the league, he wont win anything imo.

Willian joined Arsenal from Chelsea on basis that Arteta said Arsenal would be aiming to win CL in 3 years, its taken Arteta 4 seasons just to make it into the CL.

All Arteta fan boys also harp on about the toxic squad he took over. Yet that squad season before made the league cup and europa league final, then helped Arteta win FA cup. Players clearly can't have been that bad.

If sadly Arsensl end this season trophyless for a 4th year in a row their will be excuses.

1 Certain poster will say "I judge the team at end of the following season

And another poster will dress it up as "further progress"

 

[Technics 1210]

Lets not kid ourselves.

Arteta has been feasting off attrition.

Chelsea have been in the dumps for a couple of seasons. Bottom half of the table right now. 12th, heck Brentford are above Chelsea! Man United have been abysmal this season, sitting at 6th, out of the CL. Man City, no way near as strong as last season with Gundogan gone, and De Bruyne absent.

That is 3 teams that would top Arsenal on any given Sunday but are in decline, which is why Arsenal were not even in the top 4 in 21/22, 20/21, 19/20 seasons! (Arteta's reign).

If Chelsea, Man U, or Man City were playing at near same levels as previous seasons, then Arsenal would be clinging to 5th place!

The only progression under Arteta's Arsenal is through regression from Chelsea, Man U, and Man City!

Arteta is trying to pull the Claudio Ranieri move by winning the PL when the top clubs were going through transitions.

 

[Amjid Javed]

You have missed the most pertinent point of them all, a TRUE Arsenal fan would never rate Arteta over Wenger, especially when Arteta has nothing to show for it and was contemplating his future last season.

It is laughable to see so called Arsenal fans (not you) complaining about non-Arsenal fans, when said fans should be pulling up these Next-Gen Arsenal fans for rating Arteta above Wenger, despite Arteta not having won anything of substance.

Wenger won 3 Premier League Titles, SEVEN FA CUP titles, created the invincible team, introduced and nurtured PL greats like, Thierry Henry, and I have not even touched on Dennis Bergkamp. Wenger may not have won a title in Europe, but as far as domestic titles go, Wenger was the best ever for Arsenal.

The glory hunter Arsenal fans are the ones who need to be pulled up and exposed, they are letting the sincere Arsenal supporter base down.

100% spot on

If you look Arsenal 98-05 that era of wenger was amazing.

- 3 league titles (2 doubles)
- invincible team
- over a 5 year period from 01 to 05 (Arsenal won 3 FA cups, were cheated in a final by Liverpool and lost a semi final)

The only thing that's on a par to that I'd GG 87-94 period at Arsenal

2 league cups (back when teams took it seriously)
1 FA cup
2 Titles (ended liverpools domination of English football)
Cup winners cup (Arsenal last european trophy)

Whilst wengers team played miles better football, i actually rate GG as better manager.

When uve grown up on that, a fan has standards and that's why all this "progess" of this current team is nothing to rave home about.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Willian joined Arsenal from Chelsea on basis that Arteta said Arsenal would be aiming to win CL in 3 years, its taken Arteta 4 seasons just to make it into the CL.

All Arteta fan boys also harp on about the toxic squad he took over. Yet that squad season before made the league cup and europa league final, then helped Arteta win FA cup. Players clearly can't have been that bad.

If sadly Arsensl end this season trophyless for a 4th year in a row their will be excuses.

1 Certain poster will say "I judge the team at end of the following season

And another poster will dress it up as "further progress"

Do you think if Arsenal dont win the league, Arteta will be retained for another season? He seems to be the darling of Arsenal senior management, giving him plenty of money and time.

Arsenal have a decent squad , some quality players but seems to be struggling to get over the line in games.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Arsenal's possible last 16 CL opponents

Copenhagen, Porto, PSG, RB Leipzig, lazio, inter, Napoli

 

[MK7Z]

Arsenal's possible last 16 CL opponents

Copenhagen, Porto, PSG, RB Leipzig, lazio, inter, Napoli

I think we can beat all those teams to be honest. The only thing that worries me is Arteta in European Knock out games. Its his 1st CL knockout game. Lets see how he goes. Hopefully lessons learnt

 

[Amjid Javed]

I think we can beat all those teams to be honest. The only thing that worries me is Arteta in European Knock out games. Its his 1st CL knockout game. Lets see how he goes. Hopefully lessons learnt

On paper PSG, Napoli, inter would be toughest 3, but yeah let's see if lessons are learnt

 

[Mamoon]

It’s not just the trophies, I’m not using the European trophy triumph to justify Villa’s superiority don’t need to do that, Arsenal are well inferior in stature and legacy, you’re more comparable to the Blackburn Rovers or Nottingham Forrest, severe delusions of grandeur and especially foreign ignorance would make you see otherwise.

Small, weak and chicken hearted are the managers will all the resources and backing at their disposal, yet they choke winning positions. It’s embarrassing the leniency being afforded to this bloke. As for Emery we shall see, goals/aims naturally evolve with progress and good pro’s learn from experiences managing championship sized football clubs.

So after accepting second place last season, we will aiming to celebrate 2nd place this season to then

Yeah yeah Aston Villa is bigger than Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Liverpool, United, Juventus etc. as well, let alone a tier-2 big club like Arsenal.

Maybe Aston Villa should also become small, weak and chicken-hearted to finish in the top 2 and fight for the title.

Being big, strong and lion-hearted has only given them mid-table mediocrity.

 

[Mamoon]

What has Arteta done to be compared to Mourinho? unless you are comparing him to Jose taking United to 2nd place in the league.

