In an effort trying not to be overly dramatic, it’s hard not to be…today is D-DAY for Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal Football Club!
The Gunners needs to score goals, and they need to win the match v Villarreal in order to advance to the Europa League final on May 26th.
The last time Arsenal didn’t participated in a European competition was 25 years ago. A win today gets the club one step closer to not only extending this streak, but also a chance to qualify for the Champions League.
Today, the stage is set for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to step-up and save the day like he did late last season.
He told Arsenal.com, “This season it’s the most important game and we know we have to win this game. It is a big opportunity to get to the final, we play at home and this is maybe the biggest game of my Arsenal career. We want something back. I want to lead tomorrow (today).”
The Arsenal captain claims he is 90% recovered from the malaria that sidelined him a few weeks ago, however, he says his his mentality and spirit are at 100%. If this club ever needed Auba to have a great game, today is the day.
What’s on the line today…beating Unai Emery, a spot in the Europa League final, a chance to qualify for the Champions League, more money in the club treasury, more appeal to star players in the transfer market, and of course, and maybe the biggest of all – PRIDE!
Mikel Arteta’s future could also be on the line today. The Spaniard has not had the season he had hoped to have. A dismal Premier League season, plus early knockouts in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup have added up to a campaign where wins barely outnumbers draws and defeats. Only the Europa League has provided any hope for salvation.
I personally believe if Arteta fails to win the Europa League title, he will not be here next season.
So, anyway you shake it, today is D-Day for Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal Football Club.
COYG!
Gunner1953
The Gunners defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday to win both matches in this season’s North London Derby. With the win Arsenal moves back into 2nd place on the Premier League table.
According to The Mail, Arsenal, is in advanced talks to sign Real Sociedad Martin Zubimendi at the end of this season for a reported $61.2-million (USD).
Takehiro Tomiyasu has returned to full training with the first team after recovering from a knee injury. 
Martin Odegaard, “We need to be sharper in the key moments to make sure we get the results we’ve worked for. We have to keep going and keep improving. There is no choice for us now.”
The problem with Arsenal is not Arteta. Emery had the exact same problems at the club. Whoever is buying players has no idea what they’re doing.
Martin Odegaard is a case in point. The hierarchy at the club seem to want him, but why? He doesn’t score. He does not provide assists. He does not break up play. He is good in the middle third of the park, but not the final third. He will cost a lot of money to buy and he is not a ‘right now’ player. Every story about the club’s summer plans, however, insist he is the club’s priority. I believe the term for this is “epic fail.”
Guido Rodriguez is another head scracher. He is a name being bandied aobut by the so-called experts. Like Odegaard he does not score, he does not provide assists, and he does not provide the key passes needed to unlock stubborn defenses. But he is supposedly on the list.
Another name is Yves Bissouma. Here is an outstanding holding midfielder playing for Brighton. He has a contract that goes out at least two years, so he will cost big money. Arsenal just spent big money on Thomas Partey; a holding midfielder. They also have Mohamed Elneny who is a squad player at that position, and Granit Xhaka, who has played the position before Partey arrived. Are Arsenal really going to invest $100 million in the holding midfield position when their most productive central midfielder tallied 4 assists and no goals?
Like I said, they have no clue.
More evidence. Hector Bellerin is rumored to leave the club. If this is his idea, good for him. In his place I’d leave so fast I’d leave skid marks a mile long. He has been Arsenal’s best defensive player for nearly a decade and he is constantly scapegoated by fans and pundits alike. Fans canot wait to see the back of him. He is rumored to sign for PSG, Barcelona, etc. So. A player good enough for the French Champions and Champions League semi-finalist and a team in the hunt for the La liga title; is not good enough for the Premier League’s ninth place team. Clues are in aisle 9. Please get one. Please.
Arsenal have Bernd Leno in goal. He’s a decent keeper. Emmy Martinez is better by any measure. He was shown the door and Arsenal signed Matt Ryan, Brighton’s third-best keeper, as their reserve keeper. Leno has repeatedly shown that not only does he make errors that lead to losses, he does it and blames others for his failures. A goalkeeper, whether he likes it or not, must be a leader. Leno is not a leader and he never will be.
I have no idea why Mesut Ozil was forced out of the team, but it was not for football reasons. If it were, the club would have had better options at #10 than a platoon of players who combined could not provide as many goals and assists as he did in his worst-ever year. Was he worth 350,000 per week. Probably not, but he was better than every single #10 Arsenal has fielded since he was benched, and now the team is in tenth. Last time he started reguarly, they were better.
Aaron Ramsey has had a better year at Juventus as a part-time player than any of the midfielders at Arsenal playing central midfield. Arsenal’s hierarchy let him walk for free. What kind of idiots do that? Wait! I know, Arsenal management idiots! Some pundits even applauded the move as proof the club were moving on from Arsene Wenger’s “failed management” of the club. Except… 8th and 9th are still worse than 5th and 6th, and definitely a lot worse than 20 years of top four.
The current Arsenal corporate leadership forced Arsenal’s most successful manager out the door. They fired Unai Emery, who was a good, though not great coach, and now Arteta is struggling. The problem is not the manager, it is the men pulling the strings. So long at the club signs the wrong players for the wrong reasons, the club will continue to fail. No matter who paces the technical area on game day. Until major changes are made in the executive suite, Arsenal are doomed the same fate as Liverpool before the Fenway Sports management realized that you make more money from success than mediocrity.