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Arsenal FC | 2025/26 Season

KingKhanWC said:
Almost all English players are over rated. Grealish for £100m was an even bigger theft by Villa.

However, the management bought these players, it’s their job to improve them or not select them. Ultimatley the manager of any club is responsible for the teams style of play, performances and results.
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Pep made a mistake with Grealish but he corrected that mistake instead of dragging it or living in denial over his performance.

Not taking corrective action after a bad transfer is worse than a bad transfer in the first place. This is part of football — you will make bad signings, but if you are not ready to own up to those mistakes and correct them, then it is on you.

I don’t know who the driving force was behind signing this bang average midfielder for a ridiculously inflated fee when there were better profiles available outside England for way less money.

Was it Arteta, Edu or the owners themselves. We don’t know, but now it is Arteta and Berta’s responsibility to rectify this.

The fans shouldn’t be in denial either and come up with useless stats. If you watch Arsenal player, it is extremely clear that Rice adds no value to the midfield and there is nothing that he does that suggests that this is a £100m player.

You would expect a £100m midfielder to stand out on the field with his passing range, technique, shooting, agility, power, elegance etc.

You watch Pedri and you can immediately tell that this boy is a pristine midfielder worth £100m+.

Rice hasn’t had the impact on Arsenal that you would expect a £100m signing to have. Arsenal would be no different over the last two seasons if they didn’t sign him or signed someone else for way less money.

Arsenal should definitely explore the possibility of how Rice can be offloaded for as little loss as possible (maybe he can be sold for £70m to Newcastle) and replaced with a technical midfielder.
 
Arteta needs to be careful with MLS... Calafiori is solid but MLS gave major cashley vibes when he came through in terms of potential level and a generational talent but being stuck on the bench is not going to help
 
Mamoon said:
Pep made a mistake with Grealish but he corrected that mistake instead of dragging it or living in denial over his performance.

Not taking corrective action after a bad transfer is worse than a bad transfer in the first place. This is part of football — you will make bad signings, but if you are not ready to own up to those mistakes and correct them, then it is on you.

I don’t know who the driving force was behind signing this bang average midfielder for a ridiculously inflated fee when there were better profiles available outside England for way less money.

Was it Arteta, Edu or the owners themselves. We don’t know, but now it is Arteta and Berta’s responsibility to rectify this.

The fans shouldn’t be in denial either and come up with useless stats. If you watch Arsenal player, it is extremely clear that Rice adds no value to the midfield and there is nothing that he does that suggests that this is a £100m player.

You would expect a £100m midfielder to stand out on the field with his passing range, technique, shooting, agility, power, elegance etc.

You watch Pedri and you can immediately tell that this boy is a pristine midfielder worth £100m+.

Rice hasn’t had the impact on Arsenal that you would expect a £100m signing to have. Arsenal would be no different over the last two seasons if they didn’t sign him or signed someone else for way less money.

Arsenal should definitely explore the possibility of how Rice can be offloaded for as little loss as possible (maybe he can be sold for £70m to Newcastle) and replaced with a technical midfielder.
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Rice is being misused, he has quality in specific areas. He is not a creator or a dribbler but can run with the ball very well, as he did v City but the forwards didnt do much at all. He needs to improve his tackling too, often too late to even get close. He should be playing in front of the back 4, staying close. Arsenal then should use to attacking mids in front of him to support the forwards.

Its your manager who is to blame.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Rice is being misused, he has quality in specific areas. He is not a creator or a dribbler but can run with the ball very well, as he did v City but the forwards didnt do much at all. He needs to improve his tackling too, often too late to even get close. He should be playing in front of the back 4, staying close. Arsenal then should use to attacking mids in front of him to support the forwards.

Its your manager who is to blame.
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He runs like a donkey. He doesn’t have the power and athleticism to carry the ball forward like Gravenberch does.

I agree that he is good if you play him purely as a DM behind two CAMs, which would have been possible if Arsenal didn’t sign Zubimendi, but now Rice doesn’t merit a place in the team.

He is not suitable for a double pivot in 4231 either, because you need a CM/DM who can hold onto the ball and recycle possession, which he can’t do.

He just runs around and does nothing basically. If Arteta doesn’t realize that Rice is the biggest problem with the midfield setup, then he should definitely take the blame.
 
There is a lot of talk about Arsenal’s lack of creativity but we should be prepared to call out the main culprit and that is Rice.

