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Images by Tony McArdle – Everton FC and Peter Cziborra via gettyimages

As if the last month has not been tough enough, Mikel Arteta’s first anniversary in charge is set to be marked by the test of Carlo Ancelotti’s fifth-placed Toffees, kicking off a holiday week including Tuesday’s home League Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester City before a Boxing Day derby at Stamford Bridge. The Goodison Park clash will be 15th-placed (!) Arsenal’s third of six games in 17 days leading up to the end of 2020.  

Arteta was appointed head coach on the 20th of December 2019, when he made a statement that remains as pertinent now as it did then: “I want people to take responsibility for their jobs and I want people who deliver passion and energy in the football club. Anyone who doesn’t buy into this, or that has a negative effect or whatever, is not good enough for this environment or this culture.” 

In the weeks after Unai Emery’s November 2019 sacking, Ancelotti was often mentioned as the likeliest choice of the more seasoned alternatives, but Arsenal rolled the dice and hired Arteta in his first position as head coach while Everton hired the seasoned Italian the following day. In 12 mostly positive months under Arteta, Arsenal have won the FA Cup, the Community Shield, and shored up their leaky defence, but this season their attack has become increasingly ineffective. Arsenal are on a distinctly dismal run of Premier League form, taking only two of the last 18, and five of the last 27 points on offer with the narrow win at Old Trafford standing out as the only positive outlier in that stretch.  

Attacking midfielders Mesut Özil and Matteo Guendouzi, it seems, are among the players who failed to bring enough responsibility, passion or energy in Arteta’s eyes, but capable reinforcements are required in their absence. As Art de Roche wrote December 11 in The Athletic, “Arsenal’s main hindrance on the domestic front has been the progression of the ball from the middle third of the pitch to the attacking third. Since switching to a back four after November’s international break, there has been a disconnect in the midfield.”  The Gunners have only managed to score two goals in their last six matches, and eleven goals in thirteen games overall, with the latter figures outranking only the three bottom clubs in the league table.  Our strikers haven’t been getting the service they need, and they haven’t been ready to pounce when occasional chances have arisen, so every Arsenal fan wants to see multiple replications of the sight of Bukayo Saka running at defenders and creating space for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s excellent goal against Southampton in midweek.

The opposition 

In August and September the media were proclaiming Everton a great success, and Ancelotti as this year’s miracle worker.  After an alarming stretch in and around November when the Toffees won only one of six games, they took a massive six points from their last two fixtures, at home against Chelsea and away at Leicester.  Ancelotti’s team selection against Arsenal must take into account the need to keep players fresh for the Toffees’ quarterfinal Carabao Cup tie against Manchester United next Wednesday.  Maybe Everton will take Arsenal a bit lightly with one eye on Wednesday’s match but I doubt it, unfortunately.

Everton’s revamped midfield has featured Summer signings Allan, Abdoulaye Doucouré, and playmaker James Rodriguez, the former Real Madrid galáctico who tallied his entire season’s haul of three goals and three assists by October 17, but due to injury was not in the squad for either of Everton’s big wins this past week.  Gylfi Sigurdsson replaced James and created nine chances which was more than any other player in the league over the last two matches. Sigurdsson scored and Calvert-Lewin won the winning penalty kick against Chelsea last week, and the Icelander is expected to continue in this one.  Starting left-back Lucas Digne, who has provided four assists, has been missing from the squad due to injury for Everton’s last four league games, and against Chelsea they brought in 23 year old right back Jonjoe Kenny alongside Keane, Godfrey, Mina and Keane, who are all listed as center backs.

Everton’s winning goal at Leicester was scored by Richarlison, the ex-Watford player who has two goals and three assists, but their biggest threat has been 23 year-old Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has an amazing eleven goals and one assist in thirteen league appearances. Arsenal must avoid allowing Alex Iwobi to make it consecutive matches that an ex-Gunner has come back to bite after TW14’s Wednesday exploits at the Grove.  As Allan is currently injured, Andre Gomez has joined Doucoure to form an effective ex-Watford contingent in midfield.

