End of season thoughts

Well, we have made top 4 with the points total we have, 12 times in the last 20 years, most years 75 points would be enough. The league performance this year has been fairly normal, it was just that the league is a little more stratified.

That said, our "Normal" league performance is not good enough.

My feelings at the end of the season are as follows:

1. If we have to keep one player out of Sanchez and Ozil, I'd pick Ozil; I just enjoy watching him play more, but I'd like to keep them both.

2. Unusually, I don't really have a clue what is going wrong tactically. Most seasons you can look at our team and see what is wrong, not this year.

3. Given 2, I am not sure that I really see the point in getting rid of Wenger. I thought there was a better case for him going 5 years ago. Now, I am less sure.

4. I want to see what this team does next year. I really enjoy watching this team. In past years, I never believed we were only one or two players short, now I do.

5. The Europa league isn't a disaster. Lots of teams win the league, without the distraction of the Champions league. Our season took a nose-dive, like it always does, at about the knockout stage of the Champions League. I don't think that is a coincidence.

6. Wenger still seems to be able to sign players that are good for a great price. Holding, Xhaka and Mustafi have all been class acts this year, however all are learning the league. They will be better next year.

7. If Wenger does go. I want to see another long-term, respected, manager come in. I don't want to see a Mourinho or a Klopp come in. I like the Wenger style of management. I don't like a boom or bust attitude.

8. The players screwed up this year, not Wenger. Lose against the big teams, the teams are not good enough; Lose against the small teams, the players are not playing to their potential.

9. I like the 3 at the back formation. It seems to suit Wenger's style. Why didn't he think of it 10 years ago? Probably because he didn't have enough good CBs, to play it. We were always wanting for CBs.

10. Time to give up on Walcott, Gibbs and maybe a couple of others. We still don't have much depth. I might keep Chambers tho, he might not be a bad back-up in the 3 CB system. He never was a good RB.

11. I am still likely to post an optimistic prediction for the season next year. Hope springs eternal.

 

Sorry results did not go your way. Are you keeping Wenger?

 

I actually think the one or two players short is less true now than it has been for a long time. How many top class players have we really got in our squad?

 

We could be facing a very bleak future if we allow Sanchez to go this summer.

Perhaps Wenger will stay 1 more year whilst they try to get Sanchez to sign a new contract knowing Wenger is going

or Wenger goes now and Sanchez stays and signs when he knows who new manager is

 

**** season, we got what we deserved to be honest.

Positives are the 3-4-3 are the strong end to the season. We need to buy some quality in the summer and not **** around penny pinching, signing our 3rd choice players on the last day of the window and starting the new season completely unprepared.

 

Koscielney, Mustafi, Bellerin, Xhaka, Ozil, Sanchez

Players that are capable:
Ramsey - he is far better in the new system than in any position in the 4-2-3-1.
Holding - Getting better every game. Rookie mistakes, but I think he is a future great. If we are talking class, this guy has it.

Very good backups: (You can't have world class players sitting on the bench, but often a team is defined by having a very good, content second string)
Giroud - Has a tremendous Goals-per-minute record this season. I don't think he suits the new system, so I think he should be traded.
Monreal - aging now, but now he will be an awesome second-string wing-back and CB.
Chamberlain - I think Bellerin has him beat in both directions as a wing-back, but he played this position well.
Coquelin - Still like this guy, and as a back up to Xhaka, he is a real star.

We need to trade Giroud for a mobile CF who is also good with his head. Welbeck isn't good enough.
We needed a better left wing-back and we got him (I think).
If Ramsey doesn't make the grade we need a better dynamic all-rounder in the middle.

So yes, I think we are 1, 2 or 3 players short of a fantastic team.

 

Sorry but i can't see our club doing it this summer, they always seem to **** it up year after year. Who knows, they might just do the unexpected and actually do the business this summer window. It would take a monumental effort from them to get the players we need to go us back to the top. Ultimately it's what us fans want, but this does not reflect what the management want, more importantly the owner Kroenke. He's still guaranteed to get his money whether we do really well or not. What's the worst we can do, hit mid table? He's still got Wenger and the money's still rolling in with season ticket sales and merchandising. Arsenal is his lovely cash cow.

 

Bellerin's had a pretty poor season I thought, Xhaka deserves another season but he's looked like a massive waste of £35m so far outside of a couple of games against dross

 

Have to say I disagree with most of those points:

1. I would pick Sanchez as he is the type of player we need (works his socks off etc)

2. I think we are extremely weak tactically - thats one of Wenger's weaknesses. We do nothing to set up against specific teams, we just do the same thing game after game, not to mention most games we don't look properly prepared...