You’ve never won the top flight European trophy ever, it ought to be up there with winning the league or at least a comparable achievement in the instance you finish 2nd again, it’s something more to celebrate

I am not comparing Arteta to Mourinho. Arteta has a long way to go before he can be compared to a legend like Mourinho, but there is no doubt that he has the potential.

I was simply objecting to your assessment that if Arsenal couldn’t win in Europe under Wenger, they wouldn’t win under Arteta either. There is no logic or merit to that assessment.

 

[Mamoon]

The only reason why Arsenal are trending up in the PL under Arteta is simply because Chelsea and Man U are trending down, otherwise Arsenal would be fighting for top 4.

Plain and simple, attrition is Arsenal's saviour under Arteta.

The only reason Arsenal are trending upwards unlike Chelsea and United who are trending downwards is because Arsenal have a quality manager like Arteta who has the vision to build a team.

If Chelsea and United had a manager like Arteta they would also be trending upwards. They have spent a fortune in the last few years but they haven’t got a clue on how to build a squad.

If Arsenal had inferior managers like Ole, Rangnick, Ten Hag, Potter, Lampard, Pochettino etc., they would also be trending downwards.

If Chelsea and United had Arteta they would now be where Arsenal are. In fact, they would probably be even better because United and Chelsea were in better shape than Arsenal when Arteta took charge in 2019.

So in conclusion, the difference between Arsenal and United/Chelsea is the fact that Arsenal have the best manager between the three clubs.

 

[Mamoon]

Apart from winning an FA Cup with a supposed toxic squad and useless players, otherwise he's not won anything.

you keep wanting so called validation for Arteta based on what?

Any manager at big club is judged on trophies he wins.

Also I would expect any manager at a big club whose been there 4 years to have delivered a lot more then Arteta.

Has Arteta improved Arsenal season on season? Yes

Has he shown he can handle end of season pressure? No

Has he shown he can handle multiple competitions? No

Has he won a PL or European trophy? No

So for all the "progress" its yielded nothing.

Pretty much on a par with Rogers, poch in regards to poor end results.

Then you keep on yapping on about patients, 4 seasons is more then enough to start delivering.

The fact you and few others can't constructively criticse Artetas short comings at end of last 3 seasons says it all

Dont hype up best young manager when he has no achievements to show for it. If by miracle he wins a major trophy this season then he will deserve credit, until then it's just all hollow talk and hype.

The point is that Arteta has already done better than what you expected him to do. You never thought that Arsenal would be fighting for the title under Arteta.

The fact is that Arteta took Arsenal from a team that was struggling to finish in the top 8 to a team that was in contention for a UCL spot to now a team that is in contention to win the league and there is no doubt at all that sooner or later, Arsenal would win the league under him.

You keep shifting your goalposts because you hate Arteta and you don’t want to give him credit. You want to define the success and failure of his tenure by whether he wins major trophies or not, but we both know that when he does, you will not give him credit and you will not admit that he proved you wrong.

You will shift your goalposts again and try to find a way to downplay his success.

The ascendency of the team under Arteta and the direction in which they are heading makes it very clear that Arsenal will win big things under him. They are very very close.

This is what happens when you have a manager who has the vision and a clear idea of how he wants to build his squad and develop a high performance culture.

Arsenal fans need to be more grateful. They would have been like United and Chelsea if they had an inferior manager.

 

[Mamoon]

Mourinho win the CL with Porto and inter Milan so let's not even go there.

Also dismiss winning in Europe is what fans being sore losers do.

I’m not dissing Mourinho. He is one of the greatest managers ever and in the right environment, he will still excel.

I was objecting to the assessment that if Arsenal couldn’t win in Europe with Wenger, they wouldn’t with Arteta either. It means nothing really. It is an assumption based on nothing. Wenger was never a benchmark in European competitions.

 

[Mamoon]

Klopp promised to win the league in 4 years, he did it.

If Arteta doesnt win it this season, he has not matched the LFC manager.

Arteta so far has won ONE FA cup , not even his team. lol.

4 years are up this season, Arteta wont win the league, he wont win anything imo.

Did Klopp also promise to win only 1 league in almost 10 years? No matter how you spin it, Klopp had underachieved.

Over the last 4-5 years, the gap between the quality of players of Liverpool and City has been negligible. If you make a combined Liverpool and City XI from 2019 onwards, it will pretty much be 50-50.

Klopp should have won at least 2-3 league titles by now. If after 9-10 years Arsenal don’t have at least 2 league titles under Arteta, he would definitely have underachieved.

 

[Mamoon]

Lets not kid ourselves.

Arteta has been feasting off attrition.

Chelsea have been in the dumps for a couple of seasons. Bottom half of the table right now. 12th, heck Brentford are above Chelsea! Man United have been abysmal this season, sitting at 6th, out of the CL. Man City, no way near as strong as last season with Gundogan gone, and De Bruyne absent.

That is 3 teams that would top Arsenal on any given Sunday but are in decline, which is why Arsenal were not even in the top 4 in 21/22, 20/21, 19/20 seasons! (Arteta's reign).

If Chelsea, Man U, or Man City were playing at near same levels as previous seasons, then Arsenal would be clinging to 5th place!

The only progression under Arteta's Arsenal is through regression from Chelsea, Man U, and Man City!

Arteta is trying to pull the Claudio Ranieri move by winning the PL when the top clubs were going through transitions.

As I said, the only difference between Arsenal, United and Chelsea is the fact that Arsenal has a quality manager and those clubs don’t. They have had inferior managers who spend big money but don’t know the first thing about squad building.

Arteta does. If they had a manager like him, they would be right up there today while Arsenal would have been languishing like them if they had an inferior manager.

People like you showcase was hatred and agenda look like. You want to cover both sides.

When Arsenal don’t win under Arteta, it is because he is a terrible manager but when they will win, it will be because others struggled and not because he proved you wrong.

