Mikel Arteta: Aston La Vista To The Title?

[grange]

Those two quotes are more than 18months apart aren't they. Since then we've had Emery. Nothing much is a gamble after that, and Arteta has had 18 more months at City.

I haven't seen this much backpedaling to 180 transitioning immediately into showboating since Deion Sanders in his prime

 

[Gooner416]

@Chaoz_Enigma

Arsenal’s novice manager is hurriedly proving his coaching credentials.

Mikel Arteta has reshuffled this team in double-quick time, like a Rubik’s cube record-breaker methodically identifying the swiftest path to success. Suddenly, Arsenal look something like the sum of their parts. Suddenly, Arsenal look like a team again.

“The fun is back,” Sokratis told the television cameras in his interview after beating Manchester United. He barely smiled as he said it, in part due to his permanent hangdog expression, in part due to exhaustion. There’s a paradox there: Arteta is demanding his players work harder than before, and yet also seems to have unshackled them. Mesut Özil was once the poster boy for Arsenal’s insouciance, yet here he was beaming away at full-time after a match in which he covered more ground than any outfield player and made a remarkable 10 ball recoveries.

For a long time it felt as if Arsenal faced a choice between creativity and discipline, as if the two were somehow incompatible. Arteta has shown them their liberation will lie in exertion. The work is the reward, and the reward is in the work. This was a victory hard fought — not just during the 90 minutes but on the training ground beforehand.

The anticipation built from the moment the line-ups were announced. Arteta’s was a statement of intent: after five months and three different managers, the Gunners finally deployed the quartet of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Özil together. Arsenal fans were excited to see their fab four — in reality, they got a front five.

The clue was in the warm-up. Such has been the collective apathy around Arsenal this season that it has become customary for fans to continue traipsing to their seats long after the first whistle has blown. If Arteta’s warm-ups continue to be as instructive as this, the Emirates will be full well before kick-off. Even the limbering up is box office.

While centre-halves David Luiz and Sokratis engaged in passing drills designed to smooth Arsenal’s distribution from the back, the other eight outfield players lined up in a new pre-game drill. Under the supervision of Arteta’s assistants Steve Round and Albert Stuivenberg, they worked on attacking shape and combinations.

There were effectively two lines of players. Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira and Ainsley Maitland-Niles comprised the deeper trio, feeding a quintet of attackers. From left to right, the line-up read: Sead Kolasinac, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Özil and Pepe.

The coaches would feed a ball to one of the deeper players, usually Xhaka or Torreira. They then passed in to Lacazette and Özil, who would drop deep to create an interior square. Kolasinac, Aubameyang and Pepe were then the free runners — the burly Bosnian heading for the byline, the two front-men working from the outside in towards the penalty box.

It was captivating in its simplicity: straightforward runs, straightforward passes. It was a sign of something Arsenal have desperately lacked of late: a pattern of play. And it was an approach they were able to take into the game.

When the opening goal came after just eight minutes, it was those five players who found themselves deep in opposition territory. This time, a little variety: Kolasinac drove infield, playing a one-two with Aubameyang. When he got to the byline, he was able to to fire the ball across, almost without looking. Pepe was duly following in, and Arsenal were ahead.

It’s the hours of practising that grants footballers the capacity to seemingly act on instinct. As Arteta put it during his time at Manchester City: “Football is about habit and angles. It’s much more simple for a player if you can process the image of where your team-mate will be before receiving the ball.” Those images were drummed into this Arsenal team in the moments before kick-off.

In the 1930s, Herbert Chapman wrote his name into club folklore playing a system based around a five-man attack. That system has since faded from regular use, but Arteta’s ingenuity has been to afford his team genuine flexibility depending on whether or not they have possession of the ball.

Without the ball, they line up in something akin to the 4-2-3-1 the pre-match television graphics suggest. With it, they are transformed: Xhaka drops deep, Kolasinac pushes on, Özil is freed to join up with the strikers.

In doing so, Arsenal’s strengths are emphasised, their weaknesses disguised. Arteta doesn’t fixate on his team’s problems — he focuses instead on the problems he can create for the opponent.

Kolasinac is not a particularly good defender, but release him in attacking areas and he’s transformed from liability to threat. Xhaka struggles in the melee of the midfield, so Arteta has allowed him to drop deep enough to avoid it, covering Kolasinac in the process.

A couple of months ago, Xhaka was booed from the field by his own fans. Last night, the news he was likely to remain at the club was greeted with celebration. Xhaka deserves credit for the turnaround in his fortunes — but Arteta might deserve more.

It’s striking how quickly he has found roles for previously problematic players. Many fans wondered if Özil still had a part to play in a Premier League team. Under Arteta, he’s thriving.

Torreira had been struggling in a box-to-box role. Since reverting to defensive midfield under Arteta, he has recovered possession 27 times in just three games. Maitland-Niles had looked like someone who wanted to play anywhere but right-back, until Arteta opened his eyes to a new perspective on the position. Luiz has said he believes Arteta has the capacity to improve every player. Arguably, he’s already doing it.

