₦airaland Forum

Kounde should have gotten back to his feet when he saw the ref waved play on.

Balde is a useless footballer.

This thread...

I am certain we all acknowledge that the team needs reinforcement in the summer, but at the moment, playing a game per week, we should be fine. We can't keep talking about reinforcement because until the summer, nothing can be done about it. Let us just hope that the starters in the positions where we are thin do not pick up any injuries...

West Ham are going down tonight...

eph12:
LOL that post was after we made it 3:2. This was at Old Trafford, and against Fulham. We could have easily drawn this game or even lost. We won't always be this lucky. They had more possession at Old Trafford and we played a midfield 3. Who did they have in the midfield that made them able to push us back and sustain pressure till they made it 2:2?

For the first time in many years, Fulham approached the game scared for what we could have done to them. We scored 2 goals and looked a safe bet for the win until that penalty decision...

Whether you admit it or not, we look a much better team playing with this formation, much better than we ever looked under that useless Amorim Bin Laden setup.

I know you so badly want that 'I told you so' moment...

eph12:
This is the mentality I was talking about the other day. This team has shown over the years to always raise their game when meeting the top teams like City. But they fall flat when they meet lower teams. I remember explaining this to you the other day but you didn't want to listen

What do you have to say now? Isn't this a show of mental toughness?

This is very annoying...

pkasso:
You no dey here when people were saying he only looked good because he played in a farmers' league?

You may have not doubted, but there were definitely people here who did.

You know some. People here just pick on a player to push an agenda. Wirtz is class.

FBS:
Alcaraz is stretching him right now...he's going wide, not allowing Novak to hit those dangerous forehands.

Men's tennis is great to watch.

Aura for Aura.

I hope Novak wins this set, so it goes down to the final set.

Novak should win this one...

pkasso:
Capaldi, my guy. Your boy Wirtz has finally hit his groove. Fair play to you, you never doubted him. A player with that level of talent was too good to fail. He just needed time to adapt.

I hope all those wey dey yab you that time go speak up now

I don't think anyone doubted his talents. Na just trolling.

BlueMann:
And he got a walkover in the round of 16 so yeah he's been lucky in the tournament, but beating Sinner AND Alcaraz would definitely hush that narrative.

Sinner for me has a mental blockade. He seems to doubt himself at crucial moments. Alcaraz is the exact opposite, he tells himself he is the best and goes into every match looking to win.

BlueMann:
So Novak eventually beat Sinner. Wow

If he beats Carlos, this will be one of his best ever slam wins.

He was on the way out to Musetti but he was lucky as Musetti picked up an injury. I think people will always point to that but all in all, Novak is the greatest.

In the presser before Sinner, a journalist asked him how he feels first chasing Federer and Nadal and now, Alcaraz and Sinner and he was visibly and rightly pissed off. How will people say Djokovic is chasing Alcaraz and Sinner when he has the most grand slams in history? I don't think Alcaraz will be able to beat him I'm the final...A determined Djokovic is a different beast entirely...

Unlimited22:
Uncle calm down
Na banter.
Shey you no see me dey answer Adelana just now?

😂

Cool temper. Na you and World champion dey talk

Na joke I dey na...You no see how I sneak in our victory over Stoke City?

Unlimited22:
Wetin concern Manchester United fan with Champions League this season?

You dey craze...No be we just destroy the team wey dey bully una?

Benfica vs Madrid na the game of the round...

At 3 vs 2, the keeper was delaying, Rui Costa almost lost it...Last kick, the keeper scored to send Benfica into the top 24 ahead of Marseille on GD....

Football is crazy!

Carrick should open the door of the first team to Malacia. That kid deserves better.

OkpaNsukkaisBae:
Arteta have successfully turned Arsenal to Rugby Football Club. Too sad. He's giving Stoke City set piece vibes.

They will say you are just jealous because your team can't play like Stoke City.

BlueRayDick:
You didn't speak to any of the facts in my post; instead you chose to double down on insisting we rely heavily on corners without you having any data to back it up.

