Arsenal ’embarrassingly boring’ and Arteta destined for Rangers after sack as ‘brainless’ Rice slammed | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has been backed to seek refuge at Rangers as the next Brendan Rodgers, with Arsenal and one player in particular slammed.

It is a rough old Mailbox for those of an Arsenal persuasion.

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.

The Arszzzzz

Can we all vow next season to refrain from suggesting that certain players, teams, managers etc etc in the Prem are the best in the world/Europe?

If the Arse have done anything worthwhile this season, its to highlight the mediocrity we have been served up over the past few seasons – and that maybe just maybe someone (not the Arse of course – they’ll never accept responsibility) will step up and give the UK footballing public what it deserves for its squillions it spends on this turgid product.

Please no more ‘Raya is the best in the world‘ ‘Gabriel/Saliba are the best defenders in the world’ ‘Arsenal are the best in Europe (because they beat teams at the point of the competition where it didnt matter re:Liverpool last season’).

There is only one thing Arsenal are the best at and that is serving up stunted footballing dross week after week despite having more money than 99% of all clubs on the planet.

Can we also please do away with the opinion that it doesnt matter how bad the football is as long as you win. I’ve never adhered to that – I didnt last year when Liverpool pragmatisised themselves to the title. Do you think PSG, Bayern, Real etc have that attitude? Of course not. Can you imagine how bad the games would have been if Arsenal had faced Chelsea for instance in a similar quarter final clash? Would they both have gone balls out like Bayern and Real have over the last 2 matches – or do you think they would have played for pens?

Clearly the actual European giants do feel they have a duty to the fans and to the game itself to serve up a product that warrants the funds that are thrown at it – and you have to admire and be grateful that they do. The levels of skill, technique and sheer effort and pride put in by these teams is clear to see – and so is the huge difference between them and that utter scam of a game at the Emirates – and the previous leg.

Other fans and Arsenal haters dont accuse them of these crimes against football for no reason. Their fans can claim they are loving it and that it doesnt matter as long as you win – well how is that going? They are going to get a deserved spanking at some point – probably in the semis when they finally face a proper team Athletico (Sporting were so passive – right up to the final whistle – its like they were programmed to play a certain way for the whole of the match regardless of what the score was – where was the urgency in the last 15 mins? Strange – almost robotic) – and hopefully City on Sunday will give them a lesson in how teams who actually achieve are meant to approach games.

Honestly we as a footballing nation really are quite an embarrassment – what the other countries must think when they watch the Prem teams in Europe – a bit like what they must think when they watch England in a tournament. We have the richest league/FA in the world and we serve up this crap. In fact Arsenal are the England of the Prem. Embarrassingly boring, with the attitude that as long as you win it doesnt matter – except they dont – which for me is a blessing – even as an Englishman. I wouldn’t and havent wanted us to win being that bad. Thats the attitude you are meant to have as a massive underdog – not if you are one of the richest and most powerful clubs/associatons in the world.

Roll on the summer when we’ll have the pleasure of watching even more games like Wednesday nights (not the Bayern/Real one) – that will eventually dribble to a flaccid winless climax.

The positive and negative view of Arsenal

The negative view – Arsenal will not win another meaningful game this season.

As always with poor form, it starts with an uncharacteristic underperforming game (the EFL Cup final) but then manifests into a habit, and before you know it our last five results read LLWLD. Even the win was a lucky 1–0 in the 91st minute in a game we were playing badly in, and we could not even hold on to a draw against mid‑table Bournemouth after being gifted a penalty that should never have been given. The players look out of form, tired, or injured. Maybe the defence was overrated from the start. Are Rice and Saka that good, or are they overhyped because they are English? For the whole season many have been saying the attackers are not that great. Put that all together and we win nothing.

Simply put, we will lose heavily against City, then be completely nervous and lose at home to Newcastle, then get spanked in Madrid by Atletico.

After those three heavy losses, Arteta will talk about never giving up and that we still have a chance. We may win some of our following games, including a low‑scoring win against an Atletico team that can afford to lose as they will have a significant margin. We may even finish only a couple of points behind City in the Premier League, but for all intents and purposes these wins will be pointless. We did not win the meaningful games.

