Not good enough by Konstantin Mitov
Well lovely Arsenal people, we got humiliated in the cup. I’m baffled how easily we throw away trophies. It’s the second season in a row we’ve just thrown away the league cup, so what now trophies are beneath us?
This game showed a reality of our squad that the Sheffield United game masked. We don’t create enough chances. I don’t buy the whole ‘we’ve sacrificed this for more contro’l, did it look to you like we were controlling the game? It’s not just this game, it’s been this the entire season.
Our goal difference is basically made of the Bournemouth and Sheffield games. Eddie Nketiah is not good enough. I don’t care about the hat-trick, we needed a new striker, yet because he’s Mikel’s favourite he played 80+ minutes.
The truth is we haven’t replaced Xhaka. There’s a position in this side (the left 8th) which nobody wants to take, or they aren’t good enough. We haven’t replaced Partey either. He’s the one player who makes our transition work. I love Rice and he’s been probably our most consistent player this season, but there’s a glaring issue going forward. There’s an awful lack of ideas.
I think there are a few players resting on their laurels – Ben White was absolutely shocking. We should’ve subbed him for Tomi instead of Zinny. He hasn’t been great all season. I think he’s part of the reason why Saka’s form has gone down.
Speaking of wingers, there’s an alarming lack of cover for Saka and Martinelli and if they are poor our attack is screwed. Imagine if we signed Moussa Diaby instead of wasting 65 million on Kai Havertz. All the people who called for Ramsdale, the guy was utterly shocking, especially that 3d goal.
Odegaard has been poor, not that he was particularly involved in this match, but why’s the manager even bothering bringing him on? If you wanna win, do it at half time. Give him a chance to make an impact. We got an immediate warning early in the second and subs were late again.
I enjoyed how we played last year. There was an energy and purpose to our attack which has evaporated this season. Zinchenko was horrible again. You can bet Tomi will start at Newcastle, but boy we’re in for a hammering there if the performance is similar.
Their reserve squad is winning 2-0 at half time at Old Trafford. I am seriously worried. We’ve gone backwards this season. We’ve resorted back to Jorginho who I honestly thought was one of our better players. But we’re playing him because Partey is out again.
Partey and Jesus are 2 fantastic players, who unfortunately can’t stay fit and we need an upgrade. I know we’ve been unlucky with injuries, e.g. Timber looked a real player, but the manager had to recognise the fitness issues and address certain positions.
We had enough in the first half to produce a goal. If we had a better striker maybe? Then why did we drop so much in the second, and why were the subs so late? I’m worried that this manager cannot motivate the players.
This cup with City and Spurs out of it was a trophy well worth looking at. We’ve bombed ties against Olympiacos, Villarreal, Benfica, all ties where we are the favourites. Last season when the title looked so close, we couldn’t handle it.
To win in this country in this day and age takes the closest to perfection there is. When City rotate players, I expect them to win. They lost Gundogan and Mahrez and everyone still thinks they are the best team.
We shouldn’t be so overreliant on certain players. More worryingly, we’re missing the spark from last year. I know we didn’t win it, but I was excited. There was something about us, which I just don’t see this season after 200 million spent.
Konstantin
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
I don’t understand why this competition exists.
Sigh! I guess that is your problem lol
Poor buys by MA in summer, he clearly did not plan for GX leaving or TP and GJ constant injuries.
I would take a draw at Newcastle
Fabio Vieira – £35m
Kai Havertz – £65m
That’s £100m for 2 players who are supposed to be playing Xhaka’s role and you say he didn’t plan for GX leaving? I rather say it’s basically poor buying. Havertz’s signing is particularly shocking. We could try out Smith Rowe there
How many seasons Xhaka took to play like he did in the last 2 seasons? There are no like for like replacements for any players. If there is, we would be still called Invincibles.
REALITY says you cannot take what you have not been offered! We have a massive job to turn around what was perhaps our worst display in years, to even HOPE for a draw at sizzling Newcastle with their intimidating fans.
It COULD happen but, UNLIKE YOURSELF, I wil not be presuming to take what I doubt will be available.
I find another dismal defeat more probable, given our currect gloom within the camp!
Whatever made you arrive at such conclusion. I’m sure we’ll WIN at St. James park.
To answer your question directly, “my fine intellect”!
Of course I much hope to be wrong, but cannot,in truth believe I will be so.
Alright then, let’s see how it goes.
