Premier League 25/26 Discussion : Page 186 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One more in the Tolly

Premier League 25/26 Discussion

awooga83

I mean that's going to happen we often wanted city to win things when it was against Liverpool because every fan can ignore that. They don't want actual rivals winning stuff.

QuincyAbeyie

awooga83 that's not the same as wanting Arsenal to lose.

awooga83

Fair I didn't see the Chelsea game but were their fans wanting them to lose and not supporting them from before the match or just after they shipped the goals at which point you know you aren't going to win so ripping the piss out of your rivals becomes the entertainment.

Although there haven't been many times I can certainly imagine arsenal doing that people sing about spurs all the time which I often find annoying when we aren't playing them it's like focus on us not them.

Qwiss

banduan nah I can't on board with that all. This result is terrible for us, there is no silver lining there. The only thing I take away from it is that City currently start matches slow so if anyone gets an early goal against them I think there is potential for them to drop points. If you get to 30 minutes without going ahead they become huge favourites.

Tam

I don't care about Chelsea enough to really bother what happens to them.

But hosting City at home was one of the big chances to dent their run in. That they have convincingly won there will just add to that feeling of City building momentum going into the home straight.

Assuming City beat us, which I think is most likely though not a given, and win their game in hand, it's a straight shoot in the final five games. We're wobbling and have a manager who appears unable to contain his nervous energy and stop it seeping into the team. But we're up against a team who have done this time and time again and will go into it with all the cliches behind them.

If Arteta does this from here I think it will be a great achievement, but I'm not sure it should be enough to save his job. He would keep his job, but I would be no more confident of a successful year next season as a result of winning this league.

Qwiss

It doesn't really matter what anyone here thinks, if Arteta wins the league he will be given a new deal. There is no point fretting about it. If we miss out on everything again I still think its more than likely he'll be offered a new deal, I do think its worth fretting about that because that would be the real disastrous outcome to this season. Win nothing, ramp up the pressure and double down on all our problems. At least if we win the pressure lifts for next season and we go into it confident.

DKGooner

Qwiss

Agree that he will most likely be offered a new deal whether he wins a trophy or not. If the latter, I see it as more likely he steps away, but I can't see the hierarchy busting a gut to make him stay under those circumstances even if an offer is on the table.

There is so much scrutiny now on him as an individual and his ability to deal with the last few weeks when we have the lead (and have done so for most of the season). Fail and I think he is tarred with that stigma for a long time by players and opposition teams alike, and that may be the end of him as a manager that can command £10m+ salary. If he limps over the line, then he survives and maybe can inspire the team once again. I doubt it though as the players seem physically and mentally spent, not withstanding the potential impact of the world cup this summer might have on them going into next season.

Burnwinter

Qwiss It doesn't really matter what anyone here thinks, if Arteta wins the league he will be given a new deal.

As he should, as he would have half killed himself to win this one over the years. I don't hate the man nearly enough to think we should turn around a first league title in two decades plus by putting his job up for grabs, even if he's not looking like a cert to keep it.

awooga83

I do agree with the point whatever happend from what we've seen I think that should be the end of Arteta because this season we've had things go massively our way with how awful city are and we should have been able to do what Liverpool pulled off rather then struggling to get to the line. Of we do it great but I don't think Arteta style is likely to lead to many trophies in future but I get the club probably wouldn't change. If we don't win it has to be the end I think there is no way you can believe this guy has what it takes to get over the last things needed for a title. Giving him another contract would be little not moving on from Wenger when we should have.

daredevil

awooga83

If we win the league from this position - it won't be us struggling to get over the line. We'd need at least 5 wins in 6 to give us the best shot. That's not struggling to win it with 85 points.

If City win the league and end up with the domestic treble - then calling them awful is obviously laughable. They would likely need to win 7 on the trot to take it which would also give them 85 points. That's not awful in a sense of the word.

If both teams end up with less than 80 points - then sure you might have a point - but that's unlikely.

awooga83

daredevil for me it is with the opportunities we've had it shouldn't be this close. We had numerous opportunities this season to open big points gaps on city which could have killed them and pretty much failed to do it or given it away. I can't remember that happening in many other title races where there was such a margin for error.