What then happens to this Arsenal team and Arteta? I don’t know. If I’m Gabriel, Saliba, Rice or Saka, I’d start reviewing my options. Not everyone can be Harry Kane or Robin van Persie, making the move to “winning” clubs later in their career. Will they end up like Leighton Baines, forever linked to winning clubs but never quite making it, hence finishing their career with an empty trophy cabinet?

The Arsenal fanbase will be split. Many will want Arteta out. He is like Brendan Rodgers, a nearly man for the biggest clubs. They both talked as if they were the only ones to ever achieve anything at their respective massive clubs. Yet out went Rodgers, in came Klopp, and we all know what happened. Like Rodgers, Arteta will be a great Old Firm manager, and maybe after success at Rangers he will get another chance with a mid‑table Premier League club where he could have some success before being found out again.

The positive view – For all the haters, getting to back‑to‑back Champions League semi-finals is no mean feat and something Arsenal have never done. Sure, it was not the most impressive result against a great opponent (we did that last year against Real Madrid), but it does not matter, we are there.

Atletico will be no pushover, but equally they are beatable. Even a relegation‑threatened Spurs with a joke manager managed to score five against them across the two legs. If we can get past Atletico, then we would go into the final against PSG or Bayern as underdogs, but we have beaten Bayern comfortably already this season (as we have Atletico), hence a one-off game probably suits us better.

In the Premier League we are still six points clear with six games to go. Sure, City have a game in hand, but we do not need to win every game. The game at City is massive. We need to not lose. A bore draw and we go into game 34 with a minimum three-point lead, potentially six. Win at City and we are nine points ahead, then win at home against low‑confidence Newcastle and we are likely only two wins away from the title.

Sure, we are not in amazing flowing form as City are, but we just need to be solid and have some moments. With Madueke and Saka injured, could Max Dowman have a similar impact to Federico Macheda, who like Dowman broke into the Man United team as an unknown teenager and scored a couple of important goals to clinch the Premier League in 08–09? Alternatively, we seem overdue a couple of goals from set pieces. We are still making chances, like Trossard hitting the post from a corner. A few goals from set pieces and a couple of clean sheets and we are there.

This could then release the psychological fear we have, meaning we could win a number of trophies…

Time. Will. Tell.

Cheers, Paul K, London

Boring, boring Arsenal

Not going to lie, the home game vs Sporting pretty much sent me to sleep right at the final whistle. I knew it would be a frustrating game, and it was, and I knew the reaction to the game would be one of blustery needling – and it was. The game bored everyone to tears.

On one hand, the nay-sayers are right. Arsenal are a tough watch at the moment. They seem devoid of creativity, they seem ultra defensive, and their formation looks locked-in rigid. On the other hand, Arsenal have just kept two clean sheets in a Champions League quarter final and made it to the semis.

What people seem to be forgetting is that the onus was not on Arsenal to attack against Sporting. All Arsenal had to do was keep a clean sheet. Thusly Arteta fielded four centrebacks, and also had Rice and Zubimendi sitting pretty deep and shielding those four centrebacks. Up top there were three pace-merchants in Martinelli, Madueke and Gyokeres. We had Eze as the roaming creative; the pass-picker. Arsenal were set up to counter on Sporting. We didn’t need to press or attack or do much of anything really. Sporting huffed and puffed and created a couple of chances. I think Raya danced with danger a couple of times, but other than that, Sporting did nothing. It wasn’t pretty to watch but it was two clean sheets and a place in the semi final. Only PSG managed to keep a clean sheet and it probably helped that Liverpool’s best striker did his Achilles after a few minutes.

Looking towards the game against City on Sunday, I think we should expect more of the same. For all of the talk about pressure, let’s be real here, the pressure is on Man City to beat us. They have to come at us. Arsenal only need to keep a clean sheet. Maybe Arsenal can nick a goal, or a score on the counter, or from a corner. I can’t imagine Arsenal are going to create a whole lot of chances. It will be very tight, very tense, and probably absolutely horrible to watch.

Expect four centre backs, two defensive midfielders, Martinelli on the press, and Gyokeres up top. To repeat, Man City need to beat Arsenal, not vice-versa.

Saying that, Man City are probably the best team in the world right now so if anyone can pump a super-defensive Arsenal for a few goals, then it’s them. Dale May, Swindon Wengerite

Rice cold

Englands ‘world class’ £100m midfielder explains how Arsenal will control the midfield at the Etihad and secure the draw they need to be Champions: ‘How much do you want it? I know I’ll be ready and I know our players will be ready, so let’s go. Let’s have it.’