Team Discipline

On Wednesday Gabriel became the latest Arsenal player to be sent off after accumulating two yellow cards in quick succession. Last weekend Granit Xhaka was sent off for grabbing a Burnley player’s throat.  Any relationship between Gabriel’s untimely dismissal, Xhaka’s continued foolishness, and Nicolas Pepe’s November 22 red card is for the reader to determine, but Pepe will at least be available for selection at Everton after his three-match suspension. With three red cards in their last five league games, it should be quite obvious that Arsenal cannot expect to move up the table until players stop getting sent off so frequently.

Team Selection 

Bernd Leno has continued his solid performances and should keep his place in the Arsenal goal.  In central defence, Gabriel is suspended so David Luiz should take his spot. Despite nearly scoring a wonder goal Rob Holding didn’t play his best game against Southampton, but is likely to stay in the team on the right of a back three with the Brazilian in the middle and Kieran Tierney on the left, with wing-backs Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles on their flanks. 

Mohamed Elneny and Dani Ceballos should form the central midfield pairing, as Granit Xhaka serves the second of his three match Premier League suspension. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka, and Alexandre Lacazette are my candidates to line up in a flexible front three.

Leno

Holding  Luiz  Tierney

Bellerin  Maitland-Niles

Elneny  Ceballos

Saka  Lacazette  Aubameyang

The Holic Pound

If an Arsenal player is going to get a red card in this game the most likely candidate to incur one has got to be David Luiz, who should be substituted immediately if and when he gets cautioned by the way, but this could be a featured area of interest for punters.  As to the score, I can’t see Arsenal doing much better than a 1-1 draw so you might consider casting any unwanted earnings that way.  Of course I would be ecstatic to be proved wrong if this is the week we break through with a fistful of gorgeous goals but I’m not really holding my breath. 

Enjoy the game ‘holics.  Don’t blink at the good parts, and keep those cheers coming.  

101 Drinks to “Gunners Seek Shiny Stroke To Sidestep Gooey Mess”

  1. 1
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Cheers bt8. A comprehensive and enjoyable preview, filled with great information.

    I think your team looks likely. I might be tempted to leave out Hector but I don’t think Mikel will.

    Everton have a choice of which attacking midfielder creates their chances for them? I am jealous indeed.

  2. 2
    Cynic says:

    Thanks for the review.

    When it comes to red cards, ask yourself which one of them most fancies Christmas at home and place your bet accordingly 😉

  3. 3
    Goonersince54 says:

    Well put together pre match musings Bt8
    I do think a lot of the uncertainty in our play, can be put down to the constantly changing formations of our starting line ups and our in game changes.
    If i get confused sometimes, wondering what’s going on, imagine how the players must be feeling.
    Footballers are mostly pretty simple fellows, and giving them too much information to absorb completely befuddles them.
    Witness Gabriel all over the place positionally against the Saints when Arteta decided to change to a 3 at the back, which i feel contributed to his 2 yellow cards.
    I just think he needs to simplify things by giving the players one specific system of play, with a plan B as a fallback option.
    All the squad would welcome that certainty, and the confidence and stability hopefully would follow.
    As for Saturday’s game, Everton are full of confidence after 2 excellent wins and clean sheets against Chelsea and Leicester.
    The only crumb of comfort is that they haven’t won their last game before Christmas for the past 6 times, 2 draws and 4 losses.
    Can we make it 7. ??
    In our current form it will take a serious improvement to get anything from this fixture, and i think the majority of the Supporters would happily accept a point if it was offered.
    On a brighter note, our under 23’s beat Leicester this evening by 2- 1, with goals from Chambers and Balogun.
    I did note that Martinelli wasn’t in the squad, which does make me wonder whether he might make the bench tomorrow.

