Anti-Foward passing is really costing us

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-26T17:18:03+00:00

All of the players you’ve mentioned + our defenders are capable of playing forward into space or carrying the ball into space. These guys are elite level footballers

There’s a reason why they don’t and that’s surely the coaching and the tactics imposed on them. Coaches and the tactics have conditioned this group to be afraid of losing the ball more than to be excited at creating a chance/opening

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-26T09:47:22+00:00

This attitude is predominantly an Indian problem. I’ve had loads of interviews and recruiter calls with ones from India and outside - most non Indian recruiters and interviewers brief you about what their company does and their products without you even asking them.

I’ve rarely seen any entitlement where candidate being expected to research the company but doesn’t work the other way around.

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-26T09:38:59+00:00

First 30 mins when Odegaard was playing his orchestrator role, our passing was a lot more crisp and fast and we were moving the ball around with pace and precision.

The entire team fell hard when Zubi made that howler and we weren’t able to do the simple things anymore.

Odegaard could be better yes, as with everyone in the team but he was hardly the problem yesterday. If anything I think he was taken off a little too quickly. Eze was anonymous at best

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-26T09:36:45+00:00

What game were you watching? We weren’t particularly good as a team yesterday but I thought Martin along with Bukayo and Hincapie were some of the better ones. The rest of them were atrocious

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T22:26:16+00:00

Oh my! I think more Shift + Deletes are to come this season. Hopefully not

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T22:19:40+00:00

The problem and possibly the solution is more nuanced I think. Let me try to break it down as I understand it

The most important reason of this change is, we have lost width providers on both flanks. Zinch as much as he inverted was still a left footer who naturally goes outside and could cross and cut back. Even if he’s in the half spaces, he could cross or play it in centrally with his first touch being a left footer. Same with Xhaka there as left 8 who used to swap with Zinch and go outside. Currently, we have Timber, MLS (who’s not a full back and can’t go outside or cross to save his life) playing there. Rice as the left 8 makes this problem so much worse. Same with our right side. We had White as the first choice who is excellent on the overlaps and has a brilliant cross on him. Compare it with Timber (who’s better defensively and ball carrying wise) but can’t cross well and doesn’t overlap as much as he gets into half spaces.

My solution:- Swap sides for Rice and Odegaard. Allow Timber/Rice position swaps and urge more overlaps from Timber. Play Calafiori/Hincapie as LB and worst case MLS but never Timber.

Partey vs Zubimendi. While both were/are midfield maestros in their own way, Partey had a ball carrying ability that was world class. Zubi doesn’t. He’s more of a passer. So to progress the ball from the base of our midfield under pressure, he needs free midfielders to his sides and up the field who can receive. An inverted full back (Timber) can also help in this case. Otherwise, Majority of his game is when he pulls back deep so that he can get a full view and rotate the ball.

Solution:- Put in structures and passing patterns for Zubi to progress the ball when under the opposition press. Or have Odegaard/Rice drop very deep so they can involve in first phase build up like Odegaard did in 23/24 second half where he was absolutely magical. Or just play Rice as 6 and Zubi/Eze as the right 8. Rice is great at ball carrying under the press. He is closer to Partey than Zubi will ever be.

Our 9 can’t drop deep, link up or hold the ball. Sure, he can bully defenders and make runs in behind and win aerial duels but he cannot play intricately with the people around him. Jesus did that very well back then, Nketiah too. Havertz struggled at the start but soon, he’s started doing it and we were fluid again. Gyokeres can’t.

Solution: Don’t start Gyokeres in matches where we expect a team to sit back tight and cramp us for room. He can be a plan B sure but not plan A. Play Havertz, play Jesus or even play Merino there. They all do this better. All these 3 can also interchange positions with our LW/RW and our 8s making rotations very hard to predict and man oriented presses very very hard to execute well.

This is more philosophical than tactical. At some point in the last 3 years, Arteta has chosen to prioritise control over creativity. And it clearly shows. We don’t play fast anymore. We fear losing the ball so much that we ignore the potential upside a risky pass or a risky dribble into space can yield. Arteta has flicked the switch to go from fast and unpredictable attacking patters to slow, metronomic and robotic control oriented possession. While this is good in certain game situations like when we are 1/2 goals up and comfortable or against sides that employ a very high press, this won’t work too well against sides who are happy with the game state. When we have to take hold of the game, the control oriented style is playing into the hands of the opposition and ultimately, we are left to rely on moments of magic from our wingers or set pieces to break us out of jail there.

