Has the penny finally dropped that despite him missing chances, our collective level is 10x when Havertz is up front vs Gyokeres?
The latter came on for 14mins when we needed a goal, & didn’t touch the ball!! I had to re-read it but sums him up.
Would you sell him in the summer? #arsecastextra
Yeah obviously. He’s been fit for weeks and either been a sub or used as an 8. Zero coincidence we look so much better with him as a striker as opposed to someone who doesn’t move or can’t hold the ball up.
It’s because of this, in a nutshell.
Persisting with him over Havertz as a striker will cost Arteta the title. He’s rank.
He’s as shit on the floor. There is zero coincidence that all of our attackers look sub-optimal when playing alongside him.
Why though? He’s built like a tank yet uses his body like a leaf. He’s the major issue going forward that makes us play so tentatively (never drops in), and makes others around him worse (zero link play).
Havertz or bust.
Thoughts for @gunnerblog.bsky.social as he sees that same fucking front 3 start, again.
Got a bad feeling about this…
“within a team sport the cohesion is lost”
Exactly why Gyokeres should be a sub. We’ve lost all of that going forward with him there.
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Arteta could say our wage bill/spend is 4/5th, & he’s got us competing again whilst none of our attackers are above average except Saka.
On the other, the football is horrendously turgid & they just don’t recover from choking this league.
Where would you strike the balance?
#arsecastextra
Rice is pretty much the least of our issues.
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When Gyokeres has been our best player technically, it says everything. Zubimendi/Havertz awful.
Playing in Havertz midfield feels like it never works. He’s not had an effective period there & he’s/we’re miles better as a #9.
Is it time to get rid of this concept if we have any hope of winning the double? #arsecastextra
Since Chelsea (A) in the cup semi on 14th Jan, we’ve looked cohesive/played v well 5 times (Inter, Spurs, Sunderland, Leeds, Leverkusen). They’ve played 20 games.
Being that unconvincing will eventually catch up. Do you think Arteta sees this or do you think he is in complete denial? #arsecastextra
Everton should’ve been 2-up. Wigan fine.
Brighton we were absolutely woeful.
My point isn’t about the results, it’s about the standard of the play and that’s been lacking for ages
Since Chelsea (A) in the cup semi on 14th Jan, we’ve looked cohesive & played well 5 times (Inter, Spurs, Sunderland, Leeds, Leverkusen). They’ve played 20 games.
There is no way that’s enough to be sustainable. Serious Qs!
He’s cooked. Absolutely abysmal against Mansfield and now Southampton. Zubi on and push Havertz up.
Our lack of control in games has become a big issue. Compared to the 1st half of the season where we went ahead & locked the door, recently we’ve been riddled with slow tedious play, poor ball retention & individual mistakes. Does this need to change if we’re to win either big trophy? #arsecastextra
When was the last time a team scored against us that wasn’t either a stupid mistake, or a worldy/low xG? It feels like we only ever really concede either of the above 2 scenarios, which is pretty positive - assuming we cut out the school ground mistakes... #arsecastextra
Spurs choosing 9 defensive-minded players says a lot!
Goodly morning guys. MLS. Is it becoming more and more obvious that he won’t last here, certainly as a LB. He got beat twice last night against a L1 winger, including the booking. He looks a shadow of the player we saw at the Bernabeu & seems obvious we’d get decent £. #arsecastextra
Then we’ve got much bigger problems..!
And Saka/Tross/Gyok + 1 of the CMs is more than enough.
Chelsea got it right at Hull.
Amazed the bench doesn’t have more kids on it. Do we really need both Zubi & Rice instead of giving Ibrahim some mins?
Several times recently that Arteta has set up with a weird and misaligned front 3. Why play runners against a back 8?
The treatment of Nwaneri feels really odd. Even subbing him off at Portsmouth when he was our brightest attacker, felt pre-planned. He’s a player who can create & generate shots better than most & against deep blocks, it feels mad we don’t utilise him. What more does he have to do? #arsecastextra
If he persists with Gyokeres, it’s going to cost him trophies. Pub league player.
Genuinely, we win that game with Merino as a 9. His movement is chalk and cheese to VG which says everything.
So so slow with Merino/Trossard/Odegaard. It’s perfect for Martinelli. Quietest Saka has been, too.
It’s amazing how different (better) we look with Jesus. And telling that despite scoring, Gyökeres gets taken off after an hour.
Odegaard cannot ruin that counter attack. Such a lazy and basic pass killed a 4 on 3. Shite
Enough time has gone now to accept that Gyökeres’ is causing alarm bells. Jesus has played 40mins in 4 days & we’ve created more xG in both those time periods. Considering Havertz can’t be long & Merino has excelled there, is it possible VG is genuinely our 4th most effective striker? #arsecastextra