  4. 4
    TTG says:

    Great preview Bt8 and you’ve resisted the temptation to suggest a silly likely score that bears no relation to what is likely to happen . I’d be pleased with 1-1.
    Last season we played Everton away at the same time and Ferguson and Ljungberg oversaw the teams. It was a dire 0-0 draw. I don’t think it will be this time .
    I like your team but would leave out Bellerin , play Saka at left wing back and bring in ESR if he is fit . If not I’d gamble on Pepe . Calvert- Lewin will be very hard to stop tomorrow.
    Tough times ahead and we are not where we expected to be . Let us hope we can move forward from here

  5. 5
    Doctor Faustus says:

    Insightful preview bt8! And very pragmatic.
    I go into all Arsenal matches thinking that we will win, however unlikely sometimes it may seem.

    Though we haven’t played consistently no where near a level we can even accept, forget be proud about, in a few situations if we had done just a bit better the league position wouldn’t be looking so dire now. Maybe the ruthless finishing will be back, maybe the midfield will show that extra edge. Maybe the defense will be just a bit more organized.

    No idea what team Mikel will pick or what formation. But whoever is playing needs to absolutely be committed in all duels and challenges and start the match with right level of intensity. I feel that once we have started to score and take leads the confidence in our collective abilities will grow.

    Come on Arsenal!

  6. 6
    bathgooner says:

    Nice preview bt8, rounding off with a realistic bet. I too would take a draw right now. As to other possible bets, I would suggest that there is a book somewhere on the time of Bellerin’s first foul throw of the match.

    I personaly would start AMN again at wing-back as Hector looked in desperate need of R&R in his last few appearances but I suspect Mikel won’t agree. I would start Pépé up front on the right in the hope that the player we thought we were buying appears at last. I expect Laca to be asked to reprise his pale imitation of a number 10 and Auba to be given a free attacking role on the left and centre. I’d have Saka in his excellent left wing back role. It is desperate to be so dependent on a solitary 19-year old for a shred of creativity. I suppose we have no real alternative to the desperately dull Elneny-Ceballos combo. I don’t think Mikel trusts Joe at this level and nor, in truth, do I.

    All fingers are crossed here.

  7. 7
    North Bank Ned says:

    Good preview, bt8. Realistic and informative. Some big-arsed subheads you put in there.

    Martinelli and David Luiz both listed by the club as doubts. If Luiz isn’t able to play, I suspect Mari will partner Rob in a back four.

    For no reason other than he should have a run of games, I think Nketiah will start rather than Laca, with Auba on the left and Pepe or Willian on the right (I’d stick with Pepe but Arteta might not.) Saka behind them in that hybrid inverted winger/10 role that Arteta likes.

  8. 8
    Goonersince54 says:

    Morning Ned
    Mari not an option as he along with Chambers played the full 90 last night for under 23’s.
    So if Luiz doesn’t play that only leaves our old friend Mustafi to play alongside Holding.
    Which is scary at best of times. !!
    That also might mean Mari and Chambers playing in league cup on Tuesday night,given the slightly more important league game against Chelsea on Boxing day.

  9. 9
    TTG says:

    I think back three will be Luiz , Holding and Tierney. I expect Martinelli will make the bench as he didn’t play last night ….unless he has had a setback

  10. 10
    BtM says:

    Very nice, bt8. A 1-1 draw in Liverpool against a potent toffees team would be a result that many team’s in the League would consider a reasonable outcome. It will require our mis-firing strikers to hit the back of the net once however and that may be a bigger challenge than containing Everton’s attack.

    Enjoy.

  11. 11
    bt8 says:

    Thanks everyone for your kind comments, they like a Liverpool loss would make me ‘glad all over’ excepting the favour it would do to the noisy neighbors. 😉

  12. 12
    North Bank Ned says:

    Clive@8: Good point about Mari. I hadn’t realised he had played for the U-23s.

  13. 13
    Trev says:

    A fine preview indeed, bt8

    packed, as GSD said, with great information. Actually, I find most of that information scary and the last thing I needed between recovering from a knackering week at work and a Saturday evening of stress and frustration as our lads (old men) take the field again.

    It’s odd isn’t it, that our club is always in the headlines as transfer windows roll around, chasing super talents old and new, from Benzema and Higuain, through Suarez and Alonso, to Slobzsial ( sorry, no actual idea) and Saliba – where has he really gone ?! – only to always fall at the final hurdle and finish up with Obafemi Martins and Sebastian Frey. Except we don’t even get them once we awake from our dreams, or nightmares.

