I am in a ridiculous state. Everything hinges on this, the whole season. Ajc sometimes i think you have the perfect mindset. Start from a mental position that its already gone, and then if we win its euphoric. My hopes are too high, waiting to come crashing down, i can barely think about the despair if we concede early tomorrow and how the rest of the game could play out from that. This is awful.
Newcastle really working our back four hard! Gabriel working to prove his fitness. But now Tomi looks hurt! All this talk of buying in new strikers when we really need to make sure our back four can last a season.
To be honest, I don't think we're ready for CL football. Maybe the Europa League is our level. We can't finish lower than 5th and after the start to the season we had, that's not a bad recovery.
Realistically the season wasn’t lost today. It was lost against Brighton, palace and the poor start, auba not wanting to be captain and in the transfer window. But that doesn’t take away how poor we managed this match. Unless there is a serious shift over the break I can see us competing with Newcastle for Europa next season.
Just what I was thinking theprof and kwlap. We didnt lose it today, or against spurs, or on the opening day against brentford. Those were tough away games against in-form, committed sides. It happens, only champion level teams win games like that, and we obviously arent there yet. We lost it in the games against Palace, Brighton, Southampton, and others. It's such a shame though, we did so well in long stretches this season, despite the tough start and some frankly pretty horrible injury luck. Particular on this run-in, losing Partey, Tierney and Tomiyasu for long stretches was devastating.
It's the hope that gets you. Oh well. We know our lot, the overhaul can begin. Let me know when we've got a buyer for Pepe, I'll drive him there myself.
While reinvestment is needed, not getting CL will be a big barrier for us attracting talent. Recently we’ve been linked with dybala, Jesus, sterling, and while I think they are fanciful rumours, the fact that we are not in CL will rule them out from coming to us.
But what would our shopping list be anyway? Surely too big to fill in one window. This would be my 4 positions to fill - Back up goalie Back up left back or right back CM ST
No reason we cant fill them all in the offseason. Last offseason we signed White, Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Lokonga and Tavares, a repeat of that would be great - three bonafide successes, one with potential, one a bit hit and miss. Someone like Jesus, someone like Bissouma, an experienced older keeper who's keen to warm a bench, plenty of young up and coming fullbacks to choose from in the market, cant see why we cant get it done.
Whole performance was just disgusting and unacceptable. Mostly feel sorry for the fans who made a London-Newcastle return trip on a weeknight after work for that. Could see from the first 5 minutes there was no way were going to win. We barely had the ball and never threatened. Certainly didn't look like we were the team who had to win. Look much more like we had "nothing to play for" like people said Newcastle did. Not that it was necessarily the biggest issue today but fullbacks have to be a priority after a centre forward in the summer. Tierney and Tomiyasu don't seem able to be relied upon to remain fit for a sustained period and we just can't play this many games with Cedric and Tavares again.
After the string of 3 losses and with the next run of games being Chelsea, Man United and West Ham it looked like 4th was gone and that top 6 was even possibly at risk too. Noone could have predicted winning those next 3 which then put us back into pole position for 4th. It almost might have been easier to take to have just continued that losing run and been out of it before the Spurs game. To get so close that it looks like we should make it then collapse like this right at the end probably hurts more.
Just like the latter Wenger days, we've collapsed in the key moments again. The players are mostly all different, the coaches different, even the club's executive leadership team are different, but the result remains the same. We've collapsed. No amount of additions, departures, regime changes or consulting firms telling us what the club's "culture" is seem capable of changing that.
I know I tried to find positives after Spurs and Europa does still represent improvement from the last 2 seasons and a good result after the start of this season. But this collapse really hurts and even worse that we've handed them their ticket into the big time. But ultimately it's probably just as well we don't have to go tp Bayern or Real etc with Cedric and co.
Some hilarious quotes on this page; https://yellowfever.co.nz/categories/english-and-other-british-lower-league-football-discussion/topics/arsenal-2020-21/page/19?highlight=post_1360032
My favourite being "Who is Tomiyasu".
Quite comforting to go back and read just how f*cked we all thought we were after those first 3 games.
RE back up keeper we've got Matt Turner already locked away so Leno can move on.
As much as we won't have CL, I think what Arteta's shown with this project is that there is the potential to keep cracking on. Guys like Tielmens and Jesus would take us to the next level and represent astute buying given their contract situation. Hopefully Arteta can be persuasive.
That was awesome to re-read brumbys, some excellent perspective. All the chat about Willian, Kola, Auba, Chambers and others - players who were not part of our future at all. 8 of that first 11 back at the start of the season were Wenger signings?!! Now when fully fit, there is only one (Xhaka)! So much has changed in 8 months. Not to blow my own trumpet but my comments at the time have held up pretty well! Sometimes optimism pays guys ;)
I reckon not getting fourth shouldn't stop us getting Jesus. He is screaming out to be the main man somewhere, and its not going to happen at City. I think he would love the chance to lead our line week in week out, and I feel he would flourish given that opportunity, particularly if he has gotten on well with Arteta, which it seems he has.
Fully aware we will probably lose to Everton now anyway.
Stranger things have happened. On the last day of the 2015/16 season (the one that Leicester won) we were two points behind Spurs. We beat Villa 4-0 while Spurs lost 1-5 away to already relegated 10 man Newcastle and we stole 2nd place.
Some hilarious quotes on this page; https://yellowfever.co.nz/categories/english-and-other-british-lower-league-football-discussion/topics/arsenal-2020-21/page/19?highlight=post_1360032
My favourite being "Who is Tomiyasu".
Quite comforting to go back and read just how f*cked we all thought we were after those first 3 games.
RE back up keeper we've got Matt Turner already locked away so Leno can move on.
As much as we won't have CL, I think what Arteta's shown with this project is that there is the potential to keep cracking on. Guys like Tielmens and Jesus would take us to the next level and represent astute buying given their contract situation. Hopefully Arteta can be persuasive.
A particularly angry post in there from me after the loss to City 😂
Tbf was around the middle of level 4 and I was probably unbelievably frustrated.
Yeah I think the pandemic induced exhaustion has played a part in our frustration as a fan base this season. I know UK and NZ have had different timings in terms of lockdowns but fuses were short and this team can be a flame thrower at times.
Tuned in during extra time. I don't suppose there was ever any doubt that there would be some way for Arsenal to be linked with the losing moment. Feel for him but I guess he was probably the one player on the pitch for whom this isn't necessarily the career defining moment.
You know what is missing from the narrative at the moment? Is how somehow Arsenal are the flop and United are rebuilding.
They went and got Sancho, Varane, and Ronaldo - 3 absolutely world class players but still couldn’t make the CL and Europa League isn’t guaranteed either.
I know we “spent” more but when our spend was on what we thought we’re back up right back, left back, CDM, and GK with Ben White being the only real “PL ready starter” I’m surprised we are getting the shade thrown that we are.
Burnley or Leeds to drop with Watford and Norwich. Leeds have Brentford who are chasing 10th and Burnley have Newcastle who could also get 10th if they win. We still need to Norwich to win against Spurs.
