Top 4 this season, is it achievable?: Page 7 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Top 4 this season, is it achievable?

Burnwinter

Think we've got about a 50% chance and the bookies seem to agree, was thinking about 25% during the long break we just had.

It's now make or break for our season, and for Arteta keeping his job by any reasonable standard, if not the one that will be applied.

Our football also sucks, is tactically one-dimensional and is ungarnished with a top striker so it could all go any which way, poles apart like December and January.

This team achieving top four and then being buoyed by promising summer business would lead to great optimism, it'd be beautiful even if it meant another season of Arteta's daddy issues.

KingslandBarge

It would be dreamy. Although still committed to original season prediction both in head and heart, the majority of the 15 odd teams we are to face are coming on strong at the moment, plus I'm not seeing them with any injury issues. This last third is going to be quite competitive and aggressive. Two key unsurprising considerations for me through the period: Smith-Rowe and Pépé have 18 G/As between them. If we're struggling to score they need to be either introduced early in-game or starting against favorable opponents. Bread and butter manager acumen needed. Second is bookings; only one way this is trending atm and not completely due to our failings. Its going to be exploited, either by opponents or crooked whistleblowers. Decent amount of learnings from this young team's experience to date, need to show some adaptation if possible.

Sicario

KingslandBarge wrote:
It would be dreamy. Although still committed to original season prediction both in head and heart, the majority of the 15 odd teams we are to face are coming on strong at the moment, plus I'm not seeing them with any injury issues. This last third is going to be quite competitive and aggressive. Two key unsurprising considerations for me through the period: Smith-Rowe and Pépé have 18 G/As between them. If we're struggling to score they need to be either introduced early in-game or starting against favorable opponents. Bread and butter manager acumen needed. Second is bookings; only one way this is trending atm and not completely due to our failings. Its going to be exploited, either by opponents or crooked whistleblowers. Decent amount of learnings from this young team's experience to date, need to show some adaptation if possible.

Which teams are coming on strong in form sir?

These are the teams we face next:

Brentford - terrible form, lost 6 out of their 7 games
Wolves - we’ve just literally beaten them 4 days ago
-Watford - 19th in the league. Lost 3-0 at home recently to arguably the worst team in the league (Norwich)
Leicester - terrible form
-Villa - been ok but just lost to a terrible Newcastle side

For the games post Villa a lot can change in terms of form between now and then.

KingslandBarge

Yeah, those are fair points. The ones I have in mind for various reasons (inc. but not solely down to recent results) are Wolves, Villa, Brighton, Chelsea, Liverpool, West Ham, Southampton. Not saying wins are not possible, more that I think we'll face them on the up.

goon

It's sort of irrelevant anyway. People always seem to make the mistake of looking at us in isolation.

For example, Tottenham now have 4 away games in their next 5, City, Burnley, Leeds and United. Want to swap with them? United's run in is nightmarish.

Or you have the 'we don't score or play well enough to sustain a run' - which of our rivals are you watching that are?

Then you have the expectation that we need to win virtually every game to get 4th or at least improve significantly on our current patchy form. I'm fairly certain the points requirement for 4th will once again be in the range it was in the last couple of seasons - 63 to 67. We're tracking on the upper end of that currently and I'd wager that will most likely be enough or at least not far off.

Long story short, the obstacles we face are the same for everyone else. It's well within reach.

KingslandBarge

Why is looking at us in isolation a mistake? That's all that matters to me, and specifically didn't mention our run in comparative terms or allude to the relative run ins of the contenders. I'm talking about our hurdles and circumstances, the things within our control. The reason I didn't mention them is on the basis that if we maximize our capabilities, mitigate our issues (two factors mentioned obvious examples), we'll likely qualify and with a decent buffer.

goon

Because our hurdles and circumstances are all relative to our rivals. If our rivals are City and Liverpool, it changes. If it's Norwich and Burnley, it changes.

Burnwinter

I don't really think so. We've got the same team we had in January and we know how badly that team can struggle. That's the concern, really, tracking.

Not to cherry pick but we've only scored two goals in 2022.

Sicario

Burnwinter wrote:
I don't really think so. We've got the same team we had in January and we know how badly that team can struggle. That's the concern, really, tracking.

Not to cherry pick but we've only scored two goals in 2022.

We also haven’t conceded any goals in the league since Jan 1st....

jones

Major feat that having played 180 minutes vs the 2nd and 3rd worst attacking teams in the league

Qwiss

Sicario wrote:
Burnwinter wrote:
I don't really think so. We've got the same team we had in January and we know how badly that team can struggle. That's the concern, really, tracking.

Not to cherry pick but we've only scored two goals in 2022.

We also haven’t conceded any goals in the league since Jan 1st....

We've had 3 cups games where we didn't score but did concede as well though.

Clrnc

jones wrote:
Major feat that having played 180 minutes vs the 2nd and 3rd worst attacking teams in the league

😆

goon

Well both of those sides scored against United and Spurs in the last week.

Sicario

goon wrote:
Well both of those sides scored against United and Spurs in the last week.

Exactly. Just shows that anyone can can use stats any way they want to suit their argument/agenda.

Funny the number of goals we scored in December gets quickly forgotten.

Big Willie

It wouldn't be so easily forgotten and swept aside as an anomoly if we showed any semblance of that being a normal level for us in the 2 years since Arteta took over.

Aside from a couple short bursts we've struggled for goals for a long time so until that changes people will tend to expect our attack to not perform like in December more often than not.

Rakim

Our attack will struggle until we sign a proper striker...

Big Willie

Or until we get a manager thst prioritises attacking football. Brighton have Wellbeck and Maupay and play attacking football. Unfortunately their team is filled with a bumch of dross, but the intent is there.

Rakim

Not much between Laca/Nketiah and Welbeck/Maupay tbh.
We'll see how it develops, I think there's still a lot of potential to grow attack wise for us and that it's achievable under Arteta too. Not a popular opinion I know but I'm hopeful. With the young core getting better and better and an actual good striker I think next season we'll se much more goals.

QuincyAbeyie

I think that's what he means, Rakim. They have shit strikers as well and still play attacking football. It's only since the end of January that Nketiah and Laca were our only options up top.

jones

goon wrote:
Well both of those sides scored against United and Spurs in the last week.

Who are both pathetically shit themselves as you rightly pointed out yourself. I don't think I've seen goals like the ones Wolves scored at Spurs in a game that featured players over the age of ten.

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