₦airaland Forum

We know we will lose matches, but the way we lost is what matters. We should lose while trying to win, not lose while trying to draw. Yesterday we kept balling balls from first half to finish, knowing that Villa were pressing so hard and yet we couldn't calm the pressure down. Zubimendi was so off, I don't know if odegaard dropping deep to pick up the ball instead of him obstructed his game play. Our match intensity and calmness has gone down with Salliba and Gabriel so much that it feels like we run more without the ball more than we should. Running more without the ball makes us jittery during the closing minutes. Thank God by weekend Trossard and Saliba will be fit to start.
Match week 15, if we can get 16 wins out of 20 by match day 35, we can still be on course.

MSGAMBLE9
How are we 8 points behind city, it seems city are runaway champions elect.
Have not been following the game since our on and off performance even Chelsea are 6 points behind

We should be looking at guehi for free next season
Eze and saka should do the work, pay him 200k

iamoyindamola:
MSGAMBLE9
How are we 8 points behind city, it seems city are runaway champions elect.
Have not been following the game since our on and off performance even Chelsea are 6 points behind

City have been healthy and consistent this season don't forget they lost the league to Chelsea 2 years ago on the final day when they needed a draw to win and we weren't winning either ( draw United, Villa, Chelsea, Spurs)... I told you at the start of the season that if City is healthy they have the best Squad in WSL ( Even though Chelsea have the richest depth)... Arsenal played rubbish again yesterday wasting chances

Our recruitment has been bad for years, Jonas cried out for proper CB (Girma) & DM ( Walsh) Chelsea snatched them up even the winger we tracked (Kerolin) in January was snapped up by City and we go for second choice in Chloe Kelly... The management are not ready, winning UWCL and moving to Emirates is a top drawer for any Female player but they sit on their asss throughout the summer again

Arsenal will probably do well in Cups ( they have better starting XI than Chelsea) but are not yet on City and Chelsea level for WSL....

Shegzdave:
Arsenal of that time is very different from now, we can’t afford players still making needless errors. We’re competing for the League bro

I just don't want him under pressure since we are stuck with him for now... The LHS of the defence line was really penetrated yesterday and Villa could have scored 5 from there especially in the second half...

God help Us....

BlueRayDick:
The bold is not true at all.

You can criticize the result of today's match an even blame the coach for the result, but u shouldnt do that with falsity and agenda abeg.

In 2023/2024 season we scored 91 goals in the league which was the most number of goals arsenal has scored in the EPL of all times. That was scored under Arteta yet you claim our attack has been average with no improvement since Arteta took place.

I understand fans get hurt and frustrated due to the fact that major trophies keep eluding us, but that does not mean we should be making false claims like the team was the same as it was when we had Loserpool beating us 4-0, Man city whipping us and Chelsea always getting the better of us under previous managers.

Yes we all hope Saliba and Gabriel will come back to give the team the balance it has few weeks ago.

On thing most fans are refusing to acknowledge is the fact that even our open play goals, Saliba and Gabriel contribute significantly to it going by how they start our attack moves. They always stay at alert to have the ball released to Zubi or Rice who would push attack further up the field. When the opposing players try to start their own attack or counter, Saliba is always standing solidly behind their striker to dispossess him thereby overturning the ball to our Midfielders to restart our attacks. If u notice Mosquera and Hicanpie almost always lose aerial duels which puts pressure on our midfield and has led to Rice overworking himself at the back. These little detaiks count. It's nof just about Saliba and Gabriel contributing to our set piece goals alone.

Bros I hear you, I’m not denying the progress at all. 91 goals in 23/24 is impressive, 88 the season before that is also impressive too.

Nobody is saying we’re still the same team that was getting battered 4-0 by Liverpool or rolled over by City every time. That’s facts, the team has improved compared to Emery/Wenger days.

But let’s not act like the attack is suddenly peak City or Klopp Liverpool either, that’s all I’m saying.

