hey, fellow arsenal fan here. I was just wondering, after yesterdays match + the match against everton and the lucky escape against burnely. What do you think the team need to actually compete/been seen as proper title challengers. I know it's not over yet and I'm not going to be dramatic yet but I felt that this season the squad was the strongest its been in a long time yet we still can't seem to iron out the typical arsenal slip ups that have stopped us winning in the past.
Hey!
A very good question/topic, and one I could really spend a lot of spaceanswering. But I’ll try my best to keep it concise to things that seem to be apresent issue. Because people have different opinions, team picks, preferencesetc and to them that could all play into what’s needed for a title challenge.
So, like you, I believe our current squad is very strong, and I do havefaith that they can win the league. But obviously our hopes are running thingiven Ch*lsea’s current momentum, and our…lack of it.
However, I would say it currently boils down to some main factors in noparticular order:
· availability (aka injuries)
· correct use of personnel
· mentality/communication
Okay, so currently availability is directed at our midfield. Because boy howdy is that a gaping wound atthe moment. Cazorla (OUT), Xhaka (ban, returns soon, but not always the desiredoption anyway), Elneny (Away at AFCON, and picked up a slight injury), Ramsey(Calf strain), Coquelin (working on a strain), Jeff (just a wee boy, can’t layit all on him) and Ox (in and out of the team like a damn yo yo). Mesut is theonly player right now who isn’t suffering from something or not playinginconsistently. He absolutely cannot, no matter how talented, do it on hisown.
Some of this is down to bad luck, some of this isdown to (arguably) bad choice, and some down to circumstances either thathappen within the game (aka mentality/communication), or ones that simply can’tbe controlled (aka a player at AFCON). Ultimately we need players to befit/come back in order for the right midfield partnerships to form. This isalso in relation to players being out of position (Ramsey), or not in theirbest position. (Ox finding a niche in the centre.) We’ve lost creativity in nothaving Cazorla, but we may well find it if Ox can harness what he showed atSouthamtpon, and be given a chance to.
I briefly mentioned personnel use above, and I’lltouch on it again now, don’t get me wrong, I find that Gabi can function okayenough at right back, often scarier things happen when he plays at CB, but alsoI do wonder if he should be playing at all at the moment. Now, at this junctureI will say that I definitely do not know what is going on behind the scenes,and therefore cannot explain truthfully why any decision is made for match daytimes, barring the obvious necessity like because of injuries etc.
I ask about players like Jenkinson, who hasreportedly suffered a severe lack of confidence since returning from his injury(due to abuse from fans), and I think surely he should still be granted thechance? He is a RB, therefore let him be a RB.
Ramsey is a strange case right now because we arethin on the ground like I said, not that it matters now because calf strain, but he isforced into a position he has said he doesn’t want to be in and ultimately,with the exception of some games, appears to not have found the potential hepossessed in the 2013/2014 season. But it should also be said he is not as bad aspeople have scapegoated him to be, people have not always given thought to the fact thathe keeps having to jump back in after injuries, and he certainly cannot beaccused of not working hard.
And there are some other things here and there, Ithink Kieran Gibbs could be given more chances, for the sake of his sharpnessand Nacho’s.
As I said, we could really be here all day pickingapart the nitty gritty. In summary: The right people, if we are to take what wesee at face value, aren’t always picked to play. (Of course, there is going tobe data/information we are not privy to!)
And finally the big one, I think, ismentality / communication / attitude / behaviour / performance. And also you caninclude poor officiating but that cannot be an excuse for some of the things we’vewitnessed.
Basically, we’re talking about the game itself.
Sloppy passes, poor communication, not coveringteammates, not tracking back, miscommunication altogether, silly challenges,poor discipline, keepers coming for balls they shouldn’t, players not chasingballs they should, no fight, no energy, the too little too late syndrome, wholefirst halves going wasted… it’s all there. And you know what? I flat out refuseto believe that professional footballers, and a manager of AW’s stature, do notdiscuss, plan and implement strategies to make all of these issues go away. Youcan talk about the manager til you are blue in the face, but ultimately those11 men, in basic terms, should know what and what not do the second they step on the pitch tothe last second they leave it.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE REAL KICKER IS? THEY KNOW HOWTO DO IT, BECAUSE WE SEE SOME BLOODY AMAZING PERFORMANCES – AND WE SAY “THAT’S!!!! HOW YOU DO IT!!!!! ARSENAL, THE GREATEST EVER.” AND THEY SAY, MORE OR LESS, “FUCK YEAH, WECAN DO IT!!! WE FEEL GOOD! TEAM! TEAM! TEEEEAAAM!” and then we go to somewhere likeEverton and we get f u c k e d up. Bitch, what the fuck?
Please fix it, Arsenal. Love, all of us.
(This doesn’t cover everything, or maybe even anything, but I hope it helped somehow. And apologies for it just being a stream of thoughts, some developed, some not, lmfao. I will try and fix grammar/spelling now… Thanks for the ask! :D)