Let’s not deny that Arsenal could have signed two very good midfielders for his price and midfield would probably look better than it does now.

This is was a poorly judged transfer by the club. A short-sighted, lazy transfer because they weren’t willing to look at other profiles outside of the PL and bought into his hype.
 
Mamoon said:
He runs like a donkey. He doesn’t have the power and athleticism to carry the ball forward like Gravenberch does.

I agree that he is good if you play him purely as a DM behind two CAMs, which would have been possible if Arsenal didn’t sign Zubimendi, but now Rice doesn’t merit a place in the team.

He is not suitable for a double pivot in 4231 either, because you need a CM/DM who can hold onto the ball and recycle possession, which he can’t do.

He just runs around and does nothing basically. If Arteta doesn’t realize that Rice is the biggest problem with the midfield setup, then he should definitely take the blame.
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This is Artetas mind

https://x.com/espnuk/status/1970768162212700216?s=46&t=zGS4KU80eUi_pHM-lvGbnA
https://twitter.com/x/status/1970768162212700216
 
Mamoon said:
He runs like a donkey. He doesn’t have the power and athleticism to carry the ball forward like Gravenberch does.

I agree that he is good if you play him purely as a DM behind two CAMs, which would have been possible if Arsenal didn’t sign Zubimendi, but now Rice doesn’t merit a place in the team.

He is not suitable for a double pivot in 4231 either, because you need a CM/DM who can hold onto the ball and recycle possession, which he can’t do.

He just runs around and does nothing basically. If Arteta doesn’t realize that Rice is the biggest problem with the midfield setup, then he should definitely take the blame.
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You are wrong.... Rice would fit the double pivot very well. The issue with that would be more to do with exposing Odegaard.

Rice and Zubi would be a solid double pivot but it is further forward where the issue lies
 
Amjid Javed said:
Eze, dowman, Nwaneri aren't being used in the 10 when Odegaard is injured. Because manager doesn't want to apply pressure to his hand puppet when he returns.

Rice or Gabriel (best choice) should be captain
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Agreed.

Not only has Arteta gone backwards with his selection, he's also protecting his favourites.

It wouldn't surprise me if he's setting up Gyokeres to fail so he can bring back Havertz.
 
GOSH11 said:
Arteta needs to be careful with MLS... Calafiori is solid but MLS gave major cashley vibes when he came through in terms of potential level and a generational talent but being stuck on the bench is not going to help
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I do think a player of MLS' calibre needs to be in the Arsenal team. It's only a matter of time before Cali breaks down again as we all know he's made of glass.

MLS is a box-to-box midfielder, so if Rice at 8 isn't working, I would like to see Arteta play MLS there.
 
I was listening to comments from Arsenal fans online: Arsenal lacks that big star that scares the opposition . Liverpool have Salah and now Isak…. City have Haaland. This is actually true.
 
SherWaqar said:
I was listening to comments from Arsenal fans online: Arsenal lacks that big star that scares the opposition . Liverpool have Salah and now Isak…. City have Haaland. This is actually true.
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Leicester never had any huge stars but managed to win the league. Arsenal had a few which made last years PL XI team. They have plenty of star players such as Saka, Raya, Eze etc but to become huge stars , you have to be a champion or former champion. If Arsenal ever win the league these stars will then become great stars like Salah , VVD and Allison. Isak is a Liverpool and PL star atm but will one day become like them.
 
topspin said:
Agreed.

Not only has Arteta gone backwards with his selection, he's also protecting his favourites.

It wouldn't surprise me if he's setting up Gyokeres to fail so he can bring back Havertz.
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Yep, you know as soon as havertz is fit, he will get selected to start as striker or in midfield by Arteta. Always protects his favourites
 
topspin said:
I do think a player of MLS' calibre needs to be in the Arsenal team. It's only a matter of time before Cali breaks down again as we all know he's made of glass.

MLS is a box-to-box midfielder, so if Rice at 8 isn't working, I would like to see Arteta play MLS there.
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It's huge shock that MLS isn't looked at as a midfield option. He would make a much better left side 8 then rice or merino.

