Arsenal FC? Or Netflix FC?
By Michael-Sean Ossai | March 25 2025 5:06PM CDT
When people first started calling us “Netflix FC,” I thought it was just banter. But with another season ending and the “next year will be our year” talk back again, I’m starting to think ‘banter’ has a strong point. Arsenal—one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Or so we claim. Sure, we went unbeaten 22 years ago in 2003/04, but… really guys? How many fans today can even name the full Invincibles squad? We need to wake up. No club embodies “so close, yet never arriving” like Arsenal in recent times. Maybe only Spurs suffer like us—let’s be honest though, if they had won that 2019 UCL final (which THANKFULLY, they didn’t), we’d have zero bragging rights in North London.
A huge part of our Netflix FC branding is due to our toothless attack. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some absolute ballers up front over the years—Podolski’s thunderbolts, Alexis Sanchez literally carrying us on his back, Auba’s electric pace and finishing, and now our golden boy, Bukayo Saka, with that killer left-foot finesse or rip-net right-foot rockets. With all this firepower, you’d think we’d have stacked some major trophies, right? But since 2010, we’ve only got FA Cups and Community Shields. Four FA Cups, five Community Shields. What are we? Small cup merchants? And when asked about European silverware, we just awkwardly bring up that one UCL final we almost won in 2006. It’s giving “nearly men.” It’s giving Netflix FC—always teasing, never delivering.
The Arteta Era – We’re Good, But Not That Good (Yet)
Granted—Arsenal has changed a lot in the last 15 years. Different managers, new tactics, the Kroenkes (finally) being willing to spend some money to improve the squad. I became a fan when Arsene Wenger was boss, so I saw the whole “beautiful football but no trophies” saga firsthand. Then came Unai Emery who took us to a Europa League final… only for us to get smoked by Chelsea. Yeah, let’s not talk about that. Now we’ve got super Mik Arteta.
To be fair, when he took over, the squad was a hot mess. Deadweight players. Zero structure, just pure vibes with Auba and Laca up front. Being real, we had no hopes of winning anything major in that state. But to his credit, he led that 2019/2020 squad to an FA Cup and has clinched two Community Shields since then.
5 years into his managerial career, he’s also built something really exciting out of Arsenal. Our defense is finally solid—Gabriel Magalhães is a rock, and William Saliba? There’s a reason we call him our French Rolls Royce. Our midfield is also looking similar to its glory days, with record-signing Declan Rice and our creative skipper Ødegaard pulling the strings and setting up play. But for all this progress, all we have to show for it is… one FA Cup and two community shields. Just like Arteta himself has said, we need more- the bigger ones, for sure. One thing in Arteta’s way? He has not been able to solve Arsenal’s attacking problems just yet.
No Saka, No party
Our attack is running on fumes, and Saka’s hamstring injury has made that painfully obvious. The guy has literally carried us, week in and week out, and now that he’s out, we look lost up front. Martinelli has only just returned from pulling his hamstring, and our number 9 Gabriel Jesus? He’s out for the season with his second ACL tear in two years. Lest I forget, Kai Havertz recently picked up a hamstring injury as well. Our entire starting attack is literally nursing injuries. If we were struggling to score before, now, we’re basically playing vibes and hoping Ødegaard will cook something out of thin air.
For God’s sake, Mikel Merino is our current striker, and Tierney played left-wing attack for us in our last game against Chelsea. If this doesn’t scream “Arsenal’s attacking problems,” I don’t know what does.
What did we do in the January transfer window with this impending crisis in view? Absolutely nothing. No backup winger, no new striker, just pure, unfiltered hope. We were linked to Ollie Watkins and Álvaro Morata, but surprise, surprise—no deals happened. Certainly, a part of this is due to Edu Gaspar’s surprise departure as Arsenal’s sporting director. Whatever the case, we’re stuck with Merino, Trossard, Sterling or even Kieran Tierney now leading the line. Help.
