₦airaland Forum

Roland17:
He gets some needed rest as fixtures pile up

I don't expect to see any first team player next week, another dead rubber match at the Emirates

We are literally cruising in all 4 competitions we are playing in this season.

In the last few days we've played 4 away games at Portsmouth, Chelsea, Nottingham and Inter Milan stadiums across different competitions. Somehow we've managed to come out with 3 wins and 1 draw.

Love him or hate him, Arsenal under Arteta this season is actually doing well and above his peers..

Ad much as the recent EPL results were disappointing, we should also acknowledge the fact that we've conceded the least goal in the EPL which means our defence is working 24/7. We just need our attack to score as much as they can and the last 16 games of the EPL will see us lifting the trophy. 🥰

Gucciboy:
Season never end you don dey celebrate

E too sure 😂

BlueRayDick:
I think the loan will be good for him. Hopefully he gets playing time there and he's able to shine well enough to earn a major role at Arsenal come next season.

French league is a very good place to develop your skills as a player. The opposition are not too fast and not too slow, and the coaches are technically inclined.

iamoyindamola:
This is not squad depth, this man is scared
He doesn't have any faith in youngsters

This lie has been debunked several times and on various platforms. No other manager in PL has given more opportunities to youngsters as much as Arteta.

Mikel Arteta: “Mosquera is supposed to be another two weeks before coming back, but the medical staff and the sports scientists, they've done incredibly well with him to work every single hour to give him the chance to play.

“Today (vs Inter Milan) he had to play against top strikers, I think he's done an incredible job.”

[Arsenal]

mostob:
Mikel Arteta: “Mosquera is supposed to be another two weeks before coming back, but the medical staff and the sports scientists, they've done incredibly well with him to work every single hour to give him the chance to play.

“Today (vs Inter Milan) he had to play against top strikers, I think he's done an incredible job.”

[Arsenal]

Mosquera has always been good especially when paired with either Saliba or Gabriel so I wasn't surprised, he seems to lack a bit of understanding with Hincapie for now... Hope we can rest Sally and Gabi more going forward, am still of scared the load on Zubi he barely gets any reprieve this season

Leyqute:
Very sure Gbokeres will never be in that kind of position. But you guys will be saying his teammates are not passing to him

They can't say that again. More lies debunked

Spy360:
French league is a very good place to develop your skills as a player. The opposition are not too fast and not too slow, and the coaches are technically inclined.

I don't know about that, he would be competing with Greenwood ( one of the best player in Europe this season) for both the RW and AM cos he played both for them depending on the opposition, even Paxiao played the AM position too regularly especially when Auba is fit... Would have preferred an EPL side even Wolves, Leeds or Burnley since the EPL would be his forte in the long term...

I wish him well and good luck...

BlueRayDick:
We are literally cruising in all 4 competitions we are playing in this season.

In the last few days we've played 4 away games at Portsmouth, Chelsea, Nottingham and Inter Milan stadiums across different competitions. Somehow we've managed to come out with 3 wins and 1 draw.

Love him or hate him, Arsenal under Arteta this season is actually doing well and above his peers..

Ad much as the recent EPL results were disappointing, we should also acknowledge the fact that we've conceded the least goal in the EPL which means our defence is working 24/7. We just need our attack to score as much as they can and the last 16 games of the EPL will see us lifting the trophy. 🥰

Those underrating Arteta are a few Arsenal fans.

Sometimes his decisions doesn't sit well, but no one should deny the progress he has brought to the club.

I pray he does a quadruple to wipe away all the trophyless years in one.

Spy360:
E too sure 😂

Congrats bro una deserve some joy

Happiest people alive are arsenal fans

BlueRayDick:
We are literally cruising in all 4 competitions we are playing in this season.

In the last few days we've played 4 away games at Portsmouth, Chelsea, Nottingham and Inter Milan stadiums across different competitions. Somehow we've managed to come out with 3 wins and 1 draw.

Love him or hate him, Arsenal under Arteta this season is actually doing well and above his peers..

