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Style
Views: 1005
Arsenal are getting pelters this season for their style of play, slowing down play, maximising set pieces and being big, strong and physical.
Just like we used to, and still have a reputation for playing that way, which we live up to in terms of getting the ball forward quickly and being strong and aggressive.
Am I alone in much preferring to watch this style over the tikka takka style everyone tried to copy from Pep's teams of a season or two ago.
It's down to the referee to manage the game, if you can get away with playing like Revell, Graham Westley or Steve Evans' Stevenage, and are winning surely that's all that matters.
Edited by BALDOCKBORO at 08:49:01 on 5th March 2026
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1 person
Re: Style
Views: 668
Personally like watching something done well, with full commitment. Matchday, training, recruitment behind a style. An ethos
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1 person
Re: Style
Views: 878
It's funny because it's not like Arsenal don't also play some good football. They have a lot of exciting players to watch. But because they've toughened up and now know how to battle and win against the sides that either used to out battle them or were just better than them (the Man City/Barca types), they're now getting criticised.
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3 people
Re: Style
Views: 831
I also think this toughening up has happened just as City are having an absolute stinker/transitional period. Looks like Arsenal are learning to win but really they’re probably just the best of a bad bunch this season, much as Liverpool were last year.
This Arsenal side (if they don’t bottle it) and last season’s Liverpool will only really be remembered by their own fans as opposed to United in 99, City’s treble winners or Arsenal’s invincibles.
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Re: Style
Views: 859
The beauty of football is that there are so many ways you can play the game. None are right or wrong and we see dominant styles come around, then someone completely changes the way they play, becomes successful and that becomes the fashion. We moved towards possession based football without height and physicality being as much of a necessity and now we will see the re-emergence of physical players of stature and balls into the box. I personally think that is fascinating and not something that happens in most sports.
A lot of my enjoyment of the game comes from watching the tactical side, trying to see who is doing what and why. I want to see us win. There is of course a more attractive way for that to happen but the best sight is always scoring more than we concede and putting three points on the board.
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Re: Style
Views: 879
I hate Arsenal so much man.
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6 people
Re: Style
Views: 658
Kind of yes, but also that stuff feels so synthetic it's hard to care. I can't be bothered to look at a PL table nowadays. Leave it to their fans home and abroad to bother
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2 people
Re: Style
Views: 633
Talking of PL there a few bods on ET who spend most of game looking at phones broadcasting to everyone all the scores Weird.
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Re: Style
Views: 624
RIP Richard Thom
(Obvs with radio, not phone)
Edited by AndyC at 08:07:09 on 6th March 2026
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1 person
Re: Style
Views: 625
Did not realise he did that , each to their own but just don't get it
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Re: Style
Views: 622
They're not half as bad as the old blokes that have nothing positive to say.
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Re: Style
Views: 545
I have nothing positive to say and check/read out the PL scores. 😉
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Re: Style
Views: 886
All this tippy tappy football does my head in.
I'm very much old school, love to see the full-on physical side of our game.
It can actually take your breath away sometimes when witnessing some of our tackles along with our challenges in the air.
We are certainly not little princesses...we are 'big, strong and physical" we really are and I love it.
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2 people
Re: Style
Views: 900
Agreed, I'd much rather watch Pidge and Phillips flying into headers and tackles than passing the ball amongst the back five for half the game. It's also very difficult to play in a more expansive way in L1 because of the level of quality - Stockport did a good job at moving the ball around but lacked any way of getting through us/we did very well at stopping them, but most teams I've seen try and play free-flowing football at our level end up making a huge number of mistakes
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Re: Style
Views: 807
'It's also very difficult to play in a more expansive way in L1 because of the level of quality'
I think it's mainly because our pitch is so compact it gives little space. Away from home it's a different story, as we are finding out. Plenty of League One players have the ability required to play that way.
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Re: Style
Views: 787
The better the player, the less space they need.
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1 person
Re: Style
Views: 884
Yeah for example Wolves and Burnley play "nice" footy but looks like getting relegated.
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