    No, we sign Amoury Bischoff PI (!), Yaya Sanogo (oh, wake me up etc), and broken back victim Kim Källstrom, who were either indescribably poor or unfit for the last two years !

    Meanwhile, teams with “less ambition”, ahem, like Everton sign Watford rejects Richarlison and Doucoure and Chelsea reserves like Calvert-Lewin and we end up going there feeling we will be very lucky to get a point.

    Of course, when we do sign good’uns like Martinelli, Tierney and Partey, they immediately incur weeks and months long injuries. This, though, is a cunning plan Baldrick, so that when they eventually return to action, we had forgotten all about them, they are Like A New Signing (LANS) and we can enjoy celebrating their capture all over again – a kind of Buy-One-Get-One-Free mega deal !

    BOGOF to you, dear reader.

    And that, sadly, is how I feel about the whole shooting match right now. Of course, by 5.00pm tonight when we stride onto the Goodson Park turf, resplendent in our latest, hitherto unseen 17th strip, we will be by far the greatest team the world has ever seen, and I will be anticipating a fortune changing, spectacular victory like our season opening
    6-0 win there in ………. did that really happen ?

    Oh, yes it did !

  14. 14
    bathgooner says:

    Nice drink Trev. 👏

  15. 15
    Trev says:

    Thanks, bath – glad you got the spirit of it 👍🏻

  16. 16
    Esso says:

    Leno, Holding, Luiz, Tierney, Maitland-Niles, Saka, Ceballos, Elneny, Willian, Pepe, Nketiah

    Subs: Runarsson, Bellerin, Cedric, Mustati, Kolasinac, Willock, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Lacazette

  17. 17
    Esso says:

    Auba injured – why Martinelli didn’t start for U23s last night?

  18. 18
    bt8 says:

    Is Auba okay?

  19. 19
    Esso says:

    Nothing definite – rumours about a ‘niggle’ yesterday.

  20. 20
    Esso says:

    Official story now is ‘ a tight calf’

  21. 21
    North Bank Ned says:

    Auba apparently has a ‘tight calf’. I wonder if that is like an Ozil back, but we probably need Trev’s expert opinion.

  22. 22
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Trev @ 13.

    Heh! Nicely played. Had me laughing!

    If only we had Obafemi Martins right now. Not even the version from a few years ago. Just the 2020 version. He’s probably in better form than Willian!

  23. 23
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Come on Eddie!

  24. 24
    Esso says:

    Rob Holding is skipper tonight.

  25. 25
    North Bank Ned says:

    Elneny is the longest-serving member of the starting line-up, six months senior to Rob. Amazingly, next most senior is AMN.

  26. 26
    North Bank Ned says:

    If Auba had been fit, which of Pepe or Willian would have started?

  27. 27
    Esso says:

    Good question. My answer Pepe – not sure would have been the case.

  28. 28
    Cynic says:

    Auba apparently has a ‘tight calf’.

    There are lots of responses to this statement, none of them clean and all of them childish!

    I was looking down the team on the BBC website, nodding approval, then I got to the front three and burst into tears.

  29. 29
    scruzgooner says:

    thanks for the preview bt8bgfg… old school with big headings, and hopefully at least your predicted outcome.

    everything crossed here that captain capitola rob can lead us to victory!

  30. 30
    scruzgooner says:

    everton allowed fans?

  31. 31
    Esso says:

    Yeah maybe Tier 2. We’re shortly all about to be Tier 4!

  32. 32
    ksn says:

    I would take the 1-1 draw you predicted in your fine review, with both hands, though I feel a 0-0 draw is more likely. A win would be a dream come true. The body language of the players as they walked out for the kick off, didn’t inspire a lot of confidence. I am sure hey will fight till the end but I am hoping for some luck and a send off of an Everton player! COYG.

  33. 33
    Sancho Panza says:

    KSN exactly that. The body language was appalling. They are not a confident bunch. At least try and hide you are shitting yourself. Apart from Willian who doesn’t give a shit.