Yes, 23/24 season we scored 91 but we only created the 5th-most big chances from open play behind Mancity, Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa. We converted our chances more and absolutely destroyed teams from set pieces.
We scored 22 non-penalty set-piece goals, that's ridiculous numbers.

Last season we suffered a drop in our goal scoring form with 69 goals. We were 7th for big chances created. That’s exactly why everyone was screaming for a proper No.9 and we went and got Gyokeres.

This new 25/26 season, we are already sitting 9th in big chances created after 15 games with only 30 big chances created despite banging in 28 goals so far.
We’re still scoring because, Saka, Eze, Gyokeres, Trossard have been very clinical in front of goal, not because we’re constantly ripping teams apart.

Martinelli has been quiet for about 18 months or there about now if we’re honest.

Trossard is a good finisher, but he’s not that guy who’s going to consistently unlock a low block on his own.

Odegaard is still great at dropping deep, recycling possession and playing the safe sideways pass, but he’s lost a lot of that final-third magic since his injuries last year. Key passes are way down, big chances created are basically zero.

Eze looks class on the ball no doubt, but too often goes missing in big moments, almost like he’s hiding from the responsibility of grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck.

How many times this season have we seen gyokeres making a run in behind and literally no one even looks for the pass?
Ball goes sideways, we keep on passing the ball around on the edge of the box, then a cut-back that gets blocked.

I’m telling you, drop prime Haaland in this team tomorrow and he’d still spend half his time waving his arms in the air because the service from wide areas and midfield just isn’t consistent enough.
We hardly play proper balls in behind or killer through balls anymore.

I appreciate what Trossard, Martinelli, Odegaard bring to the team. They lead the press well, run their socks off, and track back brilliantly.

But we need another elite creative midfielder or a proper progressive left-sided attacker who can properly feed the striker and break down stubborn defences on a weekly basis.

No squad is perfect, there’s always one or two areas you can upgrade, and for me the No.10 or left wing is still the obvious one.

That's why I am hoping Saliba and big Gabi comes back on time so that we can continue to dominate in the set piece area to complement our goals scored from open play.

Hopefully we win the league.

Gabzy1:
Bros I hear you, I’m not denying the progress at all. 91 goals in 23/24 is impressive, 88 the season before that is also impressive too.

Nobody is saying we’re still the same team that was getting battered 4-0 by Liverpool or rolled over by City every time. That’s facts, the team has improved compared to Emery/Wenger days.

But let’s not act like the attack is suddenly peak City or Klopp Liverpool either, that’s all I’m saying.

Yes, 23/24 season we scored 91 but we only created the 5th-most big chances from open play behind Mancity, Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa. We converted our chances more and absolutely destroyed teams from set pieces.
We scored 22 non-penalty set-piece goals, that's ridiculous numbers.

Last season we suffered a drop in our goal scoring form with 69 goals. We were 7th for big chances created. That’s exactly why everyone was screaming for a proper No.9 and we went and got Gyokeres.

This new 25/26 season, we are already sitting 9th in big chances created after 15 games with only 30 big chances created despite banging in 28 goals so far.
We’re still scoring because, Saka, Eze, Gyokeres, Trossard have been very clinical in front of goal, not because we’re constantly ripping teams apart.

Martinelli has been quiet for about 18 months or there about now if we’re honest.

Trossard is a good finisher, but he’s not that guy who’s going to consistently unlock a low block on his own.

Odegaard is still great at dropping deep, recycling possession and playing the safe sideways pass, but he’s lost a lot of that final-third magic since his injuries last year. Key passes are way down, big chances created are basically zero.

Eze looks class on the ball no doubt, but too often goes missing in big moments, almost like he’s hiding from the responsibility of grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck.

How many times this season have we seen gyokeres making a run in behind and literally no one even looks for the pass?
Ball goes sideways, we keep on passing the ball around on the edge of the box, then a cut-back that gets blocked.

