I was wondering that as well.. I thought he played well v. West Ham, then next game he was dropped. Hopefully these lads have produced a template till the end of the season.. All the coasting and lackadaisical attitude on the pitch banished - almost like they have all got a new lease of life. However, we will continue to take it one game at a time and hopefully the results of the past 2 months has been a sobering experience to most Arsenal fans - We are not entitled to a top4 finish, or even top6, the players (whoever is playing for Arsenal on the day must play for the badge), the fans in turn must always be ready to give 100% loyalty, get behind the team and be the 12th, 13th.... Man! These guys played with their hearts yesterday and I hope this experience will stand them in good stead going forward, the league is dusted(just a respectable position to fight for), however we should not be prioritizing any tournament, Europa League/FA Cup, players perform like they did on the pitch yesterday and we'll see where we are at the end of the season.
Has to be said, Arteta has done an incredible job so far in such a short space of time. I know we didn't get much out of our first two games under him, but the work rate was there, it was only the physical side that dropped and cost us against Chelsea. We tired again last night against Utd and fortunately they didn't have anything to hurt us with. It's something that can only come with time and conditioning, but after a few more games, these players will be up to the fitness levels that Arteta wants and we should be able to sustain those performances for the full 90 mins.
You can certainly see some of the Man City work ethic DNA coming out in our team since Arteta's arrival, amazing what desire, hunger and will to play as a team can do for a bunch of players who were truly out of form!
I hear Xhaka is staying now and not moving to Germany. Understand that Arteta rates him very highly. In spite of the 'incident' that's good enough for me.
Fascinating interview with Luiz. He admits the team are 'physically not ready' which just shows the training under Emery/Ljungberg was not up to the required standards.
Arteta has made an impressive transformation of our team so far. Not because we won (it helps), but our overall play and commitment on the ball. So far he seems to be a good fit for our team and also comes across as articulate, understanding, genuine but importantly doesn't suffer bullsh1t. It's just the start but the club needs to back him 100% and give him the support he needs by listening to him. He certainly has a good head on his shoulders and he is someone they should listen to.
To add, glad that he is working with Ozil and Xhaka, so far they look much improved under him. If he can bring back Ozil to his former glory, we certainly will pay dividends. This for me shows that he is a smart man and willing to give anyone a fair chance before making any decisions.
Torreira also. Think against Chelsea and United we've seen some of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt.
A cautionary tale, our style of play under Emery was seen as a step forward in his first few months, the energy, the pressing, the fact that he was able to tinker in between games were all positive.. Dunno what happened to that early promise... Did the players down tools? So the question is whether Arteta will be given the time it takes.. I hope he does
I think going manic-depressive on our managers is not productive. Arteta has made a good start, but lets not build him up to an expectation level that he can't possibly sustain. I think the fact that he was able to get Ozil fired up after 1 game, is just testimony about how wrong Emery was for the club. I'm willing to give Freddie a pass as he was clearly not ready for the full manager role, and he didn't really seek it out. Anyway, I think being down on the managers and players is bad, but let's not raise our expectations too high either. It really isn't fair on the team or the manager. I really don't want to ride this emotional roller-coaster anymore. How about we don't do that?
A little worried by just how **** we have been soo far. 8 shots to 1 in Leeds's favour. The old Xhaka is back - he's been terrible and looks like he's trying to get sent off.
Ugh not the best at all. David Luiz has been decent but Xhaka, Kolasinac, Sokratis, Guendouzi and Holding have all been poor. Lacazette has been beyond useless. Bring Martinez on.