“Bottled it.”

[Nano]

This is crazy talk.

Even if they beat Liverpool, West Ham & Saints, they weren't guaranteed of the title.

This is a side that finished 5th last season and who Arteta has punching well above their weight (both based on last season, and based on financial side of things - wages spent etc).

And then you're blaming Arteta for this?

Arteta is in the running for Manager of the Season - and rightly so. This Arsenal team - based on their experience and age - shouldn't really have been in the position they were. No one would've predicted them to be top in April.

They've over achieved in the league enormously and a lot of credit has to go to Arteta for that. Especially with the injuries to big keys players this season - none more so than Jesus.

They're up against a winning machine, and arguably the greatest manager of all time - and if City win the treble, they could even be beaten by arguably the greatest English side team ever.

To suggest Arsenal have 100% bottled it is completely wrong.

I'm not saying they would have won the league if they'd won those matches. I'm saying they've thrown it away because they couldn't handle the pressure. It doesn't matter what expectations were at the start of the season, it matters what they were at 2-0 up at Liverpool, 2-0 up at West Ham and at kick off against the worst team in the league. There would have been no bottling if they had gradually dropped points along the way and City relentlessly kept on winning. The manner of the fall is what is important.

I'm not "blaming" Arteta. I'm saying he also doesn't have the experience. Like his young squad he/they haven't been in the pressure situation of having to win every week while another team chases you down. He's had a great season. Arsenal have had a great season. They've massively exceeded expectations but expectations change. 4 games ago they were in a position where they could win the league by matching City and losing the City match. They didn't win any of them, when they definitely should have done, and they got battered by City. City are/were irrelevant. It didn't matter that they might beat Arsenal because it was still in Arsenal's hands. Even if they'd won 2 and drawn one of the 3 they'd still be in control. They might have not been able to keep up the form to beat City to the title but they looked like they've already given up and they see it as inevitable from kick-off against City.

If Arteta had been in this situation before he might have been able to relay his experiences to his players. He's going through it for the first time as well. There's no shame in it. This experience will help in the future. He/they will learn from it. Maybe a more experienced head would have managed them through the last few games better. Losing a 2 goal lead once happens. It's not ideal but it happens. 2 in a row is a problem and then to find yourself 2 down in 15 mins at home in a must win game the following week is a capitulation.

You can have a great season and still bottle it. In fact, you can only bottle something if you have something, like a lead, to lose.

 

[Granville Bennett]

Definitely sticking to my original assertion that Arsenal haven’t bottled it. Don’t think those draws were the result of lack of courage or stepping up to the plate.

 

[TeaCider]

Definitely sticking to my original assertion that Arsenal haven’t bottled it. Don’t think those draws were the result of lack of courage or stepping up to the plate.

How?

They were coasting in 2 consecutive games, then imploded after conceding and were lucky to scrape draws.

They had a penalty at 2-1 in the West Ham game, missed it and then immediately conceded the equaliser and were hanging on at the end.

Coming back in the Southampton game could be used as an example of "bottle" if it hadn't involved them first conceding 3 goals to comfortably the worst team in the league at home.

 

[Granville Bennett]

How?

They were coasting in 2 consecutive games, then imploded after conceding and were lucky to scrape draws.

They had a penalty at 2-1 in the West Ham game, missed it and then immediately conceded the equaliser and were hanging on at the end.

Coming back in the Southampton game could be used as an example of "bottle" if it hadn't involved them first conceding 3 goals to comfortably the worst team in the league at home.

How?

Because I don’t think it was lack of courage/bravery.

 

[S7DiscoDown]

Lazy term..... Yet 8 points clear and at one point a game in hand. It's definitely 'blown it' rather than bottled.

Arsenal have fallen apart. It's not the city game. It's the awful draws against Liverpool/Southampton and West ham.

They will never have a better chance... Yet blow it

 

[Mfc79]

We didn't bottle it re finishing second but Sheff Utd showed a lack of bottle. They turned into jibbering wreck's as soon as we came within 7 points of them (with them still holding a game in hand over us). When the gap was reduced further to 4 points their message board and Sheffield United fan forums went into melt down.

Thats what makes me laugh about norwood's comments. Nothing was said from our end. All of the comments and predictions of us taking second spot came from their quarters.

 

[Ex Footy Legs]

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.

But the bottling it came from the manager because all teams have wobbles and that’s when the manager earns his corn by being careful what he says publicly and privately to his players. Ferguson and wenger knew how to do this but Arteta doesn’t

 

[Cardiffdaffs]

To be fair Pep does that all the time. He's just copying his master.

They act like a couple of 3 year olds having a tantrum and it's embarrassing. But, I guess they feel it works.

Arteta was ridiculous in that game I refer to. I can’t remember which match it was, think it was Newcastle at home when he thought they should have had a last minute penalty, but it was a meltdown of absurd proportions. Whilst Pep does show his frustration as you say nothing he does can be compared to the antics that the Arsenal manager was in that display And rightly received a lot of criticism.

 

[coluka]

But the bottling it came from the manager because all teams have wobbles and that’s when the manager earns his corn by being careful what he says publicly and privately to his players. Ferguson and wenger knew how to do this but Arteta doesn’t

Of course Arteta is a part of it, my use of the word ’they’ in my earlier post included the manager, all his coaches and players collectively, it is a collective team game, for some reason it appears you have interpreted my comments as just meaning the players by the looks, twas never the case though.

 

[Ex Footy Legs]

Of course Arteta is a part of it, my use of the word ’they’ in my earlier post included the manager, all his coaches and players collectively, it is a collective team game, for some reason it appears you have interpreted my comments as just meaning the players by the looks, twas never the case though.

Players are going to have wobbles, it’s inevitable, that’s why I don’t see them as bottlers, the issue, that no one has spotted is Arteta after the West Ham game, he said all the wrong things in his after match interview and god knows what he said to his players but from there he couldn’t ‘hold’ them and create a them and us scenario..Arteta has shown how green he actually is…

 

[RegBoggs]

Is this your entry for woke post of the week?