Ad much as the recent EPL results were disappointing, we should also acknowledge the fact that we've conceded the least goal in the EPL which means our defence is working 24/7. We just need our attack to score as much as they can and the last 16 games of the EPL will see us lifting the trophy. 🥰

we play so well in ucl because teams don't sit back like epl teams do. If we can get 13 wins out of the remaining 16 and the match against City being one of them, then the league is sure. At this point I think we can only afford to lose a game and draw one too, anything outside that might jeopardise our league challenge.
Ps: that ball from Martinelli to Gyokeres, damn!!!!.

Esposito came in yesterday and was getting the better of Mosquera. Gabriel XXL enter field and Esposito disappeared.

Rice came in and the midfield shut down.
As a fan, it's normal to long for trophy. But the joy and excitement these players are giving me eh, I hope universe smile on them.

We need trophies. Plenty trophies

germaphobe:
we play so well in ucl because teams don't sit back like epl teams do. If we can get 13 wins out of the remaining 16 and the match against City being one of them, then the league is sure. At this point I think we can only afford to lose a game and draw one too, anything outside that might jeopardise our league challenge.
Ps: that ball from Martinelli to Gyokeres, damn!!!!.

Yeah in the champions league teams are more expressive and ready to play their game. In the EPL most small teams just want to frustrate your game plan and hope to get one or two chances to catch you sleeping and punish you. Then again EPL refrees too can be very frustrating when it comes to officiating; they are very inconsistent in their decision making from match to match.

I just hope our players give their A-game in the EPL starting from the Man Utd game on Sunday. It will boost confidence and help them win more difficult matches.

MSGAMBLE9:
Mosquera has always been good especially when paired with either Saliba or Gabriel so I wasn't surprised, he seems to lack a bit of understanding with Hincapie for now... Hope we can rest Sally and Gabi more going forward, am still of scared the load on Zubi he barely gets any reprieve this season

Mosquera and Hincapie will always be our worst CB pairing. Not like both players are not good o. They're good but both do not complement each other. They're of similar profiles - aggressor/marker. Mosquera will fair better with Timber, Saliba or Gabriel. Those three are cool headed and calm. But everything about Hincapie screams chaos 🤣. So when you have two aggressors playing CB for you, everywhere will be chaotic.

BlueRayDick:
We are literally cruising in all 4 competitions we are playing in this season.

In the last few days we've played 4 away games at Portsmouth, Chelsea, Nottingham and Inter Milan stadiums across different competitions. Somehow we've managed to come out with 3 wins and 1 draw.

Love him or hate him, Arsenal under Arteta this season is actually doing well and above his peers..

Ad much as the recent EPL results were disappointing, we should also acknowledge the fact that we've conceded the least goal in the EPL which means our defence is working 24/7. We just need our attack to score as much as they can and the last 16 games of the EPL will see us lifting the trophy. 🥰

Its actually not easy for real. These are fixtures Arteta would complain about season's ago. But na kpim this time. Squad depth or just getting better.

Kudos to the team for their immense hardwork.

4 away games in 10 days is no joke.

Now, lets sustain the momentum by winning our next home games starting with united and their new manager bounce.

Odegaard was benched yesterday, I hope it is for pragmatic reasons and not to keep him ahead of the United game.

He has not offered anything tangible in the last few games and Eze is not stepping up to Arsenals' level.

Now, thats where I would have liked Arteta to take more risk and worked with Nwaneri but it's unfortunate the boy is going on loan.

He (Ethan) has his limitations, but at this point, we are suffering with playing through the middle and I am of the opinion that Nwanneri can excel in the role especially when been covered by Rice and Zubi.

I am forced to assume that Arteta does't like risking young players because the stakes are high, but I believe that if her can risk Myles in some game, he should do the same for Ethan, but then, it is what it is.

By the way, Timber is due for a rest else, we risk him beign injured at a critical point in time.

Fkforyou:
.

Now, thats where I would have liked Arteta to take more risk and worked with Nwaneri but it's unfortunate the boy is going on loan.

He (Ethan) has his limitations, but at this point, we are suffering with playing through the middle and I am of the opinion that Nwanneri can excel in the role especially when been covered by Rice and Zubi.