This way, you can avoid giving him credit and avoid admitting that he proved you wrong.

This is precisely why Arteta haters cannot be taken seriously and have no credibility.

 

[Mamoon]

You have missed the most pertinent point of them all, a TRUE Arsenal fan would never rate Arteta over Wenger, especially when Arteta has nothing to show for it and was contemplating his future last season.

It is laughable to see so called Arsenal fans (not you) complaining about non-Arsenal fans, when said fans should be pulling up these Next-Gen Arsenal fans for rating Arteta above Wenger, despite Arteta not having won anything of substance.

Wenger won 3 Premier League Titles, SEVEN FA CUP titles, created the invincible team, introduced and nurtured PL greats like, Thierry Henry, and I have not even touched on Dennis Bergkamp. Wenger may not have won a title in Europe, but as far as domestic titles go, Wenger was the best ever for Arsenal.

The glory hunter Arsenal fans are the ones who need to be pulled up and exposed, they are letting the sincere Arsenal supporter base down.

No one has missed this “pertinent” point because no one made this point in the first place. You are arguing with yourself.

No one has ever said that Arteta is better than Wenger. Does he has the potential? Yes he does, but he will have to turn that potential into reality to merit a comparison.

If/when Arsenal win multiple leagues under Wenger, they can be compared. Nonetheless, Arteta will have to build his own legacy because as I said earlier, Wenger is to Arsenal what SAF is to United and Cruyff is to Barcelona.

His legacy and his impact on shaping Arsenal’s history over the last three decades will never be forgotten.

Arteta has to find his own path and maybe one day, he will be remembered as one of Arsenal’s greatest managers and have a statue outside the Emirates.

Arsenal did not disrespect Wenger. Only a section of the fans did especially the infamous AFTV that have capitalized on Arsenal’s lean period to sell their content, but AFTV is a very, very small and misleading representation of Arsenal fans.

It was time for Wenger to go because the club had become stale under him, it was time to impose a new identity and new culture to revive the club.

Wenger had lost the spark, the fire in his belly and the desire to win at all costs. He had become soft and predictable. He was no longer able to go toe to toe with the best managers.

With Arteta, Arsenal have found the right manager, the right personality to usher a new era. He has the intensity, the energy, the fire in his belly and and the ego to take Arsenal back to glory.

 

[Mamoon]

Do you think if Arsenal dont win the league, Arteta will be retained for another season? He seems to be the darling of Arsenal senior management, giving him plenty of money and time.

Arsenal have a decent squad , some quality players but seems to be struggling to get over the line in games.

You have been predicting Arteta to get sacked since 2020 but you obviously don’t understand and don’t get what Arsenal is trying to do.

It is only in the last 12-15 months that Arteta has been able to put together a potential title-winning squad. Brick by brick, piece by piece, Arteta and the club have been laying the foundation to win the league.

Very similar to what Klopp and Liverpool did from 2015 and 2018. Sacking Arteta after this season would like sacking Klopp in 2018.

Arsenal is very very close, and the club will back Arteta in the market to find the missing pieces and complete the jigsaw puzzle.

He will get at least two more seasons and the only way he gets sacked after this season is if Arsenal have a major meltdown and end up 5th or 6th which obviously won’t happen.

 

[Amjid Javed]

I’m not dissing Mourinho. He is one of the greatest managers ever and in the right environment, he will still excel.

I was objecting to the assessment that if Arsenal couldn’t win in Europe with Wenger, they wouldn’t with Arteta either. It means nothing really. It is an assumption based on nothing. Wenger was never a benchmark in European competitions.

Wenger was a failure in Europe, I don't need to sugar coat things. 1 final and 1 semi final in his entire reign was very poor to say the least. To say because Wenger didn't, doesn't mean that Arteta not doing well in Europe is acceptable either.

This is why I rate GG above wenger, because in Europe he got things tactically right. You beat quality teams like Torino, PSG, Parma on the way to winning a European trophy without being tactically astute, the fact Arsenal got to another final the following year shows they had good tactics back then in Europe.

Yes you will get a lucky manager like Di matteo who luckily took over Chelsea mid season and won a trophy. Ultimately In Europe to win you usually have to change the way you play and use tactical nous to win.

Right now Arteta is giving me Raneri Chelsea 03 vibes, where he had a team good enough to win CL and PL, but over tinkering and not handling pressure meant Raneri got the sack.

 

[Mamoon]

Wenger was a failure in Europe, I don't need to sugar coat things. 1 final and 1 semi final in his entire reign was very poor to say the least. To say because Wenger didn't, doesn't mean that Arteta not doing well in Europe is acceptable either.

This is why I rate GG above wenger, because in Europe he got things tactically right. You beat quality teams like Torino, PSG, Parma on the way to winning a European trophy without being tactically astute, the fact Arsenal got to another final the following year shows they had good tactics back then in Europe.

Yes you will get a lucky manager like Di matteo who luckily took over Chelsea mid season and won a trophy. Ultimately In Europe to win you usually have to change the way you play and use tactical nous to win.

Right now Arteta is giving me Raneri Chelsea 03 vibes, where he had a team good enough to win CL and PL, but over tinkering and not handling pressure meant Raneri got the sack.

This is Arteta’s first season in the UCL and the performance in the group stage was very solid.

You can’t really say how far you’d progress in a competition like this but the important thing is to put in a shift and take the game to some of the big clubs.

As long as Arsenal don’t get destroyed by the big clubs like Bayern the way they did in the last few years of Wenger, it would be seen as an improvement.

PSG might take down Arsenal but Arsenal shouldn’t be going down without a fight.

