Can We Stop Arsenal’s Season Being Shrouded In Negativity? | OneFootball

It seems like a lifetime ago since Arsenal won the FA cup. The euphoria of beating City and Chelsea to lift the FA cup thereby winning an automatic promotion to the Europa league group stages, not to forget the dominant display against Liverpool in the Community Shield.

Suddenly, all the doom and gloom disappeared into thin air, our fanbase found optimism again, we found hope again- our manager is the best manager of all time, he is the perfect one for the job and we even dared to dream we will make the top 4 and challenge for the Europa League.

Then the redundancies happened from top (Raul Sanllehi) to bottom, transfer window tension, Aubameyang contract saga, Francis Cagigao, the mascot. We signed Gabriel and Partey and then the exclusion of Saliba, Sokratis and Ozil.

Looking at the above sequence, it was an adventurous rollercoaster, but the extension and signing of Aubameyang and Partey respectively means the general mood around the club was positive going into the season, but a decision will always come back to haunt us; leaving out Ozil.

Winning the FA cup and the Community shield the way we did has made the majority of us expect more from Arteta and the team, but from the look of things it seems like we have to be very cautious in our optimism, we must allow perspective and realism, we do not want to derail our season with constant negativity do we? Afterall, it is the hope that kills.

I have seen many people say enough of Ozil talk and all, but it is the same fans that are so quick to bring up the subject whenever we lose a game. Look, the truth is, we are just getting started as far the Ozil and Saliba situation is concerned.

What is even more frustrating is that some people are so much blinded by their love for Ozil that they find it hard to be honest in their assessment, I have seen a lot performances like that Leicester game where he is so ordinary, why can’t they just accept that he is past it and is just trying to play victim here. What do I stand to gain if I hate an Arsenal player?

I love Arteta and I support him, but is he making questionable decisions? Emphatic yes! Is he making mistakes, Yes indeed! Is Ozil the solution? Hell no! I hope Arteta is able to take his stand till the end as far as this issue is concerned because it will be mentioned on Thursday, on Sunday and throughout the season.

Make no mistake, some fans are happy that Arteta is facing all the heat and pressure from the media and they, low key, want him to lose, either by bringing Ozil back in January or Arteta leaving the club, because from the look of things, Arteta can never win even if we went on to win 10 straight games and lose one, we must have lost the one game because Ozil or Saliba is not playing, but that is just lame and juvenile.

See, my point is, it is alright if rival fans, the media are coming up with negativities as they always do, but we as fans should not join them in doing so, criticism is part of the game, but we must be objective in doing so. Pep is a fraud today and a tactical genius tomorrow, Mourinho is finished today but a winner tomorrow, Klopp is the best manager today but long ball specialist tomorrow, that is the game, no manager or player is free from criticism, but perspective and realism is needed, especially when you compete against the best in a crazy league with terrible officiating, just adjust or remove your expectation and dare I say it, sense of entitlement.

I will end this by quoting Wenger, “we are in a business where everybody has an opinion”. It is not a crime to have an opinion, but it could be if you are trying to force your opinion on others.

Onwards and upwards

Goonerboy