What a goal by Gray for Everton! Right at the death.
Arsenal have 3 minutes left of stoppage time to make a comeback.
2-1 Everton.
Arsenal have 3 minutes left of stoppage time to make a comeback.
2-1 Everton.
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The 2021-2022 Football Thread
- Thread starter Scepticalscribe
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Arsenal will rue the spurned chances - they should have wrapped this game up, despite the controversy surround the karate.
Will spend the rest of the night rueing them, to be perfectly honest.
Another heartbreaker for the Gunners. Godfrey could easily have been sent off for reckless / dangerous play, even if the contact was accidental, but the call falls within a ref's discretion. Surprised he got off totally scot-free even after a VAR review.
On another day that would've been a 4-1 win against a 10-man Everton.
I think West Ham were the real winners tonight! 4 points between us and them!
And of course I always love it when one of the greedy six lose (sorry @Scepticalscribe)
And of course I always love it when one of the greedy six lose (sorry @Scepticalscribe)
Actually, not a heart-breaker; just very disappointing, rather frustrating, embarrassing and infuriating all at once.
We didn't take our chances, and, at that level, if you fail to put away your chances, you will be punished, for such spurned chances are very often hostages to fortune, hostages that fortune invariably claims.
Arsenal sat back at 1-0, instead of putting the game beyond Everton.
Now, I think - entirely irrespective of anything else that happened - that Godfrey deserved a red card; studs on a face - and I do not believe that this was an accident - are unforgivable.
However, I also think that Aubameyang is developing an unsettling habit of missing absolute sitters (not to mention also missing two penalties in recent matches); yes, Arteta is asking more of him, but, in truth, his performances are not what they were.
We didn't take our chances, - while Everton did - and we were rightly punished for it.
Sipping a sad and sorry mug of tea before heading to my bed.
Thank God for electric blankets.
As it's summer here, all this talk of tea and hot chocolate just makes me sweat! But the idea of a nice chocolate biscuit...mmmm.
Anyway, back to reality. I feel like Mikel Arteta has been channeling his inner Ralph Hassenhuttl. He's been studying how to lose from a winning position and take more shots than the opponent and score less.
Deepest, darkest, bleakest, most depressing winter here; the only time of the year I indulge in - or treat myself to - chocolate biscuits (greedily devoured, and with an unabashed, unashamed and unrestrained delight), but, what a pure pleasure.
No, I think he is attemting to force an interpretation of "positional play" on a team that aren't quite up to the challenge of meeting what he asks of them.
Kind of like a football take on "method acting".
And the team is still unbalanced, still very much a work in progress, although there has been improvement, not least in backbone and a willingness to fight, and some degree of skill in doing so.
However, a few things still bother me.
Yes, Arsenal needed to become less reliant on Aubameyang, but - notwithstanding that he is being asked to do more, in terms of sacrifice to "the system" Arteta clearly has in mind, - something, I suspect, that (as is the case, also, to a certain extent, with CR7) he is not entirely comfortable with as a footballer, his form as a successful poacher of goals, and goalscorer, has slipped shockingly.
When players cannot fit the system, perhaps the system may need to be tweaked to accommodate this (and yes, I know that I have already argued otherwise re CR7 - but, in that instance, I suppose that I do not believe that one player should be allowed to unbalance a team, or that a team should be constructed solely, or mainly, around one player, to the detriment of the creativity of others).
Having said that, I'm not entirely happy to see Granit Xhaka return; cards accompany that gentleman, the sort that come from stupid fouls, a rush of blood to the head, and poor judgment calls.
More to the point, if the players cannot adjust to the proposed system - as it is beyond them - then, one may have two problems.
The first is that the system is plainly beyond them: Then, you tweak either players or system, or, in this case, possibly both.
The second is - and I am writing as someone who taught for the best part of twenty years - if one of your students doesn't understand what was covered in class, well, they may have been distracted, not listening, or otherwise not paying attention. That is their problem, although - obviously - you will try to help them understand the topic in question.
If, however, your entire class fail to understand what you were getting at, well, then, that is on you, as a teacher (or coach); you need to be able to explain to them - clearly, - very clearly, in a way that they can understand, in a way that leaves no room for misunderstanding - what it is that you want from them.
This is also a failure in communication, or a failure in being able to explain - clearly - what it is that you want, and need, them to be able to understand, and, hopefully, then, execute or master.
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It's a mix of the elements you've discussed. Arteta is still relatively inexperienced. He has a reasonably clear idea of how he wants to play, but perhaps he doesn't always get all the details right in applying his ideas to a real pitch rather than a whiteboard. Maybe some of the players need more 'man-management' to reach their potential - whether that be the proverbial 'arm on the shoulder' or 'kick up the backside'. Maybe he needs to be a little more proactive in his subs and learn just what kinds of interventions are needed.
Arsenal have a tendency to lose cohesion during matches - they stop doing what they are supposed to be doing and, while still making an effort, its like an ant colony that has lost its queen...disjointed, meandering, slipping into frustration and eventually bewildered chaos. All this while Arteta dances a furious jig on the sidelines...he's trying to steer the ship but the rudder chains have broken and they are bouncing off icebergs left and right (my metaphors are out of control today
).