I am forced to assume that Arteta does't like risking young players because the stakes are high, but I believe that if her can risk Myles in some game, he should do the same for Ethan, but then, it is what it is.
.

The thing is; as fans we have what we wish for and how we assume things should work out concerning certain players. But at the end of the day, it is the manager who sees these players in training that knows why he's starting some players ahead of the others.

I don't want to believe Arteta just doesn't like Nwaneri or he's "afraid" to start him ahead of the senior players in his position. I have a feeling that Nwaneri has not shown enough in all aspects of his game for Arteta to risk giving him a push ahead of Eze and Odegaard. Maybe it is the defensive aspect of his game or any other thing we are missing, I just know the manager will have his reasons which he must have discussed with the player himself.

Ever since Arteta made Saliba undergo 2 different loan spells before finally making him a first team regular, I have come to realize that when a coach decides to send a player on loan it doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't like the player. Sometimes it is for the good of the concerned player, the good of the manager and good of the club in the long run.

All those times when Saliba was playing on loan at Nice and Marseille one could argue we needed a decent CB and some of the fans would've wished Saliba was recalled to be co-opted into the team. But the coach allowed him enjoy enough playing time on loan to develop further before bringing him back home. I want to believe the same can work out for Nwaneri if everything goes well.

Gabriel is a menace

"Arteta gave Gabriel one job when he came off the bench: keep Esposito quiet. Gabriel didn't just deliver the memo; he tore up the script. Esposito was a ghost for the rest of the match."
pic.twitter.com/FeJPFrd8OB

— ARSENAL INSIDE OUT (@Arsenalin_out) January 20, 2026

Is Arteta trying to rotate Odegaard and Eze across different cups?
Cos if Odegaard is for epl, wahala dey.

I didn't even notice at first until i saw slowmo replays and I'll blame Zubi for that sucic goal more than Skelly. He should be rushing to clear instead of slowly down, enabling space for him to shoot. What's that bent knee block sef?

Martinelli is really taking this season ucl personal. Saka is yet to gbera till now. Worrying.


These tackles though.... Acerbic acid

BlueRayDick:
The thing is; as fans we have what we wish for and how we assume things should work out concerning certain players. But at the end of the day, it is the manager who sees these players in training that knows why he's starting some players ahead of the others.

I don't want to believe Arteta just doesn't like Nwaneri or he's "afraid" to start him ahead of the senior players in his position. I have a feeling that Nwaneri has not shown enough in all aspects of his game for Arteta to risk giving him a push ahead of Eze and Odegaard. Maybe it is the defensive aspect of his game or any other thing we are missing, I just know the manager will have his reasons which he must have discussed with the player himself.

Ever since Arteta made Saliba undergo 2 different loan spells before finally making him a first team regular, I have come to realize that when a coach decides to send a player on loan it doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't like the player. Sometimes it is for the good of the concerned player, the good of the manager and good of the club in the long run.

All those times when Saliba was playing on loan at Nice and Marseille one could argue we needed a decent CB and some of the fans would've wished Saliba was recalled to be co-opted into the team. But the coach allowed him enjoy enough playing time on loan to develop further before bringing him back home. I want to believe the same can work out for Nwaneri if everything goes well.

I hope it works out for him that way too.

Although, the manager is still human and maybe bias in his Judgement (case in point, Odegaard).

Now, I am fan of Odegaard, but still yet Arteta is yet to make that tough call of benching him. He can't tell me Odegaard is offering anything at the moment to warant beign in the starting line up all the time.

Fkforyou:
I hope it works out for him that way too.

Although, the manager is still human and maybe bias in his Judgement (case in point, Odegaard).

Now, I am fan of Odegaard, but still yet Arteta is yet to make that tough call of benching him. He can't tell me Odegaard is offering anything at the moment to warant beign in the starting line up all the time.

The Odegaard matter is very simple, Eze that is supposed to step up has not done that at all. Eze has not convinced anyone he can step into Odegaard's role while Odegaard is not in form or out injured.

Now there's the bias of Odegaard being a captain which I believe is the reason why he's starting at a time when both Himself and Eze are not playing so well. That captaincy gives him the edge.

