Will Arsenal ever be great again?

[swipe right]

That won't make us great again Swipey, scoring goals has never been a big issue for us, being one dimensional, being unable to defend, these 2 things are a far bigger problem.

Scoring more goals that the other team is the only way to win games. We don’t have a top center forward. And Harry Kane is a top center forward. They are rarely on the market. If one is available we should be in for him.

[Highbury Hillbilly]

Too many bottlers in the team. That's why we've never held our nerve in the truly big games, either at the end of the season, R16 Champions League or in a major cup final.

I'm not counting FA Cups here because we've shown we can win those even during a crap season.

We need players with the indefatigable will to win, like Alexis Sanchez, Fabregas or RVP. Will Saka, ESR and Martinelli have that? Will they even stick around long enough for us to benefit ?

[theHotHead]

That won't make us great again Swipey, scoring goals has never been a big issue for us, being one dimensional, being unable to defend, these 2 things are a far bigger problem.

Scoring more goals that the other team is the only way to win games. We don’t have a top center forward. And Harry Kane is a top center forward. They are rarely on the market. If one is available we should be in for him.

Dude have you not learned anything from the last 15 years at Arsenal ? We have had the best strikers in the world and yet not challenged for the league. That has not been our problem.

[theHotHead]

Too many bottlers in the team. That's why we've never held our nerve in the truly big games, either at the end of the season, R16 Champions League or in a major cup final.

I'm not counting FA Cups here because we've shown we can win those even during a crap season.

We need players with the indefatigable will to win, like Alexis Sanchez, Fabregas or RVP. Will Saka, ESR and Martinelli have that? Will they even stick around long enough for us to benefit ?

I don't think you can level that accusation at the group of players we have now, certainly not in the big games, Arteta has come out trumps time and again. I think Saka and ESR have been our best and most consistent performers so I find it strange that you question their will to win - when they produce the goods when more accomplished players around them do not. Martinelli looks to be from the same mould as the other 2.

[Nuggets]

Get a new owner new manager and new players don't see why not we can't be great again.

[Angelito]

That won't make us great again Swipey, scoring goals has never been a big issue for us, being one dimensional, being unable to defend, these 2 things are a far bigger problem.

That was under Wenger.

Right now, we don't have an identity. We don't know whether we are an attacking side or a defensive side. We're a mid-table side.

That's what we do know. We have been one for the past two seasons.

This administration would be pretty satisfied if we challenged for top-6 and finished 7th next season as long as we cut down the wage bill.

I do disagree with Swipey though. No world class player would want to join Arsenal at this stage, nor would a solitary world class player prefer to be a scapegoat for Arsenal's failings. At this stage, Arsenal is the worst club a bonafide star could join.

The sooner fans accept Arsenal as the new version of Everton under Moyes, the easier it will be for your heart and mind.

[Arsenal Tone]

Why is 'identity' so important? Why do we have to be either defensive or attacking? Why can't we mix it up and be good at both?

[jayramfootball]

We won't be a great team until we replace the vast majority of the current squad.
it's that simple.

[Arsenal Tone]

That won't make us great again Swipey, scoring goals has never been a big issue for us, being one dimensional, being unable to defend, these 2 things are a far bigger problem.

That was under Wenger.

Right now, we don't have an identity. We don't know whether we are an attacking side or a defensive side. We're a mid-table side.

That's what we do know. We have been one for the past two seasons.

This administration would be pretty satisfied if we challenged for top-6 and finished 7th next season as long as we cut down the wage bill.

I do disagree with Swipey though. No world class player would want to join Arsenal at this stage, nor would a solitary world class player prefer to be a scapegoat for Arsenal's failings. At this stage, Arsenal is the worst club a bonafide star could join.

The sooner fans accept Arsenal as the new version of Everton under Moyes, the easier it will be for your heart and mind.

I disagree with pretty much all of this tbh.

I think we're closer to greatness than you think.

If mavrapanos or saliba can come back and fight luiz/holding for a place next to gabriel, we sign a CM partner for partey and auba/laca are properly replaced (martinelli could replace auba) then our first XI would be immense. Then it'd just be a case of sorting the squad players and we have a few more youngsters who might do that next season (Azeez, Balogun and a few others who are out on loan).