He just has to make most of playing tonight, do well and push to get his place back
 
KingKhanWC said:
Leicester never had any huge stars but managed to win the league. Arsenal had a few which made last years PL XI team. They have plenty of star players such as Saka, Raya, Eze etc but to become huge stars , you have to be a champion or former champion. If Arsenal ever win the league these stars will then become great stars like Salah , VVD and Allison. Isak is a Liverpool and PL star atm but will one day become like them.
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Leicester was a one off fluke. Not happening again.
 
Amjid Javed said:
It's huge shock that MLS isn't looked at as a midfield option. He would make a much better left side 8 then rice or merino.

He just has to make most of playing tonight, do well and push to get his place back
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Not under Arteta. As you know, he's way to conservative. Even if MLS has a ballers input, Arteta will revert to type again.

Until he goes, I'm afraid your not winning majors under this clown.
 
Saka looked lethargic against City at the weekend. Minutes under the belt will do him a world of Good for the upcoming premier league Game.
 
SherWaqar said:
Leicester was a one off fluke. Not happening again.
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You can’t fluke the premier league . That had players who then became stars after lifting the title . They were clearly the best team over the whole season.

The point was once you win a major trophy, some players will become superstars , usually leading to more success. Getting over the line is huge at this level .
 
Arteta sets up defensively. Rice definitely offers less upfront but that was always what you were expected to get out of him.
 
The thing is Arsenal has the best defense in the league. That is partly down to Arteta.

It is probably better to excel at one thing that be mediocre at both. Arsenal don’t have the players or probably even manager to become the best attacking side in the league.
If anything the better the defense becomes, the more leeway the attack has. Which is probably a better way of fortifying the attack in current circumstances.

To get a great attack you probably have to spend absolutely huge amounts (which often has far more risk than spending defensively) or identify top class talents for cheap (which what Klopp did). Both are realistically difficult to do.

Xhaka was a huge loss and was difficult to replace. Partey was the best midfielder when fit. Oodegaard was even pretty good. All 3 are now either out or out of form so you can’t just replicate 2022 season where the football was fluid. It’s just a pity Arsenal choked that season, and unfortunately the defense wasn’t up to mark yet.

I also just think in general arsenal’s attacking players are a bit overrated. They’re constantly bailed out by the defense. Even new additions like Eze, Gyokores and Madueke are good players but I don’t think they’re amongst the best. Oodegard isn’t. And I don’t even think saka is anymore these days.
 
ads101 said:
The thing is Arsenal has the best defense in the league. That is partly down to Arteta.
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Fully agree.

ads101 said:
It is probably better to excel at one thing that be mediocre at both. Arsenal don’t have the players or probably even manager to become the best attacking side in the league.
If anything the better the defense becomes, the more leeway the attack has. Which is probably a better way of fortifying the attack in current circumstances.
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I would disagree with the managerial aspect of this argument. Under Arteta, and prior to last season, Arsenal were formidable in attack with a smaller squad than the one they currently have. He has shown glimpses of his coaching ability.

If you look at the first half of 22/23 and the second half of the 23/24 seasons, Arsenal were second to none with their ability to create chances and score goals despite having the likes of Jesus, Nketiah, Havertz etc to lead the line.

Arteta went backwards from the beginning of last season when he became more reliant on scoring goals from set pieces.

Yes Liverpool have a superior front 4 but there's no reason Arsenal can't be a close second. When you combine this with the best defence in the league, there is no reason why they should be 5 points behind the leaders after 5 games.

ads101 said:
To get a great attack you probably have to spend absolutely huge amounts (which often has far more risk than spending defensively) or identify top class talents for cheap (which what Klopp did). Both are realistically difficult to do.

Xhaka was a huge loss and was difficult to replace. Partey was the best midfielder when fit. Oodegaard was even pretty good. All 3 are now either out or out of form so you can’t just replicate 2022 season where the football was fluid. It’s just a pity Arsenal choked that season, and unfortunately the defense wasn’t up to mark yet.
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Indeed a huge loss. I was a big fan of his during his last 2 seasons at Arsenal because he was superb as a number 8. Arsenal have yet to find his match. I am not the biggest fan of Rice playing as a box-to-box midfielders, so I would rather see the midfield look something like this:

DM: Rice + Zubimendi.
Number 8: MLS + Calafiori
CAM: Eze or Nwaneri

I would rotate Rice and Zubimendi, so they both start one game a week which would help them stay fresh.

MLS is the most natural box-to-box midfielder in the squad. Calafiori would be my second choice as he's technically quite sound and calm in possession. With his passing and long distance shooting ability, you could argue he's better on the ball than off it. You could play Timber at LB and Ben White at RB.

