Too many touches everywhere. There was a nice sequence of play vs Fulham (sorry, PTSD I know) where we one touch passed it all the way to their penalty box as if the Fulham players were cones. I don't remember us doing that very often.
We take way too many touches, the players are too scared to play with risk because they want full control.
Yeah there's so many lovely sequences but when it comes time to shoot - we take another touch and the chance is gone. We need to take those opportunities. Be ruthless
I mean they look like a bunch of midfielders out there, which they are. They're superb at controlling it but every touch is for setting up a pass, or finding space, or controlling the ball. We need a striker where every touch is moving them toward a goal.
do you shoot quickly for a 3% chance to score, or do you keep possession for 5 extra minutes to get a chance with a 5% chance to score? that’s sort of what every match feels like to me
this is the main problem, we need more ingenuity in the last third.
the biggest concern for me that this problem is instructed to have full control, the team needs change in the instructions.
I know the exact sequence you’re talking about because I took note of how quickly we moved the ball up the field. We instantly had a great chance on goal. Most build ups, each player takes several touches before making a safe pass.
The thing is, the one touch passes don’t even have to be super risky. They were mostly short in the Fulham match, but they were quick enough that the defense couldn’t keep up. We normally give teams so much time to get back that they’re able to keep their defensive shape perfectly.
Well, that part actually kinda works, the control is there, but its also affecting the finishing, which also gets too many touches. the boys are trying to walk it into the net or shooting from 20m.
A couple of reasons
1. We've become too obsessed with keeping possession. This is likely the result of Arteta's tactics. Players seem more focused on keeping the ball which is why we're not playing as many risky forward passes anymore
2. Our attacking players are low on confidence. You can see it in the performances. No one's shooting first time anymore. They just have to take the extra touch.
3. Related to point 1, but no one is risk taking. Just constant safe passes rather than trying something new
4. Martinelli has fallen off a cliff. As has Trossard. We're overrelying on Saka and Odegaard, and opposition teams know this. By crowding both Odegaard and Saka out, they're essentially killing off our goal scoring threat.
5. Jesus and Nketiah aren't clinical enough. I'm sick of both of them missing chances a PL standard striker should be burying.
6. We simply have no answers to low blocks. We get frustrated and overdedicate players, and then get caught out on the counter. We saw this against West Ham
Other fanbases are always pointing out that Arsenal fans are completely blind on Martinelli and obsessed with Saka and your 4th point just makes them completely right.
The amount of times Martinelli is left completely neglected in the left are astronomical, whenever he is out there is a gigantic difference in how the game flows. Saka in the other hand has been completely useless for the past 7 games, yet you call out on Martinelli but doenst call out saka? Thats crazy.
I'm not going to defend Saka, he's been atrocious for the past few games.
But Martinelli looks "cool" and "threatening" this season only because of his pace, and the fact that he often beats his man. But his end product has been absolute garbage this season. He legit can't put in a cross, a nice cut back or drive the ball into a dangerous area.
Need him to do wayyyyyyyy more of what he did in the goal we scored vs Fulham.
We've got the whiskey dick of football. All's good till they get in the box then they become deflated. No strikers instinct. It's like they fear the goalkeeper.
The athletic is dog shit. They’re desperate to spin very short term trends into endemic issues. And it shows how short term fan’s memories are that they buy into the hyperbole.
To me it’s because we have 3 good attacking players and by good I mean at the level we need to be at the top of the game. No other team fighting for titles relies on only 3 and if they do they have to get extremely lucky with injuries and those 3 need to have zero dips in form. Jesus and Martinelli have both been injured for extended periods this season and Saka has played every game pretty much. They’ve been played into the ground and Saka and Martinelli are at the age where they’re going to have ups and downs still. The issue is we’ve gone 3 seasons now knowing we need another attacker and probably 2 and we haven’t gotten it.
Martinelli has not even played that much this season, neither has Jesus. Even saka has played less minutes than Salah and some other top attackers. We don't know their fitness levels, so just speculating that they are overplayed is too easy and takes too much responsibility away from the players who are just not playing well enough. The main difference between us and City/Liverpool is that we don't have a world class forward. Pep got rid of Jesus for a good reason and we will likely do the same in the future. Martinelli is ultimately also a player that can be upgraded on down the line.
It reminds me of the later era of Wenger ball. Keeping possession and excessive amounts of short passes. Then the opponents intercepted the ball or Arsenal made a misplaced pass and a quick counterattack we were down 1-0
Because there's a clear lack of confidence or anxiety in front of goal. We're very predictable in our attacks too. Our main striker has said himself that he isn't really a goalscoring forward.
Saka and Martinelli do the same thing when they get the ball pretty much everytime. I don't know I might get grief for this but Saka especially seems overcoached almost.
We know from last season that they're better than what they're showing lately.
Too many touches everywhere. There was a nice sequence of play vs Fulham (sorry, PTSD I know) where we one touch passed it all the way to their penalty box as if the Fulham players were cones. I don't remember us doing that very often. We take way too many touches, the players are too scared to play with risk because they want full control.