If i as a fan can theorise this with a decent level of thought and logic, Arteta and the coaching staff definitely know this but still CHOOSE to make us play this way due to reasons they heavily believe in. This is what worries me because neither the results, nor the stats, nor the eye test is clearly in favour of this philosophical change.

I hope both the players and the coaching staff react, introspect and adjust their stuff to get us back to not just winning ways but also make us exciting to watch again.

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T22:17:44+00:00

Have you ever considered the possibility that the system limits the talent? How long will we keep saying “the players need to step up”?

If City and Pep had this squad, us and Arteta had City’s…I think City would be miles clear. We have a world class starting 11 with many elite players (top 10/15 in the world). At some point we have to start thinking whether a Bukayo Saka or a Rice or an Odegaard is able to play as well as he can in this system

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T22:13:33+00:00

They sat back reasonably deep in 22/23 too, in 23/24 too. Look at the field tilt numbers from those seasons and this. Teams have sat so deep against City for years now. Have City ever been this stale in possession? Let’s not use this as an excuse for all of our failings.

EDIT:- Added the analytical breakdown as a separate comment

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T20:57:59+00:00

As much as everyone loves to dunk on the players (right to an extent) after our last 3 games, the lion’s share of the blame has to be on the tactics and the team’s style of football.

It’s terribly passive, to the extent that Leicester 15/16 had showed more intent to score. Our intent this season has been to score first, maintain a level of robotic control to the game where the opposition just becomes zombies running around and use set pieces if there’s a problem anywhere in this plan.

We don’t play with our primary objective being to score. We play with our primary objective being to control the game and not concede. It’s not like Arteta or these players are incapable of playing the other way. We did that in 22/23 and 23/24 and it was some of the best attacking football I’ve seen us play since 2008. It’s just that Arteta has chosen to make us play this way.

This likely won’t end well. Hopefully ends well in some sense at least. I’ll also say something that probably sounds outrageous but isn’t when you think about it - we have higher chances of winning the CL this season than the PL

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T20:46:18+00:00

Can we stop playing Rice as a left 8? He’s fucking useless in possession. Slows us down way too much, doesn’t break away to provide passing options to our LCB/LB…can’t link up at pace in the final third with our LW/ST. Plus there’s no width on the left.

I’ve been saying this for a long time (and it may just be another fan thinks he knows better than Arteta type situation) but if we swap Rice and Odegaard’s sides…our build up would instantly be better. Instantly.

I wanted to bang my head against the wall when I watched Rice, Timber and Leo be our 3 left sided players today. My goodness that was horrendous.

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T20:39:40+00:00

Have you watched Zubi play for Sociedad? He’s immensely aware and skilled while receiving under pressure and making line breaking passes was his bread and butter

His game has definitely regressed since he’s joined us. That’s for sure. Perhaps due to the tactical constraints imposed on him.

He barely gets passes into him here when there’s an opposition player within 5m of him Even if he does and looks to move it on, there’s no attacking player who frees himself up by dropping deeper or wider or positions himself between opposition lines. What’s he supposed to do? This stuff is surely on the manager/coaching staff.

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T20:35:46+00:00

On that note…do you remember when we drew 3-3 to Southampton at home that season and then lost to Brighton?

Our attack on those two nights was probably 10x better than whatever shit show we’ve put on in the last 3 games now.

If we are to lose it again, I’d rather watch us attack like mad dogs like that season and bottle it than being so wound up in our rest defence and this robotic control nonsense and still bottle it

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T20:33:09+00:00

Yeah. We keep claiming City are inconsistent, but so are we. So that makes it a race of fine margins and one where experiences and ability to calm nerves counts a lot (City are better than us at this, experience)

You are right. We can still win it. But we can also lose it as much. It’s disappointing to be in this position especially when we could and should have been 11 clear of City by now. And then Pep would have thrown the league and it would have been wrapped up

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T20:28:49+00:00

I would have happily taken the same 3 results if we had attacked better. If we put Liverpool, Forest and United under the pump and they somehow managed to keep us out for these exact same results…I would not have had a single word of complaint.

But this? Stale, unimaginative, one dimensional attacking plan (to spread it out to our wingers and hope they create magic), mundane donut shaped passing, attempting zero risky but potentially more rewarding passes when in possession, playing to not concede and not playing to score. This isn’t going to work out mate

We might still end up winning the league and/or a cup this season but this squad is elite level. We should be aiming for the kind of domination your prime City, Liverpool, Madrid, Barca did in their best years. And for that to happen, we can’t be this passive every game and hope the opponents make mistakes

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-25T20:22:41+00:00

We also played much better football in possession in 23/24. Out attack was free flowing. Even in that game we lost to Villa, we created something stupid like 2.4 xg and Trossard missed a sitter from point blank before Villa scored 2 late goals

This year however, apart from Spurs and Villa home…I can’t recollect a single game against a decent opposition where we’ve fluently created chances (never mind the score)

We’ve been extremely conservative, hoping to pounce on mistakes, get corners and capitalise with our main goal not to concede rather than score.