CAM is a tough one because Eze is a hybrid CAM/LW, so if that's where he's going to play, you put Nwaneri as the specialist number 10.

ads101 said:
I also just think in general arsenal’s attacking players are a bit overrated. They’re constantly bailed out by the defense. Even new additions like Eze, Gyokores and Madueke are good players but I don’t think they’re amongst the best. Oodegard isn’t. And I don’t even think saka is anymore these days.
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I would say Arteta's team selection and choice of system is making them look worse than what they really are.

If we take a look at Gyokeres as an example. His xG against Utd and Liverpool was somewhere between 0.3 and 0.4 in both games and 0 against City. An xG of around 0.6-0.7 in these 3 games perfectly illustrates the fact that he's been feeding of scraps since he's been starved of service.
 
The way folks have been talking about Arsenal seems like some crisis is going on. There is no crisis at Arsenal. 2 goals conceded across 7 matches in all competitions. Gimme a break..

Firstly we are doing alright, secondly league is not won or lost at matchday 5, thirdly even if we aren’t first at the end of the season that’s alright.

Don’t forget to enjoy the season.
 
Obaidd said:
The way folks have been talking about Arsenal seems like some crisis is going on. There is no crisis at Arsenal. 2 goals conceded across 7 matches in all competitions. Gimme a break..

Firstly we are doing alright, secondly league is not won or lost at matchday 5, thirdly even if we aren’t first at the end of the season that’s alright.

Don’t forget to enjoy the season.
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A very flawed argument.

That defensive stat has been overshadowed by the fact that Arsenal have managed just 2 goals in 3 games against Utd, Liverpool and City. As a result, they find themselves 5 points behind the leaders and we’re only 5 games in.

If Liverpool win again this weekend, Arsenal could go 7 or 8 points behind them because Newcastle are a very difficult team to beat at SJP.

Title race is slipping away so yes it is a crisis for Arteta. He’s gone 5 years without winning the league after spending a billion on the squad with one of the highest net spends in the league.

I wouldn’t expect you to understand because you are content with 2nd place.
 
topspin said:
A very flawed argument.

That defensive stat has been overshadowed by the fact that Arsenal have managed just 2 goals in 3 games against Utd, Liverpool and City. As a result, they find themselves 5 points behind the leaders and we’re only 5 games in.

If Liverpool win again this weekend, Arsenal could go 7 or 8 points behind them because Newcastle are a very difficult team to beat at SJP.

Title race is slipping away so yes it is a crisis for Arteta. He’s gone 5 years without winning the league after spending a billion on the squad with one of the highest net spends in the league.

I wouldn’t expect you to understand because you are content with 2nd place.
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Honestly I was surprised you declared so early that Arsenal were out of title race. Are you willing to consider that this might be an emotional reaction on your part?

Also what makes you think Liv won’t have a dip? And if you think they won’t then what are we chasing anyways.

Yes being content with second makes the season more pleasant. Trust me I have learned this the hard way.
 
So the new excuses is now "we have a good defence"

"We only conceded x amount of goals"

When's the parade?

No one cares about goals conceded unless you win leagues or trophies.

Arsenal conceded 17 goals in the entire PL season in 98/99 (at the time a record in PL) - yet didn't win the league...

Yet some fans doing bhangra over meaningless records to cover up the fact the club's failed.
 
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People can disagree with me now but I’m a step ahead of them and in 12 months time, they will unanimously agree that the £100m 🫏 needs to be removed from the team for a more a technical midfielder.

You are not fixing your midfield issues especially lack of creativity unless you address the main culprit.
 
I have come to this horrific realization that the player who has held Arsenal back from the winning the league in the last two seasons is the one that was signed for the biggest fee.
 
What happened to Arsenal have best starting midfield and midfield depth in Europe 🤡🤡

I told you in July that their was no creativity in the midfield and it was substandard.

I also told you that zubemendi would be ineffective due to those infront of him being poor and progressing the ball, making his build up play negligible

So from twerking about world class midfield options, you've now got a reality check

Screenshot_20250925_091630_Chrome.jpg
 
526EA7C7-CB33-4488-BE7E-67B46A609BCB.png

This should be Arsenal’s main starting XI for the remainder of the season. This is 100% better than the current lineup and creates a lot of chances and plays fluid football.