 

[shaz619]

Yeah yeah Aston Villa is bigger than Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Liverpool, United, Juventus etc. as well, let alone a tier-2 big club like Arsenal.

Maybe Aston Villa should also become small, weak and chicken-hearted to finish in the top 2 and fight for the title.

Being big, strong and lion-hearted has only given them mid-table mediocrity.

No we don’t want to become chicken hearted who celebrate no.2 like they got married.

99% of teams would win the PL from the same position as you last season, a few extra dolla in your club has you pumping your chest but your stature is about on par with the Blackburn Rovers

 

[shaz619]

I am not comparing Arteta to Mourinho. Arteta has a long way to go before he can be compared to a legend like Mourinho, but there is no doubt that he has the potential.

I was simply objecting to your assessment that if Arsenal couldn’t win in Europe under Wenger, they wouldn’t win under Arteta either. There is no logic or merit to that assessment.

Wenger was a superior manager to Arteta.

And there’s no harm in not winning the European cup, the Blackburn Rovers didn’t win it either, it’s fine for your club.

 

[Technics 1210]

The only reason Arsenal are trending upwards unlike Chelsea and United who are trending downwards is because Arsenal have a quality manager like Arteta who has the vision to build a team.

If Chelsea and United had a manager like Arteta they would also be trending upwards. They have spent a fortune in the last few years but they haven’t got a clue on how to build a squad.

If Arsenal had inferior managers like Ole, Rangnick, Ten Hag, Potter, Lampard, Pochettino etc., they would also be trending downwards.

If Chelsea and United had Arteta they would now be where Arsenal are. In fact, they would probably be even better because United and Chelsea were in better shape than Arsenal when Arteta took charge in 2019.

So in conclusion, the difference between Arsenal and United/Chelsea is the fact that Arsenal have the best manager between the three clubs.

Clearly you do not understand attrition.

When Chelsea and Man U were performing well, Arsenal under Arteta did not finish in the top 4. When Chelsea and Man U performed badly, Arsenal ended up in the top 4. I have cited the seasons in previous posts that validate this fact.

In the end, even with attrition, Arteta bottled the league title; It was in the bag, then out the bag in a few weeks.

 

[Mamoon]

Clearly you do not understand attrition.

When Chelsea and Man U were performing well, Arsenal under Arteta did not finish in the top 4. When Chelsea and Man U performed badly, Arsenal ended up in the top 4. I have cited the seasons in previous posts that validate this fact.

In the end, even with attrition, Arteta bottled the league title; It was in the bag, then out the bag in a few weeks.

Clearly, you have no clue what you are talking about.

When Arteta took over Arsenal, his team was clearly inferior to Chelsea and United.

After 1 full season, he had built a team that was better than United’s even though United had a head-start over him and spent a lot of money.

In 2020/21, which was Arteta’s first full season, United finished 13 points above Arsenal.

It was the second consecutive season that United had finished above Arsenal. They were clearly the better side.

In summer of 2021, Arsenal and United were the highest net spenders in the PL, both teams had spent comparable amount of money.

With Man United having a better squad than Arsenal already, they should have maintained the gap between themselves and Arsenal but guess what happened?

Arsenal finished 11 points above United. This is all because Arsenal had a superior manager like Arteta who figured where to spend the money to improve his squad while the inferior leadership at United spent money but had no clue on how to improve the squad.

As a result, Arsenal leapfrogged them.

However, Chelsea were still better than Arsenal and finished 5 points above Arsenal.

In summer of 2022, Chelsea, who were already better than Arsenal, had a net spend of £205m while Arsenal had a net spend of £97 and guess what, Arsenal finished 40 points ahead of Chelsea.

Yes, that is not a typo. Please repeat after me: the superior team at the start of the 2022 summer spent £205m compared to the £97m spent by the inferior team and yet, they finished 40 points behind.

Both Chelsea and United were better than Arsenal when Arteta took over. Both have spent more money than Arsenal in the last 5 years and both are now far inferior than Arsenal.

This is what happens when you have inferior managers with no vision and this is what happens when you have a superior manager like Arteta who has the vision to build a team and spend money effectively.

Please take your “attrition” where the sun doesn’t shine.

 

[Mamoon]

Wenger was a superior manager to Arteta.

And there’s no harm in not winning the European cup, the Blackburn Rovers didn’t win it either, it’s fine for your club.

Wenger has superior achievements to Arteta at this point in his career. Arteta has shown a lot of promise and is undoubtedly the best young manager in the game today.

10-15 years later, we can compare the two and see how Arteta fares. Wenger was a manager for a different time and a different era and a different context who carved Arsenal’s modern history.

Arteta will have to tread his own path and write his own story and he is more than capable.

He has the capacity to have his own statue at the club one day and be remembered as the man who took Arsenal from the depths of darkness and revived the club after years of stagnation.

 

[Mamoon]

No we don’t want to become chicken hearted who celebrate no.2 like they got married.

99% of teams would win the PL from the same position as you last season, a few extra dolla in your club has you pumping your chest but your stature is about on par with the Blackburn Rovers

But your mediocre club will never be in the position Arsenal were last season so please stay in your lane.

Arsenal’s failures tower above Aston Villa’s achievements.

Arsenal on par with Blackburn?

Yes Arsenal’s status is on par with a club that has won 12 trophies compared to Arsenal’s 48.

I didn’t know Aston Villa fans were cognitively compromised.

 

[shaz619]

But your mediocre club will never be in the position Arsenal were last season so please stay in your lane.

Arsenal’s failures tower above Aston Villa’s achievements.

Arsenal on par with Blackburn?

Yes Arsenal’s status is on par with a club that has won 12 trophies compared to Arsenal’s 48.

I didn’t know Aston Villa fans were cognitively compromised.