Did it not cross Declan’s mind that Man City might also be ready? Might also be up for this? I wonder if Rodri and Bernado Silva are talking in similar punch drunk cliches or maybe they are actually THINKING about how they can control the midfield tactically and technically.

Declan Rice said he was going to run through a brick wall during the 2024 Euros final. He was completely outclassed by Spains midfielders just like with the Italians in Euro 20 and Man City in the Carabao cup final. If all their captain has are brainless empty words, Arsenal are screwed. Ben

Fans wanting their own team to lose

Are we seeing a new trend where football fans get more joy in seeing the misery of other fans than they do in seeing their own team win? The trend seems to have started in THAT Spurs v Man City game, but now seems to have spread to other teams’ fans who would rather see their own team lose rather than see Arsenal win the league. Chelsea fans seemed to be quite happy for them to lose to Man City even though it impacted on their ability to get Champions League football next season.

I can now see a trend, where, in the last 6-8 games of every season, all fans whose teams play Man City (and who aren’t themselves in the title hunt) will want their team to lose just so another team ( usually Arsenal) don’t win the league. This, of course, makes it much easier for Man City to win the league every season.

Is being able to banter other (usually Arsenal) fans now more important than seeing your own team win? Or is it because most fans can more readily accept Man City winning the league rather than any other team?

Is social media to blame – “hate-alongs” now seem to be the most popular content on YouTube?

Is wanting your own team to win every match they play now a thing of the past? ParmAFC

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Alright, final one on the hair decision: esteemed (and apparently of luscious locks) mailboxer Ed points out correctly that having one’s hair pulled hurts. Indeed. Not sure how that is relevant. If you look at a still image of the incident, you’d see vertically challenged Martinez receiving a forearm so firm to his face as to contort it. Simultaneously he’s pushing back and gets hair.

Show that to a fan of any other sport and tell them one player has been sent off and I promise you they’ll struggle.

My point about hair pulls is not that it doesn’t hurt, but that it should only be treated as exceptional in exceptional circumstances. Or else all players should don wigs or hit Turkey because the risk of touching their oh so sensitive follicles trumps the shirt grabbing and tussling that is now part of the game. In the NFL they have to treat hair as part of the jersey for this reason.

By the letter of the law Martinez’s ‘violent conduct’ is preceded by a very clear and deliberate forearm smash to the face. But those are agreed to be part of a physical game. It’s ludicrous that what Martinez did is deemed violent in said context.

As ever, the officials could have demonstrated common sense – Indeed as they did a few weeks ago with Cucurella. Instead, United get to be the first (and likely only) victims of badly written, sure to be amended PGMOL guidance. Ryan, Bermuda 

Ok! So this may seem a bit mad. I’ve been thinking about this whole hair pulling thing and having just read Ed Q’s finishing sentence to his recent mail, I’ve decided to put it out there. Ed says “surely you’re not suggesting Manchester United are somehow good enough to merit exceptional treatment from the officials”. This sort of fanned the flame of my idea. No, Man Utd shouldn’t get treated different, but neither should players of the more hirsute nature. These fabulously maned specimens know that any finger to locks contact will attract special scrutiny from both referee and the dumbwits in VAR. Those less follically challenged do not face this affront to their masculinity and must rely on their collar bones been yanked from their socket to result in their opponent seeing red.

My solution? Hair extensions! Not the seeded, closely shorn variety ala Rooney or James Nesbitt. Proper long weaved bits that when pulled, results in a whiplash movement that would send shivers down Mark Hately’s spine. The NRL in Australia are notorious for tweaking the rules every season to (in their opinion) make the game faster and cut out cheap fouls. But every year teams catch on quickly and refine their tactics to gain advantage in another way. So I implore Michael Carrick to have the squad visit Hair’r’us before a game and have a few tresses added to even up the playing field.

If there are any lawyers on here. I’d be glad to hear your views on whether hair pulling might be equally punishable should the victim’s hair be from their own body, from a donor or synthetic. Maybe a VAR sub-group headed by Mike Dean and Pierluigi Collina could rule specifically on this.

I know one thing. If hair pulling in the NRL resulted in a mandatory red card, there would be 17 teams spending the off season bathing in Rogaine. Mick, Newcastle