“Bottled it.”

G

Granville Bennett

Active member
Hate how this insult is thrown about at sports men/women and teams. It seems to have become a coverall term for coming up short.

Sometimes the opposition is better. Arsenal haven’t ‘bottled it’ re the title. Boro haven’t ‘bottled it’ re finishing second. Harry Kane didn’t ‘bottle’ his penalty against France in the World Cup.
 
Jonny_Rondos_Disco_pants said:
We didn’t bottle 2nd as we haven’t thrown it away.

Arsenal are showing a lack of bottle due to lack of experience
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Arsenal’s manager said all the wrong things after the West Ham draw instead of defending his players, this precipitated their demise as he dented trust between him and his players
Then as a result, Southampton happened and the Man City mauling was entirely predictable.

My point being that the manager takes responsibility because he sets the tone inside the squad and at their greatest need he criticised them instead of deflecting and doing anything but criticising them
 
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There's something in knowing how to win though. Arsenal haven't tasted that for years and I think it's fair to say their lack of that experience has been part of their downfall.

I don't think it's unreasonable to say that Arsenal have bottled it given the lead they had either.
 
I agree on the whole but I’d argue Arsenal did bottle it, not against Man City as Man City are a better team but the results against West Ham and Southampton, I’d say they did bottle it against those teams their nerves got the better of them and that handed the impetus back to Man City. Their is every chance it wouldn’t of made a
Difference anyway but those games were a draw because of a failure of the minds of the players not on footballing ability.

I’d also argue Sheff Utd nearly bottled it after we beat them through they eventually managed to turn it back round.
 
Let’s be honest, they went 2-0 up at Liverpool and looked about to start sewing up the title, and they absolutely shat themselves.
 
Arsenal from the position they found themselves in 3 games ago and only drawing, 3-3 with Southampton, 2-2 with West Ham, conceding 5 goals and throwing 4 points away into the bargain, add in Saka not even hitting the target from the spot in one of those games too, suggests to me the pressure of the chase was getting to them, so there is a decent argument to say they are in the process of bottling it.

City are in fine form and showed they have experience and bottle and therefore cope with pressure. You say City are the better team, (I agree btw), but Arsenal remain top of the Premier League for now.

I am happy to use the phrase bottled it in context of coping with pressures, especially when losing points to inferior opposition, like say Arsenal have of late.
 
I think Arteta showed a weakness when he was seen running up and down the touchline like an angry baboon after a decision went against them in a league game at The Emirates. He started to unravel slightly I thought. That lack of discipline and control translates to the players from the top. Compare that with Kompany and Carrick who look far more composed and the team feed on that.
 
Cardiffdaffs said:
I think Arteta showed a weakness when he was seen running up and down the touchline like an angry baboon after a decision went against them in a league game at The Emirates. He started to unravel slightly I thought. That lack of discipline and control translates to the players from the top. Compare that with Kompany and Carrick who look far more composed and the team feed on that.
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I agree. I see some of the tensions shown by Karanka in Arteta and do wonder if the fact they both come from the Basque region of Spain an area said to be known for its character, strong cultural identity, determination of its peoples and fiery temperaments have caused an imbalance in the Arsenal squads well-being and their ability to cope with pressure moments.
 
coluka said:
I agree. I see some of the tensions shown by Karanka in Arteta and do wonder if the fact they both come from the Basque region of Spain an area said to be known for its character, strong cultural identity, determination of its peoples and fiery temperaments have caused an imbalance in the Arsenal squads well-being and their ability to cope with pressure moments.
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We still went up despite Karanka's breakdown, possibly due to the experience of Agnew and senior players and leaders throughout the team
 
coluka said:
I agree. I see some of the tensions shown by Karanka in Arteta and do wonder if the fact they both come from the Basque region of Spain an area said to be known for its character, strong cultural identity, determination of its peoples and fiery temperaments have caused an imbalance in the Arsenal squads well-being and their ability to cope with pressure moments.
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Maybe Kevin Keegan was secretly born in the Basque…..
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
We still went up despite Karanka's breakdown, possibly due to the experience of Agnew and senior players and leaders throughout the team
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We did, but we were second not champions too. Additionally in the PL, when he lost it after the WHU and after the WBA game as the January window ‘slammed shut’ (sorry), some of that will have sent a worried message to a then fragile squad, and I say that as an AK fan.
 
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