Nketiah missed a few sitters as well as Kai Havertz. On STATS Arsenal had the lions share of shots and possession, but we lacked that clinical finish needed by a Tall tough TargetMan who can net us 20 goals a season. The defence was terrible. I mentioned this on numerous occasions that Raya is better at defending corners as Ramsdale always gets bullied by tight marking. Westham knew we would have possession and that we played a highline and they caught us on the break whilst we were napping. Needed a better holding midfield formation, but we got caught for the second goal, having to chase back and was not agile enough from being turned the wrong way before allowing the shot. Should of started Raya and Rice to help prevent the goals conceded. But I was disappointed with Nketiah and Kai Havertz not being clinical at the other end. When your forwards are not clinical you sometimes need a midfielder to turn and carry the ball into the penalty area, but that player was also missing.
And daveg, £65 million would have gone a fair way to buying a 20 goal per season striker.
Firstly can you remember when some on here were raving about Eddie scoring
That not the issue given chance he will score
However he doesn’t link up play he doesn’t create anything on a regular basis his hold up play isn’t even championship level
Havertz will cost arteta his job
Stick him on the Bench forever and sell to anyone he’s no different than Pepe in fact Pepe had the odd occasion where he did something special
Too many players seem ok with doing the bare minimum
You can forgive lack of quality but you can never forgive lack of effort which is what happend last night
The title will not be won this season arteta need to learn fast from his errors
I don’t think Havertz will cost Arteta his job. But he will certainly lose a great deal of faith from fans and the board. Further signings, especially questionable ones will be questioned at board level if Havertz doesn’t live up to our standard. The signing of Vieira also will not do him much good. These are expensive buys who have basically failed. Was Pepe worse than these?
Pepe served Emery well. You can check it out!
Someone claimed MA cleared out the deadwood but in actual fact, every manager has his own style and have to clear out those players who don’t fit his style because not every manager is flexible, intelligent and adaptable to use players available. The players are not deadwood, in other words, managers don’t know how to play them.
A very fair summing up. I totally agree.
Agree with your analysis of Benny Blanco’s performance or lack of Konstantin. Or as grandad posted earlier, his hair dye makes his ineffectiveness stand out more clearly. It’s not his fault. An honest professional, White is a good center back but simply does not have the physical and technical skills to cover the required spaces that a wing back should. And at the same time as Konstantin also points out, White provides little assistance to Saka especially when required to create space for him or take out some of his markers.
I think White links perfectly with Saka & Odegaard to complete the triangles the are essential to our game, and regularly gets into good attacking positions ahead of both of them.
Compare a plodder like White to someone like Monreal who was a real attacking fullback and could carve up pretty patterns with the likes of Ozil, Sanchez and Carziola. No comparison. He is not doing Saka any favors.
Out muscle and out played in the middle of the park, it has been abundantly clear once Arsenal first eleven do not start a game any team can beat us.
Not long ago the same West Ham made six changes and still gave us a run for our money.
Our priority was never another goalie but a powerful and Mobile midfielder.
Am calling again for the former Chelsea manager Marina Granoskaia to manage the club.
Kai Havertz was an unnecessary buy, MA should have just looked for a player with similar profile to GX rather than this expensive failed experiment. We have lost momentum this season for this reason and also for not purchasing a real center forward. It will be highly unfortunate if Arsenal ends up trophyless again.
Agree 100 % with the views of the article.
We are not upgrade to last season pleasant surprise despite the over 200 million spend.
White as right back is liability and and not helping saka’s form we need bread and butter full backs helping our wingers with reliable passes, proper control and decent crosses.
desperately need reliable striker who waste nothing and consistent.
We cant rely on injury prone players, dismiss all mediocre players proven inconsistent
I hope we are wrong but I am expecting the worst.
only agree with Arteta on Ramsdale. he does not give me confidence most of the times
Raya despite his moments, but he looks like in beta blockers compared to Ramsdale
The signs were there but we haven’t learned!!!
Fabio Vieira does not have the quality to play in Arsenal. Waste of money. Arsenal must adopt the M. City approach. Only buy talent that can contribute and make an impact. There’s the other Brazilian out on loan in France who can’t even get play time. What’s it we saw in them that we spent all that money? I agree with all your analysis on this writeup 👍👍👍
Well he didn’t exactly throw it away. We were away at a full strength West Ham side, meaning it still would have been a tough game even if we were at full strength.
Then let’s say MA played his best XI against West Ham, won, but then failed to beat Newcastle. He would have got hammered for not resting players against West Ham. No win situation for MA.
It still hurts, but it’s a massive benefit being out of this competition long-term, and Im sure Spurs and City are thinking exactly the same.
It was another disappointing cup performance, which are becoming regular under Arteta. Our cup performances are lacklustre and a different style or approach is needed. Let the shackles off.
So now surely ma must start to plan for the next phase of the overhaul, squad players who are plainly not up to the job need to be moved on, as do those who are injured most of the time, even esr though thus one pains me.
