MistaT Early on the training would have led to a belief/confidence that was built from discipline to a system, but with time apathy can sink in as I think systems are more likely to be building up or slipping, its not easy to maintain status quo
You've pretty much nailed it here. As we implemented this system, there was an exuberance about the progress it was bringing, which was peaking through the first half of last season as the record-breaking results flowed. We'd been whacking the pig carcasses in the cold room, and we were getting to the end of our Rocky training montage.
The effects of last season's disappointing crumble have been underrated. We've got a great squad and great organisation, so of course we still do well. But where we needed the morning tonic for our hangover, we got the hair of the dog.
MistaT There's no way that Trossard, Nketiah, Nelson, and ESR are bought into this team
No way at all. I would be pretty pissed if I were any of them. What's a player meant to do if he gets five or ten minutes on the pitch every two or three weeks? Stimulus and possibility have their own value. Instead the bench knows it won't play (more or less) and the XI is living out Groundhog Day.
You can tell something's wrong because we're getting to the point where fans are starting to grumble brilliant footballers like Martinelli or Ødegaard may not be good enough for the job. That's silly. The players aren't the problem. Dropping another £50–100m signing into the same system won't fix it, it'll just lead to another Havertz subplot where a new professional with lots of good qualities stumbles around for a few months as he memorises the Manual de Controlball.
Arteta needs to learn to speculate, push in different directions, open the gates, experiment, let the whole squad off the leash a bit.
There's no crisis, but these negatives can stack up until there is one. If we don't jag our way to a trophy this season, do we really want to be watching Martinelli and Saka get showed along the edge of the box again on match day one, 24–25?