Never be in what position, you’ve not achieved anything, a cowardly football club supported by fans with mental deformities. A million FA cups don’t make you this monstrosity of a club, be thankful of the Blackburn Rovers comparison.

 

[shaz619]

Wenger has superior achievements to Arteta at this point in his career. Arteta has shown a lot of promise and is undoubtedly the best young manager in the game today.

10-15 years later, we can compare the two and see how Arteta fares. Wenger was a manager for a different time and a different era and a different context who carved Arsenal’s modern history.

Arteta will have to tread his own path and write his own story and he is more than capable.

He has the capacity to have his own statue at the club one day and be remembered as the man who took Arsenal from the depths of darkness and revived the club after years of stagnation.

It’s all hypothetical, at this point it only seems fitting that Arteta has a statue in your back garden, maybe you’ve built him a temple like the typical south asians from the villages who venerate individuals because they’re out of depth

 

[Amjid Javed]

Brighton enjoy playing at emirates and have put a dent in Arsenal's season before, must win game for Arsenal

 

[Amjid Javed]

0-0 after 20 mins, Arsenal need to be more clinical in final 3rd in these type of games

 

[Amjid Javed]

5 good chances spurned so far

 

[shaz619]

5 good chances spurned so far

They will be converted to goals within the next 2 seasons; show some ‘shanti’ like the south asian supporters

 

[Amjid Javed]

HT 0-0

Looks a repeat of last seasons game, Arsenal wasting chance after chance.

Brighton zero chances so far.

But we saw brighton then punish arsenal wastefulness, same likely to happen again

 

[KingKhanWC]

They will be converted to goals within the next 2 seasons; show some ‘shanti’ like the south asian supporters

Wenger will be back in 2 years lol

Plenty of time but like the Villa match , missing chances , Brighton could pounce amongst the frustration

 

[Amjid Javed]

Jesus finally puts one away

 

[Mamoon]

HT 0-0

Looks a repeat of last seasons game, Arsenal wasting chance after chance.

Brighton zero chances so far.

But we saw brighton then punish arsenal wastefulness, same likely to happen again

I’m sorry that your prayers weren’t answered.

 

[Mamoon]

Wenger will be back in 2 years lol

Plenty of time but like the Villa match , missing chances , Brighton could pounce amongst the frustration

Sorry for your disappointment.

Wenger will be back where?

 

[Amjid Javed]

Much needed 3 points, with Villa also winning and Liverpool to play

 

[Mamoon]

Declan Rice is insane.

Best signing of the Emirates era by a country mile.

Thank you Arteta and Edu.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Kai Havertz owning his haters yet again.

@Amjid Javed @topspin apologize

Apologise for what? Has he won the balon dor or player of season?

 

[Mamoon]

Much needed 3 points, with Villa also winning and Liverpool to play

Arsenal and Villa are not fighting for the same positions.

Villa will be 10 points below Arsenal come May if not more.

No point in comparing a title challenger to a a club that will celebrate finishing 6th.

 

[Mamoon]

Apologise for what? Has he won the balon dor or player of season?

Apologize for the fact that Arsenal fans have no patience. They wanted his head on a stick for not hitting the ground running.

Arteta knew why he signed him and what he wanted him to do and we are seeing the results now.

Havertz has been excellent and one of Arsenal’s strongest players since November and he is only going to get better.

A very good addition to the Arsenal team and his best years are ahead of him. He is younger than Nketiah.

Chelsea’s loss is Arsenal’s again. They had a top young player like him at their disposal but they couldn’t figure out how to use him because they don’t have a manager with the vision and imagination of Arteta.

But it takes courage to admit that you were wrong.

 

[Rana]

The S Class is rolling for Arsenal

 

[Amjid Javed]

Arsenal and Villa are not fighting for the same positions.

Villa will be 10 points below Arsenal come May if not more.

No point in comparing a title challenger to a a club that will celebrate finishing 6th.

We've heard your wild statements like this last year, when you were Proclaiming title was already in the bag.

Villa right now are in 2nd place on merit, we've already seen Leicester upset the odds in PL before as well.

Liverpool are likely to smash united, which sets up next weeks game at Anfield nicely.

You like a lot of fan base are doing bhangra over "progress" yet your trying to troll villa. The irony of it

 

[Amjid Javed]

Apologize for the fact that Arsenal fans have no patience. They wanted his head on a stick for not hitting the ground running.

Arteta knew why he signed him and what he wanted him to do and we are seeing the results now.

Havertz has been excellent and one of Arsenal’s strongest players since November and he is only going to get better.

A very good addition to the Arsenal team and his best years are ahead of him. He is younger than Nketiah.

Chelsea’s loss is Arsenal’s again. They had a top young player like him at their disposal but they couldn’t figure out how to use him because they don’t have a manager with the vision and imagination of Arteta.

But it takes courage to admit that you were wrong.

Oh shut up with your nonsense.

3 goals this season and now he's a proven legend in your eyes . Let me guess there should be a statue of havertz outside the ground next to Arteta.

Xhaka got 7 goals and 7 assists last season, so if havertz gets to that level, feel free to dance around

Just shows your level of mediocrity when you think a player has proven himself after a couple of goals

 

[Mamoon]

We've heard your wild statements like this last year, when you were Proclaiming title was already in the bag.

Villa right now are in 2nd place on merit, we've already seen Leicester upset the odds in PL before as well.

Liverpool are likely to smash united, which sets up next weeks game at Anfield nicely.

You like a lot of fan base are doing bhangra over "progress" yet your trying to troll villa. The irony of it

It is beneath Arsenal fans to even engage Villa fans, but I wouldn’t let Villa fans to disrespect the club I support by trolling that Villa is bigger than Arsenal and Arsenal are comparable to Blackburn Rovers.

