Mikel Arteta admission tells you Arsenal will only get more sh*thouse | OneFootball

We have largely moved on from the Arsenal schadenfreude, but we have been given hints that Mikel Arteta will only get more cynical.

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Mikel Arteta sent a warning about football future

It could be lost amid the flurry of Arsenal schadenfreude, but one statement made by Arteta last night gave me a shiver, because it tells us so much about Arteta and Arsenal, and maybe even about the direction of football:

When asked about the Madueke non-penalty incident, Arteta said:

That’s bleak. He said the quiet part out loud.

In the 3 days before the biggest game of his career, he spent hours(?) watching all the penalties given in the ECL. Time that could’ve been spent analyzing Doue or Vitinha. Time spent looking for weaknesses in Pacho or Mendes. But no, he wanted to watch penalty decisions.

Why? Because for better or worse, he knows that in this current VAR era, where everything is refereed twice, he can use that to his advantage.

It’s so hard to break down defence and score goals. A penalty is a game changer in any game it’s given.

Arteta now clearly sees penalties as Arsenal’s best form of attack. And in a time where VAR will check everything again in slow-mo, why wouldn’t he:

Tell the Arsenal players to run into the box at pace and hit the deck at the first brush of contact. It will look worse in slow mo!

Tell the players to stay down, shout like you’ve been shot, draw the ref’s attention.

If the rolling and shouting doesn’t work, make sure Rice, Gabriel, Arteta, Odegaard hound the refs while Arteta hounds to officials… whatever it takes to send them to the monitor!

And honestly, as bleak as this is… for a ‘win at all costs’ manager like Arteta.. why wouldn’t he? It’s an absolute glitch in the system at the moment and he’s exploited it perfectly. A review last week showed Arsenal benefited (joint) most from VAR errors this year. He’s won a league with this as part of the tactics… why wouldn’t he continue?

It’s such a shame to see the game reduced to this. The current, awful VAR model means that the Arsenals and the Artetas of the world, and their success to be fair, will make others copycat quickly.

We’re heading to a world where VAR checks take ~10-15mins in many games, and penalties start accounting for 40-50% of all goals scored. At that stage, claims of corruption will come in – when video refereeing becomes so decisive, people will really scrutinize who’s making those decisions.

VAR has been awful: simple as. Tech is great for binary decisions like offside and goal line tech, but the concept of ‘what is a foul’ and ‘what is a handball’ is still so completely subjective, it makes no sense to ruin games, to give another faceless ref another chance to look at every decision again in slow motion, and then come to an inconsistent answer anyway.

It’s a flaw that’s being exploited by coaches like Arteta, and we may only see this get worse.

Finally, in case this sounds like Arsenal bashing, it’s not meant as that: I’m not a fan of their football, but let’s be fair: it worked! They’ve had a very successful season, and look well positioned for that success to continue… but I must admit I was glad PSG’s more ‘purist’ football won out in the end. Andy, Spurs, Eire

…Some decent emails in the mailbox. Good points about travesties averted and some Arsenal “we promise we’re actually the good guys”; PSG are run by oil maniacs and stan Kroenke is the second coming of Mother Theresa. Which was reflected in the Arsenal Apologism and Arteta Hagiography in the 16 Conclusions. I mean really Matt Stead did you actually watch Arteta’s post match interview where, with a face like a slapped arse, he whined about how it was unfair that they were consistent(ly shit and boring) all tournament and lost on penalties. Then he complained that they should have had a penalty because they got them the rest of the tournament. He only half heartedly added that Luis Enrique and PSG were good at the end as a footnote. That “caricature” is actually more of an accurate portrait my friend. I get this is an English website but good lord let’s have some objectivity please.

And again somehow Arsenal nearly got away murder. Trossard’s handball assist, Saka allowed to play basketball in his own box…. But finally they got a penalty awarded against them and they didn’t win. It just shows that if Arsenal hadn’t been riding some level of Deal With the Devil at the Crossroads of refereeing bullshit, they would have dropped MANY MANY more points in the Premier League season.

My final point is when did football simply become about winning? When does this Machiavellian mindset enter the game ? We tell kids to think about the spirit of the game. Sportsmanship is important. Camaraderie. Respect for your opponent. Not everything is about winning, it’s how you win.