  34. 34
    ksn says:

    Calvert Lewin converts Iwobi’s pass off Holding’s touch. 1-0. Maybe OG.

  35. 35
    BtM says:

    Nketiah misses easy chance for immediate equaliser. The problem is not difficult to identify.

  36. 36
    ksn says:

    Pepe is not able get past Godfrey even once and Willian comes out worst in every duel. I don’t know why we sign Chelsea rejects.
    Nketiah misses a decent chance with only the keeper to beat.

  37. 37
    ksn says:

    Willock for Willian will give Arsenal some energy and legs.

  38. 38
    ksn says:

    Niles wins a penalty.

  39. 39
    ksn says:

    Pepe scores. 1-1.

  40. 40
    Countryman100 says:

    Doing great work ksn! I think we improved a bit after their goal. But that Eddie miss …..

  41. 41
    Countryman100 says:

    When Tierney takes a man out he really takes a man out !

  42. 42
    ksn says:

    Mina scores for Everton and we are behind just on the stroke of half time. 2-1.

  43. 43
    Esso says:

    Oh good

  44. 44
    ksn says:

    They have two threats in the air, Lewin and Mina and we have Holding. Pepe didn’t stop Mina and scoring against us looked so easy there. All the hard work of getting a goal back undone in a moment.
    I was wondering where everyone was, C100.

  45. 45
    Esso says:

    We are rubbish quite frankly. Hoping for a second half miracle but not exactly holding my breath,

  46. 46
    bt8 says:

    Just want to see some bravery and (controlled) aggression from the players in the second half.

  47. 47
    ksn says:

    We were so unlucky Luiz hit the post.

  48. 48
    ksn says:

    Martinelli to replace Pepe, who was a bit disappointing, except for his penalty conversion.

  49. 49
    Tapera Doma says:

    Come on coach, subs in. Take Willian out, Laca in.

  50. 50
    ksn says:

    Laca comes on for Nketiah.

  51. 51
    ksn says:

    We are so vulnerable against free kicks. What is the new set pieces coach doing in training.

  52. 52
    Cynic says:

    Been rubbish up top

  53. 53
    Tapera Doma says:

    Why did coach take forever (in my book) to make subs? Is he out of ideas now?

  54. 54
    Tapera Doma says:

    Next game have Willian & Pepe start on the bench.

  55. 55
    Cynic says:

    I would sell Pepe in January for whatever we can get, to be honest. He’s junk.

    Although knowing Edu, he’d sell Pepe and spunk gazillions on another Joorabchian client like Coutinho and I’d be, “FFS, I’d rather have Pepe back” within a month

  56. 56
    Tapera Doma says:

    What positives, if any, that can be taken to the next game?

  57. 57
    Cynic says:

    You might score if you attacked the chocolate box with a bit more conviction lads.

  58. 58
    ksn says:

    At we tried hard in the second half.

  59. 59
    Esso says:

    Bantz club

  60. 60
    North Bank Ned says:

    We were in the game, at least, but second best.

  61. 61
    Doctor Faustus says:

    Why couldn’t we start positively and try to impose ourselves earlier? Every match we start so passively … and only after conceding we show some impetus.

  62. 62
    Cynic says:

    I mean that feels like we played quite well but also that we were shit. Pochettino please, if he will come. If not him then Allegri (ditto)

    We’re hanging on to Arteta hoping he will come off and I can’t see it.

    Strongest part of our game is set plays and we have a specialist coach to handle that.

  63. 63
    Esso says:

    Why on earth is Pochettino gonna come to Arsenal?

  64. 64
    Esso says:

    And if he does so what? last ex sp*rz manager won us an FA Cup. And fuck all else.

  65. 65
    'desi'gner gooner says:

    Have to agree with Doc Faustus@61, we should have played on the front foot from the get go. The one game where we had to sit back was the Spurs one and ironically we went for that one from the first half. Today the second half was much better from us – that is how we should be playing. Bukayo Saka looked dangerous on the right – if Martinelli get’s fully fit – a front three of Martinelli, Auba and Saka would be promising. When is Partey coming back?!!!