Play Trossard on the LW until Madueke returns from injury, or move Eze to the LW and start Nwaneri but the 🫏 should be relegated to the bench and only start if Zubimendi is unavailable.
 
Amjid Javed said:
What happened to Arsenal have best starting midfield and midfield depth in Europe 🤡🤡

I told you in July that their was no creativity in the midfield and it was substandard.

I also told you that zubemendi would be ineffective due to those infront of him being poor and progressing the ball, making his build up play negligible

So from twerking about world class midfield options, you've now got a reality check

View attachment 158175
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But but Madueke is trash, but but Arsenal should sign Musiala 🤣🤡

You are too blind to see that the biggest culprit in the midfield is Rice and you are afraid to call this 🫏 out who doesn’t have the technical level to add anything to the midfield.

Remove him from the team and your midfield immediately elevates.
 
Obaidd said:
Honestly I was surprised you declared so early that Arsenal were out of title race. Are you willing to consider that this might be an emotional reaction on your part?
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Title race is over unless Arteta makes the tough call on removing Rice from the team. Let Eze, Odegaard, Saka, Zubimendi, Madueke and Gyokeres cook together.

Nothing is going to work as long as Rice is in the midfield. He is the one who kills the fluidity and makes it impossible for Arsenal to be creative from open play.
 
Obaidd said:
Honestly I was surprised you declared so early that Arsenal were out of title race. Are you willing to consider that this might be an emotional reaction on your part?

Also what makes you think Liv won’t have a dip? And if you think they won’t then what are we chasing anyways.

Yes being content with second makes the season more pleasant. Trust me I have learned this the hard way.
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Liverpool will drop plenty of points as there are so many games remaining. The issue for Arsenal is you drew too many games and were unable to keep up with Liverpool who kept on winning until the title was secured. It was mentioned earlier, having a solid defence means more room for attackers to go for it, this isnt the case. To be solid at the back, usually it takes away something from the attacking side. Artetas tactics of not conceding and hoping to score will work against the lower sides but against the top sides, no matter how good the defence is , elite players on the opposition will find a way to score, then you're chasing the game.

Newcastle is a huge game away, dropping more points this early will make it tough to keep up again.
 
Madueke injury a big blow for Arsenal. He's one winger for Arsenal and England who has the skill set to dribble past players.
 
aboveandbeyond said:
CM is the issue for Arsenal for their build up play.

You scousers are lucky you have a baller in Gravenberch. He's capable of breaking the lines.
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I'd say its excellent recruitment going back now to when Klopp arrived. The club was in disarray when he arrived, the whole structure changed, new manager, new recruitment policy, new training ground, updated stadium etc. Liverpool often follow young players for a few years before deciding to sign them, Graven was this case too. We knew his talent since he was 20 years old and waited him to develop and bought him at a great price. The player took a couple of years but was developed in our training facility working hard with coaches. Slot came in and finished off his improvements, gave a slightly different role and now he is in the top 5 mids in the world imo.

Rice isnt going anywhere but its up to the coaching staff to find his best position and improve him, hes not youth but has more potential. Rice also doesnt benefit of not having others in the centre with legs. Liverpool have Sobo and Macca who can ran all day when fully fit. Merino, Odegaard have no legs, not sure about Zubimendi but Rice runs out of steam too.

Arsenal spent a billion, most next spend in the last window too. They chose the players, there is no excuses now.
 
The calling out of Rice as the main culprit in the entire nonfunctional midfield is absolutely hilarious.

Firstly in terms of performances, yes Rice has been below par. I ain't scared to constructively call players out.

Reality is the entire midfield has been mediocre.

I said all along that Zubimendi would be made to look ineffective if he didn't have good ball progressors infront of him. He looks good for Spain, because he has technically gift ball players infrint of him.

Issue is Areta is more bothered about his left side 8, Rice, Merino, havertz winning duals then, progressing the ball. All 3 mentioned players are average at ball progression and creativity. Odegaard in 10 is there because he presses, his ball progression and creativity is **** as well..

So unless Arteta starts getting players in the mold of hleb, rosicky, nasri etc.. to play infront of Zubimendi. Then you won't get best out of him.

But such players you would lose the dual winning and pressing that Arteta cares about. So certain people need to cut the ******** of blaming x,y,z player currently when even stevie wonder can tell you the manager setting up thr midfield and his lack of spine and balls is to blame.

