Feels like the players just aren’t mentally ready for another battle for the title. We had 80 minutes to respond to going behind y’day and managed 1 shot on target, not having Odegaard doesn’t justify that stat.

I hate to say it but I think we have missed out on the our chance to win the league, our chance was the the last 2 years when we was lucky with injuries. Something just doesn’t feel right with us and I fear it may actually get worse, Merino will turn out to be a waste of money I think, it’s one thing putting the stats he put in La Liga last season but to replicate it in the prem is another matter. I think we may have a fight for fourth on our hands. Next summer we will need a DM replacement for Partey and Jorgi, a new number 9, a World class WF and another 8. That’s going to cost north of £250m, will the Kroenkes sanction that kind of spending, I doubt it.

Thanks for content mate well said about the team. We need three top players striker ,winger, midfielder who gives us regular performance. When you look at Liverpool they have goals all through the team and game changers. When you look at the bench there is no one to game changers. From Irish gooner Liverpool ☘️.

arteta looks weak on the touchline, he is not good enough

we have no replecement for foward positions. we do not even have one striker.

no excuses today?

we cannot play football anymore, horrible. arteta out

Jesus, Martinelli, Sterling are cooked. Our attacking depth is shocking.

I agree with you James, I was always worried if Odegaard gets injured we have nobody to replace him and that's proven true

Football is a game of fine margins sometimes. If we held out and won against City, held out and won against Liverpool, I think we would be feeling a lot better than now

Nwaneri or bust now isn't it. I get the concerns around playing youngsters too early but ultimately football is a short term game that requires short term thinking sometimes

A question for James,, How can Arteta plan for 3 Stupid biased Red card which will not be given to any team and cost us 4-7 pts, For Arteta to win PL, he needs luck, nothing else

I think sometimes we're too naive as a club. We hope for the best and plan for it, rather than planning for the worst. I think this year we felt like the momentum will keep going from last year, and we are coming to an arse grinding halt right now . . . I don't know what to say, focus on CL? Try and win a trophy? I feel it's going to be almost impossible to win the league now, and harder to hold on to Saliba next year with Madrid knocking on the door. It's been a bad month for sure.

I was just hoping Arsenal would replicate the quality of last week against Liverpool. If they'd done that, job done! Very disappointing outing. Why don't they just get the ball into the box every now and then? I don't get it. Other teams do it... why not Arsenal?

Spot on - I called all of this when the transfer window closed. Still surprised at Arteta and edu it’s incompetence

I thought that from the start as soon as Harland scored that hatrick at west ham I just had a feeling we might not have the fire power

You feared we wouldn’t turn up? Plum.

Such pessimism. Look at the fact that Liverpool are struggling to get by Bournmouth, and look what happened to Man City. The elite clubs have played too many hours of football and are hitting a deadspot. It will pass. It is a long season, players will return soon we are still in 4 comps, chill.

Don’t get why Jorginho hasn’t had more minutes since the Odegaarde injury. Rice Jorginho pairing was superb last season, especially in tight games.

Under Arteta these periods of poor results have happened every season, which ultimately costs Arsenal the league.

Cup time! I’m so ready for a nice stress free 2nd/3rd place finish with some cup success. Give us the Carabao; that’s always a good one cos you’ve got “silverware” by mid-March this year which takes the “he must win something” crowd out of the equation. Pair that with an FA Cup and it’s a great year, pick up a UCL and it’s a phenomenal year. Do all three and it’s one of the greatest seasons of all time. I’d honestly be about 1 more dropped point away from resting players in the prem.

If only our league position could defy gravity like the put upon shelves at your door.

It’s not just the attack, it’s all the ball progression. Bournemouth pressed high and we were awful getting the ball out and just went long. Newcastle dropped into a mid block and we just went wide into dead ends. Rice and Merino as a pair may be great in duels but they do not have the ability to progress the ball. He has to play Thomas or Jorginho in there and accept that Merino is either a situational player or cover for Rice

Didn't strengthen enough in the summer. it was a big mistake. Of course, Im note sure what's going on with White, but IMO, he should have started along with Nwaneri, Partey back in midfield.

Listen, people may dislike Zinchenko for various reasons, but how he has not seen more minutes recently is mind boggling. If we have a problem creating from the front, we can at the very least try to create from the back (see White assist vs Liverpool) and Zinchenko is the best creative player from deep that we have. We have reached the point now where he must play solely to improve our attack. Any defensive weaknesses must be compensated for surrounding teammates. The alternative is Jorginho, but I can't see Arteta dropping Partey who has been excellent recently nor our £100m midfielder in Rice. White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko...we have to run it back and salvage our league season.