I am quietly confident. Then imagine we win the europa league and suddenly Arteta has CL money to spend for the first time!

[theHotHead]

That won't make us great again Swipey, scoring goals has never been a big issue for us, being one dimensional, being unable to defend, these 2 things are a far bigger problem.

That was under Wenger.

Right now, we don't have an identity. We don't know whether we are an attacking side or a defensive side. We're a mid-table side.

That's what we do know. We have been one for the past two seasons.

This administration would be pretty satisfied if we challenged for top-6 and finished 7th next season as long as we cut down the wage bill.

I do disagree with Swipey though. No world class player would want to join Arsenal at this stage, nor would a solitary world class player prefer to be a scapegoat for Arsenal's failings. At this stage, Arsenal is the worst club a bonafide star could join.

The sooner fans accept Arsenal as the new version of Everton under Moyes, the easier it will be for your heart and mind.

I disagree with pretty much all of this tbh.

I think we're closer to greatness than you think.

If mavrapanos or saliba can come back and fight luiz/holding for a place next to gabriel, we sign a CM partner for partey and auba/laca are properly replaced (martinelli could replace auba) then our first XI would be immense. Then it'd just be a case of sorting the squad players and we have a few more youngsters who might do that next season (Azeez, Balogun and a few others who are out on loan).

I am quietly confident. Then imagine we win the europa league and suddenly Arteta has CL money to spend for the first time!

Like you I don't think we are far away either. I would change the manager though, that would have the biggest impact for me. Everyone knows I don't think we have a bad squad at all, I think most of them are capable, just 3 or 4 that need to be shipped out with haste.

[Arsenal Tone]

That won't make us great again Swipey, scoring goals has never been a big issue for us, being one dimensional, being unable to defend, these 2 things are a far bigger problem.

That was under Wenger.

Right now, we don't have an identity. We don't know whether we are an attacking side or a defensive side. We're a mid-table side.

That's what we do know. We have been one for the past two seasons.

This administration would be pretty satisfied if we challenged for top-6 and finished 7th next season as long as we cut down the wage bill.

I do disagree with Swipey though. No world class player would want to join Arsenal at this stage, nor would a solitary world class player prefer to be a scapegoat for Arsenal's failings. At this stage, Arsenal is the worst club a bonafide star could join.

The sooner fans accept Arsenal as the new version of Everton under Moyes, the easier it will be for your heart and mind.

I disagree with pretty much all of this tbh.

I think we're closer to greatness than you think.

If mavrapanos or saliba can come back and fight luiz/holding for a place next to gabriel, we sign a CM partner for partey and auba/laca are properly replaced (martinelli could replace auba) then our first XI would be immense. Then it'd just be a case of sorting the squad players and we have a few more youngsters who might do that next season (Azeez, Balogun and a few others who are out on loan).

I am quietly confident. Then imagine we win the europa league and suddenly Arteta has CL money to spend for the first time!

Like you I don't think we are far away either. I would change the manager though, that would have the biggest impact for me. Everyone knows I don't think we have a bad squad at all, I think most of them are capable, just 3 or 4 that need to be shipped out with haste.

Thing is, Arteta has fone a really good job of offloading players in January to make room for the summer. I am hopeful that there will be a few more departures in the summer and that there will be two or three signings that are for the first team. A DM to replace Xhaka next to Partey would transform us.

Think about a year ago and how different our squad looks. Could be another big lot of changes in the summer.

[theHotHead]

If we can get replacements for Xhaka, Bellerin, Ceballos/Elneny and keep Odegaard we would have a bloody good team ! I would put them up against every team in the league !

[Highbury Hillbilly]

Comments on this topic would have been largely the same if we were 5th/6th under a different manager right now. I don't recall anybody being particularly satisfied with Emery at this point in 2019, even with Top 4 a point away.

As for 2021, we have a Top 6 squad, no doubt about it. We're 9th because of comical errors at the back every week, combined with questionable squad picks. Arteta should go if he can't close the 6-7pt gap w/ Spurs and WHU.

