Yeah saw the quotes saying the league has been won with less points than we got but didn't see the joke about the 2 titles. Irrelevant and silly thing to say when it will just be turned into the latest meme, although not really controversial or wrong. But it doesn't matter, it's a different season.
probably a laugh or cry situation for Arteta, finishing 2nd three times and being comfortably second. It has to be tough when the third time the winner scored less points than you did in previous years.
probably a laugh or cry situation for Arteta, finishing 2nd three times and being comfortably second. It has to be tough when the third time the winner scored less points than you did in previous years.
Liverpool still have three games left and will most likely surpass our 2023 points tally and possibly surpass our 2024 points tally as well.
And we're no longer likely to finish 2nd with the fixtures we have left either. Feels so much like so many of the Wenger seasons. Under-investment leaves the squad just short, and as a result we again come up just short.
Yea feeling pretty bummed. But I think we were in the fight for both matches and just missed out by the fine margins. Looking at the squad, you can say that not buying in Jan was a missed opportunity. But we also need to acknowledge the horrid injuries we've had this year. I was listing players unavailable or unfit for tonight's game. I had - White and calafirori unfit Jorghino, kai, Jesus, tomi, and Gabriel. Now that is some serious talent to be missing out on. So while I agree we need to shop more, we also need to work on keeping people fit. Maybe rotation comes into this but so does prep, training intensity, workloads etc. Hope work is done in the off season to address this. And yea, we've got a huge fight on our hands to keep 2nd place, so let's fudgeing go and make sure it doesn't slip!
I have an amazing ability to find my way out of mazes. I'm pathological.
Let's say over summer Arsenal maybe loses one medium-to-big name. Replaces them with to medium-to-big names. (A fairly typical Arsenal window imo).
Does that get Arsenal over the line? Or are you really just hoping you get less injuries?
I think one thing that's marked successful teams over the last 5 years is that they're very decisive - if players can't stay healthy it feels like they're bringing in replacements almost immediately.
There are several names we could lose and replace like for like, IMO we need a big name young striker and aim to keep the central midfield together. Injuries hurt us this year massively.
Let's say over summer Arsenal maybe loses one medium-to-big name. Replaces them with to medium-to-big names. (A fairly typical Arsenal window imo).
Does that get Arsenal over the line? Or are you really just hoping you get less injuries?
I think one thing that's marked successful teams over the last 5 years is that they're very decisive - if players can't stay healthy it feels like they're bringing in replacements almost immediately.
(Genuine chat, not having a stir)
I think this squad with a world class striker gets over the line.
The difference in this tie was PSG finished their chances and we didn’t.
We probably turn half of those 13 draws in to wins with an actual striker finishing off those chances in the box.
I think it’s the one thing holding this team back. Hopefully we remedy it this summer. Not fixing it in January was bad enough. Ignoring it again would be criminal.
I don't think it's as simple as just go shopping for a world class striker. A) they are in short supply and b) Arteta asks very specific tasks of his centre forwards and few can do everything he wants. I think either our tactics need to evolve to allow us to use a more gaol scoring focused striker, or we need to buy a striker who is better at our game than anyone in the current squad, which will be hard as Kai is pretty much the ideal man for what Arteta wants.
I have an amazing ability to find my way out of mazes. I'm pathological.
I don't think it's as simple as just go shopping for a world class striker. A) they are in short supply and b) Arteta asks very specific tasks of his centre forwards and few can do everything he wants. I think either our tactics need to evolve to allow us to use a more gaol scoring focused striker, or we need to buy a striker who is better at our game than anyone in the current squad, which will be hard as Kai is pretty much the ideal man for what Arteta wants.
that may well be the case in which case we need another Havertz, Jesus is not that and Merino has done ok but he probably isnt the long term solution
The Havertz deal is what I go back to as something that has left us in a mess. We needed a CM and a striker, spent 65m and really got neither, and now still need both.
