Arsenal FC | 2025/26 Season

[Amjid Javed]

But but this is best squad by a mile - July

But But I love Arteta, I won't call him out
- April

 

[Mamoon]

Arsenal’s strategic problems started when they wasted £100m on Rice in 2023. The English tax is real.

This guy is not worth 50m given his deeply mediocre ability on the ball. That money would have bought two top quality attacking players in 2023 and Arsenal would probably have been in a better position today than they are with Rice.

It was not a value for money signing. A 100m player needs to have the ability to turn the game on its head. He should be a match-winner.

 

[Mamoon]

6 years without buying a proper striker is Artetas fault . A player maker would also help . Haaland & Cherki is what Arsenal does not have .

Declan rice also shouted it’s not done at ft but poor bloke ran like a headless chicken all day .

Arsenal played well at times , came to win the game but the quality in players is a big difference .

Arteta should prioritise champions league now , great draw and a final would be a great day out at least

Gyokeres is a proper striker. The problem is the midfield. They don’t create chances. £100m was spent on a rich man’s Henderson.

The midfield needs a reset otherwise Arteta will be forced to continue playing defensive football.

 

[aboveandbeyond]

6 years without buying a proper striker is Artetas fault . A player maker would also help . Haaland & Cherki is what Arsenal does not have .

Declan rice also shouted it’s not done at ft but poor bloke ran like a headless chicken all day .

Arsenal played well at times , came to win the game but the quality in players is a big difference .

Arteta should prioritise champions league now , great draw and a final would be a great day out at least

It was fine Margins what decided the Game. City did not out play Arsenal at all.
Defending and finishing cost Arsenal.

 

[Amjid Javed]

1,000 word essays are back..

But but its not Artetas fault

 

[Geordie Ahmed]

Arteta will be criticized by the idiots but today was yet another example of the senior players letting him down in crunch situations.

Woeful defending by Gabriel for both goals. His head was not in place today.

Arteta has done everything for this club to win the league but ultimately it’s the players on the pitch who have to get the job done. They should all apologize to him in the dressing room and pull up their socks for the remaining fixtures.

The fans have even less bottle than the players so they will not act as if City won the league today but it is far from over. Both teams will be on level points if City win their game in hand, so there is no reason to believe that it’s over today.

Even if we accept this to be the case then he still takes the blame because this is his squad

He signed all of these players so if the squad is lacking something then that is on him

 

[MK7Z]

Even if we accept this to be the case then he still takes the blame because this is his squad

He signed all of these players so if the squad is lacking something then that is on him

Ignore it bro. It's gaslighthing at its finest

 

[KingKhanWC]

Gyokeres is a proper striker. The problem is the midfield. They don’t create chances. £100m was spent on a rich man’s Henderson.

The midfield needs a reset otherwise Arteta will be forced to continue playing defensive football.

He was out headed by Silva .

You will go back into the market in the summer .

 

[Mamoon]

Even if we accept this to be the case then he still takes the blame because this is his squad

He signed all of these players so if the squad is lacking something then that is on him

We don’t know much control he has over the transfers. This info is usually not public knowledge. Things have changed after Arsene left.

I will judge him for on-field performances only. I agree his football is turgid but it’s a consequence of the players that he has. He has not crippled world class ballers. He is maximizing their output because this team won’t even be in contention if they try to play se*y football.

 

[Mamoon]

He was out headed by Silva .

You will go back into the market in the summer .

There is no available striker in the market who will score more goals than him in this setup so I don’t think there is any need of going for a striker. The focus should be to invest in midfield and the LW role which has been dead for years.

 

[KingKhanWC]

It was fine Margins what decided the Game. City did not out play Arsenal at all.
Defending and finishing cost Arsenal.

Arsenal came close and had a coupe of great chances . They were not dominant but city has double the shots and 3 x more touches in the opposition box . Rodri and silva did control the midfield, just too good .

 

[topspin]

Ignore it bro. It's gaslighthing at its finest

Exactly, this is what I'm trying to say. Before he went on hibernation mode from PP, his mask had slipped. and it was there for everyone to see.

