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The 2025-2026 Football Thread

I am actually thinking about not watching the next few Arsenal games live. With that, I will refrain from being in online forums, social platforms, etcetera. Hmm, I guess I'd need to refrain from reading incoming text message on those days, too!

Then, when I feel I can actually muster it, I will watch the game(s) from a recording. At my age, I should be taking better care of my heart, and Arsenal are certainly not helping...currently...
 
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It’s 11 o clock and I am still fuming.

Telling your supporters to turn up early to Emirates but Arteta clearly forgot to tell his own players to turn up when it mattered.

Even Raya was all over the place today.
 
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Sal09 said:
It’s 11 o clock and I am still fuming.
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Indeed.

I am exhausted, which is entirely to do with current work commitments - and, which is just as well, as it ensures that I don't have the energy to fume, seethe, and burn with impotent rage.
Sal09 said:
Telling your supporters to turn up early to Emirates but Arteta clearly forgot to tell his own players to turn up when it mattered.
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Oh, yes.

A passionate and profound amen to this; you make an excellent point.

I don't mind a defeat against a better opponent; I do mind - massively mind - our own team not bothering to actually compete, not having fire and a desire to win, not having mastered the basics (passing, dribbling, shooting, tackling, being able to kick the ball accurately and with power and conviction) and this, alas, is not a new state of affairs.
Sal09 said:
Even Raya was all over the place today.
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Sigh.
 
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Liverpool with a fairly routine win over Fulham getting a little closer to 4th place. A few players were rested, but it was good to see Isak getting some minutes in the second half.
 
Bodhitree said:
Liverpool with a fairly routine win over Fulham getting a little closer to 4th place. A few players were rested, but it was good to see Isak getting some minutes in the second half.
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It wasn't as routine as the scoreline suggests. Fulham were in the game, for long periods, and had 19 attempts on goal. Liverpool's confidence will go up, and if similar patterns occur, they'll get thumped at home by PSG.
 
Madonepro said:
It wasn't as routine as the scoreline suggests. Fulham were in the game, for long periods, and had 19 attempts on goal. Liverpool's confidence will go up, and if similar patterns occur, they'll get thumped at home by PSG.
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That they’ll get thumped at home by PSG I don’t doubt, they could have lost the away match by 3-4 goals, so I expect a PSG win.
 
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Sal09 said:
It’s 11 o clock and I am still fuming.

Telling your supporters to turn up early to Emirates but Arteta clearly forgot to tell his own players to turn up when it mattered.

Even Raya was all over the place today.
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Dismal, dreadful and miserable performance, are just three of the adjectives I have read, which describe (all too depressingly accurately) Arsenal's abject appearance yesterday.

Candidly, in general, they have been pretty poor since Christmas, a period interspersed with a few sluggish, ground out, victories, which have kept their (our?) title challenge on sticky tram-tracks.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
Dismal, dreadful and miserable performance, are just three of the adjectives I have read, which describe (all too depressingly accurately) Arsenal's abject appearance yesterday.

Candidly, in general, they have been pretty poor since Christmas, a period interspersed with a few sluggish, ground out, victories, which have kept their (our?) title challenge on sticky tram-tracks.
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And teams around us dropping points.
 
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Sal09 said:
And teams around us dropping points.
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Yes, they have, but we have failed to capitalise on this.

Worse, we haven't learned a single, solitary, lesson from our performance over the past three seasons, seasons where the team faltered, staggered and stumbled from late winter, early spring, eventually tottering into securing second place over three consecutive seasons.

We keep making the exact same - and utterly predictable - mistakes, year after year, season after season, - while somehow, inexplicably, bizarrely and paradoxically, expecting an entirely different outcome to the season.
 
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Spurs are now in the relegation zone, and I don't see them getting out. What a mess. Hope De Zerbi enjoys the Championship next season.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Don't write off the possibility of resurrection for them.
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I’m certainly not. I think the points between 15-18th are so tight (assuming Leeds lose to Man United tomorrow.

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Meanwhile City are two goals up.
 
...as if we didn't know already that Man City were going to batter Chelsea.
To add, I just realised that we're playing City away next Sunday. My goodness, you simply cannot make this stuff up. 🤦‍♂️

Question, for all:
If we (Arsenal) do not win the Premier League, or any trophy this season, should Arteta's contract be renewed?
 
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circatee said:
...as if we didn't know already that Man City were going to batter Chelsea.
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Indeed.
circatee said:
To add, I just realised that we're playing City away next Sunday.
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To be quite candid, on current form, (and pure bone-headed ineptitude) I wouldn't put any money whatsoever on our ability to defeat Wolves or Burnley (not without some serious huffing and puffing, many misses, a toothless attack, and suffering a few serious injuries en route).
circatee said:
My goodness, you simply cannot make this stuff up. 🤦‍♂️
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We have been very poor since Christmas. And that is on us. Nobody else.
circatee said:
Question, for all:
If we (Arsenal) do not win the Premier League, or any trophy this season, should Arteta's contract be renewed?
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I'm not sure that Arteta is capable of winning any trophy; worse (as a former teacher), I'm not sure that he is capable of learning from his mistakes.
 
circatee said:
...as if we didn't know already that Man City were going to batter Chelsea.
To add, I just realised that we're playing City away next Sunday. My goodness, you simply cannot make this stuff up. 🤦‍♂️

Question, for all:
If we (Arsenal) do not win the Premier League, or any trophy this season, should Arteta's contract be renewed?
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Who would you get that is any better? Of all the teams that swap and change managers which have seen success?
 
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Well, if Eze had not gotten injured, and if Ødegard had regained some of his sharpness and insight in attack, would you be in this position?

It’s a big and talented squad.

I don’t think the talent just disappears, it’s maybe more a question of specific training regimes to help the best players be the very best they can be. Maybe Arteta needs better assistant coaches.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Who would you get that is any better? Of all the teams that swap and change managers which have seen success?
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Touché. And to be clear, my question was more of a devil’s advocate, merely to see others opinion.

Arteta has changed the fabric of Arsenal. There is just a final piece of the puzzle that is missing, trophies…
 
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Bodhitree said:
Well, if Eze had not gotten injured, and if Ødegard had regained some of his sharpness and insight in attack, would you be in this position?

It’s a big and talented squad.

I don’t think the talent just disappears, it’s maybe more a question of specific training regimes to help the best players be the very best they can be. Maybe Arteta needs better assistant coaches.
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Some valid points. I’ve not paid full attention to the injuries of other teams. But, I feel we’ve had the most injuries in both this season and last season.

My bigger question is, what is causing them? That is the issue to fix.

Additionally, others teams seem to negotiate injuries with other players “stepping up”. I feel at times with us, that isn’t the case…
 
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Squad is talented enough that I think he would get more out of these players.

Part of the reason we’re in this predicament is that Arteta has coached the flair out of this team. He rarely improves attacking players.

I don’t wanna watch another 90 mins of passing sideways and backwards in the name of ‘control’.

Saying that I also want 5 players gone in the summer. Martinelli, Havertz (even though he’ll stay), Trossard, Jesus, White.
 
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Alphazoid said:
Squad is talented enough that I think he would get more out of these players.

Part of the reason we’re in this predicament is that Arteta has coached the flair out of this team. He rarely improves attacking players.

I don’t wanna watch another 90 mins of passing sideways and backwards in the name of ‘control’.

Saying that I also want 5 players gone in the summer. Martinelli, Havertz (even though he’ll stay), Trossard, Jesus, White.
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Interesting.

Alas, I do not agree with Kai and White being sold in the summer…
 
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