Eze ain't playing in ten, because hand puppet captain would need to be dropped, plus other hand puppet havertz would have to be on bench as well.
 
Amjid Javed said:
Bad news for Peshawari branch of Arsenal supporters club

Saliba is supposedly overated 😄🤭
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Only delusion clowns think that a player signing a new deal means he will not leave.

I like this. Arsenal can now command a big fee from Real/PSG and if they really want him, they have to pay.

If they don’t, I’m okay with him staying but my point is that Arsenal should be open to selling him because that money can be used to bolster the squad elsewhere and he hasn’t helped Arsenal win the league so he isn’t irreplaceable.
 
It’s so sad that Arsenal have conceded the title to Liverpool already and it’s not even October. Heads must roll and players must be held accountable.

Sell Rice and Saliba in the summer and reinvest that money to buy proper players. Get a technical midfielder who isn’t a donkey on the ball and another right-footed CB to complement Mosquera.
 
Rice out, Tonali in.

Saliba out (if a big fee is offered), Antonio Silva in.
 
But but it’s trolling to demand that underperforming players be held accountable.
:facepalm:
:facepalm:
 
KingKhanWC said:
I'd say its excellent recruitment going back now to when Klopp arrived. The club was in disarray when he arrived, the whole structure changed, new manager, new recruitment policy, new training ground, updated stadium etc. Liverpool often follow young players for a few years before deciding to sign them, Graven was this case too. We knew his talent since he was 20 years old and waited him to develop and bought him at a great price. The player took a couple of years but was developed in our training facility working hard with coaches. Slot came in and finished off his improvements, gave a slightly different role and now he is in the top 5 mids in the world imo.

Rice isnt going anywhere but its up to the coaching staff to find his best position and improve him, hes not youth but has more potential. Rice also doesnt benefit of not having others in the centre with legs. Liverpool have Sobo and Macca who can ran all day when fully fit. Merino, Odegaard have no legs, not sure about Zubimendi but Rice runs out of steam too.

Arsenal spent a billion, most next spend in the last window too. They chose the players, there is no excuses now.
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Arsenals issue in CM is not related to lack of physicality or legs. It lacks the IQ of breaking the lines, having vision and finding pockets in congested areas to create. A Quality 8 and 10 in a strong midfield is imperative. You cannot have players who are all similar.
 
aboveandbeyond said:
Arsenals issue in CM is not related to lack of physicality or legs. It lacks the IQ of breaking the lines, having vision and finding pockets in congested areas to create. A Quality 8 and 10 in a strong midfield is imperative. You cannot have players who are all similar.
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Arsenal have Rice who can run but Merino was clocked as one of the slowest in the PL last season, while Zubimdeni isnt no racehorse either. Sure against the likes of smaller clubs they have the legs but against the likes of City, Liverpool and even a p poor Utd midfield they struggled.

Every club needs a number 10 but Arsenal wont be buying any elite no 10 for perhaps years. They have to use training to improve these players game, its upto Arteta , its his job.
 
Amjid Javed said:
Bad news for Peshawari branch of Arsenal supporters club

Saliba is supposedly overated 😄🤭
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Sad state of affairs when you’re pinning all the blame on two of our 4 best players.

But he’s not an Arsenal fan. He’s here to troll Arsenal fans.
 
topspin said:
Sad state of affairs when you’re pinning all the blame on two of our 4 best players.

But he’s not an Arsenal fan. He’s here to troll Arsenal fans.
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Tbf rice hasn't been great this season, but he's not a number 8. Would be better in a double pivot with 3 attackers behind main striker.

But the managers job to fix mess he's created
 
Amjid Javed said:
Tbf rice hasn't been great this season, but he's not a number 8. Would be better in a double pivot with 3 attackers behind main striker.

But the managers job to fix mess he's created
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This is the thing. Rice himself has said he would prefer to play as a 6. In his first season that’s where he played because Partey was unavailable.

This is Arteta’s doing. He has to be held accountable but no let’s throw Saliba and Rice under the bus for interactions.
 
topspin said:
This is the thing. Rice himself has said he would prefer to play as a 6. In his first season that’s where he played because Partey was unavailable.

This is Arteta’s doing. He has to be held accountable but no let’s throw Saliba and Rice under the bus for interactions.
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Arteta either has to play zubemendi and Rice as a double pivot in big games and then creative players in front. Or he has to pick one of them as a 6 and to creative players in front.