Mirth

daredevil it's not just about points totals. City have a generational manager and good players so if they smell blood, they can presumably hold it together long enough to win something.

Overall though City have been poor for about 18 months. Liverpool capitalised but we haven't.

daredevil

Mirth

I don't think you can judge the participants until after the race is done, because we don't know what period of the season teams are optimising for. Last season - City were there for the taking as evidenced by their final position and points tally. But in every other title race they've been involved in - their peak form is always in the final stretch. If they win their last 8 on the trot this season, then people were too quick to judge, because they once again aimed to be fully optimised now and not in November (like we were).

If they end up with 85 points, that's only a 6 point differential from 23/24 - that doesn't strike me as awful. They've swatted aside Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the past few weeks - it's obviously not a vintage side as they drew with West Ham and whoever else but a domestic treble/double and 85 points isn't awful by any stretch of the imagination.

That doesn't mean we didn't have opportunities to win but again - it seems like we've mismanaged the intensity/fatigue (if we lose it again) and couldn't handle the pressure.

DKGooner

City have been very inconsistent this season but I think that is understandable given that many of the mainstays of Pep's previous winning City teams are already gone, with likely Bernado Silva and Rodri joining that exodus. This is a transitional period for them and we still haven't punished them in the same way Liverpool did so last year. Pep has also looked to change his template with far more creative and unpredictability in the players he has assembled. It is definitely a work in progress as plenty of issues, including the struggles of involving Haaland in their play. Unfortunately I expect them to get better next season while the current Arsenal team doesn't look like it has another level in it, and physically might be on the decline. Therefore this season is a massive missed opportunity if we fail to capitalise on City being just good rather than great this season.

Mirth

daredevil

But City's last season's point total isn't evidence.

City are more or less the same team that Liverpool beat to the title last season, the difference is that Liverpool put together a comprehensive lead in Feb

City showed exactly the same tendencies every time we took a strong lead e.g. their result against West Ham but we kept letting them back in. It's not really about quality at this stage, just mentality - if we beat Bournemouth and then got a result at the Etihad, I'm pretty sure most of those City players would check out as well. But we didn't so they haven't.

Qwiss

Mirth City have improved a lot. They've added a lot of big expensive players. Think it's wrong to say they're the same team.

USArsenal

Qwiss

Yeah, Semenyo and Guehi alone improved them a lot. And Cherki has improved as the season has gone on. But they are still inconsistent, just like we have been lately. They beat Chelsea 3-0, but James and Enzo were missing. And yet they could draw with teams like West Ham and Forest. (and get soundly beaten by Real Madrid). So in the end, its going to be who ends up being the least inconsistent. If we get our players back (which i think we will), we have a good shot of getting something out of the game. Even a draw would work in our favor a lot. (not that i advocate for that).

Big Willie Champ

Good to see Unoted losing again but Fernandes has another assist and 3 away from equalising Thierry's record with 6 games left. I pray he doesn't do it but I fear he will.

Qwiss

Burnwinter I'm a simple man Burns, you win the league you get to keep your job.

Tam

Well there's an emotional and a logical response to whether Arteta is the best man for next season if we win the league.

Even I would be saying we'd keep him if he gets us a title.

Logically, the question for the board should be whether he remains the best main to turn one title into two and more, and crack of with cementing us at the top table. That's not as clear cut an answer.

Though I don't expect they will be any less emotional in their choice than the support base would be.

awooga83

Tam I think this is the point I have. I get it you win the league it feels that you just get to stay. But the board should be looking less emotively about it and ask is this person the one we believe who can deliver future honours.

For me, Arteta's style has been massively demanding, had a lot of backing and even in a season where most things have gone for us is looking like it still might not get over the line. If we make it great but if in some of the better circumstances it's still struggling most likely it'll normally be more difficult and I have no confidence it would deliver in those times. So on balance for the long term success of the team I think it's fair to question if Arteta is the right person going forwards whatever happens.

Burnwinter

Tam Logically, the question for the board should be whether he remains the best main to turn one title into two and more, and crack of with cementing us at the top table. That's not as clear cut an answer.

I think it's a pretty clear cut situation when you consider the downside risks of sacking Arsenal's first title-winning manager in a generation. Too much pressure, logical or otherwise, on the incoming manager. We're not Madrid or Bayern.

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