Even if you win, you will be criticized? How can Arsenal’s public opinion dilemma be solved?

A fan bluntly said: "This season, Arsenal can attract headlines, public opinion and events more than any team in the league. "

This is true, but the post-match discussion of the first round focus game showed an intriguing imbalance - although Manchester United lost 0-1, they received a lot of praise for the outstanding performance of the new forward player; and Arsenal, who played away, was harshly scrutinized by the media for "winning ugly".

Amorin's team did show a new look. The forward partner of Cunya and Mbeumo contributed 8 successful breakthroughs, and its speed and impact force made Arsenal's left-side defense frequently in a hurry.

But behind the glamorous data, Manchester United's structural stubbornness has not diminished at all: the goalkeeper's position is still unstable, the central defender's combination moves slowly (faced with Arsenal's high-pressure multiple misses), and the midfielder is even more in "Bruno's dilemma" - forced to stuff B Fe into the unfamiliar midfield system, and matched with Casemiro who is in a declining state or Ugat who performs poorly, the offense and defense transition is broken.

As the comment said: "If the foundation is unstable and the roof leaks, no matter how exquisite the furniture you buy from IKEA is helpful. "

This summer, the three major forward new players introduced by Manchester United will ultimately not be able to cover up the fatal flaws of the defense and the midfield.

According to the current trajectory, Amorin is likely to not last November, and Manchester United's team-building idea will be pushed back with the arrival of the new coach - the tactical swing from 3-4-3 to 4-2-3-1 will only put the club in an endless cycle of turbulence.

Arsenal's public opinion dilemma: a vicious circle that wins and gets criticized

Prematch radio commentator accurately predicted: "This game is destined to produce the biggest headline of the season. "

But no one expected that the winner Arsenal would become the target of public criticism. The media exaggerated the "Guilers' performance did not meet expectations" but selectively ignored the resilience they showed when facing one of the most difficult opponents in the Premier League away.

You must know that if Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea can "win uglyly" in the opening game, they will probably be praised as masters of tactics.

This double standard is particularly obvious in the transfer market. Although Jesus' transfer fee is much lower than forwards such as Kane and Havertz, he has become the most scrutinized player in the league.

After each round, Arsenal will always encounter extreme evaluations - winning is criticized for "winning luck", drawing is scolded for "lack of championship", losing is directly detonating "collapse theory".

The "black or white" emotions of some Arsenal fans have further contributed to this atmosphere, but where is the objective balance that the media should have maintained?

The pressure on Arteta's coaching is even more absurd. The outside world demanded that he "must win the Premier League or the Champions League", completely ignoring the reality that the Gunners have no league championship in 24 years and have never been involved in the Champions League.

Will Klopp be fired if he leads the team to score 97 points and still finish second? Obviously not. What is more paradoxical is that while listing Arsenal's "fatal flaws" - excessive reliance on set pieces, lack of creativity, lack of superstars, etc., the critics also require the team to win the championship.

This logical paradox is essentially an alternative bias against Arsenal.

Arteta's tactical transformation: From beautiful football to pragmatism

is hard to imagine, this team is the same team as Arsenal in the 2022/23 season. At that time, Arteta created the most pleasing offensive system in the Premier League without the pressure of the championship. Odegao controlled the rhythm like a conductor, and the team averaged up to 2.4 goals per game.

But as the pressure to compete for the championship increased sharply, the Spanish coach became more pragmatic and even conservative - hoarding tall central defenders and building set pieces tactics into a conventional arsenal.

Settings have indeed become Arsenal's scoring weapon, accounting for as much as 37% of the scoring through corner kicks and free kicks in the past two seasons.

But this dependence exposed a deeper tactical stagnation: Odegao's creativity is bound by a rigid system, and his former improvisation has become mechanical repetition; Saka and Martinelli's success rate of wing breakthroughs has dropped by 12%, and most of the time they can only choose to return. When the opponent is targeted to defend a set piece, the Gunners' offense is often paralyzed.

The season only took one round, and Arsenal won a tough battle without reaching its best condition, which should have been a performance worthy of recognition. But in the football public opinion field, the Gunners seem to be always under the magnifying glass—over-interpretation and extreme reactions have become the norm.

For real fans, judging a team takes a dimension of time: Arteta has used three years to build Arsenal from a four-man in a stable championship contender, and this progress should not be concealed by the flaws of a game.

"A good start will come true. " Arsenal's new season journey has just begun. Whether it is Manchester United's reconstruction pain or the Gunners' public opinion dilemma, the final answer will be given in the long season.