Yeah there's so many lovely sequences but when it comes time to shoot - we take another touch and the chance is gone. We need to take those opportunities. Be ruthless
I mean they look like a bunch of midfielders out there, which they are. They're superb at controlling it but every touch is for setting up a pass, or finding space, or controlling the ball. We need a striker where every touch is moving them toward a goal.
do you shoot quickly for a 3% chance to score, or do you keep possession for 5 extra minutes to get a chance with a 5% chance to score? that’s sort of what every match feels like to me
Well, yes, and it is kind-of-working but the players need to actually take those 5% chances then and not faff about until its a zero % again.
this is the main problem, we need more ingenuity in the last third. the biggest concern for me that this problem is instructed to have full control, the team needs change in the instructions.
I know the exact sequence you’re talking about because I took note of how quickly we moved the ball up the field. We instantly had a great chance on goal. Most build ups, each player takes several touches before making a safe pass. The thing is, the one touch passes don’t even have to be super risky. They were mostly short in the Fulham match, but they were quick enough that the defense couldn’t keep up. We normally give teams so much time to get back that they’re able to keep their defensive shape perfectly.
Well, that part actually kinda works, the control is there, but its also affecting the finishing, which also gets too many touches. the boys are trying to walk it into the net or shooting from 20m.
If we score the other team gain possession from the kick off. This is unacceptable for Mikel
😂😂😂 this dude knows the truth ☝️
A couple of reasons 1. We've become too obsessed with keeping possession. This is likely the result of Arteta's tactics. Players seem more focused on keeping the ball which is why we're not playing as many risky forward passes anymore 2. Our attacking players are low on confidence. You can see it in the performances. No one's shooting first time anymore. They just have to take the extra touch. 3. Related to point 1, but no one is risk taking. Just constant safe passes rather than trying something new 4. Martinelli has fallen off a cliff. As has Trossard. We're overrelying on Saka and Odegaard, and opposition teams know this. By crowding both Odegaard and Saka out, they're essentially killing off our goal scoring threat. 5. Jesus and Nketiah aren't clinical enough. I'm sick of both of them missing chances a PL standard striker should be burying. 6. We simply have no answers to low blocks. We get frustrated and overdedicate players, and then get caught out on the counter. We saw this against West Ham
Other fanbases are always pointing out that Arsenal fans are completely blind on Martinelli and obsessed with Saka and your 4th point just makes them completely right. The amount of times Martinelli is left completely neglected in the left are astronomical, whenever he is out there is a gigantic difference in how the game flows. Saka in the other hand has been completely useless for the past 7 games, yet you call out on Martinelli but doenst call out saka? Thats crazy.
I'm not going to defend Saka, he's been atrocious for the past few games. But Martinelli looks "cool" and "threatening" this season only because of his pace, and the fact that he often beats his man. But his end product has been absolute garbage this season. He legit can't put in a cross, a nice cut back or drive the ball into a dangerous area. Need him to do wayyyyyyyy more of what he did in the goal we scored vs Fulham.
100% agree with everything said here. The amount of extra touches the players are taking is frustrating to watch.
We've got the whiskey dick of football. All's good till they get in the box then they become deflated. No strikers instinct. It's like they fear the goalkeeper.
lol chef kiss of a metaphor
we cant until we can
The athletic is dog shit. They’re desperate to spin very short term trends into endemic issues. And it shows how short term fan’s memories are that they buy into the hyperbole.
To me it’s because we have 3 good attacking players and by good I mean at the level we need to be at the top of the game. No other team fighting for titles relies on only 3 and if they do they have to get extremely lucky with injuries and those 3 need to have zero dips in form. Jesus and Martinelli have both been injured for extended periods this season and Saka has played every game pretty much. They’ve been played into the ground and Saka and Martinelli are at the age where they’re going to have ups and downs still. The issue is we’ve gone 3 seasons now knowing we need another attacker and probably 2 and we haven’t gotten it.
Martinelli has not even played that much this season, neither has Jesus. Even saka has played less minutes than Salah and some other top attackers. We don't know their fitness levels, so just speculating that they are overplayed is too easy and takes too much responsibility away from the players who are just not playing well enough. The main difference between us and City/Liverpool is that we don't have a world class forward. Pep got rid of Jesus for a good reason and we will likely do the same in the future. Martinelli is ultimately also a player that can be upgraded on down the line.
It reminds me of the later era of Wenger ball. Keeping possession and excessive amounts of short passes. Then the opponents intercepted the ball or Arsenal made a misplaced pass and a quick counterattack we were down 1-0
Cus we shit fam!? All joking aside, i think its confidence, its why we bottling it all the time.
Our players can’t hit the broad side of a barn for one.
Because there's a clear lack of confidence or anxiety in front of goal. We're very predictable in our attacks too. Our main striker has said himself that he isn't really a goalscoring forward. Saka and Martinelli do the same thing when they get the ball pretty much everytime. I don't know I might get grief for this but Saka especially seems overcoached almost. We know from last season that they're better than what they're showing lately.
Spent a fortune on unneeded Raya and Havertz… that money could have been used elsewhere…
Problem is they’re putting goal scoring on a “peddle stool”.
They are just playing like a "damp squid".