It's difficult to say if it gets us over the line. We've needed a striker for years and signing one last summer would have got us closer this season. If the first choice wasn't possible, there still had to have been something better than Sterling and nothing. If not a striker, even another forward in January would have made a difference. I often hear the "noone moved who would have improved us" line but Kvaratskhelia moved in January and just played a big part in knocking us out, and as did Marmoush. Were we interested? If we'd paid what Villa asked for Watkins, I do feel we'd have turned some of the draws into wins.
13 draws, many of them from positions we were leading, but lacked the efficiency up front to score a 2nd goal and make the game safe. I believe a proper striker in the summer would have turned some of those 13 draws into wins. With the chances we had against PSG, I also believe a striker would have made a difference We have the best defence in the league but have scored 17 less goals than Liverpool. That's the difference. We've scored only 1 more goal than Spurs who sit 16th, but conceded 26 less so that's the difference there.
On the injuries, you do need some luck. We had that luck last season and just didn't quite get it done. This season the best players have been out for large chunks. It's not an excuse, and yes you do have a squad and backups but it's still undeniable that a team won't be as good without the best players. For some context Salah and Van Dijk have started every game. Gravenbach has only missed 1, TAA only missed 4. The season they were defending champions and lost Van Dijk to a season long injury they finished with 30 less points than they got the season before when they won the league. Yes injuries happen and that's why you have a squad, but it still makes a difference when the elite players are out. Even Man City collapsed when the lost Rodri, despite the backups being players who would start at any other club.
Anyway for the best part of 2 decades we've so often had a nearly squad that's just missing one final piece of the puzzle with a little under-investment and as a result we've come up short of the target. Even if we get the striker we need, based on recent history I'm not convinced we won't just be left short somewhere else.
getting Stirling in on loan as to be one of the worst pieces of business we've done in a while, not really an out an out striker, not even a good winger anymore - he'd be third choice behind Saka and Nwaneri if he's lucky. And whilst I liked the signing of Jesus and he's done ok last season - his injury this season left us relying on Havertz as the sole front man which meant we had one style of play available to us and limited scoring options. Our goals in the EPL: Havertz 9 Trossard 8 Martinelli 7 Saka 6 Nwaneri 4 Partey 4 Jesus 3
A lot of our goals are scored from the wing, that's tactical, but losing the front man and having no back up options bar a midfielder (who scored 3 up front) means we had 13 draws which should have been wins. Imagine if we had a Haarland type player up front instead of Jesus? We'd see 21 goals in the EPL and he's been injured for a good part of the season. Then Havertz can back that up with 9/10 and the wingers chip in. Unless we make a play for a striker who is gonna score 20+ goals a season we will never be able to dominate teams that know how to block the wide men.
While XG is an imperfect metric, the difference between finishing was wild. Arsenal XG 5.11 (1 goal) PSG 3.08 (3 goals).
At risk of labouring the point: Dembele goal (0.07 XG), Ruiz goal (0.04 XG), Hakimi goal (0.07 XG).
Ultimately, we didn't take our chances anywhere close to the way they did (the Saka and Rice misses in the 2nd league really stand out).
Watching PSG score the way they did felt like an experienced FIFA player vs an average one.
This was also amplified with luck with injuries (as alluded to above) - they weren't missing any key players. We were missing several, and of our starting 11 you could see how wrecked they were.
BBC Sport pointed out that last summer was a PSR summer, and that coming into this window we're looking at a significant spend opportunity because of this.
The exit door is going to need repainting after this summer. Jorginho, Tierney, Partey all gone on free's. Hein, Tavares, Veira, Lokonga, Nelson, Marquinhos all hopefully finally gone (still on our books as loan deals, likely not 100% of salary being covered). Sterling and Neto back to their parent clubs. Other candidates for sale (assuming we hold on to our big names); Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Zincheko, Jesus, Trossard. While we could offer Partey a contract extension, and do the same with Trossard or let him go on a free in 2026, I hope we're ruthless and take the opportunity to upgrade significantly.