3. along with being tactically inept, Wenger also does nothing to galvanize the team. NOT TO MENTION he cannot continue forever, we have to make a change sometime...so while I am resigned to him staying, I would not go as far as to say 'i do not see the point of getting rid of him'

4. Im shocked you find this team so positive and enjoy watching them so much, I would say we are farther away from winning the title than we have been for a while, and I actually think we no longer play the great football we played from the noughties. we still don't win, but now we don't really even win big anymore (not to mention we have gotten to be a joke in the CL)

5. Cant say im against the Europa League for a season, I do think its not the end of the world. I am confused why people think it gives us a better chance to win the league though, its just more games...I dont think we will rest players every game in the Europa League.

6. Apart from Holding, I would not consider Xhaka or Mustafi 'class acts' or even good value for the money spent. For me, they actually sum up the type of players we shouldnt be buying - average players that cost a lost of money and probably were not originally top of our shopping list.

7. Have not thought enough about who I would want to replace Wenger, because it looks like hes staying.

8. Both Wenger AND the players, AND the board AND everyone associated with the club screwed up this year. (and yes probably us as fans did too)

9. 3 at the back is fine.

10. I do agree we need to clear out a lot of players who arent good enough.

11. I think the feeling about next season is split. My coworker told me we'd win the league next season. I could easily see us finishing 7th. I think the club is now at a crossroads, and they can use this season as a catalyst for change, or start trying to convince us Europa League football is good enough, and that it still counts as being 'in Europe'.

 

Teams for some reason struggle when in the EL.
Only Spurs and City have ever got a top 4 finish after starting the season in the Europa League.
I don't know why but the EL seems to have a negative effect on a team's league performance. Some say it's the number of games but there are 6 group games (same as CL) and only 1 extra knock out round so if you get to the final you only play 2 more matches than if you get to the final of the CL.
Some say it's the Thursday, Sunday cycle of matches but I dont see the issue compared to the Wednesday, Saturday cycle of matches with CL football.
The only thing that kind of makes sense is that maybe the constant having to play after all your rivals has a mental effect on teams but I am not so sure that should havd such a negative effect.
But EL could make challenging for the title or even top 4 more difficult next year

 

Teams for some reason struggle when in the EL.
Only Spurs and City have ever got a top 4 finish after starting the season in the Europa League.
I don't know why but the EL seems to have a negative effect on a team's league performance. Some say it's the number of games but there are 6 group games (same as CL) and only 1 extra knock out round so if you get to the final you only play 2 more matches than if you get to the final of the CL.
Some say it's the Thursday, Sunday cycle of matches but I dont see the issue compared to the Wednesday, Saturday cycle of matches with CL football.
The only thing that kind of makes sense is that maybe the constant having to play after all your rivals has a mental effect on teams but I am not so sure that should havd such a negative effect.
But EL could make challenging for the title or even top 4 more difficult next year.

 

You really enjoy watching this team? I thought you had low standards before but that just takes the biscuit. 90% of this season we've been dross and like watching paint dry.

 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "It is annoying but we had a spell during the season that was difficult and it was difficult for me in my personal situation.

"We were playing in a hostile environment. The players came back stronger in the last two months and I'm very proud of them for doing that."

I wonder who he's blaming there...No surprise that he's putting the blame on something other than himself for his crap season. Predictable.

 

He's proud of his team finishing 5th?

 

I've said this before, but it's not Wed/Sat as a comparison to Thu/Sun.
The Champions League is Tuesday or Wednesday and the follow up game is Saturday, Sunday or even Monday.
Europa is almost always the Thursday followed by the Sunday, though.
That can be the same, but it can also be two or three days less rest.

I also think that having every game on a Sunday's damaging to the atmosphere at games.
The travel in the Europa can be quite dodgy, too.

Arsenal could use it sensibly and benefit from it, though.
If the squad's got enough depth to field two strong sides, then the first XI won't have to be used until later rounds.
Throw a few talented youngsters on the bench and they won't have to travel, either.
Not sure that's the approach that'll be taken, though.

 

Because the fans caused us to collapse leading to the end of our PL and CL challenges, but the team valiantly picked themselves up.

 

Nice joke. Not sure if you've noticed but we ended 5th this season, it's highly unlikely that we can field two strong sides. We have some deficiencies in our first 11 that need addressing this summer. My guess is Wenger will concentrate on the league and stick in some seconders in the Europa.

 

I assume that you're going to make changes in the summer, though.
We'll see, I guess.

 

Our track record in transfer windows are poor and we will need considerable reinforcements to be able to be competitive. Past history doesn't suggest that, especially after Wenger's recent comments (see transfer thread).

 

The standard of the EL has increased by the year.

Spurs in 2015-16 finished above Anderlecht and Monaco in
the group stage. This season those teams were EL QF / CL SF
respectively. You have to put in a shift as well to keep your
ranking pts high for when you return to the CL (otherwise pot 3/4
beckons) .