I’m telling you, drop prime Haaland in this team tomorrow and he’d still spend half his time waving his arms in the air because the service from wide areas and midfield just isn’t consistent enough.
We hardly play proper balls in behind or killer through balls anymore.

I appreciate what Trossard, Martinelli, Odegaard bring to the team. They lead the press well, run their socks off, and track back brilliantly.

But we need another elite creative midfielder or a proper progressive left-sided attacker who can properly feed the striker and break down stubborn defences on a weekly basis.

No squad is perfect, there’s always one or two areas you can upgrade, and for me the No.10 or left wing is still the obvious one.

That's why I am hoping Saliba and big Gabi comes back on time so that we can continue to dominate in the set piece area to complement our goals scored from open play.

Hopefully we win the league.

Baba all of these things u are saying is because we have had some real unpleasant results in ghe past 2 weeks. I'm sure few weeks ago while we were getting favorable results one match after another, nobody was talking about us needing a creative midfielder or left sided attacker.

We fans need to be realistic and not always looking for who to blame and scapegoat when we have a rough patch in our title challenge.

Even rival fans acknowledge our fully fit team is solid and actually one of the few teams that has what it takes to win the league come may. The rough patch we've experienced in the past few weeks has been due to injuries to our key players, not because our coach has suddenly gone clueless or the team is lacking enough motivation.

I believe with most of our players coming back from injury the morale of the team will be boosted and we can go back to winning ways. I believe when we win games, our fellow title challengers will always have their own tough games and we should be ready to seize those chances to increase the gap between us by winning our own matches.

I think we fans should stay positive and not get distracted by all sorts of negativity rival fans are projecting about our team's title challenge.

Cheers bro. 🤗

Gabzy1:
Bros I hear you, I’m not denying the progress at all. 91 goals in 23/24 is impressive, 88 the season before that is also impressive too.

Nobody is saying we’re still the same team that was getting battered 4-0 by Liverpool or rolled over by City every time. That’s facts, the team has improved compared to Emery/Wenger days.

But let’s not act like the attack is suddenly peak City or Klopp Liverpool either, that’s all I’m saying.

Yes, 23/24 season we scored 91 but we only created the 5th-most big chances from open play behind Mancity, Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa. We converted our chances more and absolutely destroyed teams from set pieces.
We scored 22 non-penalty set-piece goals, that's ridiculous numbers.

Last season we suffered a drop in our goal scoring form with 69 goals. We were 7th for big chances created. That’s exactly why everyone was screaming for a proper No.9 and we went and got Gyokeres.

This new 25/26 season, we are already sitting 9th in big chances created after 15 games with only 30 big chances created despite banging in 28 goals so far.
We’re still scoring because, Saka, Eze, Gyokeres, Trossard have been very clinical in front of goal, not because we’re constantly ripping teams apart.

Martinelli has been quiet for about 18 months or there about now if we’re honest.

Trossard is a good finisher, but he’s not that guy who’s going to consistently unlock a low block on his own.

Odegaard is still great at dropping deep, recycling possession and playing the safe sideways pass, but he’s lost a lot of that final-third magic since his injuries last year. Key passes are way down, big chances created are basically zero.

Eze looks class on the ball no doubt, but too often goes missing in big moments, almost like he’s hiding from the responsibility of grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck.

How many times this season have we seen gyokeres making a run in behind and literally no one even looks for the pass?
Ball goes sideways, we keep on passing the ball around on the edge of the box, then a cut-back that gets blocked.

I’m telling you, drop prime Haaland in this team tomorrow and he’d still spend half his time waving his arms in the air because the service from wide areas and midfield just isn’t consistent enough.
We hardly play proper balls in behind or killer through balls anymore.

I appreciate what Trossard, Martinelli, Odegaard bring to the team. They lead the press well, run their socks off, and track back brilliantly.