Arteta’s work at City was underpinned by a fastidious attention to detail, so it will have pleased him to see Arsenal score from a corner for the second time in two games. This time, Sokratis was the beneficiary from Pepe’s delivery. Yet again, a near post flick-on proved fruitful — another example of Arsenal drawing from the past to inform their future.

There was also a satisfying cynicism about Arsenal, when required. Any time they were about to make a substitution, a player would go to ground to ensure it could be made at the appropriate time. That might sound straightforward, but it was only a few weeks ago under Freddie Ljungberg that Kolasinac’s decision to leave the field before a replacement was ready cost a goal against City. Arteta was watching from the opposition bench that day — he won’t tolerate such sloppiness from his own side.

For this, already, feels like his team. When he strode onto the field at full-time, it felt like his stadium too. The former Arsenal captain’s coaching ability is evident, but what’s arguably most exciting about his appointment is that he seems to have an intuitive understanding of the reciprocal relationship between the team and the supporters. He understands that they feed each other; that the energy created and generated by them is what’s required to power this club back to prominence.

They’re not there yet. There’s a long way to go, but Sokratis is right: the fun is already back.

Arsenal fans can await the next game with hope rather than dread. Arteta has given them something to believe in — and that, for now, is enough.

 

[EmeryCouldnt]

@Chaoz_Enigma

 

[Chaoz_Enigma]

@Chaoz_Enigma

Sweet baby jesus...Thank you!!!!!! An absolute excellent read.

 

[Jasard]

Would love to know what some of you are like in real life These past pages have been nuts. Got a strong feeling @GDeep™ and @American_Gooner would be best mates though.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

You're aware that Arteta is an unknown risk in a world full of known factors?

I'm not sure why you let get so prickled that people had the audacity to not want a rookie manager?

I still hold firm to that, as my tagline would attest. But he's got the job and now we simply go about it and see how he leads. He's done well in his first few games despite some setbacks and appears to have a rough idea of the structure he wants to implement.

But all it takes is a few losses on the trot & we're right back in it

 

[Sapient Hawk]

Also, let's not get too much ahead of ourselves. It's been 3 games. Let's see where we are at the end of the season when the first honeymoon and new manager bounce is over.

This post would carry more weight were it not for your sensationalist signature

 

[BigPoppaPump]

One win and some of you are going over the top already you can’t say I told you so Arteta hasn’t proven anything.

May I remind you we beat both Chelsea and United at home last season, so this win was basically inspired by Emery’s tactics.

 

[Penn_]

Don’t like the way the media is building him up, typically English media behaviour to praise someone so they can bring them down.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

Don’t like the way the media is building him up, typically English media behaviour to praise someone so they can bring them down.

The Arsenal fans are doing it more than the media, we get too carried away in excitement.

 

[CJJ]

I still hold firm to that, as my tagline would attest. But he's got the job and now we simply go about it and see how he leads. He's done well in his first few games despite some setbacks and appears to have a rough idea of the structure he wants to implement.

But all it takes is a few losses on the trot & we're right back in it

When do we get to say you've been wrong? Or can you just play the #NotMyManager card indefinately?

 

[Chaoz_Enigma]

The Arsenal fans are doing it more than the media, we get too carried away in excitement.

I prefer getting a small glimmer of hope and look forward to matches, than being sad and not getting my phone to avoid any arsenal related news.

Past few weeks before Arteta has been hard my friend. Let us view the oasis even if its a mirage in the end, we still have that small moment of happiness and not total darkness.

 

[Sapient Hawk]

When do we get to say you've been wrong? Or can you just play the #NotMyManager card indefinately?

I'm simply giving it until the end of the season where, hopefully, it'll come to light that I was indeed wrong & become a willing postulant in the cult of Arteta :bounce:

I'm involving @American_Gooner in this, since AG's sleuthing skills are legendary & he'll take the appropriate action should I backtrack on my promise

 

[HollandGooner]

One win and some of you are going over the top already you can’t say I told you so Arteta hasn’t proven anything.

May I remind you we beat both Chelsea and United at home last season, so this win was basically inspired by Emery’s tactics.

I understand your point though but after a few tough months we can be some how excited in the way our team has played for the last 2 matches ofcourse the points are the most important but there are a lot of positive signs tbf.

 

[DanDare]

Can't believe we'll only get one win under Arteta before we're all killed in WW3

At least it was against United

 

[Vinci]

What a train wreck this forum is at times. I'm checking out, see you in 2021 maybe.

 

[North5]

What a train wreck this forum is at times. I'm checking out, see you in 2021 maybe.

 

[Moah]

@Chaoz_Enigma

Had to go down and like it before I finished reading. Very nice read.

 

[Moah]

One win and some of you are going over the top already you can’t say I told you so Arteta hasn’t proven anything.

May I remind you we beat both Chelsea and United at home last season, so this win was basically inspired by Emery’s tactics.

Won't be losing sleep for what may happen when I can enjoy what I have. In fact I wish we had to wait a bit longer before the next game so I can enjoy this moment even more.

 

[BigPoppaPump]

What a train wreck this forum is at times. I'm checking out, see you in 2021 maybe.