But then we get to the professional game we just throw our hands up and say well it’s all about results. Humanity has reached a place where the results justify the means, no matter how many people are hurt by people’s actions or how the game is brought into a state of disrepute and lowered to a state of “do what thou wilt as long as the results come in “

Morality, ethics and the aesthetics of a sport that’s is supposed to predicated on entertainment rely on the means to how outcomes are achieved. We all want to watch a sport based on fair and honest competition. Watching the most rubbish champions league final I have seen since 2003 vindicates the position it was much better for football that the negative, Machiavellian dross that Arsenal have dished up all season wasn’t rewarded. After getting away with murder against Atleti, this is justice.

Now let’s get onto the next season and I’m looking forward to Arsenal shifting from their stopped clocks being right twice a day and get their just desserts. Cheating b**tards. Nobody likes you. Disgruntled, RSA

Why can’t you enjoy your own team?

The schadenfreude in football has been taken to levels never seen before this season. Arsenal in particular have generated unrivalled levels of hate from people who should be objectively neutral or at worst have no skin in the game. But we’re not alone, the hate watch or rage baiting has gone in to overdrive and it is not going to end well.

With the rise of 24/7 football and social media fans are becoming even more fanatical about their club and if you make your living as a wind up merchant then don’t be surprised if one day someone takes things a bit too far in retaliation to you.

Where has the class gone in football? Even clubs and players are in on this now. Hardly any clubs sending congratulations messages to each other, many more interested in trolling a supposed loser. The weird behaviour of a ‘haha you lost the champions league final, a competition we can only dream of being in and you’ll have to settle for being league champions after we told you all season you’ll bottle it’ – and this being seen as a win for the troll? Goodness me.

Fans and access to football is probably at the best and lowest it’s ever been.

When England inevitably get knocked out of the World Cup fans of any club will find a scapegoat from another club and use it to troll them. ‘Haha, I’m hurt by the thing we both collectively were supporting but it’s your team’s player who cost us so I’m happy to laugh at you’ watch it happen in the mailbox.

An historic season for Arsenal against the greatest pressure a manager and set of players have ever come under to win a title. The fact that Arsenal is all anyone could talk about all season shows the levels of jealously reeking out of rivals. You fear us. You say we’re unbearable but it has been created by you. You have been relentless in the criticism of Arsenal for years, do you not expect the fans to defend the club, the players, the manager? Perhaps that collective feeling of ‘us against them’ has driven us on. And also you have to expect it back in spades when we’ve won.

Next season you’ll shift the goalposts again, find another minor thing to be unbelievably offended by, but the need to feel better about yourself by trying to bring down the joy of others is getting silly and doesn’t work, you end up living for negativity when there are so many more fun and positive things to focus on in life and football. Just enjoy your team people! Rich, AFC – Champions

Mixed messages

Even though I’m not an Arsenal fan I was hoping that they would win it as it’s always exciting to see a team win who haven’t before. I think it’s great for the game regardless of the team you support.

Well that’s what I told my son but we all know that’s a load of shite. Secretly laughing. Ralph, Montreal, LFC

No schadenfreude festival here

I went into the final on Saturday hoping to the heavens that Arsenal wouldn’t win the game but something happened mid-game that I didn’t expect. I started becoming okay with Arsenal winning the thing.

I guess mid-game Arsenal gained something even more valuable. They gained my respect and acceptance that they belong at this level.

I think any Arsenal fan should be proud of their team. You showed up and played well against a great all-time team. Arteta and the boys didn’t bottle that game and can count themselves unlucky.

Looking forward to next season when we get to play you as defending champions in the Premier League.

Well done on a great season. Manc In SA (genuinely felt bad for them)

…As expected there has been a fair amount of chuckling around Arsenals ‘failure’ to overcome PSG. Let’s clear this up. So, yeah, they didn’t have a great deal of the ball, didn’t make too many chances and didn’t press on when they took an early lead but there are many ways to win a football match. We all marvel at Barca and Peps Barca light tika taka. We doffed our caps when Jose went a whole season conceding nothing at Chelsea. Ranieri stole our hearts and Jurgens gengenpressing was often a joy to watch.