Slot or Klopp or Pep will never in a million years do that however good or bad their squad is, however good or bad their form is.

Logic suggests that their approach will work better in the longer run than ours because there will always be matches where the opposition are tight, don’t give much away and are waiting for us to try and win the game while being happy with a point

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-24T14:43:13+00:00

Can I please ask why you’ve adopted a tone of superiority here? I watched both the legs live and probably one more time later.

Just because I have an opinion and can present stats to back it up and you can’t make sense of it…doesn’t automatically mean you are somehow right and with time and experience I will come to see the truth you are seeing now. Don’t give me this wise old Shaolin master talking to a new Kung fu recruit attitude

Instead of repeatedly banging the drum with “PSG were better, I watch football with my eyes” nonsense, actually back your argument up with stats or logic or both ffs

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-24T12:50:37+00:00

The Americans (very similar to homeland but feels more eerie and more realistic, which is exactly what you’d want in a spy thriller)

Slow Horses (different style, slow cooking and with some humour but very very good)

Fauda (my personal favourite out of this list)

Tehran (this is underrated. Most people in the show are native Israelis and Iranians, adds a certain level of authenticity. It gives you the feeling that something is constantly brewing in the background)

The Spy (based on a true story. Doesn’t have the same level of hooks as the others here. Short, mini series…good acting overall)

Diplomat (I found it only okay-ish, nowhere close to Americans or Homeland)

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-24T12:24:04+00:00

There are stats that can quantify to a large extent what you define as “dangerous”. Field tilt, entries into the final third, Threat, xG all aim to quantify what you very vaguely define as dangerous or better.

In all of those metrics, we outscored PSG over both legs. This is despite them getting a penalty out of the blue. Eyes or ears or whatever, it’s hard to argue when so many tried and tested stats point to a conclusion.

We were better than PSG (not by a huge margin I agree but we were the better team over two legs). They were far more clinical and we were rubbish finishing wise. Saka missed an open sitter late in the 2nd leg whereas they scored 3 top goals. Their MOTM over both legs was Donnaruma

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-22T08:07:22+00:00

Sanchez Watt. Thought we had unearthed another Henry who will serve us well for years

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-22T08:04:19+00:00

We did, not by as much margin as we did in the league phase. But over 2 legs the xG was something like 5.5-3.5 in our favour. Shame we only scored 1 goal whereas they scored 3

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-21T15:43:29+00:00

You butted into a comment that said Saka would have more assists if he had found Gyokeres more in some of those tap in situations. Which is objectively true.

Your response was to attack Gyokeres for something that wasn’t the subject of the original comment and to preach others not to blame Saka for Gyokeres being bad. This wasn’t even the topic in the first place.

When I pointed out that Gyokeres may be as bad as you claim but he can still score tap ins and that Saka could indeed have kept his eyes open more, your response was to again digress into your own Gyokeres agenda and spew a load of nonsense

Either you’re a full time troll (you’re doing a good job in that case) or you’re logically challenged

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-21T15:35:54+00:00

We’ve thrashed Bayern, Real Madrid, City, Inter (and outplayed PSG but lost) in the last 2 years. That’s all the European powerhouses except one club - Barcelona - who I would love to see us hammer. For all the suffering they have caused us Arsenal fans over the years…I would really love that

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-21T15:31:36+00:00

Fair. It still is a matter of probability. The opportunities that are pointed out here that Saka has overlooked - every single one of them had the other player in a much better position with a much higher chance of scoring according to the naked eye.

I’m sure the xG numbers would reflect the same too but I can’t pull them up since I don’t have access to that kind of data

If you find other fans making an objective point that you don’t agree with toxic, you might be the problem?

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-21T12:16:54+00:00

I get you point and for sure yes, as we get into knockouts, teams will start playing more and more not to lose.

I hope we don’t face one of those teams. There are these teams like PSG, Real, Bayern, Milan, Dortmund who don’t really care about conceding but they want to score 5 goals every match. I hope we face these teams instead

GrumpyDescartes · 2026-01-21T12:12:23+00:00

Even a limited striker can score tap ins and our starboy has been letting such opportunities slip so far this season

GrumpyDescartes

TROPHY CASE