Friday Cannon Fodder: trouble

Good morning TSF and happy Friday! You did it, you made it through another week. I nearly didn’t. The last two mornings, instead of posting CF, I’ve been trying to sort out issues with my computer. I’ll spare you the details, but I had to do a clean Windows install and then had to fight with Windows to get it to update. It was extremely annoying and time consuming, but I think I have it sorted out now.

Speaking of trouble and things to sort out, have you seen Arsenal lately? The level has been heading in the wrong direction for a few matches. What’s to blame? Everybody has their own theory. Fatigue and lack of rotation. Missing Alex Zinchenko more than people expected. Poor finishing. Not enough quality depth. And the list goes on.

I think it’s nothing. I said it yesterday: form ebbs and flows. Arsenal played really well to open the season. Right now, they’re not playing as well. At some point, probably soon given upcoming matches against Nottingham Forest and FC Zurich at home, they’re going to look really good again. You’re not going to look like a well-oiled, opposition-smashing machine every match of the season. When Liverpool won the title in 2019-2020, they lost 4 of 5 matches in all competitions at one point. Manchester City’s Centurions lost three straight matches during their historic campaign.

The important part is your ability to bounce back from bad results and dropped points. When Arsenal lost to Manchester United earlier this season, they reeled off seven straight wins in all competitions. Equally as important is your ability to pick up points and get results when you’re not playing at your best. Thus far, Arsenal have done a decent job this season of doing that.

Also, for all our hemming and hawing about poor performances, let’s not forget that Arsenal are 6-1-1 in the month of October, a month in which they’ve played a match every 3.3 days. That’s pretty good. We’d all have bitten your hand off for that record for the past five years. To quote Aaron Rodgers before his public heel-turn to being an eccentric weirdo douchebro, “R-E-L-A-X” y’all.

Mikel Arteta realizes that the team needs to turn things around. He said as much in his post-match press conference. The team needs a “reset” to get back to their winning ways. The players know it, too. Aaron Ramsdale acknowledged something similar when he spoke with the media. They all know what’s going on. They’re going to turn it around.