By Nitram
Following on from Tony’s recent article: Arsenal behind Chelsea and Tottenham: How a once decent publication slipped into the gutter, regarding the Athletic’s nonsensical statement that:
“Arsenal are one of seven top-flight London clubs in 2024-25, and have often finished behind Chelsea and Tottenham in recent seasons.”
I got to wondering where all this recent media abuse and double talk has come from. You know the sort of things I’m talking about:
- The mainstream media, especially SKY sports, endlessly criticising everything, and I mean everything, we do. (Even down to making an incident between Jens Lehmann and a neighbour a headline story this week).
- Pep, a supposed ‘friend’ of Arteta, throwing his toys out of the pram over one comment. Demanding answers. (Someone at City demanding answers. Oh, the irony.)
- Manchester City players almost to a man accusing us of Dark Arts, simply because they are finding it tough to beat us.
- Ex-professionals calling us cheats (Souness). Embarrassing (Keane). Lucky (Owen. Really Michael. Are you serious?)
I agree with Tony that a lot of it is about deflection. For example, I think the notion that Arsenal are ‘Cheats’ is a deliberate and calculated attempt to deflect attention from Man City’s current trial, which is effectively about Man City ‘cheating’.
But as my heading suggests, I think it is also about something else. Something much more visceral. Fear.
The more I read, the more I see, the more I believe they are all running scared.
They can see what is being built at Arsenal. By the Club. By Edu. And of course by Arteta. Since their arrival, Edu and Arteta have been imperious in the transfer market, and with Trossard and Odegaard have acquired two of the best value buys EVER in Premier League history. Saliba and Gabriel are not far behind.
They have seen we are capable of bringing top-quality youth through the ranks. Okay, not all are quite good enough to demand first-team football at Arsenal, so they move on. Nevertheless many are still plying their trade at good, even very good, teams in the premiership. Our youth system is producing the players.
In Arteta, we have a tactical genius. He is not flamboyant à la Wenger, but we certainly can, and do, play with flair when needed. I don’t think he sees football as an art, more a game of chess.
He has all the pieces and he will deploy them in whatever manner he wants, depending on the challenge put in front of him. Whereas Wenger used to say, ‘we are going to go out there and play OUR game. It is up to you to stop us’, for many years they couldn’t.
Arteta is a pragmatist, not an artist. He will do whatever he thinks he needs to do to maximise our chances of a result. All-out assault or 11 behind the ball. He can use both in one game. It all depends on the opposition or the state of the game. He is a master of adaptation.
He got so much unfair criticism for his 2nd half approach against Man City, but he must have known that the last five teams to play City at the Etihad with 10 men all got stuffed, and they included Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea, I believe. It’s all very well being brave, but coming away with nothing wasn’t an option.
These people see this in Arteta. Ruthless. Clever. Afraid of nobody or anything.
No, I’m not saying we are the best team around. Not necessarily even in the PL. We cannot claim that until we win the PL. But these people can see where this is going, and it has brought that underlying hatred of Arsenal surging back to the surface.
It has even got under peps skin, that’s how obvious it is. Fear can do funny things to people.
The thing is, all this stuff rankles with me, with us I believe. It really pisses us off for want of a better word. But luckily it doesn’t seem to affect Arteta or the players, at all.
It’s like, yeah right, think what you like. Say what you like. We’ll just keep doing our thing and see where it takes us. Bring it on.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
@Nitram,
as you say : bring it on…bring it on… be afraid.
Basically, am I wrong or was it 10 man Arsenal without Odegaard, not getting anihilated by City with 80% of the ball ?
Yeah… be afraid…this team has a mettle not seen since the Invincibles, or IMHO even a stronger one.
And this thanks basically to fantastic manager : Mr Arteta. He is as you say ruthless as far as strategy and tactics are concened.
And we are still seeing Wengerball in each and every game.
So I’m happy to be an Arsenal fan and I believe that Arsenal are just starting a long period at the top. And as long as the games are lively, the team fighting, the spirits positive, I’m fine.
Hopefully the corrupt refs allow it.
Ps what happened to that guy Walter? Is he still alive>?
We are unbeaten in the PL. Sitting nicely in 3rd place, level on points with Man City. We have just beaten PSG in the CL All positive you would think? You would think.? But no, the eternal DRIP DRIP DRIP of negativity has to carry on. Even when a story is largely positive the headline often has to carry a negative connotation. This morning I just googled an Arsenal search and these are the 7 headlines that came up, and they are a prime example of how the DRIP DRIP DRIP has to be maintained:
1 – FoLo: Mikel Merino’s brilliant response to Arsenal debut after injury comeback vs PSG
2 – NewcastleWorld: ‘Trophy-obsessed’ – Mikel Merino fires Newcastle United dig after making Arsenal debut
3 – The Mirror: Arsenal news: Mikel Merino assessment made as Gunners get Martin Odegaard injury update.
Okay, nothing negative in those first 3 headlines, or stories, but that’s 3 out of 7 headlines, and stories.
4 – The Mirror: Thierry Henry shares honest doubts about Bukayo Saka at Arsenal.
I know the story is a positive one on the whole, but that isn’t the point. The headline still has to have a negative slant.
DRIP DRIP DRIP
5 – Football Fancast: Arsenal’s “top signing” left for free, now he’s outscoring Saka & Trossard
“There are a lot of things going very right at Arsenal at the moment, from the action on the pitch to the deals off of it. Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have helped to completely transform the club from one that was lingering in midtable mediocrity a few years ago to one that is now fighting for major honours on all fronts”.