But there's a long way to go from 6th to 4th. Emery blew it w/ us, Rodgers blew it w/ Leicester last season.

[Angelito]

That won't make us great again Swipey, scoring goals has never been a big issue for us, being one dimensional, being unable to defend, these 2 things are a far bigger problem.

That was under Wenger.

Right now, we don't have an identity. We don't know whether we are an attacking side or a defensive side. We're a mid-table side.

That's what we do know. We have been one for the past two seasons.

This administration would be pretty satisfied if we challenged for top-6 and finished 7th next season as long as we cut down the wage bill.

I do disagree with Swipey though. No world class player would want to join Arsenal at this stage, nor would a solitary world class player prefer to be a scapegoat for Arsenal's failings. At this stage, Arsenal is the worst club a bonafide star could join.

The sooner fans accept Arsenal as the new version of Everton under Moyes, the easier it will be for your heart and mind.

I disagree with pretty much all of this tbh.

I think we're closer to greatness than you think.

If mavrapanos or saliba can come back and fight luiz/holding for a place next to gabriel, we sign a CM partner for partey and auba/laca are properly replaced (martinelli could replace auba) then our first XI would be immense. Then it'd just be a case of sorting the squad players and we have a few more youngsters who might do that next season (Azeez, Balogun and a few others who are out on loan).

I am quietly confident. Then imagine we win the europa league and suddenly Arteta has CL money to spend for the first time!

I admire your optimism. I can't share the same sadly.

You have presented multiple ifs there:

- If Dinos/Saliba returns;
- If they get a chance to stake their claim;
- If we sign a top class CM. You didn't mention that it had to be top class. He does. Or else, we already have a hoard of CMs here;
- If Auba/Laca are properly replaced;
- If Martinelli is adequately incorporated in the starting line-up;
- Finally, yet not explicitly, if Mikel is a top-tier manager to become a catalyst for greatness.

You're seeing it, right?

I've always believed that it's better to live in hope than die in despair. I do admire your hope.

But the multiple choices you presented to punctuate our journey to greatness makes me even more skeptical.

And, define greatness for me.

Is it challenging for league titles or is it the greatness of 10/11 until 16/17 under Wenger?

Even if those ifs become reality, we are up against super-spenders with the greatest manager in the world today. We are up against another super-spender who have a recent history of winning and winning. We're up against a legendary club with a colossus of a manager. We are going against the most successful club in English football history, a mega-rich franchise. We're competing against a sleeping giant with hopes of rejuvenation. Finally, we are competing against a local rival.

Last season, Arteta spent more money than Unai was granted in his first season here. Arteta spent more money last summer than Wenger did in the summers of 15/16 and 17/18 combined.

The media narrative has turned and twisted from those warchests at Wenger's disposal that he'd never use to wE hAz oNly 22 pEnce to spEnD, nO maA-neE—that Arsenal's premier PR portals publish as "news."

Hey! I hope you're vindicated and the Kroenkes take us to promise land. I just am not sure what you're loudly confident about: Arsenal challenging for the league or us becoming old-school, top-4 Arsenal again?

[Arsenal Tone]

^ i mean challenging for titles.

I know what you are saying, I didn't want Arteta. But he has made sweeping changes, offloaded in January, I want to see what happens in the summer. I want to see how we start next season. If we get to November and are midtable then we change him.

I look at the gaps that have been filled. Tierney, Gabriel, Partey, Saka, Smith-Rowe, Odegaard (or the knowledge we need someone there), Martinelli. That is 7 of the starting XI sorted including players who are yet to peak. Sign three outfield first teamers this summer (we made room in January so don't have to offload before we can buy like last summer) and our first XI is right up there. We have players like Mari, Pepe, Cedric as cover and more youth with Azeez coming through. Auba might stay, so him, Luiz and Willian offer experience in the squad depth along with one of Holding/Chambers who are now mid 20s.

The squad looks good, we need a partner for Partey and a partner for Gabriel. We need to replace Laca if he goes and maybe an upgrade on Bellerin. That is not unrealistic this summer.