I have no issue In games with just 1 of them playing. The players been selected further forward and Stoke like tactics is bigger concern
 
MK7Z said:
View attachment 158179

Trolling in full affect it seems......... finally broke the mask
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He is not trolling, he might try and say it was when Arsenal start to do well, simply clownish and has little to no clue about football, like I said before- he thinks it is all like a videogame- EAFC.

Simply a joke- AJ et al. Spot on!
 
Amjid Javed said:
Arteta either has to play zubemendi and Rice as a double pivot in big games and then creative players in front. Or he has to pick one of them as a 6 and to creative players in front.

I have no issue In games with just 1 of them playing. The players been selected further forward and Stoke like tactics is bigger concern
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Spot on!
Double pivot!

Arteta thinks he is pep or Luis Enrique and trying to create a player in another positon- terrible man management! Little to no tactical nous- just like the Peshwari Jimmy Hill- hence the love for Arteta!
 
Mamoon said:
People can disagree with me now but I’m a step ahead of them and in 12 months time, they will unanimously agree that the £100m 🫏 needs to be removed from the team for a more a technical midfielder.

You are not fixing your midfield issues especially lack of creativity unless you address the main culprit.
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Step ahead?!?!

You try and cover all bases with ridiculous and outlandish statements, to later cherry pick 1 of 10 predictions that turned out correct, simply clownish!

Called out by all with any sanity- detached from footy logic
 
Rice is a quality DM
Saliba is a quality CB, having a struggle against an Isak now and again does not detract from his quality.

Even someone like a Pedri has an off day now and again but no stupidity with anyone saying he is rubbish etc.

Lol, I repeat, real life football is not a videogame
 
The whole premise of this discussion on Arsenal is flawed. As if Arsenal are doing something terribly wrong finishing in top 2 every year and conceding least number of goals.

Even the problem that has been identified about rice playing out of position is not something that cannot be fixed.

Trust the process and trust Arteta. He got us this far, he’ll take us over the line too.

This is the my first time following the Arsenal thread on PP through the season and I have to say, I am surprised how few posts focus on the positives. 🤞🏻
 
Rice has ran his race as a starter for Arsenal. You can’t pick him over Zubimendi who is vastly superior technically, and he is a complete fraud if you put him higher up on the pitch.

He is not a CM, or a an all-action B2B midfielder. He is just a DM, and a very good one, but there is no room for him in the starting XI anymore.

He needs to be Zubimendi’s backup, or should be utilizing when Arsenal have to protect a lead and park the bus.

He is the reason why Arsenal’s midfield lacks creativity and Arteta will be blamed if he doesn’t accept and rectify this.

A clear waste of £105m because you didn’t need to spend that kind of money to sign this kind of a player.
 
Obaidd said:
Honestly I was surprised you declared so early that Arsenal were out of title race. Are you willing to consider that this might be an emotional reaction on your part?
Click to expand...

You’re very much mistaken. I was not emotional with this take even in the slightest.

The truth is the title race was lost before the season had actually began. I attribute this to the negative psyche in the set-up and make no mistake that all stems from Arteta.

I’ll give you an example. Remember that time when he said there are 8 or 9 teams that could win the PL this season?

If he had any self-belief, he wouldn’t be saying this. The reason why he’s saying it is because he wants to get his excuses in early as he knows deep down he doesn’t have what it takes to elevate Arsenal further and help them win the league.

The only reason why I didn’t call him out previously is because I gave him the benefit of the doubt as he didn’t have great squad depth last season and I thought he was unfortunate with injuries he had to contend with.

I’ve now realised that the reason why we’re already struggling with injuries (after a handful of PL games) is because of his training methods. He must be running these players to the ground. What makes this even more concerning is how underwhelming the side has been this season in the bigger fixtures (Man U, Liverpool and City).

It’s time to accept that Arteta ain’t that guy. If he falls short of winning the CL this season, the club have to look for an upgrade.

You have to remember Edu and Arteta were only hired because they were the best ex-Arsenal players available at the time for their respective roles. The criteria was a deeply flawed as it made it very difficult to find the best man for the job.

We’ve already seen what a difference it has made to upgrade on Edu. Berta has already done an exceptional job in the few months he’s been with the club.