BlueRayDick:
The Odegaard matter is very simple, Eze that is supposed to step up has not done that at all. Eze has not convinced anyone he can step into Odegaard's role while Odegaard is not in form or out injured.

Now there's the bias of Odegaard being a captain which I believe is the reason why he's starting at a time when both Himself and Eze are not playing so well. That captaincy gives him the edge.

And I have been saying that we can tweak formation, roles or line up to ensure everyone playing are at their best.

Take for example, Saka is brought to play the attacking midfied role while Madueke plays the right wing.

I recall we tried Trosaard in that role at some point but didn't work out.

Another option is Hervertz.

Or we play 442 formation.

My point is, we should be dynamic and not let injury be the only thing that forces us to tweak things.

I understand the need for predictability and stability, but it shouldn't be at the expense of optimal performance.

I believe doing this will give us strategic leverage in the long run.

Fkforyou:
And I have been saying that we can tweak formation, roles or line up to ensure everyone playing are at their best.

Take for example, Saka is brought to play the attacking midfied role while Madueke plays the right wing.

I recall we tried Trosaard in that role at some point but didn't work out.

Another option is Hervertz.

Or we play 442 formation.

My point is, we should be dynamic and not let injury be the only thing that forces us to tweak things.

I understand the need for predictability and stability, but it shouldn't be at the expense of optimal performance.

I believe doing this will give us strategic leverage in the long run.

Once again the manager trains with these guys weekly and knows them better than we do. If he believes Saka or another player can play other positions u are suggesting and it will give us good results I believe he will try it.

It's easy for us fans to assume a player will do well in certain positions on the pitch. At the end of the day, it's the manager who trains them that has the ultimate say on that. For example Lewis-Skelly was supposed to be a midfielder but the manager has been playing him at LB and it now looks as if that's the role he was meant to play as a Pro.

Nwaneri at OM

iamoyindamola:
Nwaneri at OM

more experience to his boots

iamoyindamola:
Nwaneri at OM

I will be back to watching Ligue One like I did when Saliba went there.

Roland17:
I will be back to watching Ligue One like I did when Saliba went there.

daveP:
more experience to his boots

He will need it

iamoyindamola:
He will need it

Wishing him the best. This is what dem heaven and Chido don miss now. Chai

iamoyindamola:
Nwaneri at OM

I wish him success on his loan spell

May He return as a Saliba in his role

patrickmuf:
Eze looks lost in this Arsenal setup. He doesn't seem to understand his role.

Roland17, have you noticed it?

Patooo, below was my response after another handle posed a similar question to me. In addition, Eze is a different profile of player than Arteta is used to coaching. Worsestill, benching Eze isn’t going to help him, if anything it will worsen the situation.

Roland17:
Arteta has not figured how he intends to use Eze. It is a debacle that unbalances how he sets up his team with Odegaard and Trossard. It’s a good trouble for any good coach because he is a very good player.

More specifics..

Odegaard- Arteta doesn’t necessarily like changes. Arteta still believes Odegaard is his main AM, irrespective of the position they start from on the pitch. Our offense is built around Odegaard and Arteta isn’t willing to do it differently. It is the reason Odegaard averages the most touches.

Trossard- He has been in terrific form and his position would be Eze’s preferred starting position but not role…two different things. Eze isn’t a winger, he is an AM who likes to create from the right. He can also play central but there is Odegaard.

Defense- Arteta sets up his team to defend, especially, if you are playing from the wings, irrespective of role. Eze lost his man in the Villa game and Arteta brought the hammer by benching him.

Eze needs the ball but right now Arteta isn’t willing to risk it, especially since Eze did not have a preseason with us. With all that being said, I think Eze is a better option than Odegaard. Arteta is playing it safe with what he is used to. Odegaard hasn’t exactly impressed and we suffer without the ball because he doesn’t mark but since he plays central, it is not as noticeable.

Eze will get his chance with upcoming FA/EFL/ EPL fixtures. That level of quality in the midfield should waste on the bench. I was happy yanked Odegaard off early yesterday because he produced another stinker. I think Arteta and Eze both need the preseason to help with figuring out how to use him.