But take nothing away from Arteta and his team. They’re been the best in the country by a distance all season. It’s sometimes a hard watch with their sh*thousery and reliance on set-pieces but they’ve been damn fine at it, it would be a poor manager that didn’t play to their own strengths. So yes, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea but let’s give the Gooners a little respect folks, they were a roll of a dice (and 1 stupid stuttery penalty) from overcoming what is currently the best team in world footballl and deserve a bit of respect. So yeah, hat tip to all involved at Arsenal FC. Jim (LFC. Wish my team were as big a failure as Arsenal have been this season)

They’re all just bitter

All the fans slating Arsenal’s performance in the Champions League final are bitter Tottenham, Liverpool and Man United fans who’s teams never got a sniff of winning anything this season and just can’t take the fact Arsenal are Premier League champions. That’s all that needs to be said really. Dan, London

…As devastated as we are today, being so close to glory and some terrible refereeing decisions mainly going toward the opposition, then to have it go to pennos is heartbreaking to say the least. But we completely expect the Schadenfreude, it’s part of the norm as soon as Arsenal drop points or lose in whatever manner. It’s literally all that the small-minded have left, and ragebaiters need to make their social media dolla yada yada yada.

Even still, Arsenal have still had much more success than your team has had this season, and we still get to enjoy that shiny Premier League pot that the team worked so hard for 🙂 Cpt. Cucumber [Next season maybe, but please don’t park that bloody bus]

London Pride

Thank you Chris, Croydon. I could not have said it any better.

But let them continue to mock our team. Bottom line PSG, did not look like scoring the whole game till that penalty.

I am sure Arteta and the team will learn from the defeat and I hope it will give them more fire to go again next season.

I am proud of my team and the goal was to win the league and now that is done, we now need to get few players out and few in to make the squad better. Lwazi, Cape Town

…Couple of things. All those armchair managers criticising Arsenal. Went 1-0 up after six minutes. Best attacking team in Europe playing best defence in Europe. What would you really do in that situation? Easy to throw s**t, isn’t it, when you’re not actually responsible for doing the job?

And secondly, Paris SG win the Champions League Final and there are riots in Paris. Arsenal lose the final and go on a parade. Thousands of fans having such a great time, fantastic atmosphere. I was there and it was brilliant! I’m proud of the club and proud of the fans. John (North London)

Small details

Hard luck Arsenal. They very nearly did it. But the very small, minute detail that derailed them was letting a (very good) central defender take the 5th spot kick. It’s absolutely bizarre and I still can’t get my head around it. Gabriel had never taken a penalty in his life. In fact I doubt hes ever had an effort on goal that didnt involve his head. Arteta will have sleepless nights over it for a long time to come. SMH. Derek, LFC

One of F365’s biggest fans writes…

Firstly, before I put forward my thoughts I fully understand I am being duped here. Rage engagement isn’t a new methodology. Make a bunch of rage inducing statements then stand back and milk the clicks. I’m going to respond anyway.

Firstly, the TNT commentary. I don’t think Planet Sport have any grounds on which to criticise anyone on these terms? While TNT took a rampantly pro-Arsenal, and frankly odd approach to covering the game F365 sat there waiting to call Arsenal bottlers with a pack of new Kleenex and hand moisturiser in tow. Your editorial is as partisan as Neville and Carragher on Sky Sports except instead of backing a specific team with bias you back failure with snide. You are literally foaming at the mouth in anticipation of any opportunity to wade in with scummy commentary laced with the blinkered view that F365 alone is the worthy heir of football editorial.

Secondly, as is the way of social media virtue signallers, you pick and choose how and when to showcase your liberal calling. On the one hand you’re all into sustainability while on the other you cherish clubs like PSG who are essentially a gold butt plug in a Qatari Sheikh’s orgy. Their fans, for the third or fourth time, have rampaged through the streets burning cars and bikes, entitled and emboldened. And yet because the world’s most spendy club play tidy football all is forgiven. It’s Arsenal we shouldn’t attack because they don’t and they’re easier to bait.

If you really grew a pair you would get Gaby and Eze in interview and call them bottlers to their faces. But you won’t, because you’re cowards.

You could rename Media Watch to Football36( Watch and never run out of content. There is something so c@ntishly disingenuous with the F365 editorial tone. If we want Schadenfreude then maybe Arsenal fan Daniel Eke will buy you and replace your bleating editorial team with AI agents. Now that would be a festival worth attending. Maybe he could fix your appalling UX while he is at it.

Don’t misunderstand me. Today’s fan voice is anchored in partisan banter and revelling in the opposition’s failure. But for a media outlet to literally feast on self-fuelled rage while at the same time pointing fingers at everyone else’s shortcomings is so so pathetic.

I would suggest you take a long hard look in the mirror but my guess is you have a digital mirror with an AI filter that shows you how beautiful and righteous you are at all times. Wouldn’t surprise me.