Expectations - 2023/2024 Season: Page 9 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Expectations - 2023/2024 Season

Burnwinter

flobaba And we play conservative football.

We now value keeping control, structure and possession over verve, instinctive, flow and expression.

It's a bit disappointing how we are currently fixated on relatively intricate and high risk space-making manoeuvres and passing options out of defence, but we're not replicating these further up the pitch. I understand there's plenty of value in ball retention in the offensive phase, but between Havertz on the left, a ragged Saka, a wan Øde and an injured Gabi, we have been sluggish and disjointed further forward.

Don Pacifico

My feelings are similar to what others have expressed.

I'm terms of results, it's probably been slightly better than I expected given I anticipated a drop-off with CL football (that may still come when the FA cup starts, especially if we're still in the Carabao cup).

However, it's the performances that have concerned me, specifically the fine margins with which we're winning a lot of our games. As others have suggested, this may right itself as the season continues and the players get used to the new system (or gain in confidence?) but given we've yet to see much sign of improvement, I do worry that it will start to become a problem (ie. our 'luck' will run out).

QuincyAbeyie

Whatever we've gained in defence is not worth what we've lost attacking-wise. Currently, we're worse than we were one year ago, despite our squad is better.

Burnwinter

QuincyAbeyie I think it remains to be seen. We're only 3 points behind where we were after matchweek 10 last season, and we've had rolling minor injuries across our attack, as well as a left midfield conundrum (which remains unresolved) and a form dip for Ødegaard.

https://www.worldfootball.net/schedule/eng-premier-league-2022-2023-spieltag/10/

I think it's reasonable to suggest that this season we've drawn a couple of matches we looked like winning, and last season we won a couple of matches we looked like drawing. As Sicario was saying above, this is a bipolar season where a lot of the better clubs are racking up points, which makes our 80% start look like rubbish even though it's a 90 point pace.

Beyond the premises that the irregular presence of Partey's capacity to draw attention prior to a line-breaking pass and the loss of Xhaka's supposed flair for one touch footy in the final third (I recall this more as a penchant for breaking down play and fucking up?) are costing us … I'm not completely certain what we've done tactically to set our attack back so far. Which is one reason it seems likely we'll improve at least a bit from here without changing things much.

Coombs

Spurs are the problem. Hard to feel good about anything while the table looks like it does.

Sicario2 - Tier 1

Coombs

That’s small time mentality chat mate.

Spurs will crumble soon.

Coombs

Sicario2 - Tier 1 I bet you see much less ambivalence in Arsenal fandom if Spurs aren't top of the table

RocktheCasbah

Coombs I just find that attitude so weird and yet I can see some people agree with you. They're two points ahead of us with another 84 to play for.

I do understand that it may feel like we've swapped styles from last season, but - even if they make it to the run in in contention - they'll be subject to the exact same pressures as we were last season, with an inferior team. So let's see how well Angeball stands up once tested.

We should remember that they could very easily have lost to us, should have lost to Liverpool (as detailed to me by my mate Wayne in a hilarious WhatsApp thread) and needed two injury time goals to beat a genuinely appalling Sheffield United team.

RocktheCasbah

Clrnc that's fair, but I think this statement

Coombs I bet you see much less ambivalence in Arsenal fandom if Spurs aren't top of the table

is pretty clear. All I am saying is, Spurs being two points ahead of us really shouldn't be a worry for anyone in October (or, if you prefer, November). Six months time? Sure, but not worth worrying about now.

KingslandBarge

I don't know if Spurs will crumble, arguably one of their best players has just returned from injury and their schedule isn't demanding. May be if their depth at the back is tested. I just don't think they are the premier side in the league in terms of talent, style or form, and even with a helping hand (PGMOL) I think they'll settle into a lower position.

Thoughts on the league aside, the stubborn resistance and tactically suffocating style of this team (helping us incur only one loss from thirteen so far) gives me hope up about our prospects in the cups. I really think we should be reaching a semi-final somewhere, and I think we need to go out and strengthen in January with ambition for something special (e.g. double)

RowJimmy

My expectations remain what they were at the beginning of the season:

we play UCL football in the spring
-we go to Old Trafford on match day 37 with at least a chance of winning the title.

We're on course for both.

Clrnc

RocktheCasbah I don't think Coombs is saying Spuds will finish above us or particularly worried about them. But that at any stage of any season if they are ahead of us for quite awhile it's natural not to feel perfect till they drop off.

Also, let's see how well they hold up against a superior team once tested was what many were saying before their visit to Emirates. "If they dare to play Angeball here they will be murdered by us etc."

Similarly, we could easily have lost to them, lost to Chelsea, lost to a poor United team, drawn against Citeh etc. Every team have marginal results.

Coombs

RocktheCasbah I'm only trying to explain why nobody seems to be thrilled about our season so far. The slightly dull performances, despite the results, are likely the primary reason, but I don't think you can discount the effect of a Spurs-led table on Arsenal fans, in general. It's hard to be as effusive in your praise, as it feels sort of embarrassing or risky.

Burnwinter

I'm not worried about Spurs longer term. It's just galling they're ahead of us at present.

To truly reach our level Spurs would require an ongoing campaign of investment to match what they wasted on that schlepper Conte, where they spent £150m in a summer before he decided his real job was repeatedly gathering the toys back up in order to throw them out of the pram again.

Clrnc

RocktheCasbah yeah agree. I do read it as Burns as well. It's annoying now but not a worry longer term yet

Don Pacifico

Coombs The slightly dull performances, despite the results, are likely the primary reason, but I don't think you can discount the effect of a Spurs-led table on Arsenal fans, in general.

Dull, yes but I think the dullness is a function of how ineffective we look offensively. I feel like we're operating on fine margins (ie. our chance creation is more equivalent to the 2nd half of last season than it is the 1st half) and that is the bit that concerns me because if we don't improve that, the odds are that our results will start to decline as our 'luck' runs out.

daredevil

Spurs aren't top because we did something wrong. It's not like we sold them Maddison and they've benefited massively as a result. We've had another excellent start to the season, yet the atmosphere this year feels far more negative. I get it, Spurs are top, but somehow I don't think it would be much different if it were City instead. In fact, it wasn't different when that was actually the case earlier in the season.

I think last season people were elated all season long regardless of our eventual finish, because we exceeded expectations. Now that expectations have caught up to reality, I don't think the vast majority would be happy unless we win the title.

QuincyAbeyie

And because we played good football.

goon

I think heightened expectations are also a cause. I called it last year.

It's why I was so desperate to get to games last year because I knew the atmosphere in the stadium would evolve as expectations grow.

The excitement and enthusiasm will pick up as the season goes on.

daredevil

Sure, but the good football came with quite a bit of chaos. The reason for me why we lost the title was because of our porous defence.

If you want to strengthen the defence, then it will come at the expense of the attack. That might not be enough to win the league this time around either, but it's definitely a logical step to me. To bring some control to the chaos.

I don't think we're doing it perfectly either, but it'd be foolish to think we'd have it nailed in ten games.

Clrnc

Don Pacifico

« Previous Page Next Page »