Abysmal performance, the kind of performance that players normally put it when they are done with the manager. To be honest the transfer window was the sign we were in for trouble this season. Did not do anywhere near enough from an attacking POV. Fight for top 4 now. Gone backwards.

squad is too thin.. our bench… 🙄

Yea everyone could see it. Lack of a quality alternatives up front and wings, lack of a creative midfielder. It was very obvious.. unfortunately arteta didnt see it

I really hope we can turn things around and or make a cup run. I don’t have many other things to bring me joy anymore.

We are going to lose games and fair enough we deserved it today but we’ve been robbed (at least) twice and that’s a 6 point swing to city and we would still be in it

Love Martinelli and don't mean to single him out but we need an improvement fast otherwise reduce his role in the team because we're offering nothing down the left. Occupying such a key position offensively and we're really at that stage now with him were he needs to start developing the g/a consistently - he's literally regressing in this. We can't just keep trusting players like Martinelli are eventually going to realise their potential, we're at the stage now where we need delivery and we need results.

I don't recall hearing any such sentiment about our squad depth two and a half months ago... it was obvious then that we were light in midfield. Total grandstanding in favour of the club at the time - platitudes about how Saka's improvement would offset the lack of meaningful investment in the forward line and teasing of the Sterling loan deal as though the announcement of an exciting coup was imminent. I really wish you, Le Grove and others were more honest upfront...

Calm reflection needed not knee-jerk reaction. Not you James... We lack penetration and creativity. And Martinelli has stalled.

Unless Arsenal start winning trophies they will lose their better players to the bigger teams.Arteta needs to deliver this season.

I have had doubts about this season from the start but there is a long way to go. Veira is tanking in Porto (I live in Lisbon). I think we have to wait a little re our Spanish recruit. I definitely do not think Sterling is the answer and Jesus is a shadow of the player he was two years ago. Early days, lets see how we go...but i share your concerns...and one more thing,,,White is a far better footballer than Timber,,,

These past few weeks was the moment ESR was waiting for. Its such a shame it came too late and he's not here to take it. I 100% believe he would've staked that claim

No comment on the shameful post about the rapist before the game shameful...

Today was so flat

Always appreciate your reasoned, observant and levelled journalism James. You are 100% on point and as we all feared, no Odegaard kills us. I honestly believe no one else in the world can replicate what he provides for this side - but we should have more backup for sure

The balance is wrong in midfield and our system of play has become to predictable - it is totally dependent on Saka and set plays - I am a fan of Martinelli but this year his form has really dipped and he waste possession to often - we lack pace in the middle of the field - it just to slow and to many passes going sideways - and we still miss the famous 'fox' in the box or centre forward like Giroud - at present we are missing a presence in the box when crosses are go into the box - we are supposed to be a big physical team - today Newcastle outmuscled and were physically too strong for us - we are just lacking character and leadership at the moment and we need to find it fairly quickly if we are going to be serious challengers.

Sack Arteta it’s been five years and we’ve won nothing of any real importance. Sticking by this man any longer is rediculous.

I agree with you 100% that Odegard is the missing part of the puzzle. Merinho hasn't been convincing one bit and the whole team seemed spinless and unmotivated.

over rated players. poor recruitment . =Merino 🙄 I think this should b , Mikel last season ... sorry I've had enough . and the board need to give manager £150 mill minimum

Is it a coincidence that our drop off has occurred whilst odegaard has been Injured. One thing we know about arteta, he likes to keep the same starting 11 and core players but this season we have had 6 people play at left back and 3 different right backs. Left back has been a problem for us for two seasons at least now. Hence the martinelli drop off

Heads been on Mars most of the day after that performance. The one thing that's helped ease the suffering has been City dropping points... we look miles off it though, I just dont know where our goals are going to come from to get us anywhere near the top of the table. I think we have to learn from our mistakes last season and buy a striker in the January window if we want to win something this season.

I think the cretinous reffing and injury crisis has really hit us. Theyre making the players play too many games and this is what you get.

Never seen my guy this down.

Trossard is too careless in possession, Martinelli is too weak in the duels, Merino is passive and Rice is running around a lot to compensate for the lack if balance.

The summer window was a joke, the Kroenke’s must take the blame they are not interested in winning trophies

We have a remarkable habit of gifting territorial advantage even with men behind the ball. Very odd performance and never really laid a glove on Newcastle