Other forum meltdown thread 2025/26

[Farkmaster]

They're slowly realising what a number of us have been observing for 2+ years. Arteta started really ramping up his 'dark arts' to win what look like innocuous FKs wide & far from the box. He would then be fully focused on making chances happen from these - either directly or in any melee.

He takes flair players and is reducing them to winning set pieces whilst Gabriel goes up to try and score a header. He then moved into corners and long throws - then added in more bullshit routines and dark arts with GKs.

This is somewhat effective - but its literally the blueprint for anti football, and his team has lost its instinct for free flowing football.

I have nothing against scoring from set pieces - we did brilliantly at one point scoring tons from corners. But it has to be one tool in the kitbag.

Yesterday the only reason Merino was selected is that he is a set piece threat, and scored against us last season. What Arsenal would have benefitted from in the first half would have been an Eze or a Nwaneri in the middle running at us when we were at times lost at sea.

The game last year sealed it for me. They were absolutely dominant and giving us huge issues. Then they decided to sit back from the start of the next half allowing us to just play our way into the game. He's just too conservative.