Sorry I can't be arguing with you over your assumption that is not the real picture of things. Because tell me how crossing the ball into the box suddenly translates to wanting corner kicks at all cost 🤦‍♂️.

The media has done a number of you guys to believe what is not a fact and you have decided to die on that hill.

Of the tradional top teams (Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea) in the league, the stats shows you have the least percent of open play goals and the highest percentage of goals scored from set-pieces.

What was funny yesterday was seeing Trossard attempting a cross everytime when we all know that Trossard is a player that will rather cut back to his stronger foot...Imagine attempting a cross at every chance when you have Jesus up against Maguire...

everton4life:
Omo, that match is an eyesore. Upon everything, Girona still score dying minute goal Na the fans wey dey buy tickets to watch that sacrilege of a match I dey pity pass.

I noticed his utterly defensive style when Greenwood was on loan there. For Greenwood to have done well they tells you he is a special talent...

That Bordelas makes Mourinho and Simeone look like coaches who play ultra-attacking football...

Ibime:
This is like counterball in my days. When you play corner, you line up all the counters in one line at an angle from the backpost so that it will hit one counter and go in.

Arteta na counterball manager

You just reminded me of counters and those corners where you have to pack your players in the box, to increase your chances of scoring.

everton4life:
Jose Bordalas might just be the most haramic and disgusting coach I've ever seen to manage a team. Which kain satanic football Getafe dey play like this

That man is the most defensive-minded coach in the world...I have known him and his Getafe team for some time now.

See the Dibling that Southampton wanted to scam us with...

engrelvis:
My problem is Carrick riding on wave of new manager bounce? Amorim has already structured all players to be defensively minded n discipline .lt was there to see yesterday.If Carrick is really good tactically it will show as more matches are being play.Presently besides Dalot,Yoro we r not too bad so I didn't really understand what u mean " if we continue with these crops of guys" . Personally is only that midfield we need to strengthen.

Which useless Amorim? You forget so easily.

BlueRayDick:
This post of yours is not based on fact, but solely based on fallacy that has been pushed by the media against arsenal this season.

1. As of 16th January 2026, when Sky sports did an analysis of goals set piece goals scored in the EPL thus far, Arsenal had only scored 14 set piece goals out of total 40 goals scored in the EPL. Man Utd followed closely with 13 set piece goals out of 36 goals in the EPL. If you look through the attached graph you will see other teams with the respective number of set piece goals they've scored in the EPL as at 16th January 2026 when the data was compiled.

How do you arrive at the conclusion that Arteta set up arsenal to heavily rely on set-piece goals when data available didn't show a gulf between arsenal and other teams as far as set piece goals is concerned.

2. If your personal opinion about set-piece goals not being sustainable is to be believed, then we can all agree that the other teams like Man utd, Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa will also witness sharp decline in their goal returns going forward abi no be so?

3. Anybody who read your post up there would think maybe 70% of Arsenal's goals this season was scored through set-piece. Data available showed that as of yesterday, we've only scored just 35% of our goals through set piece which is not even far off from what Teams like Chelsea and Man Utd that don't have media focus on them tally as well.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13493842/arsenal-and-liverpool-rank-as-best-and-worst-from-set-pieces-as-premier-league-clubs-embrace-trend-between-the-lines


Yesterday match was one of our worst, but we still had shots on target that were not set piece related. I agree we have a creativity issue that needs to be sorted out ASAP, but let's not make it seem like what Arsenal has been doing all season is score corners and park the bus afterwards.

You are fixated on goals scored just like the article you referenced but that's not my point. I am rather focused on the teams attempt to win a corner kick and the seeming belief that it is more or less a chance to score. You might disagree but from the body language of the Arsenal players, coaching staff and fans, corner kicks and other set-piece opportunities have most of you expecting a goal.

Arsenal was not a team renowned for its reliance on set-pieces to create chances or score goals...That Arsenal is hardly seen these days, set-pieces should be an option and not the primary source of chance creation. Look at the number of times Trossard and Saka attempted a cross when Jesus was the CF. They did that to win corners. It is evident if you leave your biases aside. Not even Barcelona with Lewandowski or City attempt so many pointless crosses.