On top of all this, Arsenal have not given Arteta a budget equivalent to that of some of his supposed rivals, and when they spend big they've often gotten less than good value. He can't buy an 80 million GBP center back or 100 million GBP midfielder. Nor did he inherit a squad with a Harry Kane (or Thierry Henry?)-type talisman player. He has a quite good, but not great, squad of players trying to play a very demanding system in a league that is beginning to financially pass them by.
With the inflation and increasingly inequality in the game, Arsenal are on a path to mediocrity under Kroenke. They are closer to looking like Bielsa's Leeds than a title challenger - they can play good football but are not very competitive. They will have to spend more, and (maybe more importantly) more wisely, if they want to retain any hopes of Champions League football, let alone a credible title challenge. And if such investments are made, experience tells us that the manager is often changed as well.
But none of those structural issues are Arteta's fault. I think he could be getting more out of this team, but I can't see this Arsenal squad finishing higher than sixth or seventh. Any higher would involve Arteta outcompeting much more experienced managers with superior squads. And that's not a fair expectation.
It all started when they left Highbury...
Arsenal have a tendency to lose cohesion during matches - they stop doing what they are supposed to be doing and, while still making an effort, its like an ant colony that has lost its queen...disjointed, meandering, slipping into frustration and eventually bewildered chaos. All this while Arteta dances a furious jig on the sidelines...he's trying to steer the ship but the rudder chains have broken and they are bouncing off icebergs left and right (my metaphors are out of control today
).On top of all this, Arsenal have not given Arteta a budget equivalent to that of some of his supposed rivals, and when they spend big they've often gotten less than good value. He can't buy an 80 million GBP center back or 100 million GBP midfielder. Nor did he inherit a squad with a Harry Kane (or Thierry Henry?)-type talisman player. He has a quite good, but not great, squad of players trying to play a very demanding system in a league that is beginning to financially pass them by.
With the inflation and increasingly inequality in the game, Arsenal are on a path to mediocrity under Kroenke. They are closer to looking like Bielsa's Leeds than a title challenger - they can play good football but are not very competitive. They will have to spend more, and (maybe more importantly) more wisely, if they want to retain any hopes of Champions League football, let alone a credible title challenge. And if such investments are made, experience tells us that the manager is often changed as well.
But none of those structural issues are Arteta's fault. I think he could be getting more out of this team, but I can't see this Arsenal squad finishing higher than sixth or seventh. Any higher would involve Arteta outcompeting much more experienced managers with superior squads. And that's not a fair expectation.
It all started when they left Highbury...
I think it kind of got worse when Wenger lest tbh. He at least got them CL football each year and a cup run.It's a mix of the elements you've discussed. Arteta is still relatively inexperienced. He has a reasonably clear idea of how he wants to play, but perhaps he doesn't always get all the details right in applying his ideas to a real pitch rather than a whiteboard. Maybe some of the players need more 'man-management' to reach their potential - whether that be the proverbial 'arm on the shoulder' or 'kick up the backside'. Maybe he needs to be a little more proactive in his subs and learn just what kinds of interventions are needed.
Arsenal have a tendency to lose cohesion during matches - they stop doing what they are supposed to be doing and, while still making an effort, its like an ant colony that has lost its queen...disjointed, meandering, slipping into frustration and eventually bewildered chaos. All this while Arteta dances a furious jig on the sidelines...he's trying to steer the ship but the rudder chains have broken and they are bouncing off icebergs left and right (my metaphors are out of control today
On top of all this, Arsenal have not given Arteta a budget equivalent to that of some of his supposed rivals, and when they spend big they've often gotten less than good value. He can't buy an 80 million GBP center back or 100 million GBP midfielder. Nor did he inherit a squad with a Harry Kane (or Thierry Henry?)-type talisman player. He has a quite good, but not great, squad of players trying to play a very demanding system in a league that is beginning to financially pass them by.
With the inflation and increasingly inequality in the game, Arsenal are on a path to mediocrity under Kroenke. They are closer to looking like Bielsa's Leeds than a title challenger - they can play good football but are not very competitive. They will have to spend more, and (maybe more importantly) more wisely, if they want to retain any hopes of Champions League football, let alone a credible title challenge. And if such investments are made, experience tells us that the manager is often changed as well.
But none of those structural issues are Arteta's fault. I think he could be getting more out of this team, but I can't see this Arsenal squad finishing higher than sixth or seventh. Any higher would involve Arteta outcompeting much more experienced managers with superior squads. And that's not a fair expectation.
It all started when they left Highbury...
That was Mr Wenger's view as well.
He loved Highbury, and deeply regretted the fact that Arsenal felt obliged to leave their historic ground.
Terrific post, by the way.
Well, there is that.
But, to be honest, as @Lord Blackadder has pointed out, I think it is more that other teams have improved to a greater extent than that Arsenal have fallen behind so completely.
