Arsenal Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours 25/26

Last season we were absolutely plagued with injuries and that pretty much screwed our season. We've had a few also this season but with a deeper squad we should be better able to manage this.

Gyokeres hasn't reached the hoped for levels but our 2nd choice, Jesus, hasn't been any better when he's played. Our defence has been less impressive lately and up front only Trossard has really had a good season and he's dropped from that level recently. Martinelli hasn't been at it for a couple of years really and Saka hasn't been great for months. Madueke has been OK but not brilliant by any means. Setting up too conservatively doesn't help and the slow horseshoe play from left to right and back is making it easy for the opposition. Hincapie's run for the second goal and the pass to him is what we need to be doing more often but our forwards rarely do this and are even more rarely passed to when they do.

The only glimmer - sliver - of hope that I can see is that it can't be denied now that there's a mentality issue that's acting as a block on the team. Maybe facts will be faced and looked at plainly.

It isn't something that can be dismissed anymore: Liverpool weren't that bad really, Forest away is a tough tie, United scored two wonder goals, Brentford away is tough... Last night there were no excuses.

Two nil up against the worst team in PL history... Who, while making an effort in the game, were clearly not that great and didn't even play particularly well. And yet Arsenal still found a way to implode.

What adds insult to injury is the fact that there was zero need for Raya to come for that ball, there wasn't a Wolves player anywhere near it. It was a bad cross. I've never been more stunned and yet totally unsurprised by a moment in football.

They (Wolves) didn't even have a shot on target between both goals, we just completely crumbled under the remotest whiff of pressure.

I'm not even sure replacing Arteta solves it, we have had many examples of this mentality for years now, even in the Emery era (albeit with weaker players) we managed to somehow miss out on CL football despite nobody else seemingly wanting 4th place, AND being in a Europa League final.

I'm in a low place after that game last night despite where we sit in the table because that feeling we're all expressing… it's not a new one. There's just nothing left to hide the truth anymore.

I think it stretches back to the 07/08 season. Sorry to bring it up again, but I know, personally, since that season I've always had a dose of fatalism when it comes to Arsenal: that they won't do it, that they'll fail. Arsenal fans can't get salty or defensive when people say "bottlers" or "chokers". It's deserved.

I've seen people get defensive when people talk about the 23/24 run in. "lol, 16 wins out of 18 and you call that bottling, roll eyes emoji etc, etc" Yeah, great, 16 out 18, fantastic. But what about that other 2?

One was City away: played totally cautionary stuff, looking back they may as well have gone for it and died on their sword.

The other was Villa at home, a 0-2 defeat. That game was significant - if they had won that day they would have gone in front of City with six games left, Liverpool had already drawn, inexplicably, at home to Palace earlier that day.

It was the chance to get their noses in front. Everyone knew it. But, instead they played with fear and anxiety and got increasingly jittery when Villa didn't capitulate in the first twenty minutes and eventually suffered a humbling - but sadly thoroughly predictable - loss.

So, yeah, 16 out 18, great, but that was all in keeping pace - when they had the one opportunity to take the initiative: they didn't take it, they couldn't take it: they shat the bed. They fcking choked. When the chips were down they bottled it.

That 16 wins out of 18 defence annoys me every time I see it trotted out to counter "bottling" accusations. Yeah, great run, but at the decisive moment they didn't take their chance... again. I thought this year was going to be different... but, gah, I felt it again the night of the Liverpool home game.

I think there is something there that's deeper than Arteta for sure. I think a lot of Arsenal fans expect things to go wrong eventually and I think that lends itself to a slightly neurotic, emotionally charged atmosphere around the club: it colours the outside noise about the club to an extent. Some of that has to rub off on the players and the staff.

But, then again, you have to say last night was pathetic. Outside noise or no outside noise. Just absolutely pathetic. You don't deserve to be champions after that really.

I think you can have both things occuring.

I take your point about the City game, it doesn't bother me as much as the Villa game.

On one hand Arsenal did play great stuff and show great consistency during the latter half of that season, but the Villa game was the one to finally put their noses in front, to grab the opportunity and that's when they suddenly couldn't perform: the team got anxious, the crowd got anxious, you could feel it. I think it's revisionism to forget that game or handwave it away.

Edit: Not trying to come across at overbearing here. I guess it's a day of high emotion.

I hear you, however….

I think the fact that City have a mental strength & experience in landing big trophies that we don't gives them a significant advantage from this point on, so whilst we can mathematically win 4 trophies 'IF' we win every game between now & the end of the season, the reality is that this is extremely unlikely based on the fragility we've shown since Christmas. City whilst not being as dominant as they have been in the past have a manager that delivers & core players that deliver & owners that reinforce instantly when needed (legal or not, they address shortcomings quickly). We cannot match that ambition, resources or experience.

My genuine expectation is that in every 'must win' game we'll crumble as I've seen very little to suggest we're capable of regrouping to the extent of putting up much of a fight against city & the mental energy they bring in the run in. We had our chances to build a buffer against them but have pretty much failed at every opportunity to maintain a lead, let alone extend it. To me the writing is very clearly on the wall and no amount of bookies odds, simulations etc will change that.

As mentioned above we at the very minimum need to beat Spurs & Chelsea to keep ourselves in the mix, as I sit here now I would not be confident of 4 points, let alone the 6 we really need.

FTR i'm not being pessimistic, I've just accepted the reality & am going with my experience of both playing sport at a reasonably competitive level & watching a lot more of it over the last 40+ years. IMO we will win nothing this year, might win enough games to finish 2nd again (on the assumption Villa or United dont put a decent run in together), but thats about it.

What I'd like to see from the remainder of the season is something that we can build on for next year because thats when the fun really starts for Arteta as he wont have the injury excuses he had last season to fall back on for this one, that squad was more than strong enough to get the job done so where to next?

Same, I had justifications for the other poor results, but something shifted on Wednesday for me. I never bought into the whole dialogue that this City team were incapable of going on a run either, and their willingness to go out and improve the team in January told me they were serious about chasing us down. I was always of the belief if we opened up a big enough gap they might concentrate on other competitions or suchlike, but as we've failed to pull clear they've clearly taking the approach that its game on. With all the pressure on us its set up perfectly for them.