Whilst at it, point to the number of chances you guys had that were not set-piece related.

TrebleChamp:
The board can renew his interim Manager contract...

Any manager not named Enrique, Flick, Pep should not get more than a 2-year contract, so that in any case where we have to terminate the contract, we don't break the bank to do it. If Carrick does well, let them start him on a one or two-year contract...

TrebleChamp:
True, every game now is a difficult game for all teams. Some are fighting for the title, some for CL, Europa and Conference League, some are fight to escape relegation.
Unless Shitty improve from their current poor form and Assnal of course enter their bottlejob mode...

It is always in the month of February that they capitulate...February is around the corner, watch it happen again...

First, it was all fun and games, now it isn't anymore. For the quality Arsenal possesses in their ranks, taking the ball to the wings every time in the hope of winning a corner is the stuff mid-table and bottom-placed teams are known for. Arteta's very compact system, which is heavily reliant on set-pieces, is not sustainable in the long term; when it fails, Arsenal struggles...

Looking at the quality in Arsenal's rank, I expect Arsenal to play a very expansive game with slick passing and combination play...I still maintain the Arsenal team of 3 seasons ago was the best, the team attacked with purpose and speed leaving the opposition limited time to organize their defence. Now, it is aimless passing at the back and when they go forward, they try to win a corner more than create a scoring chance. Maybe it has sunk into the players' heads that the best way to create a scoring chance is through set-pieces...

KingAzubuike:
These ones beat city and arsenal and are already dreaming of winning league.

Wonders shall never end

It is Wolves and Burnley that we need to beat before we start being optimistic?

LostMyZeal:
When will Amorim get his flowers for transforming this team? Or we're just gonna pretend like the man did nothing to this team. What about his acquisitions? At this point it'd be delusion to deny the man's imprints on the team.

Yeah, he played most of the players out of position but the team is in this position now because the man got us there for someone else to build on his legacy.

I hold no brief for the man, but this is Amorim's legacy. Never forget that even as you're overjoyed.
It's always good to beat the two teams we've beaten so far, but just like Carrick is not carried away, nobody should be about this team cos these players are still suspects.

If not for the blunders and the needless draws, we would have been contenders even and that's because of one man. There's also the possibility of the players rebelling against his Iron hand approach, but he formed a team that was frustrating to play against.

DO AWAY WITH SENTIMENTS AND GIVE WHAT BELONGS TO CEASAR TO CEASAR.

I can't say for sure whether the new signings were all his preferred choices, as I don't think he knew much about Mbeumo and Cunha. Sesko was not his choice; he preferred Gyokeres. I think Dorgu was his signing, and that's about it... Where I'll give him credit is that he tried to restore discipline to the team and didn't hesitate to rein in the egos of players who thought they were bigger than the team.

He assembled a good team, but he didn't know how best to utilise their strengths, so I am not sure that his team was frustrating to play against, as you opined.

TrebleChamp:
Assnal is winning the EPL this season, they remain the most consistent team. Manshitty and Villa are not so consistent, unless Pep team suddenly hit good form...

Arsenal are away at Elland Road next. It will be a very tough game for them.

CrystalTiger:
Woke up, went to Twitter and saw a crazy stat..

After match day 23 in the 95/96 season, 30yrs ago, we were 12pts behind Newcastle and ended up winning the league 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣..
Now we're 12pts behind Assnal after match day 23 in the 25/26 season 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣..

Carrick, what do you have for me?? Joy and imagination wn injure me...Fit pay my workers double salary today sef..

It's Villa or City I am looking at. If we keep up the momentum, the top 3 is achievable.

afrodoc2:
Different meaning ? I no understand.

No vex baba I was just stressing the need for quality coaching.

I don’t know what the future holds for Carrick but his coaching crew seems to be better than the previous 2 that we had.

Baba no vex. Let’s all celebrate this change in fortunes. We deserve am.

I know it's early days but if Carrick delivers a top 3-4 finish, he will be in contention to get the job permanently...

It will be interesting to see how he approaches the games against mid-table and bottom-placed teams.