 

[Geordie Ahmed]

We don’t know much control he has over the transfers. This info is usually not public knowledge. Things have changed after Arsene left.

I will judge him for on-field performances only. I agree his football is turgid but it’s a consequence of the players that he has. He has not crippled world class ballers. He is maximizing their output because this team won’t even be in contention if they try to play se*y football.

That's fair, I don't follow Arsenal enough to know what the situation is but from what I read and hear then he has a lot of control over transfers, and rightly so

Also, back in the summer you said this squad was the best squad, were you just being positive at the time or is it based on what you have observed this season?

 

[aboveandbeyond]

Arsenal came close and had a coupe of great chances . They were not dominant but city has double the shots and 3 x more touches in the opposition box . Rodri and silva did control the midfield, just too good .

Definitely agree with Rodri and Bernardo know how in big games.

 

[MK7Z]

That Havertz sword Arteta would die on..... Always knew it would kill him

 

[Mamoon]

That's fair, I don't follow Arsenal enough to know what the situation is but from what I read and hear then he has a lot of control over transfers, and rightly so

Also, back in the summer you said this squad was the best squad, were you just being positive at the time or is it based on what you have observed this season?

Arteta definitely has influence in the market. He has been the manager for 6+ years and any long-serving manager has a voice in the market. However, they have Berta calling the shots as well as Josh Kroenke is involved as well, so we can’t say for sure that this is 100% Arteta’s team. It may as well be, but we can’t bet on it.

I was very confident with the midfield options before the season started but I am very disappointed with Rice as well as the impact Eze has made on the team. I was also expecting Odegaard to pick up his form this season but it hasn’t happened.

The midfield is in bad shape and makes it very difficult for Arteta to dominate the midfield against the best sides.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Arteta doesn't have control of transfers..

Yeah he was forced at gunpoint to sign havertz and madueke

 

[aboveandbeyond]

Arteta definitely has influence in the market. He has been the manager for 6+ years and any long-serving manager has a voice in the market. However, they have Berta calling the shots as well as Josh Kroenke is involved as well, so we can’t say for sure that this is 100% Arteta’s team. It may as well be, but we can’t bet on it.

I was very confident with the midfield options before the season started but I am very disappointed with Rice as well as the impact Eze has made on the team. I was also expecting Odegaard to pick up his form this season but it hasn’t happened.

The midfield is in bad shape and makes it very difficult for Arteta to dominate the midfield against the best sides.

Midfield is the key area in big games. It influences everything. Hence Bernardo Silva MOM.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Also, back in the summer you said this squad was the best squad, were you just being positive at the time or is it based on what you have observed this season?

Well done for calling out this and his contradictions

This was best squad in league by a mile, a few others have rambled this non sense as well

 

[Amjid Javed]

so when i said at start of season our midfield lacked creativity, certain Artetasexual said it was best talent in Europe. Now the midfield isn't good enough.

Enjoy your rotten tomato pie

 

[topspin]

Finishing 2nd is better than 3rd, 4th, 5th etc, but it's not just about the final outcome. It's also about the brand of football that we're playing and Arteta's inability to develop the front 4 and rotate players.

The brand of football could be excused if we could win major honours. Arteta seems more interested in his attackers pressing and how the team as a whole is set-up off the ball.

Also, he's brought the wrong players. Key examples being Madueke and Havertz. Combined they have cost Arsenal in excess of £110m. Chelsea have taken the club for mugs.

Nwaneri is much better than Madueke but somehow Artera has sent him out on loan, when we needed him for the business end of the season.

All the signs are there that Arteta isn't an elite manager. He crumbles when he gets near the finishing line.

City will win the league and this will undoubtedly be the mother of all bottlejobs.

Arteta needs to be sacked now.

 

[topspin]

You will smash your tv when you see the highlights

Thanks for the heads up

 

[Amjid Javed]

World class depth

But let's make excuses now on Berta's signings as Arteta doesn't control transfers

 

[Amjid Javed]

Where's Mr Alias? Suddenly dissappeared after running his mouth earlier.