The Tactics Aren’t Helping Either
It’s not just injuries that’s killing us—our playstyle isn’t doing us any favors either. We rely so much on wing play in order to prevent damage from losing the ball centrally. Unfortunately, without Saka or Martinelli, our game is just too predictable, and the numbers back this up. We rank eighth in the league for open-play expected goals when games are level. That means when we need to break teams down, we just… don’t.
This is at the heart of Arsenal’s attacking problems—our inability to adapt when plan A fails. And don’t even get me started on how many times we pass the ball around the box trying to create space. It’s as if we’re allergic to shooting, or engaging opposing defense head-on.
But Beating PSV 7-1 Means We’re Fine, Doesn’t it?
Yes, the scoreline is staggering. It gives me butterflies in my belly, but it doesn’t change anything. Our first-leg 7-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven was a delight to see, but it doesn’t mean Arsenal’s attacking problems have suddenly disappeared. We all witnessed PSV’s abysmal defending in the game and, needless to say, poor goalkeeping as well. These, more than anything from our end, contributed to the scoreline.
Sky Sports noted that the PSV display was particularly poor and explained how their many injuries still linger over them. So while the win was nice, it doesn’t change the fact that our attack still lacks consistency and struggles when faced with compact, disciplined defenses.
A Silver Lining
Credits: Arsenal Media.
We do have some bright spots in all this. Martin Ødegaard has been our creative spark, breaking records left and right. His assist to Mikel Merino in our 1-0 win against Chelsea made him the Arsenal player with the most Premier League assists against a single club, passing legends like Fabregas and Bergkamp. But let’s be real, he can’t do it alone. Since his early-season ankle injury, his goal scoring has dropped. We can’t rely on him for both goalscoring and chance creation.
Our wonderkid, Ethan Nwaneri, is also worthy of note. Saka’s injury revealed the young prodigy, and he’s truly a beauty to behold. The guy is just 18 years old, but he’s made 19 appearances in the Premier League this season, with 7 starts, 4 goals, and an assist to his name. Since he made history as the youngest Premier League player at 15, he has continued to impress, scoring in both the Premier League and Champions League. He gives very strong “I’m ready for the big stage” vibes. Talking about the big stage, his recent debut for England U21s was sensational. He scored a banger just 10 minutes into his start, helping secure a 4-2 win over Portugal U21s. By all means, Nwaneri is well on his way to becoming a key player for us. If I were Arsenal, I’d hold onto him tightly.
Finally, Saka should be returning after the international break–just in time for our massive Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. If he’s even 80% fit, that could change everything about our approach to the game.
What’s the way forward?
The good news is that Arsenal are reportedly eyeing reinforcements to bolster the attack. We’ve been linked with a few big names, and some of these players might be exactly what we need.
Hugo Ekitike could be a game-changer. The French forward has been on fire this season, racking up 19 goals and 8 assists. His arrival would inject much-needed energy and hunger into our attack.
Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images.
Matheus Cunha is another name on the radar. The Brazilian forward fits Arteta’s system perfectly—his versatility and attacking threat could give us the extra edge we’re missing up front.
Photo by Robbie-Jay Barrat /Getty Images.
Alexander Isak also remains an option, though reports suggest he’s leaning toward a move to Liverpool. Still, his pace and finishing ability would make him an incredible addition if we can somehow convince him to join.
Photo by Getty Images.
Any of these signings could fill the massive gaps left by our injured stars and finally push this attack to where it needs to be. Without reinforcements, Arsenal’s attacking problems will continue to haunt us, season after season.
But if we don’t start scoring now, we’re looking at yet another season of “almost there.” Another season of watching City, Liverpool, and maybe even Villa cook while we sit back and rewatch All or Nothing: Arsenal Season 2. Another season of Spurs fans somehow finding a way to laugh at us—even though they haven’t won a trophy since before the iPhone existed.
So, how long will this attack puzzle stay unsolved? Who knows. But if Arsenal doesn’t find answers soon soon, we might have to accept our fate as the ultimate kings of almost.
Leave a Reply