  66. 66
    Cynic says:

    Why on earth is Pochettino gonna come to Arsenal?

    I dunno, maybe for the lols.

  67. 67
    Tapera Doma says:

    From the little I know about soccer, at this point there is no reason why Willian & Pepe should be ahead of Smith-Rowe. Willock, Nketiah, Martinelli, Nelson, Saka, Laca, Auba, Ceballos, AMN & Balogun.

  68. 68
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Leno,
    AMN, Gabriel, Holding, Tierney,
    Partey, Azeez,
    Saka, ESR, Martinelli,
    Auba

    Play that. Get Balogun on the bench. We can’t lose more than we are and that side is not gonna go down. But it is a side for the future.

  69. 69
    'desi'gner gooner says:

    GSD@68, that’s a good shout. If that is the approach we are taking, I would rather play Saliba alongside Gabriel. Maybe a tad harsh on Holding but he doesn’t have pace and if we want to be a front foot team, we have to play higher up the pitch with fast defenders who will enable us to play a high line.

  70. 70
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    I’m not suggesting Arteta is doing everything right at the moment. There are decisions I am not convinced by.

    But i don’t think this is as simple as just changing the manager. This squad is so poor. It has been constructed unbelievably badly. If we had spent our money well we could be doing really well but we have wasted it for years.

    Our current executive team has yet to prove it is any better than the muppets who preceded. We need at least a couple if years to run down contracts and overhaul the whole thing.

    Keep the good young players, build around them, blood them sooner than we might like, and give our young manager time.

    For all the gags we have not seen Artetaball yet. We have just seen him try to get performances from a squad not remotely suited to his vision of the game.

  71. 71
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Desi. Yeah, I’d play Saliba in the cups and see if he is ready for the league. Young defenders maybe need a little more protection than young attacking players. But I’d certainly back him for the future.

    However, he is currently ineligible and I have been impressed with how Holding is stepping up. And this squad seriously needs leaders. Holding is better than most of what we have in that department.

  72. 72
    Cynic says:

    It’s not as simple as changing the manager and the squad is poor, but he’s getting less out of it than Emery did and vertainly less than these players are capable of.

    We play a pretty stale style of football. This is not to say I’d prefer to be playing tippy tappy stuff that looks nice but is not very effective, but we don’t create. Tactically we don’t have the high press and our attacking ideas appear to be to get it wide and fling a cross in.

    There are no ideas and there’s no inspiration. Both of those come from the manager (the ideas at least) and I’m afraid we are finding out that Arteta is a bit empty. He can set a team up to look sort of organised but there’s nothing else.

  73. 73
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Cynic.

    I agree with half of the first paragraph, all of the second, but not the last one.

    Arteta got an FA Cup out of the same squad Emery had. But it is currently underperforming. However, when he has a squad he has helped build I think we will see more than your last paragraph points at.

    I think he is adapting like mad to a squad that just has few of the type of players he wants.

  74. 74
    ATG says:

    Came across this and oh boy we are in decline…

  75. 75
    ATG says:

    GSD,

    I would also include Saliba in your youth squad @68, Leicester are playing his mate from Lyon why can’t we?

  76. 76
    Tapera Doma says:

    Someone on tweeter says Willian has only 1 short on target this season. & yet the manager thinks he can still start and play 90 minutes.
    And then Pepe – slow ball movement, stop the unnecessary dribbling which is yielding ziltch.
    Seriously dude, what is the downside of playing someone else in Willian’s place?
    If no one has told you this before, what you are doing is NOT working at all. A continuation of the same will NOT change the results. CHANGE something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  77. 77
    bathgooner says:

    An unlucky 1-2 defeat at Everton is no disgrace. The second half display especially late on was the best and most coherently we have played in ages. There was very little difference in quality between these two teams yet Everton are on the up and in second place and we languish in the slough of despond.