You don’t have what it takes to stand up for the club you support but I do. I won’t tolerate such trolling and will not hesitate in putting people in their rightful place.

There is as much “merit” to Villa’s second place as there was to Spurs topping the league after the first couple of months.

It is just a purple patch and normal business will resume. Villa don’t what it takes and never will.

 

[topspin]

Kai Havertz owning his haters yet again.

@Amjid Javed @topspin apologize

You need to apologise for making this thread unbearable and toxic with your appetite for mediocrity. I actually get second hand embarrassment with the way you cheerlead Imam. I will apologise to you that I can't share your low standards so please forgive me if I've hurt you for all the times I've had to school you on Arsenal related discussions.

Coming to Havertz, I will apologise once he's justified his price tag, £70m, and wages, £300k per week+. I would be delighted to be proven wrong because our midfield is finally starting to click. The build up play has been fluid and the chance creation has picked up since last week against Villa.

 

[topspin]

Oh shut up with your nonsense.

3 goals this season and now he's a proven legend in your eyes . Let me guess there should be a statue of havertz outside the ground next to Arteta.

Xhaka got 7 goals and 7 assists last season, so if havertz gets to that level, feel free to dance around

Just shows your level of mediocrity when you think a player has proven himself after a couple of goals

I honestly think we should posting on another football club thread. He's made this thread unbearable for a number of posters on here.

 

[Mamoon]

Oh shut up with your nonsense.

3 goals this season and now he's a proven legend in your eyes . Let me guess there should be a statue of havertz outside the ground next to Arteta.

Xhaka got 7 goals and 7 assists last season, so if havertz gets to that level, feel free to dance around

Just shows your level of mediocrity when you think a player has proven himself after a couple of goals

Keep adding more goals.

First it was one goal, then it was 2, now it is 3, when in fact it is 4.

He will get double digit goals this season from midfield.

Learn to look beyond your nose. Havertz has arrived and this is just the beginning.

 

[topspin]

Arsenal and Villa are not fighting for the same positions.

Villa will be 10 points below Arsenal come May if not more.

No point in comparing a title challenger to a a club that will celebrate finishing 6th.

As things stand, Villa are in the title race. Whether they can sustain it or not is another question.

 

[Amjid Javed]

It is beneath Arsenal fans to even engage Villa fans, but I wouldn’t let Villa fans to disrespect the club I support by trolling that Villa is bigger than Arsenal and Arsenal are comparable to Blackburn Rovers.

You don’t have what it takes to stand up for the club you support but I do. I won’t tolerate such trolling and will not hesitate in putting people in their rightful place.

There is as much “merit” to Villa’s second place as there was to Spurs topping the league after the first couple of months.

It is just a purple patch and normal business will resume. Villa don’t what it takes and never will.

17 games is a purple patch? They have won same number of games as us this season. You really are a sore loser.

You want to over hype Arsenal's non existent achievements over last 3 seasons and then try and mock others

 

[topspin]

17 games is a purple patch? They have won same number of games as us this season. You really are a sore loser.

You want to over hype Arsenal's non existent achievements over last 3 seasons and then try and mock others

I don't get his mocking of Villa because they're in the title race as things stand.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Keep adding more goals.

First it was one goal, then it was 2, now it is 3, when in fact it is 4.

He will get double digit goals this season from midfield.

Learn to look beyond your nose. Havertz has arrived and this is just the beginning.

Oh here were go through over excitement and usual premature nonsense.

havertz in PL

4 in 27
8 in 29
7 in 35
4 in 17

Your getting carried away as though that's legendary performances, a player who has never even got into double figures in the PL

Give it a rest

 

[Mamoon]

I don't get his mocking of Villa because they're in the title race as things stand.

As I said, Arsenal fans have zero patience and zero ball knowledge.

Same Arsenal fans who are claiming that Villa is in a title race were claiming in October that Spurs are in a title race and Ange has had a bigger impact than Arteta.

Spurs weren’t in a title race. Villa aren’t in a title race.

Arsenal. Liverpool. City. That is the title race and right now, Arsenal are best positioned to go all the way in spite of Liverpool’s 2 point lead at the moment assuming that United don’t fluke a result today.

 

[Mamoon]

Oh here were go through over excitement and usual premature nonsense.

havertz in PL

4 in 27
8 in 29
7 in 35
4 in 17

Your getting carried away as though that's legendary performances, a player who has never even got into double figures in the PL

Give it a rest

Havertz will be one of Arsenal’s key players in the next 4-5 years and Arsenal will win at least two league titles in that period.

It is still not too late to apologize but you are running out of time.

 

[Mamoon]

On a different note,

Marcos Leonardo to Arsenal is gaining steam. It would be a smashing signing if Edu and Arteta can pull it off but it won’t be easy because the big heavyweights are also looking at him.

He has far better potential than Gabriel “Theo Walcott” Martinelli who got rejected by Barcelona and United and we can see why.

 

[MenInG]

Problem with Arsenal fans is that they can't even enjoy a win

Destroy the fun for everyone as usual.

 

[topspin]

As I said, Arsenal fans have zero patience and zero ball knowledge.

Same Arsenal fans who are claiming that Villa is in a title race were claiming in October that Spurs are in a title race and Ange has had a bigger impact than Arteta.

Spurs weren’t in a title race. Villa aren’t in a title race.

Arsenal. Liverpool. City. That is the title race and right now, Arsenal are best positioned to go all the way in spite of Liverpool’s 2 point lead at the moment assuming that United don’t fluke a result today.

I never said anything about Ange having a bigger impact than Arteta. Please stop pedalling lies.

