Our Rivals Squad next year - Arsenal

Much more of a challenge than Man Utd though.

v Swansea
a Sunderland
a Burnley
v QPR
a Leicester
v West Ham
v Everton

v Crystal Palace
a Everton
a Leicester
v Man City
a Aston Villa
v Spurs
a Chelsea
v Hall

And yet you come out only 1 point ahead. The hilarious thing is Man Utd fans crowing about Arsenal when they've pissed away an incredibly easy start.
I was personally never deluded enough to think we'd win the title this season like some of our supporters. Most rational people here knew that top 4 is the aim. Our manager has said as much and our board has said as much.

Arsenal's supporters expected a much improved side that's finally able to challenge for the title. Our sides have totally different ambitions this season. Us struggling was to be expected. You guys struggling this much wasn't.
 
Everton and Hull were lucky to get the point they got due to ref mistakes. Still not as hilarious as losing 5-3 to a newly promoted team mind you.

That's more like it, comparing an established Arsenal side with Louis van Gaal's new United team. Don't worry next season we will be comparable to the big boys.
 
Just 2 wins so far this season? Already 11 points behind the leaders? Sorry, but thats utterly shocking.
 
I don't know why rival fans conveniently leaves out, how for the first 3 games we had a different team from now, with a new formation, new manager, new style etc.

We had Herrera who only played 60 minutes against Swansea and then he was injured, Blind was signed late and made his debut against QPR, likewise Rojo, and Shaw and Rafael started playing from the 4th and 6th match respectively, we can't excuse those first 3 games, but tbf we had a complete different side out there, We have Di Maria, Rojo, Herrera, Blind, Shaw, Falcao, Rafael all only started playing together from the QPR match, and since then we have played 4 matches and won 3, and two on the bounce, we have played great attacking football, we create chances for fun, i can't remember the last time we played with that much attacking fluidity, and i can't wait for our matches, we have every reason to be optimistic about, and i can put my house on and say if we had these players available we would have won 2 out of these three opening matches for sure.

And all those people who feel we are a one man team etc. Di Maria is a great player and probably our best player, but i feel Rafael, Shaw, Herrera, Blind all of them have been just as important for us Attacking wise, and they make us tick, Di Maria played against Burnley aswell which we drew between, we never had the supporting cast, we had the likes of Young and Valencia as wingbacks, three CB's, Rvp and Rooney unfit, with Fletcher as our starting midfielder. So stop looking at the points and draw conclusion, you have to look at a bigger picture which clearly suggest that we have had a better start all things considered, and we are on the up.
 
Who expected that? I can't remember any of us expecting to win the title with five senior defenders and Flamini at defensive midfield.
I can't remember off the top of my head, but before the summer, so before any transfers had taken place, the Cup win had been discussed as a possible catalyst for greater things.

I guess by the end of the summer, with no big CF signing and not much cover in CB, a lot of the hopes had died down a little, but I doubt any Arsenal fans would have really expected the situation to turn out as it has so far.

Also, for all the comparisons with Utd, and you may contest this, I feel there's definite positive progress with what van Gaal is doing. I don't really see Arsenal moving in a positive direction at the moment, and I think your overall play is pretty sloppy (with minutes of brilliance which are bound to happen due to personel).
 
We are a far better side than Arsenal. On paper Arsenal sound great, but in reality they are a bunch of bottlers. I'd take Ramsey and Alexis from them but that's about it. Mertesacker is slow and as Abel Hernandez showed today he's prone to switching off. Koscielney is injured a lot and gives away a lot of penalties.

Well finish ahead of them in 3rd.
 
And yet you come out only 1 point ahead. The hilarious thing is Man Utd fans crowing about Arsenal when they've pissed away an incredibly easy start.

The difference is that we're basically building a whole new team, virtually from scratch. Infact, if you look at our first XI right now, only 4 (De Gea, Rafael, RVP, Rooney) can be considered established first team players. The rest of the team is made up of youngsters, young players who have yet to establish themselves, and new signings. It was always going to take time to build this team, and thats why realistic expectations should be to make the top 4. Talk of title challenges was always going to be way way wide of the mark. Unless something incredible happens and our teams suddenly just all 'clicks' and goes on a run, then Arsenal, Chelsea and City should all finish above us this season, while we fight it out for 4th with Liverpool/Spurs/Everton.

You don't have the same excuse. You have an established team, and squad. You've just started horribly. And don't throw in the injuries as an excuse, as we've had them too (and worse) am I'm not going to hide behind that. If you only have 3 defenders and two strikers (or whatever it is) then thats clearly Wengers own fault.

I think the difference is that a lot of Arsenal fans look at our results this season and think we've had an absolutely terrible start whereas United fans look at theirs and think they've been brilliant.

Well no one has said that. The general consensus is that we've looked great going forward, and shambolic defensively.
 