But we need another elite creative midfielder or a proper progressive left-sided attacker who can properly feed the striker and break down stubborn defences on a weekly basis.

No squad is perfect, there’s always one or two areas you can upgrade, and for me the No.10 or left wing is still the obvious one.

That's why I am hoping Saliba and big Gabi comes back on time so that we can continue to dominate in the set piece area to complement our goals scored from open play.

Hopefully we win the league.

I took my time to study your concern.

Firstly you acknowledged that our conversion rate is very high given that we don't create much chances yet we score many goals compared to other top teams.

You also mentioned that this is despite getting a striker (what I would call a traditional centre forward) the attack still looks dull.

You're right and there are reasons. And it all stems from how the manager plays.

1. Arteta is defensive minded. He is the kind of coach that gives much attention to defending. He is a student of attack win games and defense win titles. You only need to look at the ratio of the number of defenders he has signed to attackers.

2. Arsenal transitions are based on overloads. When we attack it is an overload 3-2-5, when we defend it is overload 5-4-1. So at every phase of play, all we try to do is overload every corner of the pitch. This is unlike teams like Chelsea that uses quick passes or Aston Villa like we saw lately that uses long balls and fast forwards.

3. The CF is not really the main striker. The strikers are the inverted wingers. We create from one wing and finish from the other. When we overload the opponent's box, we do so with five to seven players. It begins with the CF in a well timed manner dropping deep into the half third either pulling away the CBs or leaving them clueless. This creates space either on the left or right depending on where the ball is. So the CF doesn't get to the end of the chances most times (unless it's a loser ball, or he finds himself in the right place). That is also why our wingers score more goals. It also explains why we don't depend on any particular player for goals. That CF role is why it looks like Merino is more effective than Gyokeres.

4. Because of our tactics in (2) and (3) above we hardly play counter attacks which are basically spontaneous. Rather we are well organised, planned, and programmed almost in robotic fashion. That is why as an Arsenal fan you can easily predict what Saka will do when he is on the ball. Or whether White will overlap or not. All our goals also seem similar in patterns.

So the reason is that our players play in a programmed manner, sort of robotic, such that goals must come in a particular way. That why we create few but are still efficient.

I hope the manager will either allow our players to be creative sometimes or create more ways to attacking transitions.

Arteta on Max Dowman: 'He had a scan on his ankle. He'll be out for weeks.' #AFC

B. Mead with the only goal of the night to give us a win against Twente. A dominant performance but just couldn’t score.

mostob:
Arteta on Max Dowman: 'He had a scan on his ankle. He'll be out for weeks.' #AFC

What sort of training do these guys engage in that makes them injured during training sef

Make all of them getat abeg

MSGAMBLE9:
I just don't want him under pressure since we are stuck with him for now... The LHS of the defence line was really penetrated yesterday and Villa could have scored 5 from there especially in the second half...

God help Us....

If not for injuries to Gabi-Sali, he could've started from cup games to help build his confidence and youre right about the LHS being penetrated so well, Watkins really did them dirty, maybe cause he's an arsenal fan cause I've seen him miss easy goals against arsenal for over two seasons now(don't mind my theory tho )

Shegzdave:
If not for injuries to Gabi-Sali, he could've started from cup games to help build his confidence and youre right about the LHS being penetrated so well, Watkins really did them dirty, maybe cause he's an arsenal fan cause I've seen him miss easy goals against arsenal for over two seasons now(don't mind my theory tho )

Watkins is not that prolific atleast when converting chances... Watkins is at his very best when exploiting high lines even Gabi-Sally always have their hands full and struggled against him ( I could remember the last time at Emirates 2-2 and the 3-2 win at Villa park with Jorg super strike)....

This is what they mean when people says " A win is a win" albeit as wasteful and uninspiring as it may be...

Shegzdave:
What sort of training do these guys engage in that makes them injured during training sef

Make all of them getat abeg

You forgot who Heinze is sha? That guy has added intensity to the training routine. He's also a warm hearted fellow as well but it is telling on the entire squad aside that soft muscle Chelsea guy that just left.

