Everyone’s tomorrow.
We live in strange times. Sorry to start your day with this shocking revelation, I realize it’s a bit of a bolt from the blue, but it’s a fact. Supermarket fridges are being smashed across Europe. What a time to live. They used to break into, I don’t know, mainframes and banks and shit, and now they break into refrigerators.
Maybe they were tired of taking billions from CryptoSloth and BitWomble and needed a challenge. I feel like fridges are supposed to be something you can’t break apart from just smashing it – but what do I know? Anyway, this is an example of how the interaction that brings us all together every day has been weaponized, and now that Neo has pwned the big cold cabinets, the sliced meats at your local grocery store are off. As if our work is not enough.
Like all the people who hate Arsenal’s game. Quite frankly, gone are the days when I cared about what other people thought of this football club or pretty much anything that mattered to me. This is a waste of time. It’s a bit like the oft-attributed George Bernard Shaw quote, “Never wrestle with pigs. You get dirty and the pig likes it.”
I don’t think he actually said that, but I think we can all relate to the meaning. This is very much the case with social media and the many ways in which we are subjected to expert and ‘expert’ analysis in football these days. A bunch of ex-pro pigs whining about one thing or another, then a bunch of other little pigs who support all the clubs argue with them and among themselves, and it’s just a pigstravaganza of pointless, lunacy, but it does it. #numbers it seems valuable even in social networks #content.
I can understand why rival fans hate Arsenal’s game so much. Because we win many games. That’s what makes them angry. Although it is very simple, you can not look smart and intelligent amateur If you’re just saying, “I don’t like it when they win,” it’s dressed up as a style slur or something.
Look, the strange world we live in here is in focus. You can, and really should, hold more than one thought in your head—about football or anything else—that is true. I absolutely love how good we are defensively. I love it. Our determination to give nothing to the opposition is truly something to relish. The players are laser-focused on each other; lining up bodies to prevent shots and crosses; 11 players move like birds chirping because they are so well drilled and disciplined; beyond consciousness and discipline; brilliantly timed shots, headers and blanks; Guys who stick up for each other when the opposition gets a little sloppy, as we saw on Sunday with Jurrien Timber and Noni Madueke refusing to allow their captain to be treated that way; it’s all part of the brilliant dogged defensive attitude that runs through this team.
It is not easy to create. As Arsenal fans, we have put up with defenses that are porous and weak and sometimes very, very stupid. I don’t wish to go back to those times. Over the years, Mikel Arteta has assembled a collection of players who can’t wait to get out there and do the dirty work of defending, and he runs from front to back because that’s what he requires. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it, so to test a team’s brilliance in one department, you’ve failed them without hitting a target, just comes across as sour grapes.
Here’s another idea though. From an attacking point of view, I’d love to see us do a little bit better, and looking at this team and what it’s capable of, there’s no doubt that the forward line remains an area where you can see room for improvement. We defend the way we do because we have to more often than you or I like to – because we experience the game with subtle differences. The 1-0 to Arsenal is a part of our history that is hardwired into our supporters’ DNA (especially if you’re of a particular vintage), but I can’t lie and wish there weren’t a few more 3-0s to Arsenal.
I’m pretty sure Mikel Arteta would want that too, and I think it’s a bit too easy to say this is a team that plays the kind of football he wants. He’s a glorious pragmatist, as we all understand, so what we’ve got is a team that plays to its strengths, as mentioned above. He qualifies as a defensive coach, I get that, but a few seasons ago we found an attacking cocktail that created title challenges and saw us score more goals (91 to 73) than when the Invincibles won the league in 2004.
I think he wants both. He wants that nonsense in the back and firepower up front. Unfortunately, forward recruitment is the most difficult part of the transfer business, and while he has a hand in it as a manager, our track record as a club is quite poor in this regard. This summer window was a complete bust in terms of attack, which doesn’t look good when you’re chasing the likes of Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez. Then when you let go of three forwards and add just one, there are questions to be asked of those in charge. Arteta is certainly among them, but he is not the one whose job it is to do deals.
So there’s a lot of talk around January and what we can do. We see other clubs bring in strikers who produce consistently, while ours often struggle to find that final product. Is this our system? Would these players struggle to get those goals for us? Reasonable questions, but the bottom line in my opinion is that we have A+ options at the back and in midfield, and a bit of a C in the front three. That’s where the room for improvement is, the recruiting needs to be better (certainly better than no recruiting at all) and it’s a little more routine in the games we’re currently winning by one goal, mostly because of our defensive strength.
simplistic? Yes. Easier said than done? Most likely. But is it necessary? Absolutely. Until then, expect more defensive masterclasses, more pig wrestling, and maybe someone will break out our Swedish fridge and score a few more goals. Worth a try!
—
Right, I’ll leave it there for now. I just have a small request. Arseblog was nominated for Best Fan Media (Fran Merida) at the 2026 FSA Awards. We are trying to keep our title, so if you could take a moment to vote for us, it would be greatly appreciated. You can do it here –
Until tomorrow.