This is a prime example of how complete and utter nonsense is stated as fact just to support an already flawed premise. First and foremost, at what point over the last “few years” have Arsenal been “lingering in midtable mediocrity”? Okay 5th – 6th – 5th – 8th – 8th – 5th between ’16/’17 and ’21/’22 is not what any of us wanted, but to to call it “Midtable mediocrity” is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? And all this just to point out that Danny Welbeck has scored one more goal than Saka and Trossard.
I know it doesn’t matter, but what it shows is the lengths that some people will go to, to find something negative to say about Arsenal. And yes, of course I know it’s click bait. But my point is it’s NEGATIVE click bait. Even when things are going well, negative headlines and stories, no matter how flimsy or untrue, about Arsenal, still have to be written.
DRIP DRIP DRIP
6 – Football365: Arsenal flop joins Man Utd pair in Ten Premier League summer departees thriving in Europe this season.
This is a great example of how the negative component of this story is clearly attached to Arsenal first and foremost, with the opening 2 words in the headline “Arsenal Flop”.
This despite in their list of 10 players, 2 are from Man Utd, as they do point out in the headline (So, why not 2 Man Utd FLOPS joined by Arsenal player…?), 2 are from Spurs (Why not 2 Spurs FLOPS are joined by Man Utd pair…?), and 2 from Brighton and 1 each from Chelsea, Southampton, and Crystal Palace.
We all know this is mindless twaddle. Who cares? Nobody. Football365 knows nobody gives a damn. But that’s not the point is it. The point is just to somehow manufacture a story, no matter how trivial, that gets Arsenal into a negative headline.
DRIP DRIP DRIP
7 – The Daily Express: ‘I always wanted to play for Arsenal – but I ended up hating them because of one man’
This is a story about how Wenger sold Gervinho. This is a quote from him in the article: “As a child, I dreamed of playing for Arsenal because I loved them,” Gervinho revealed in a 2013 interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. “Now I hate them for the way Wenger treated me”.
Yep, you’ve read that right. The Express have dug this story up from 2013. Unbelievable.
DRIP DRIP DRIP
So, despite how well we are doing, the endless DRIP DRIP DRIP of negativity has to be maintained.
Lucy Ashdown
I will take the liberty of answering on Walters behalf as he may miss this.
Walter is still around, contributing his occasional, insightful posts, as you will see if you read back through the last half dozen, dozen articles.
I see T. Henry has now joined the knocking.
Henry is someone who as a player I thought was sublime but in all other aspects I found him arrogant and selfish (see his on field demeanour last 3 years with us), waving arms , belittling others)
Apparently having decided Villa were more impressive v BM than us v PSG he is of the view we should have stuck with Emery and not appointed Arteta.
A1 m
What is it with these ex Arsenal players?
In any case, how were Aston Villa even that impressive?
They were outplayed from start to finish, and the stats support that:
Villa – Munich
Possession: 33% to 67%
Goal attempts: 5 to 17. Yep, Villa had just one third the shots of Munich.
On target: 2 to 7. Yep, Villa had just 2 shots on target, just under a quarter of Munich’s.
Corner kicks: 1 to 11. Yep, Villa forced just one corner, just over a tenth of Munich’s.
Passes: 290 to 658.
Clearances completed: 19 to 3. Yep, Munich had to clear the ball just 3 times.
xG: 0.25 to 1.47.
Aston Villa were totally outplayed the entire match. They were second best in all parameters, by quite some distance. All that happened was Munich missed their chances and Villa caught them on the break. It happens.
Well done Villa. This is not a pop at them, it was a fantastic result. Given Munichs team probably a better ‘result’ than ours. I have no problem conceding that. I’m pleased for Villa. But that’s it. To suggest it was a more impressive ‘performance’ than Arsenals is ridiculous.
It wasn’t a better performance than Arsenals, and for Henry to suggest it was is just a bit sad really. Why he feels the need to do this. To jump on the ‘knock Arsenal at any opportunity’ band wagon, I do not know.
There are now so many ex Arsenal players that I once idolised, that I just don’t any more. Ranging from absolutely no time for them at all, to just take ’em or leave ’em.
Why have so many ex Arsenal players turned in to such total dim wits? As if we don’t have enough to contend with, with the hacks.
As I say, sa really sad.
Villa, or rather Emery were tactically astute and played against the high line of Bayern – just look at the goal.
I don’t have anything against Emery, but frankly, how can anyone way he is any better then Mr Arteta…
I think the exes saying bad things against Arsenal have some open griefs against Mr Wenger, maybe because he ‘sold’ them to finance the Emirates – and did so just at the right time.
Let them spread their bile and lets not forget we’ve got guys like Mertesaker, Wilshere. Walcott, Edu, Arteta who are positively into Arsenal and definitely leading the club to better times then under Mr Emery….
So we have the negative henry story highlighted by A1 m
More DRIP DRIP DRIP
And still the negativity goes on.
The Mirror: Peter Schmeichel tells Mikel Arteta that ex-Arsenal star is ‘proving him wrong’ No he isn’t. Raya is better.
They continue:
“Goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel is impressed by Arsenal’s David Raya but he thinks Mikel Arteta will still consider Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez to be one who got away” No he wont. Raya is better.
Basically it’s not a negative story. It’s a stupid story. (What’s Arteta supposed to do? Play two keepers?) Not a negative one. But yet again that hasn’t stopped The Mirror finding a negative Arsenal slant, and putting that in the headline.
More DRIP DRIP DRIP.
It’s endless. All day. Every day.