The team has improved under Arteta, but others have improved a lot more, and have bigger budgets with which to do so.
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That is true of some, but I do t think we have a bigger budget than you. I might be wrong though having just had a billionaire invest in the club. But don’t worry he’s not about to blow all his money on star players.
This really irks me in modern football. That your budget dictates how muchyou can improve and/or compete on the global stage.
What that means is that the Brentfords, Southamptons and Tottnehams of the world are never going to be playing for titles, but prizemoney that comes with higher placings and possibly a cup run or European spot if they're lucky.
It should be that the players' skills and abilities are more important than the financial viability of a club...but we've argued that to death here, so I'll go back to work.
Why does it have to be that the only team who has broken the Barca / Real Duopoly in recent years is so unlikeable???
I have to respect Atletico Madrid's toughness and fortitude, but they are soooooo dirty and dull to watch in terms of their football. I was pleased to see them take titles from the two Spanish giants but I am bored with Simeone-ball now. I enjoy watching them lose.
Unfortunately they were their usual cheaty, dirty selves tonight and beat a decent Porto side. Is there a more dangerous 10-man team on the planet?
Liverpool make it six wins in the group stage with a B team against a Milan team that is a shadow of what it once was. I remember bemoaning player rotation during the Benitez years, but to be fair to Rafa Klopp has a better, arguably also deeper squad right now than Rafa ever had.
The notion that any team can win the league is a convenient fiction for the suits for rake in fortunes from middle and working-class fans' wallets. Wealth builds up certain clubs but the same wealth also keeps other clubs down. The trickle down concept they are peddling as a counterargument to independent regulation is totally laughable.
I have to respect Atletico Madrid's toughness and fortitude, but they are soooooo dirty and dull to watch in terms of their football. I was pleased to see them take titles from the two Spanish giants but I am bored with Simeone-ball now. I enjoy watching them lose.
Unfortunately they were their usual cheaty, dirty selves tonight and beat a decent Porto side. Is there a more dangerous 10-man team on the planet?
Liverpool make it six wins in the group stage with a B team against a Milan team that is a shadow of what it once was. I remember bemoaning player rotation during the Benitez years, but to be fair to Rafa Klopp has a better, arguably also deeper squad right now than Rafa ever had.
The real 'league' is who the owners are, how much money they have, and how much they are willing to spend. Wealth is not an absolute guarantor of league position but if you look at the table it's not wildly inaccurate either - and it becomes more accurate as you start looking at average league position across time.
The notion that any team can win the league is a convenient fiction for the suits for rake in fortunes from middle and working-class fans' wallets. Wealth builds up certain clubs but the same wealth also keeps other clubs down. The trickle down concept they are peddling as a counterargument to independent regulation is totally laughable.
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Don’t want to mention it again, but Leicester won the league when by your argument they had no right to. Yes it’s hard for a club to break into the top 4 and maintain it over a period of time. But not impossible. No club will stay at the top of the pile indefinitely. Liverpool will suffer when Klopp leaves. City will when their manager moves on. No different when AF or AW stepped aside after long spells in charge of Utd or Arsenal. Neither club (despite spending a fortune) has achieved the same level of consistency since. Only time will tell if they will again.
Sure. But are you happy with it being almost, but not quite impossible for teams outside the 'greedy six' to win the league?
It is true that no club will stay on the top of the pile forever, but clubs like Man City are immune from relegation, and nearly immune from even dropping out of the European places. They can always buy better players than you, better managers than you, and more of them. As soon as any of your players are proven to be great they will steal them from you. By financially doping they seal off your chances at incremental advancement. Look at the lame existence of Dortmund - Bayern's squad consists of all of Dortmund's good ex-players plus a few stars from elsewhere. A farce.
Outside the top six, your only chance at a league title is a once-in-a-century, fairytale 5000-1 shot that also requires the rich teams to all down tools in the same season. So while the 'competition' is not 100% fixed it is vastly unfair and fairly predictable. We could do a lot better than this.
But that leads to the question: 'do football fans actually want competition?' Or am I just barking up the wrong tree? There is plenty of evidence that many fans, given the chance to turn their team into a financially-doped overdog, would take it. These are also the same fans who complain bitterly about financial disparities when the rich teams batter them to pieces. So maybe most fans are OK with a massively non-competitive league, as long as THEY are top dogs in it.
Too many dog references there...I really am losing my edge.
I'd agree with this - look at the reactions from Toon fans...most will turn a blind eye to the owners' links to the Saudi Regime, when they start winning trophies and buying superstars.
I know that many of our fans (Saints) were bemoaning that maybe it was our turn for a new, wealthy overlord to buy us, so we could have a taste of the good life.
So yes...you're probably right. Most fans don't really want competition, per se...they want to be competitive.
Well I think we all want competition. That’s why there was such a backlash against the ESL.
Would I prefer more teams able to win the PL? Of course I would. But how do we manage that? Southampton have basically been a feeder club for Liverpool for years. But players are free to move where they want, and many seem happy to be a bit player at a top club rather than the main player at a club outside the greedy six.