I think what's flown under the radar is the significant upgrade we've had in sporting director. When you put Edu's history as a player aside, he's time at club level as a sporting director has been limited, and his track record of selling with us was poor and his buying was a collection of hits and misses. Andrea Berta has done incredible deals at his time at Atletico (both buying and selling), and managing a fairly difficult manager with high expectations.
It's a third year of 'nearly', but I think we'll have a very different team for 2025/2026 which will be the difference.
Tbf last time we had a hat trick of second place finishes we went on possibly the greatest 3-4 year run in our clubs entire history. So every silver lining and all that.
Also well aware we may not finish second this season just yet.
I find the final months of every season exhausting from hoping like crazy for silverware. It always gets to the point where winning is mathematically possible even if my brain knows it’s not going to happen - and that often drags on for weeks. I hate to say it but being totally out of trophy contention is almost a relief. We just didn’t have a squad to match Liverpool. Injuries wrecked us but even still I’m not convinced we were up to it.
You cant just pick and choose which laws to follow. Sure Id like to tape a baseball game without the express written consent of major league baseball, but thats just not the way it works.-Hank Hill
Arsenal Women finished their campaign with a 4-3 victory over United to cement 2nd place. 12 points of the ever unstoppable Chelsea, but a great way to sign off the league ahead of their CL final on the 24th May. Fingers crossed they can overcome Barcelona’s prowess and lift the trophy.
Didn’t bother watching yesterday, but worrying news about Rice and Trossard injuries, and now Merino’s suspension. Suspect it’ll be a Jorginho, Partey, Odegaard midfield with Nwaneri or Sterling to start on the left and Martinelli through the middle. Although maybe Kai Havertz will just about be ready to sneak on.
If it was me I’d start Calafiori up front, because if anything he’d not take any shark from Dan Burn.
It’s been locked in for so long I’m now bracing for him to go to Liverpool. However, if we get it over the line it’s a hell of a move forward. Gyokeres seems to be new favourite under Berta, I like that he’s had 2 seasons in the Championship and 2 seasons at CL level. I think he’d adapt fast, and transform our forward line. Finally someone to get on the end of things against a low block, and offer a layoff like Giroud used to.kwlap
Apparently we've already signed Zubimendi. Not a bad reinforcement in the middle. Now, for a striker please.
@ajc re: the comment "Anyway for the best part of 2 decades we've so often had a nearly squad that's just missing one final piece of the puzzle with a little under-investment and as a result we've come up short of the target." I think the strength of this squad is miles ahead of anything we've had since about 2005. In the past when we needed that striker, or that midfielder, or that goalkeeper, or that centre back, they were the most pressing areas, but the rest of the squad was certainly not at the level of what we have now. Signing that missing piece now should be far more significant than in those previous seasons.
If he keeps a clean sheet at SOTON away he's retained golden gloves. He has his moments with the ball some times but his saves, for a 'short' goal keeper, are unreal.Buffon II
kwlap
While stuff has been a bit depressing lately, I've gotta say that Raya has taken his game to another level. He has been outstanding
He’s definitely in the conversation for keeper of the season imo.
Noise around Gyokeres has exploded, claims we will conclude the deal next week are wild. Would be the earliest bit of business done in an age, and if it happened with Zubimendi in close reply super early I’d be bloody delighted with Berta’s start to the window!
Fudge yea!! I gave us no chance this morning..Barca had been too good all season and Soo dominant in the ucl. But we played the perfect game. Our tactics frustrated them and the Stina took the chance we needed. Soo stoked. COYG!!!
I have an amazing ability to find my way out of mazes. I'm pathological.
Unbelievable result, so proud of the girls. What a season they've had. Credit to the club for moving Jonas on, and giving Renee the chance she deserved.
Don't know if you guys can access this but Max Dowman has scored an outrageous goal for the England U17's. I can't wait to see how he goes on the pre-season tour and if he's got the strength to play at the adult level of the game. Shades of Wilshire about his movement.