Villa at present are in the title race. That's a fact. It doesn't mean that I think they will win it nor does it mean that I think they'll sustain it until the latter part of this season.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Problem with Arsenal fans is that they can't even enjoy a win

Destroy the fun for everyone as usual

Win is a win. Villa have won, liverpool are likely to win also

Nothing to get carried away over.

Anfield next, where we threw title away last season. Our away performances in big away games Newcastle, Chelsea and Villa have been underwhelming this season.

To win the title you have to make title statement winning games, we didn't do that last season.

next week will tell us if lessons are learnt from last season

 

[Amjid Javed]

As I said, Arsenal fans have zero patience and zero ball knowledge.

Same Arsenal fans who are claiming that Villa is in a title race were claiming in October that Spurs are in a title race and Ange has had a bigger impact than Arteta.

Spurs weren’t in a title race. Villa aren’t in a title race.

Arsenal. Liverpool. City. That is the title race and right now, Arsenal are best positioned to go all the way in spite of Liverpool’s 2 point lead at the moment assuming that United don’t fluke a result today.

Arsenal are best placed base's on what? We go to Anfield next week, also still have to go to eithad, spurs and united and have toughest run in at end of season.

Your over hyped statements based on fantasy hold zero substance.

 

[MenInG]

Atleast enjoy it

Every post here doesn't need to be a 'point' on the other

Getting boring all this.

 

[Mamoon]

I never said anything about Ange having a bigger impact than Arteta. Please stop pedalling lies.

Villa at present are in the title race. That's a fact. It doesn't mean that I think they will win it nor does it mean that I think they'll sustain it until the latter part of this season.

There is no such thing as Villa being in a title race just like there was no such thing as Spurs being in a title race. Neither of the clubs are good enough.

You are contradicting your own self with your last comment. You don’t think they will sustain it until the end which means you agree that they are not in a title race.

Being in a title race means being in touching distance and taking it to business end of the season.

Everyone knows Villa will be 15+ points below the champions (Arsenal/Liverpool/City) come the end of the season and that isn’t a title race.

Being in touching distance with the top placed team after 17 matches and finishing a dozen points below the eventual champion after 38 matches isn’t called being in a title race.

 

[Mamoon]

Arsenal are best placed base's on what? We go to Anfield next week, also still have to go to eithad, spurs and united and have toughest run in at end of season.

Your over hyped statements based on fantasy hold zero substance.

Arsenal is a better team than Liverpool and will finish above Liverpool for the second season running and this trend should continue for another two years at least.

 

[Mamoon]

Back to the top. Beautiful.

Thank you Klopp and Liverpool for failing to beat United at home.

@KingKhanWC

 

[Amjid Javed]

There is no such thing as Villa being in a title race just like there was no such thing as Spurs being in a title race. Neither of the clubs are good enough.

You are contradicting your own self with your last comment. You don’t think they will sustain it until the end which means you agree that they are not in a title race.

Being in a title race means being in touching distance and taking it to business end of the season.

Everyone knows Villa will be 15+ points below the champions (Arsenal/Liverpool/City) come the end of the season and that isn’t a title race.

Being in touching distance with the top placed team after 17 matches and finishing a dozen points below the eventual champion after 38 matches isn’t called being in a title race.

Villa have won 25 PL games in this calender year, since Emery has taken over he's near enough got Villa same number of points Arsenal have in that same time.

So your disingenuous attempt at trolling Villa isn't work. Yes they probably won't win the title, but at same time the performances across 2023 is a big enough sample set to show they are dangerous. You don't win 15 PL games in a row at home either being an average side.

Leicester City have already shown what can be done if you build momentum in a season at right time and other sides are slightly off key.

By your logic "If sustaining a title race means going to end of season", then Arsenal didn't do that either last season as City won title with plenty of games to spare last season

 

[Mamoon]

Villa have won 25 PL games in this calender year, since Emery has taken over he's near enough got Villa same number of points Arsenal have in that same time.

So your disingenuous attempt at trolling Villa isn't work. Yes they probably won't win the title, but at same time the performances across 2023 is a big enough sample set to show they are dangerous. You don't win 15 PL games in a row at home either being an average side.

Leicester City have already shown what can be done if you build momentum in a season at right time and other sides are slightly off key.

“They probably won’t win the title”

no $hit, Sherlock.

I wouldn’t call Aston Villa an average side. I expect them to finish 5th or 6th and it is clearly a more than decent achievement for a club like Aston Villa to finish at such positions in 2024.

You have to be an average Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Chelsea, United team to finish at those positions but you have to be a good Aston Villa team to finish at those positions.

I like Aston Villa, but I wouldn’t tolerate an Aston Villa fan disrespecting Arsenal by claiming that Aston Villa is bigger than Arsenal, Arsenal is a cowardly club, Arsenal is comparable to Blackburn etc.

I had to put him in his place and show him his level and I expect you do to the same and stand up for the club that you support. It is shameful that you didn’t take any offense to his choice of words and provocative statements.

Learn to stand up for your club even if you can’t digest their resurrection and ascendancy because you have a problem with the manager and hate the fact that he has proved you wrong.

Your love for the club should supersede your ego and agenda.

Aston Villa is NOT in a title race. The comparison with Leicester is irrational because they except Arsenal and Spurs and that too to an extent, the other big clubs were out of sorts and struggling for different reasons.

This season, we have two teams Arsenal and Liverpool who have been excellent and will remain excellent and while City have been poor, you would expect them to get their act together at some point and comfortable outclass Villa and fight for the title again.

In short, Aston Villa has a ZERO PERCENT chance of fighting for the title bechase they are lagging behind three clearly superior teams.

Aston Villa might finish 4th as well and I won’t be surprised if they do, but I think Spurs would pip them in the end because they have a little more quality and that will show in the long run.