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Bottlers? Jesus. That word lost all meaning after going down 2-0 in the cup final and coming back to win. These days it is a useful way to figure out which people have no idea what they are talking about.
 
You've still massively stagnated. I hope Wenger stays for an eternity, as you are going nowhere where it matters with him in charge.
 
"Established Arsenal side"

I love this, United fans talking as if we've got some vastly experienced players whilst talking about their own players as if they're all promising youngsters. You've got a team full of title winners ffs, not some newbs who have just been promoted from the reserve side.
 
"Established Arsenal side"

I love this, United fans talking as if we've got some vastly experienced players whilst talking about their own players as if they're all promising youngsters. You've got a team full of title winners ffs, not some newbs who have just been promoted from the reserve side.

We're talking about being established as part of one team. Not how experienced each individual player is. Obviously.

Compare our starting XI this season, to last season. Its a completly different team, bar about 4 players.
 
We're talking about being established as part of one team. Not how experienced each individual player is.

Compare our starting XI this season, to last season. Its a completly different team, bar about 4 players.
United aren't the only team in the league who bought new players this summer and are integrating them into the team. Look how well Southampton are doing.
 
United aren't the only team in the league who bought new players this summer and are integrating them into the team. Look how well Southampton are doing.

The way you say it like we've just bought a couple of new players :lol:

Have you actually seen the turnaround we've had since last season? Its unprecedented. We're not just integrating a few new players into a team, we're virtually building a whole new one. We've got 6 new players (Shaw, Rojo, Herrera, Blind, Di Maria, Falcao) who have all gone straight into the first team, we've promoted 3 youngsters (Blackett, McNair, Wilson) two of whom have gone straight into the first team, so thats already 8 new players forming a team who have never played together before. Add to that we've let go of 7 first team squad players (Buttner, Rio, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Kagawa, Welbeck) most of whom have formed the core of our team over the past few years, a few of them the last 7 years or so. We've now got players like Jones, Smalling, and Evans who have barely played consistently together, suddenly finding themselves as the experienced players at the club. And add to that we're coming off one of the worst seasons in the clubs recent history.

If you honestly think that they're wasn't going to be massive teething problems, then you're utterly deluded. As for Southampton, what they have done this season has been nothing short of incredible. But its nowhere near the same level of transformation as we've gone through.

Anyways, this thread is about Arsenal. Maybe its time to stop hiding behind the excuses of United's troubles this season, and face up to your own? Because right now, it looks like you're just trying to deflect the difficult questions.
 
The Arsenal fans are just bitter cause they're shit.
 
BREAKING: Redcafe user Sam yet to learn definition of unprecedented

BREAKING: Yet another Arsenal fan that still refuses to talk about his own teams troubles. And instead tries to deflect the attention elsewhere. What a shock.
 
Neither team has been excellent but we're currently tied on points with a game in hand. So theres no point in pointing at our flaws really, you have your own and if you are reasonable you can see its not all roses at Arsenal at the moment.
 
Let me start by saying that I am not claiming we have had a better start to the season than Arsenal - but there is one question I always find interesting regarding Arsenal. Why do Wengers sides so often throw away the league before it has started ? Every season they come really strong in the end - but a horrible start to the season messed it up. The only real exceptions to this rule in the last 5 seasons was last year.

If we assume a 2.3 point average pr game is needed to challenge for the title (86-87 points)

Look at these numbers:
2014/15 - 11 points in 8 matches - about 7.5 points behind
2013/14 - 25 points in 10 matches - 2 points ahead
2012/13 - 15 points in 10 matches - 8 points behind
2011/12 - 16 points in 10 matches - 7 points behind
2010/11 - 18 points in 10 matches - 5 points behind
2009/10 - 22 points in 10 matches - 1 point behind
2008/09 - 20 points in 10 matches - 3 points behind
2007/08 - 26 points in 10 matches - 3 points ahead

4 out of the last 5 seasons, Arsenal have in the first 10 matches of the season lost between 5 and 8 points of what usually is required to win the league. Surely this is not a coincidence.
 
What did you expect this season? Why didn't you sign a defensive midlfielder? That's Wenger's call and why is that an excuse now?

How would I know why we didn't sign anyone? Fact is that we didn't. And we didn't sign a replacement for Vermaelen either. So no one expected a title. Which was my point.
 
I'll never understand why Wenger didn't sign a CB and defensive mid in the last window. I can only think they had some targets that didn't come through, but even then they should have some back-ups. They are one or two injuries away from being fecked.
 
"Established Arsenal side"

I love this, United fans talking as if we've got some vastly experienced players whilst talking about their own players as if they're all promising youngsters. You've got a team full of title winners ffs, not some newbs who have just been promoted from the reserve side.