I've got my spade ready to bury certain Arteta fan boys

 

[aboveandbeyond]

Its not over yet Guys. Anything can happen in the remaining 5 games. One thing for certain. Arsenal must now focus on GD every game they play.

 

[aboveandbeyond]

Where's Mr Alias? Suddenly dissappeared after running his mouth earlier.

I've got my spade ready to bury certain Arteta fan boys

Yes but surely Arteta set up well for today's Game. He pressed from the front and played with intent.

Execution of the Game plan lies with the players who actually in general played really well!

 

[Amjid Javed]

Its not over yet Guys. Anything can happen in the remaining 5 games. One thing for certain. Arsenal must now focus on GD every game they play.

Focus on GD with donkeys like madueke, odegaard and havertz

 

[aboveandbeyond]

Focus on GD with donkeys like madueke, odegaard and havertz

Ok then. Let the other Donkeys focus on the GD then

 

[Amjid Javed]

Thanks for the heads up

Or feel free to smash a head in, and his alias

 

[Technics 1210]

The real story and topic right now is whether Arsenal will bottle the Quadruple.

 

[Amjid Javed]

That Havertz sword Arteta would die on..... Always knew it would kill him

The fact that Gyokeres got less than 10 minutes at end was a shambles. No max dowman either.

Havertz got a fluke goal, and was **** as usual, same goes for madueke.

When Arteta is sacked or goes, these donkeys need to go with him

 

[SherWaqar]

Yeah I feel empty too.
I have to get ready and go play 5 aside now

Anyway, we didn't lose it today. We lost it last week against Bournemouth at home

Disagree. Even a draw today would have meant it was in Arsenal’s hand. This match was predicted to be the title decider…it will be the deciding factor IF City go on to win it all.

 

[topspin]

Mission accomplished for some.

 

[MK7Z]

Disagree. Even a draw today would have meant it was in Arsenal’s hand. This match was predicted to be the title decider…it will be the deciding factor IF City go on to win it all.

Not really. By losing to Bournemouth we handed the initiative to City where it was in their hands and they were no longer required for us to drop points.

It should have never have got to that point had Arsenal beat Bournemouth at home.

Yes today it was still in our hands but it was also in cities. Had we beat Bournemouth we'd still have a buffer so the defeat today would not have been as fatal as it is

 

[Amjid Javed]

Whilst we all knew certain donkeys madeuke, havertz would be exposed again today and certain others odegaard would flatter to deceive. One player who was very poor was zubimendi, positional play was atrocious, essentially also went missing again when we needed to dictate play. In comparison look at how Bernardo Silva dropped deep, demanded ball, made tackles and demanded play. Yes zubimendi may be tired, but to many of the bigger games this season he's been fairly average

 

[topspin]

Whilst we all knew certain donkeys madeuke, havertz would be exposed again today and certain others odegaard would flatter to deceive. One player who was very poor was zubimendi, positional play was atrocious, essentially also went missing again when we needed to dictate play. In comparison look at how Bernardo Silva dropped deep, demanded ball, made tackles and demanded play. Yes zubimendi may be tired, but to many of the bigger games this season he's been fairly average

Arteta needed to switch it up but as we've known for years he doesn't have a Plan B or C.

The midfield that I would've liked to have seen was Rice play as DM with MLS as a number 8. May seem risky but Zubimendi was shattered. He's had all season to give MLS the chance to play him in his favoured box-to-box midfield role.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Arteta needed to switch it up but as we've known for years he doesn't have a Plan B or C.

The midfield that I would've liked to have seen was Rice play as DM with MLS as a number 8. May seem risky but Zubimendi was shattered. He's had all season to give MLS the chance to play him in his favoured box-to-box midfield role.