By your logic "If sustaining a title race means going to end of season", then Arsenal didn't do that either last season as City won title with plenty of games to spare last season

Another ridiculous hot take.

City beat the league by 5 points and Arsenal were top of the table for 90% of the season. It was one of the most intense title races in PL history in spite of the fact that it didn’t go to the last 2 match days.

If Aston Villa top the table for 90% of the season and miss out by only 5 points, I will be the first one to congratulate them for fighting for the title but neither Aston Villa nor Emery are good enough to do so.

 

[Mamoon]

I honestly think we should posting on another football club thread. He's made this thread unbearable for a number of posters on here.

The problem is that I’m the only Arsenal supporter with the guts to defend the club I support and not take nonsense from rival fans and deal with the trolling and agenda.

Look at the lack of respect shown for Arsenal by Shaz and Technic over the last couple of pages and yet not a peep by the other Arsenal fans who are busy peddling their toxic agendas against Arteta and Havertz.

It takes guts to stand up for the club that you support.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Another ridiculous hot take.

City beat the league by 5 points and Arsenal were top of the table for 90% of the season. It was one of the most intense title races in PL history in spite of the fact that it didn’t go to the last 2 match days.

If Aston Villa top the table for 90% of the season and miss out by only 5 points, I will be the first one to congratulate them for fighting for the title but neither Aston Villa nor Emery are good enough to do so.

Yet more utter nonsense, only ridiculously take is you thinking the title race was intense.

Arsenal finished 5 points behind man city, your attempt at making it as though the title race was even remotely close.

The reality was Man city won the title with 3 games to spare and then proceeded to to not care about their last 2 games vs brighton or Brentford, where they pretty much rested players before FA cup final and CL finals. City in the end didn't even break sweat.

So to call a "title race" intense when it was won with ease is hilarious, and your basing it on a "5 point gap"

Let me give you an example of how an end of season points totals can be decieving on how close a title race was.

In 97/98 - Arsenal won the title with 2 games to spare after beating Everton, they then rested players for dead rubber games vs liverpool and villa which they lost. The final table showed Arsenal top by 1 point, yet won title with 2 games to spare.

98/99 - man united won title by a point on the final day of the season, that's an intense title race when it goes down to the wire.

Two seasons 1 point difference between top 2, yet one title was won with a few games to spare, the other on final day of the season. So your whole "5 points" is a lot of garbage.

The fact their was a 15 point swing between Arsenal going top after being Leeds and going 8 points clear and bottling league with 3 games to spare. That's not an intense title race

Might have been intense for you getting over excited and dropping the bag.

Liverpool and city's title races going to the last game of the season is intense, learn the difference

 

[Technics 1210]

Arsenal at top due to other results going thier way.

Arteta Attrition on full display.

 

[Firebat]

Arsenal at top due to other results going thier way.

Believe it or not, this is how a league system works.

 

[Mamoon]

Believe it or not, this is how a league system works.

Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Arsenal and every other team that is top of its league right now is there because they have won their games and others have not.

We have got a genius in the house, folks.

 

[Mamoon]

@Amjid Javed


Firstly, Liverpool choked 18/19 as much as Arsenal choked 22/23.

In 18/19, Liverpool had a 9 point lead over City after 20 games. To surrender a 9 point lead over the next 18 matches was a massive choke. It was a meltdown.

People laughably don’t perceive it as a choke like Arsenal last season because it didn’t happen right at the end and since Liverpool played really well in the last few games and finished on level points, people forget that they had a 9 point lead at one point.

The only real difference between Arsenal 22-23 and Liverpool 18-19 was the timing and sequence of the collapse.

Deciding the winner on the final day adds to the drama for sure but it is not a mandatory prerequisite for an intense and competitive title race.

Not every title race is the same either. They all have different character, different context. Different emotions.

The 22/23 was one of the best title races ever because you had a team that was not fancied before the season and a winning machine that went toe to toe for almost 90% of the the season.

Arsenal lead for 90% of the season, City always remained at their tails and eventually hunted them down with a few matches to go.

Throughout the season, it was a race between two clubs only. It was a great battle and the ending might have been slightly anti-climatic, but it doesn’t take away from the roller-coaster ride that the season proved to be.

If it had gone to the final day it would have been a stronger contender for the best title race in PL history, but even now, it ranks amongst the best.

To say that it wasn’t a title race or that Aston Villa’s league position this season after 17 matches is as much of a title charge as Arsenal last season.

 

[Technics 1210]

Believe it or not, this is how a league system works.

Yup but worthy champions make their own luck, and don't rely on others.

The difference between having earned it, and fluked it.

 

[Firebat]

Yup but worthy champions make their own luck, and don't rely on others.

The difference between having earned it, and fluked it.

There is no such thing as fluking a PL title, it's the toughest league on the planet.

Worthy champions will be occupying 1st place after 38 games. This is because they were better than all the other teams that season. Thus they earned it. If Arsenal are 1st after 38 games then they're worthy champions. If not, then they're not.

 

[Technics 1210]

There is no such thing as fluking a PL title, it's the toughest league on the planet.

Worthy champions will be occupying 1st place after 38 games. This is because they were better than all the other teams that season. Thus they earned it. If Arsenal are 1st after 38 games then they're worthy champions. If not, then they're not.

The Arsenal fan defending Arteta (over Wenger too) doesn't rate the PL at all.

You don't have to convince me.

Anyway, after 38 games, the question always remains whether the team at the top fluked it or earned it.

 

[MenInG]

I love the anti-Arsenal guys trying to tell us that Arteta is the reason we are not wining the league.

Crocodile tears etc.

For Arsenal - onwards and upwards! (or whichever way you want to read it)