Arsenal

[Doc_Piptorious]

Yeah but if you take Salah out of it, then we play differently and other players step up to the fore.

I think Arsenal are very good team going through a bit of a blip scoring goals. In reality if they had a top forward they'd have probably won yesterday - although to be honest, we hit the woodwork twice as well - which a lot of the pundits seem to forgot to consider.

They have spent a hell of a lot of money though. The general consensus is that Rice has been a success and i think he has - but is that where they really needed investment?? Same with Raya - seems a lot of money to fix something that wasn't broken. I think they thought that Havertz just wasn't being used properly at Chelsea and that they could turn him into the worldie that he promised to be when he was in Germany but he is obviously a prick (otherwise he'd not have signed for Chelsea in the first place!!)

They might have a problem brewing imo though. Arteta has been quoted as saying bringing in a striker is "not realistic" in January with the tone almost being as if he needs supporting. But in reality they have Jesus and now Havertz earning a bit of a wedge each - as well as Saka and Martinelli. So they might find it hard to add without selling

Was not knocking our goal return in the slightest. Was more saying that the Arsenal attack that is supposedly so much better than ours according to pundits is actually only more or less on par with ours minus Salah. It is only in midfield that they get a little bit of a better return to us.

Also that their supposedly better defence has actually conceded more than ours.

[frank the tank]

Yeah but if you take Salah out of it, then we play differently and other players step up to the fore.

I think Arsenal are very good team going through a bit of a blip scoring goals. In reality if they had a top forward they'd have probably won yesterday - although to be honest, we hit the woodwork twice as well - which a lot of the pundits seem to forgot to consider.

They have spent a hell of a lot of money though. The general consensus is that Rice has been a success and i think he has - but is that where they really needed investment?? Same with Raya - seems a lot of money to fix something that wasn't broken. I think they thought that Havertz just wasn't being used properly at Chelsea and that they could turn him into the worldie that he promised to be when he was in Germany but he is obviously a prick (otherwise he'd not have signed for Chelsea in the first place!!)

They might have a problem brewing imo though. Arteta has been quoted as saying bringing in a striker is "not realistic" in January with the tone almost being as if he needs supporting. But in reality they have Jesus and now Havertz earning a bit of a wedge each - as well as Saka and Martinelli. So they might find it hard to add without selling

[Doc_Piptorious]

Also, who was the Arsenal pundit a few weeks ago claiming they had a much better forward line than us?

I'd love to compare records since that statement.

Just looking at the league goal tallies. We have 43 league goals to their 37 league goals.


Funnily enough if you take Salah out of it then the goal returns between their attacking players and ours are pretty similar. Salah is a BIG difference maker though.

Where they are pipping us a little on is goal returns from the midfield (am also including TAA's goals in our midfield goal tallies).


Do find it amusing that their defence gets lauded so much this season when ours has conceded less.

[dom9]

I thought this was a good explainer on Arsenal this season.

https://youtu.be/GwRPN8Vyfkw?si=UXJc8WZqG7lvf77v

And I saw plenty of the horseshoe yesterday too.

[RedReet]

Also, who was the Arsenal pundit a few weeks ago claiming they had a much better forward line than us?

I'd love to compare records since that statement.

[RedReet]

It would look a lot rosier down there if they had a world-class attacker.

They're an excellent team but just don't have the firepower on the same level as the very best teams.

I think Klopp would have a field day with their front 3 and have them scoring loads. Arsenal also scored 88 goals last season, which is more than us in 19/20, so not sure the players are to blame. (Although maybe some squad depth would make a big difference)

Pre City, Arsenal would have won the league through their attacking play last year and similarly would have had a good chance in years gone by having the best defence (which they probably don't anyway). They need to find a a way to do both now and so far Arteta has shown that he's capable of doing that.

A clinical striker on paper could make a difference, but I don't think it would be that straightforward. Plus he would also need to be top level, of which there aren't that many. Personally, I can't see someone like Ivan Toney elevating them to the required level.

[The_weatherman]

I always thought Trossard was a strange one to go for.

Seems like he has been bought as a back up, even when there are no available players ahead of him.

Havertz was an odd one too. What is he for?

I actually think their problems come from midfield. They are creating a lot of chances, but not a lot of good chances.

Yeah, but not sure Onana is solving that though. Havertz was doomed from the start, in two years time, we will pinpoint that as the moment everything went wrong, kind of seems like Arteta is betting everything on him for some reason.

Their recruitment under Arteta has been a bit hit and miss tbh, who've they got in that was a hit? Odegaard, Gabriel maybe at a stretch?

Their best players have been Saka, Martinelli and Saliba who were there before him, since then it's 100 million on Rice who is very good tbf, Odegaard is a good player but maybe not a captain, then it's just players like Ramsdale, White, Jesus, Zinchenko, Viera, Trossard et al.

[The_weatherman]

[John Barnes]

Arsenal need a striker asap
[ame]https://twitter.com/sachatavolieri/status/1744316086378467346[/ame]

[dom9]

I always thought Trossard was a strange one to go for.

Seems like he has been bought as a back up, even when there are no available players ahead of him.

Havertz was an odd one too. What is he for?

I actually think their problems come from midfield. They are creating a lot of chances, but not a lot of good chances.

[John Barnes]

It would look a lot rosier down there if they had a world-class attacker.

They're an excellent team but just don't have the firepower on the same level as the very best teams.

too many touches and tip tap football

[Rich]

It would look a lot rosier down there if they had a world-class attacker.

They're an excellent team but just don't have the firepower on the same level as the very best teams.

[rudedog]

He seems to blow hot and cold a lot. Maybe it's the lack of options as well, we are in a great position where we can just rotate five forward players of top quality with different skill sets as well, but they are playing Saka through injuries and Martinelli maybe needs a time out now and again.

Weird how I thought they were in a fantastic position last summer, but they are going backwards big time. If Saliba were to get an injury they'd be in a heap of bother.

I had a scan on the gooners forum and the consensus there is that teams are doubling up on him this season which is why he’s not been as effective

[The_weatherman]

He seems to blow hot and cold a lot. Maybe it's the lack of options as well, we are in a great position where we can just rotate five forward players of top quality with different skill sets as well, but they are playing Saka through injuries and Martinelli maybe needs a time out now and again.

Weird how I thought they were in a fantastic position last summer, but they are going backwards big time. If Saliba were to get an injury they'd be in a heap of bother.

[rudedog]

What's happened to Martinelli this season? Form seems to have dropped off a cliff