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Arsenal fans are already praying for the season to end after another bland and downright humiliating 1-0 loss at home to Burnley on Sunday.
The Gunners are just five points out of the relegation zone after 12 games, unimaginable just a couple of years ago, but here they are fighting the usual suspects at the bottom of the table.
With matches against the high-flying Southampton, Everton and Chelsea to come, things could soon get a lot worse for Arsenal and could spell the end of Mikel Arteta if the club’s fortunes don’t change.
FOR THE SACK
By Sam Blitz
You wouldn’t have thought that Arsenal could be worse than the Unai Emery days, but here we are.
Under Mikel Arteta’s predecessor, the team seemed lost, lacking in direction and ambition. Players just weren’t playing for the coach, but they could at least find the back of the net occasionally, unlike this Arsenal team.
Emery’s inability to deal with the current group of players eventually landed him capture and the same is happening to Arteta here. After a loss to Burnley, who hadn’t even taken the lead against the Gunners in Premier League history, you wonder if Arteta’s Arsenal can beat anyone.
It is very difficult to see an exit for the current Arsenal manager that does not involve a starting gate.
In fact, it could be argued that Arteta is simply a younger, more elegant version of Emery, who kept backtracking his ideas from game to game. Go back four to go back three to go back four. Ozil in Ozil out. Aubameyang came out wide again in the middle. Sounds familiar?
Emery’s last game, a sad 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, saw him start with David Luiz in midfield. A desperate move to gain control in games that came too little too late. The same goes for Arteta in Alexandre Lacazette’s new role as attacking midfielder.
And tactically, Arsenal still look lost. Willian has gone from being a key Chelsea player to a slow and industrious winger who would even be beaten and beaten in the Championship. That doesn’t happen overnight, it depends on how the Brazilian reacted to Arteta’s style and it’s not pretty.
Arteta is simply losing figures willing to support him at the club. The Spaniard has exiled Mesut Ozil, Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, William Saliba, Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz since he arrived. More sequels and he will have no friends.
To make matters worse, players are backtracking in ways we never thought possible. Aubameyang and Lacazette could have spent seven hours on Emirates’ field against Burnley, but they would not have found the net. Even Emery and Freddie Ljungberg had a goal or two.
Ultimately, Arsenal’s performances are so dire that they have to fire one man and his backroom staff or 14-15 players who can’t work under him. Knowing this Arsenal board, there is an easier option that they will surely take.
A quick fix is needed or Arsenal’s Premier League form will spread to the Europa League and cup campaigns. And then there will be nothing to fight for.
AGAINST
By Jonathan Spencer
What a regrettable situation we are witnessing in the Emirates. In just a couple of seasons, Arsenal went from being the top four candidates to a team that seems to be struggling to survive.
But it’s been coming, years of neglect off the pitch have led Arsenal to this treacherous position, and Arteta is the man once again taking responsibility for the club’s shameful failures.
Yes, Arteta has made mistakes with team selection and his system in recent games, and they do look out of place in attack, but he’s certainly not the man directly responsible for the disaster in North London.
Since the departure of Arsene Wenger, and even years before that, the hierarchy has seemed disinterested and, frankly, lacked the footballing smarts to try to get the club back to the top. Years have passed since the Frenchman’s departure and the situation has not improved.
Many changes have been made to the hierarchy of the club, including titles and staff, and we are now witnessing the downfall of Arsenal due to a lack of leadership and consistency from the top.
And the club’s decision making of late has had a direct negative impact on the field, with too many average players, beyond their peak, on salaries they definitely shouldn’t be receiving.
The likes of Willian and Cedric Soares, and David Luiz to a lesser extent, are deals a club should not make if it has any aspirations to reach the top again.
As a result, Arsenal now have a squad full of overpaid stars that aren’t good enough for European football, and Arteta is the man left to pick up the pieces.
While Willian and company fall into the previous category, many other stars continue to underperform and are nowhere near the caliber needed at Arsenal, including Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette, Mohamed Elneny and company. They would not enter any other top four. team.
While the coach is inevitably to blame, it is time for the players to shoulder the blame. After an initial upturn in performances as they battled for their places in the starting eleven under Arteta, they have returned to their old ways and disappointed the coach, the fans and the club.
If we’re honest, take a look at Sunday night’s starting XI: only Bernd Leno, Gabriel, Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (whose performances have declined), are also worthy of keeping their place today. like the new kid Thomas Partey.
It’s a long way from the glory days at Highbury, but this is where Arsenal is. Any new manager who comes to the Emirates will have the exact same problems and suffer the same consequences. Wholesale changes are required.
Yes, it may be a painful journey ahead, but it’s not a problem that goes away overnight, and it will be years before Arsenal can dream of fighting the best again.
Yes, Arteta has his flaws, but he is an exciting young coach with plenty of room for improvement, and there are plenty of other culprits who deserve the ax first. And remember, just three months ago, you had led Arsenal to the 14th FA Cup with this group of players.
He has what it takes to be successful at Arsenal, but he certainly needs to change the way he tries to get Arsenal to shoot again.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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