    I find watching Elneny and Ceballos labouring aimlessly and unproductively in midfield excrutiating and symptomatic of our decline (it’s as bad as watching Selley, Hillier and Carter) but while Willock was a more energetic upgrade he isn’t the answer to our creative drought and we certainly know Xhaka isn’t. Our attacking drought will only be remedied by finding a balanced midfield – hopefully a fit Partey plus a pacy creative force.

    Our current situation is all on the board and executives over the last several years. Poor decision after poor decision, bad signing after bad signing, wrong contract offer after wrong contract offer, poor appointment after poor appointment all contributed to taking a top club to its knees. We have an ageing and unbalanced squad with diminishing book-value, few liquifiable assets and limited capital plus an owner who provides little evidence of more than limited interest.

    The rot started with the sacking of Dein (perhaps not undeserved) and the not-unrelated arrival on the board of Kroenke and Usmanov. The appointment of Gazidis and his behind the scenes shenanigans accelerated the process and it was accelerated by his appointment of his triumvirate to replace Wenger after he had succeeded in destabilising him. That was of course unstable and unworkable due to blurred responsibilities and duly disintegrated. I’m not entirely convinced that our current executive structure is markedly better or comprises top quality individuals and recent signings, Partey, Gabriel, Tierney and Martinelli apart, betray a suspicious agent influence..

    Mikel Arteta is a likeable man but he has a hell of a task. I hope he’s a lucky guy.

  78. 78
  79. 79
    Cynic says:

    I started to go off Arteta when I read he’d tried to persuade Mustafi to sign a new contract in the summer. I sort of thought Willian might be a good signing but he hasn’t been. That Arteta keeps picking him anyway is a sure sign, along with other things such as the reliance on crossing and banging on about all our marvellous crosses after every defeat, of someone who just doesn’t know what he’s doing.

    In my humble of course.

  80. 80
    North Bank Ned says:

    To my eye, Arteta has a very clear idea of how he wants his team to play. You see clear flashes of it in games, such as the final quarter of an hour today. His problem is that he lacks sufficient players who fit his system or who can play it with the necessary speed and intensity, and particularly in key positions. I would guess that the club accepted it would take a transfer window or two to make the necessary personnel changes and accepted that this would be a rebuilding season, assuming that the squad was still good enough to be in the top half of the table. Then the goals dried up and ‘transition season’ became ‘relegation-threatened’.

  81. 81
    Cynic says:

    We have three league games before the FA Cup tie in January. If he can’t win one of those, he has to go. The Man City game is irrelevant, unless he wants to win a cup and get relegated in the same season.

    That’s not alarmist, it’s realist.

  82. 82
    TTG says:

    Bath,
    You have set down a sensible and reasoned analysis of our problems . Historically the removal of Dein was pivotal because it reduced the effectiveness of Wenger significantly .
    Wenger stayed too long but was still much more effective than those who have tried to replace him. Contrast our home form in his last half season with ou4 firm at home so far this season .
    I’m starting to wonder if the success we had wasn’t Auba’s ‘ Annus mirabilis ‘ as he scored nearly all our goals but he can’t keep doing it forever and my huge concern about Arteta is our attacking play which is pedestrian, predictable and massively uncreative . I think Cynic’s timeframe is reasonable to assess whether he is able to motivate the players . After Chelsea we have more winnable games but that’s a moot point with this shower. I think the big problem may be Edu who has not cleaned out the stables and has brought in the Joorabchian offcuts at huge expense . Rookie managers don’t need rookie Directors of Football

  83. 83
    Cynic says:

    I think Dein was always the man with the real ability to judge who was the right fit for thi club and cherry picked Wenger’s shopping list accordingly. After he left, there was nobody doing that and we ended up buying some proper tripe in truly mystifying deals that were of no benefit to the club at all.

    That’s not to say we didn’t have a few when Dein was here, but since he left there was nobody to put the handbrake on for ridiculous deals like Park, which has always had a whiff about it, or Santos, or Wellington, or any number of deals that make me wonder just where the money went and why we spent it.