Zubi struggled so bad vs Villa. This is definitely one of his worst game if not the worst in Arsenal. He had no answer to their thru balls down the middle plus Eze leaving Cala to a 2v1 situation. That was callous.

We have technically qualified for UCL KO and we need 1point from 3 games on paper. They should rest Rice i particular and let that Norgaard sweat sef. Odegaard can start and finish. Let Eze start vs Wolves instead. Raya resting too should not be a bad idea. Kepa can play both games actually.

🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️

🧱 Norgaard at the back
⚡️ Martinelli down the wing
😤 Gyokeres up top

Why is Raya starting again, when will Kepa get his chances ...

MSGAMBLE9:
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️

🧱 Norgaard at the back
⚡️ Martinelli down the wing
😤 Gyokeres up top

Why is Raya starting again, when will Kepa get his chances ...

Glad timber and timber got their deserved rest

iamoyindamola:
Glad timber and timber got their deserved rest

But with Norgaard in Defence? At this rate Kepa would want to leave on January

MSGAMBLE9:
But with Norgaard in Defence? At this rate Kepa would want to leave on January

Until Raya gets injured, then we start reading the worst excuses.

MSGAMBLE9:
But with Norgaard in Defence? At this rate Kepa would want to leave on January

I am not sure why norgaard is playing CB
As for kepa he knows what he is getting into chosing arsenal, he is not competing anyway not even NT

Hincapie hit the post there I believe

How is that not a CK? Clearly went off Brugge's player

OK Madueke, that is some finish!

Hincapie is smelling goal today his second attempt

Big saves from Raya

Martinelli is frustrating to watch

iamoyindamola:
Martinelli is frustrating to watch

Baba killed a promising attack with unnecessary dancing, only to finally pass back

Roland17:
Baba killed a promising attack with unnecessary dancing, only to finally pass back

My head scatter that moment
I am also concern about gyokeres, this guy should be opening up na he's always disappearing in games

iamoyindamola:
My head scatter that moment
I am also concern about gyokeres, this guy should be opening up na he's always disappearing in games

The Martinelli incident that we just talked about is an example of why he is struggling.

A promising attack that took Martinelli almost 30 seconds to make a decision that ultimately killed the attack won't help any CF. Do you know how many times Gyokores positioned, repositioned, repositioned before Alaye decided to finally pass back? Outside of the goal, which was fantastic, we haven't created much. We look indecisive with the ball and that means we are just holding possession without being incisive in the final 3rd. I am not making excuses for him but we are not offering much. He had 1 header when Martinelli was decisive with his cross, it hit the opponent but the ref did not call for CK. CF have very limited time with their movement because CBs know they are there, so we have to be quick and decisive when we move the ball.

Roland17:
The Martinelli incident that we just talked about is an example of why he is struggling.

A promising attack that took Martinelli almost 30 seconds to make a decision that ultimately killed the attack won't help any CF. Do you know how many times Gyokores positioned, repositioned, repositioned before Alaye decided to finally pass back? Outside of the goal, which was fantastic, we haven't created much. We look indecisive with the ball and that means we are just holding possession without being incisive in the final 3rd. I am not making excuses for him but we are not offering much. He had 1 header when Martinelli was decisive with his cross, it hit the opponent but the ref did not call for CK. CF have very limited time with their movement because CBs know they are there, so we have to be quick and decisive when we move the ball.

We need another approach to be creating chances

Madueke with his second

Roland17:
Until Raya gets injured, then we start reading the worst excuses.

That is my concern, when he ask to leave then they will be back to square one of looking for quality back up... Newcastle is starting Ramsdale today while Arsenal that needed a point to finish top 8 wouldn't....

This is not the NBA or NWSL, finishing no 1 has no known benefit as per seeding... Top 8 is the priority not no 1