Out and replace
Havertz, viera, jorghina, partey, nketiah, jesus, ramsdale
It seems to me that Arsenal needs 500 millions.
Injury prone player, and consistent, not fair to get rid of them ,because this is part of football. but players not good enough to replace them when needed, and are not consistent, get the axe.
This is the only way to get better.
I thought we had THE man in Arteta, but his decision making in recent times has been pathetic
The worst of course was paying £65 for a Chelsea failure Havertz who is now an Arsenal failure. He would possibly have been worth a try as a free loanee. £65m would have helped fill all our obvious needs. I was crying out for us to sign Maddison and look what he is doing for Spurs now. It would have gone a long way to buying a regular goal scorer too. I even think Cedric is a better full-back than White. This season had so much promise, but it is gradually slipping away
Point of Carabao for the “big clubs” is to play the competition with your youth or “B-team”. Rarely there are big clubs fielding their strongest XI, except maybe for the semifinal/final.
West Ham yesterday seemed like they fielded their almost best XI possible, whereas we made 7 changes by my calculations (I don’t regard Nketiah, Jorginho or Havertz as our best XI as I think they are playing because of injuries to key players).
Yesterday showed us that West Ham’s best XI is much, much better than our heavily rotated team. Nothing more. This cup exit now just means we don’t have to start our fringe players except in case of injuries. PL, CL and the FA Cup I regard as the most important competitions where I expect Arsenal to ALWAYS field their strongest XI available.
I also expect us now to WIN on Saturday as we rested key players and Newcastle had to put a lot more energy and effort yesterday than our sorry bunch.
Hope you are right!!!!
I watched dismal United lose to NEWCASTLE, (after our game was over) and watched as they COASTED without undue effort past a dreadful United.
So I would not be so sure as you are, that Newcastle actually DID use over much energy last night.
I do NOT expect us to win up there, even though in football you never know, but even a draw will be difficult IMO.
Your assessment is totally correct
The players let arteta down
We have Newcastle and sevilla coming up so ion balme arteta for this lineup
But he should’ve made better substitutions at halftime
Later some of the arsenal players will be begging for game time
Arteta gave them and they performed poorly
We just need a 25-30 goal a season striker
New Castle dump Manchester City and ManU out of Carabao cup and heaven did not fall.Yes painful match but I didn’t make much out of the match it’s obvious Arteta didn’t prioritize it the line up says it all. Let’s not get too critical if we win New Castle what will the fans say again. I reserve my candid opinion untill after New Castle game.
Out again and beaten convincingly by West Ham. Players were poor, same suspects with predictable performances.
Havertz will continue to be showcased, because it’s ego-driven not performance based; just like Willian.
Vieira clearly needed a loan, if he is ever to be a reliable player for Arsenal. Unfortunately, it won’t happen.
Nketiah’s performance was predictable if you have paid attention over the past 6 years. Sadly, Balogun was sold without even getting a chance to compete.
Man management is the albatross that continues to be a problem. Players grow roots on the bench then thrown in and expect miracles.
Sure the players are to blame, but Arteta deserves his share of blame too.
Last year we looked so lively, played brilliant football, edgy, attacking, on the front foot.
This year so far is not the case. Havertz is absolutely shocking, at least Pepe scored and assisted occasionally. Funny how some will even bend and twist to defend Arteta on Havertz mistake.
Welcome back Konstantin, it’s such a pleasure to read your uplifting articles.
Nothing to do with the players’ ability, we lost the game for other reasons. We head to st. James park next……..COYG!!!
WHAT!
What reasons were they then Vamos?
Ben White was shocking? What on earth were you on when you wrote that line? Apart from his own goal, which should have been disallowed for the foul on Ramsdale, he had a decent game. But then again, you will write anything to be controversial!
What’s even more disturbing and mind boggling, is the fact Arteta claims he spent 48hrs trying to convince the players about the importance of this match.
This says a lot about the mentality of these players.
Aren’t they supposed to turn up well for the occasion whenever they come out of the tunnel donning the club’s jersey?
Where’s the respect for the badge?
For me, Arteta rightly used this match to test his backup players, new tactics and different style of play. Carabao Cup is a waste of time. We got 4 tough games coming in 8 days.
For me, the problem was, HE USED THE SAME TACTICS. They are not working in cup comps.
Another pony performance, Nketiah giving it the big potato after scoring a hat trick against a pub team then goes missing at West ham a few days later perfectly sums this club up at the moment. Signing Havertz should be a sackable offence for Arteta, he’s that bad, another dud we bought from Chelsea, well done Arteta you absolute muppet!