  84. 84
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Changing the manager in January is a horrible plan. A new guy will have had no time to plan with Edu how to approach the market. The Brazilian has not been convincing so far and I am not clear that he has a coherent plan or that he should be given the reins.

    The last thing we need is to fuck up another transfer window. Better to go out and get the manager the 10 he has been begging for, another option in CM and trim the squad as much as we can.

  85. 85
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Of course I hope we have picked up some points by then and the pressure of this dismal run is somewhat alleviated

  86. 86
    Gunnersaurus Stunt Double says:

    Cynic @83.

    And the flip side of that was that Dein could force Wenger to go through with a deal that cost a bit more than he thought it should. We missed out on so many players through Arsene’s parsimony that Dein would have insisted we cough up for.

  87. 87
    Cynic says:

    Then when he had money and decided to spend his way out of a mess largely of his own making, he bought some proper rubbish for daft fees on huge wages (not just Ozil) who are still hanging about.

    I think our dodgiest transfer of all was Joel Campbell, who seems to be a player who exists just to make people money. He’s had twenty different transfers in ten years, mostly being bounced out on loan and back again, with loan fees paid each time, and the occasional permanent move thrown in to get someone an extra few quid. Smallish sums but he’s like football’s equivalent of a loose change bottle, never going to be huge sums in it but there’s a little bit put by to help out.

  88. 88
    Bathgooner says:

    “Rookie managers don’t need rookie Directors of Football”

    TTG@82, Never have you made a wiser observation in a life filled with wise observations, sir.

    I increasingly suspect that we would make a bigger difference to the future of this club by giving Edu his jotters and replacing him with an experienced mentor for Arteta rather than ditching Arteta himself. There seems to be widespread belief that Arteta is a good coach. I’m not sure what Edu has achieved. What does he do at the Arsenal? A friend said, “Holds the door open for agents”. I always felt Edu was a rather unreliable dilettante in our nidfield and that may be his approach to all things in life. This January window will be a test of his abilities more than a test of Arteta (should he survive that long).

    Short of getting Stan to sell the club to a mega-wealthy life-long Arsenal fan, getting in an experienced foorball executive strikes me as a life-saving move for this club. I would take a close look at what Overmars achieved at Ajax and see if he is available now.

  89. 89
    Cynic says:

    giving Edu his jotters
    Decent player but he’s only recently joined Liverpool 🙂

    So bored I’ve just spent half an hour washing some dusters. Sundays in Tier Four, what’s a chap to do?

  90. 90
    Cynic says:

    Also looking at the up coming fixtures and trying to work out which results are best for us between teams threatened with relegation.

  91. 91
    North Bank Ned says:

    Cynic@90: Brighton not beating Sheffield Utd would be a start.

  92. 92
    North Bank Ned says:

    GSD@84: I agree there is a tremendous risk in changing manager in January. Not only would it potentially waste another transfer window, but the new manager would have half a season to instil a new way of playing. That may be too much of an ask, even if someone could work out how to use the midfielders we do have effectively.

  93. 93
    Sancho Panza says:

    I think it’s a given we will waste the transfer window regardless.

  94. 94
    Cynic says:

    If you wait too long you end up making the change too late. I was probably the only person on here who thought our problem last year was the players, not the manager, and wanted him to be given time. Only reluctantly did I accept he had to go.

    I feel the same about the players this season, but Arteta is doing a much worse job, in my opinion, so they should give him the three league games up to the New Year and if he doesn’t get at least one win, he should be sacked.

  95. 95
    Dorset Mick says:

    Just when things look really bad, the gift that keeps on giving concede a really pointless penalty against Leicester, and my smile returns. Petty, but there it is!

  96. 96
    Bathgooner says:

    Picks up the ball near the byeline from the keeper.

  97. 97
    Bathgooner says:

    Passes to a midfielder who turns 360 degrees with it and passes it square to…

  98. 98
    Bathgooner says:

    another midfielder who turns back and passes to the keeper…

  99. 99
    Bathgooner says:

    who punts it towards the opposition penalty area for…

  100. 100
    bt8 says:

    Sticks out a leg and hopes

  101. 101
    Pangloss says:

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>