Zubimendi at international level is use to playing with ball progresses in front of him. At sociedad he had similar type players in midfield, like at Arsenal. So he should be use to different styles. Problem is, he's not use to the all the off the ball demands in this boring formation, yes he's been stifled, no freedom. Even jorghino who left, has come out and said he hated all extra information and demands Arteta gave him. There is no p plan B, players are just being forced into everything. Either listen to Mikel or you don't play, its just dictatorship which no winning pedigree. I can see players getting fed up of it, even though they won't say it. I think MLS, nwaeri will be gone in summer if this manager stays. To much favoritism on trash players like havertz, odegaard, madueke, merino (when he was fit) and not enough freedom n trust in players who can create.

If I was gyokeres today I'd be pissed off at getting less than 10 min at the end.

Even Rice looks burnt out

 

[topspin]

Zubimendi at international level is use to playing with ball progresses in front of him. At sociedad he had similar type players in midfield, like at Arsenal. So he should be use to different styles. Problem is, he's not use to the all the off the ball demands in this boring formation, yes he's been stifled, no freedom. Even jorghino who left, has come out and said he hated all extra information and demands Arteta gave him. There is no p plan B, players are just being forced into everything. Either listen to Mikel or you don't play, its just dictatorship which no winning pedigree.

Jorginho's comments about Arteta are quite telling. The last sentence summarises it perfectly. It's a dictatorship, so it's no wonder why Arteta turned down the chance to sign higher profile players. Like Aubameyang, there's no way, they would put up with this bs from the manager.

I can see players getting fed up of it, even though they won't say it.

You can certainly see it in the body language, they feel helpless.

I think MLS, nwaeri will be gone in summer if this manager stays.

MLS and Nwaneri deserve better. They're never going to develop under this manager.

To much favoritism on trash players like havertz, odegaard, madueke, merino (when he was fit) and not enough freedom n trust in players who can create.

Bang on. They're his favourites because it's easy for Arteta to dictate terms with them.

If I was gyokeres today I'd be pissed off at getting less than 10 min at the end.

Gyokeres should have started. There was a lot of noise about his performance against Sporting earlier in the week which was poor, but despite his shortcomings with his all-round game, he's still the best finisher in the team.

I know you're not a fan of xG, but I'll say it anyway. The fact that Gyokeres has outperformed his expected goals with a goal tally points to him being starved of service.

Even Rice looks burnt out

Just like with Saka, this is another player that Arteta is going to kill. Rice had a slow start last season because he had very little rest after playing for England, who went on to reach the final of the Euros in the Summer of 2024.

For the same reason, I fear Rice is going to struggle in the beginning of the 26/27 season.

 

[MK7Z]

Arsenal should go all out for Enrique.

I don't want none of these Glasner Iriola types.

I'd rather take a punt on Cesc Fabregas over those mid table over achievers.

 

[topspin]

Jorginho's comments about Arteta are quite telling. The last sentence summarises it perfectly. It's a dictatorship, so it's no wonder why Arteta turned down the chance to sign higher profile players. Like Aubameyang, there's no way, they would put up with this bs from the manager.



You can certainly see it in the body language, they feel helpless.



MLS and Nwaneri deserve better. They're never going to develop under this manager.



Bang on. They're his favourites because it's easy for Arteta to dictate terms with them.



Gyokeres should have started. There was a lot of noise about his performance against Sporting earlier in the week which was poor, but despite his shortcomings with his all-round game, he's still the best finisher in the team.

I know you're not a fan of xG, but I'll say it anyway. The fact that Gyokeres has outperformed his expected goals with a goal tally points to him being starved of service.



Just like with Saka, this is another player that Arteta is going to kill. Rice had a slow start last season because he had very little rest after playing for England, who went on to reach the final of the Euros in the Summer of 2024.

For the same reason, I fear Rice is going to struggle in the beginning of the 26/27 season.

*with a low goal tally

 

[aboveandbeyond]

Facts are if these players fail to win the title this year, They will rightfully be labeled as the ultimate Bottle Jobs. No ifs and buts. They have relinquished a potential 12 point lead in the space of 2 weeks!