We need a Head Coach who can truly exploit Berta’s eye for talent.

It’s time for a Berta-esque upgrade and tonfind a superior replacement for Arteta, who’s taken us as a far as he can. Thank you for your service Mikel but it’s time to go.

Obaidd said:
Also what makes you think Liv won’t have a dip? And if you think they won’t then what are we chasing anyways.

Yes being content with second makes the season more pleasant. Trust me I have learned this the hard way.
Click to expand...

Arsenal won’t be able to take advantage of Liverpool’s dips because they’ll continue to lose points in the same manner like they did last season. If they continue to play like this until the end of the season they may well finish below the top 2.
 
topspin said:
“Saliba is overrated”

View attachment 158218

www.skysports.com

William Saliba: Arsenal defender agrees terms on new five-year deal with Mikel Arteta's squad

William Saliba has agreed a new five-year deal at Arsenal; the Frenchman has been a key cog in Mikel Artetas defence over the past three years, forming a formidable partnership with Gabriel; the two centre-backs have joined Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly in signing deals in 2025
www.skysports.com www.skysports.com
Click to expand...
Saliba folds against Haaland and Isak, and they are the only top strikers playing in the PL apart from his own teammate now.

If anyone offers north of 80m for him, take it and reinvest that money. You will not be weaker.
 
topspin said:
You’re very much mistaken. I was not emotional with this take even in the slightest.

The truth is the title race was lost before the season had actually began. I attribute this to the negative psyche in the set-up and make no mistake that all stems from Arteta.

I’ll give you an example. Remember that time when he said there are 8 or 9 teams that could win the PL this season?

If he had any self-belief, he wouldn’t be saying this. The reason why he’s saying it is because he wants to get his excuses in early as he knows deep down he doesn’t have what it takes to elevate Arsenal further and help them win the league.

The only reason why I didn’t call him out previously is because I gave him the benefit of the doubt as he didn’t have great squad depth last season and I thought he was unfortunate with injuries he had to contend with.

I’ve now realised that the reason why we’re already struggling with injuries (after a handful of PL games) is because of his training methods. He must be running these players to the ground. What makes this even more concerning is how underwhelming the side has been this season in the bigger fixtures (Man U, Liverpool and City).

It’s time to accept that Arteta ain’t that guy. If he falls short of winning the CL this season, the club have to look for an upgrade.

You have to remember Edu and Arteta were only hired because they were the best ex-Arsenal players available at the time for their respective roles. The criteria was a deeply flawed as it made it very difficult to find the best man for the job.

We’ve already seen what a difference it has made to upgrade on Edu. Berta has already done an exceptional job in the few months he’s been with the club.

We need a Head Coach who can truly exploit Berta’s eye for talent.

It’s time for a Berta-esque upgrade and tonfind a superior replacement for Arteta, who’s taken us as a far as he can. Thank you for your service Mikel but it’s time to go.



Arsenal won’t be able to take advantage of Liverpool’s dips because they’ll continue to lose points in the same manner like they did last season. If they continue to play like this until the end of the season they may well finish below the top 2.
Click to expand...
The current squad will not win the league under a different manager. This myth needs to be addressed.

These players have weak mentality (all of them) and technical limitations (mainly Rice).

The mentality of the new boys has not been tested yet, but we will find out soon. You have to hope that they have more chops than the nucleus of the team that have been together for multiple years now and have let the club down every season.
 
I'm off to watch Bees vs Red Devils tomorrow!

Need the points, not comfortable with Brentford 17th place!
 
@Obaidd

Whats this fascination with lowest number of goals conceded,? Is it sime sort of trophy? Or achievement?

The objective is to finish 1st and win trophies. Not line up with 9 defenders and play terrorist football and bore people to sleep. I

Like I mentioned before back in 98/99 - Arsenal had the record for least goals conceded in a PL season which was 17 (Chelsea broke this record under jose)

Do you hear any sane Arsenal fan go on about it? No because Arsenal threw away the title with 2 games left and also bottled an FA cup semi final. That seasins was when united won the treble, but Arsenal should have be celebrating back to back doubles.

So all this wishy washy rubbish about "positivity", reality is your celebrating failure, that ain't positivity
 
@Obaidd is a proper fan who can see that Arteta has done a brilliant job. However, I disagree with him that the squad is ready.

It’s clear to me that some players are holding the team back and Rice is one of them.
 
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