@Buchi_Laba A player that would choose a club with no guarantee of European football in the next seasons over a recently crowned league winners is least of my worries. He doesn't deserve the badge.
So let me get this straight, Cole Palmer didn't deserve the POTY award more in 2023/2024 with his 33g/a in what can be considered his breakout season over Rodri who had 17g/a just because Rodri led his team to a title. I remember one of the strongest arguments in defense of 1/3
Rodri then was that he was crucial defensively and in possession for his team. 'Take Rodri out of this City team and they are not as strong'. Now, Bruno gets to win the award because of an outstanding season of 20 assists while Declan Rice who led his team to their first EPL 2/3
If you are an Arsenal hater, waiting for me to troll you this night, you can go to bed. I don’t have your time this night. When you have spent HOURS cooking a meal, you don’t rush to eat it hot hot. As the mafioso say, revenge is a dish best eaten cold. 😀
The fact you need this many words to 'defeat' Arsenal means 'this Arsenal' is better than whatever imagination of 'Arsena' l you have from yesteryears. Anyone with half a brain could do this to any team in world football.
There is nothing special about this Arsenal side. They are an elite, well-drilled machine....but every machine has a kill switch.
If you want to outplay them, don't play their game. If you want to beat them, don't match their rhythm. Break it.
Suffocate their build-up, Saliba or Zubimendi will fold and the whole structure starts to creak. Arteta's system is built on control tempo, spacing, composure.
Deny them those three things, and suddenly simple passes become complicated, midfield dominance evaporates, and the errors begin to creep in.
Press them relentlessly, press them aggressively but with intelligence. Not reckless chaos.......calculated aggression. Force them into uncomfortable areas, rush their decisions, and make every touch feel heavy.
Once they wobble, attack with conviction. Test the goalkeeper repeatedly with shots, quick and early. Even the best eventually crack under sustained pressure. Football, like life, rewards volume.
Then comes the inevitable Martinelli switch. Whenever Arsenal need an injection of chaos, he is usually the card Arteta plays. To counter that, you need a right-back with pace, strength, and a touch of controlled violence. Match his speed, dominate the duel, and Arsenal lose one of their most dangerous escape routes.
And then, of course, the set pieces. Arsenal have turned dead balls into an art form. Remove that weapon, and their cutting edge diminishes significantly. No cheap fouls. No needless corners. No invitations.
Manchester United demonstrated this perfectly at the Emirates. That result was not fortune......it was tactical execution.
Atlético Madrid showed flashes of the same blueprint, particularly in the second half. They disrupted Arsenal, unsettled them, and created the exact kind of chaos Arsenal dislike. Their only crime was failing to land the decisive second blow.
And history offers a familiar warning.
March to June has often been Arsenal's annual system reboot period when the software starts lagging, the fans start buffering, and the title challenge suddenly needs troubleshooting.
Season will start, everyone will spend money to compete with City, by April, they all support City to defeat Arsenal because of their own failure. Too funny
Eight games left, Six wins gets the job done imo!
With five of those games at home then every single supporter that sets foot inside The Emirates for those fixtures has a huge role to play.
You have to make the atmosphere electric and be the 12th man, ensure a cauldron of noise makes it unbearable for the opposition on the day and give total and unwavering support to the team.
It’s not a lot to ask but if you aren’t prepared to get onboard then pass your ticket onto someone that will.