I'm guessing you mean me, if you read my post you would also see the comparison with it being Louis van Gaal's first season. Wenger has his set up, has his philosophy built into the team, Louis van Gaal has literally just arrived!

So yes Arsene Wenger's Arsenal compared with Louis van Gaal's United is established so if we can draw strong comparisons now what happens next season or the one after?

We expect United to be where they are but not Arsenal, as things stand come Christmas it looks like Arsenal will be only be a few points ahead and Louis van Gaal's teams tend to accumulate a lot more points once they click compared with the first months of the season therefore I would take Arsenal only being a few points ahead at Christmas.
 
They couldn't stop banging on about how they spent more time leading the premier league than anybody else (last season) and had it not been for key players getting injured they would have won it. And what, after that season they are happy to compete for the fourth place cup again?
 
You've still massively stagnated. I hope Wenger stays for an eternity, as you are going nowhere where it matters with him in charge.
Early on in the season all I was reading is that they've improved a lot over last season. I still think we're taking their place in the top 4.
 
Much more of a challenge than Man Utd though.

v Swansea
a Sunderland
a Burnley
v QPR
a Leicester
v West Ham
v Everton

v Crystal Palace
a Everton
a Leicester
v Man City
a Aston Villa
v Spurs
a Chelsea
v Hall

And yet you come out only 1 point ahead. The hilarious thing is Man Utd fans crowing about Arsenal when they've pissed away an incredibly easy start.

What an absolutely stupid comparison. We had a team which was low on confidence with a new manager and loads of injuries in the first few weeks. In contrast, you had a stable team who just won something in ages last season(also on injuries). It's too simplistic to post just facts without any context.
 
As far as no Arsenal fan expected a title challenge. Just read the first few pages of this thread, people were laughed at by Arsenal fans when they said that Arsenal will finish 4th.

Aguero's best season in the Prem was his first, just like Torres, and to a lesser extent, Cazorla.

One positive about this season is we don't have all our difficult games bunched up together, so a similar collapse to last season shouldn't be the case. We'll challenge for the title, and if Ramsey, Koscielny and Mertesacker stay fit for the whole season we've got a decent chance. Considering betting a big figure on us to win the league now (8.4 @ Betfair), and cashing out around Christmas. Would have made a fortune last season.
 
You mean like this:

With the signing of Sanchez, I think they'll compete for the title more but will still finish third. Chelsea are a club with no obvious weaknesses for now and if they sign a good central midfielder, then they look like title favorites. Don't really think City will be good this season, with Yaya's mutterings and he'll go to AFCON this season. \

We'll surprise a few people this season. Many due to the Moyes effect have underestimated our squad.
 
You mean like this:

Aye I underestimated the stupidity of Wenger and didn't think that they wouldn't sign a defensive midfielder and defender. Not sure how is it relevant to the point I was making though. Many Arsenal fans said that none of the Arsenal fans expected them to compete for the title, I disputed that.

Typical Arsenal fans reply this, say anything negative about the team and in reply they'll deflect the blame on United. The last two pages are a testament to that.

United fan: "Arsenal have been shit this season"
Arsenal fan: "United have been shitter, LOLZ!"
 
Aye I underestimated the stupidity of Wenger and didn't think that they wouldn't sign a defensive midfielder and defender. Not sure how is it relevant to the point I was making though. Many Arsenal fans said that none of the Arsenal fans expected them to compete for the title, I disputed that.

Typical Arsenal fans reply this, say anything negative about the team and in reply they'll deflect the blame on United. The last two pages are a testament to that.

United fan: "Arsenal have been shit this season"
Arsenal fan: "United have been shitter, LOLZ!"

Eboue said that.
 
Didn't want to point out Theirry's post but was just saying that there was expectation from Arsenal fans regarding a title challenge this summer and they are obviously perfectly entitled to think that but then don't post things like "No Arsenal fans expected for a title challenge" when things go bad. Still not sure why you quoted my post mind. Epic bantz from you.
 
The post match interview was pretty bizarre, the reporter put some tough questions and Wenger really got angry. This combined with the Jose incident seems to suggest that Wenger is pretty frustrated right now
 
Didn't want to point out Theirry's post but was just saying that there was expectation from Arsenal fans regarding a title challenge this summer and they are obviously perfectly entitled to think that but then don't post things like "No Arsenal fans expected for a title challenge" when things go bad. Still not sure why you quoted my post mind. Epic bantz from you.
But pulling up quotes before the transfer window closed doesn't address Eboue's point that Arsenal fans didn't think we could compete missing that DM we all cried out for and defensive cover.
 
From Daniel Taylor's pizza inspired article: "Arsenal have lost 75 league games since the Invincibles era and almost a third of them, 22, have been to United or Chelsea."
I'd also add that whilst in recent years Arsenal have often crumbled at the big teams, they've usually maintained their place by routinely handling the smaller teams but this season they seem to be finding those games difficult too.