Mikel Arteta: All The President’s Men

[Gooner Zig]

Tactics at Anfield wasn't the problem, no team in the world would go gung ho there.
Team selection was the problem, Merino as starter is unforgivable.

I could have forgiven the Merino selection had we just started Eze on the LW. I'm convinced that we would have put them in a blender especially in the first half if Eze was on the pitch. Martinelli performance was shockingly bad.

 

[freeglennhelder2]

 

[Trilly]

Also set pieces haven't shown to be unsustainable, can't just disregard them if they're part of the way the team plays.

Needing to regularly score from set-pieces is definitely unsustainable mate.

This season (small sample size) we’ve scored more from set pieces than we have from open play. That’s definitely unsustainable.

As for your points regarding injuries and so on, this is bigger than personnel. We’ve had these periods of poor chance creation for years.

 

[HattoriHanzo]

Needing to regularly score from set-pieces is definitely unsustainable mate.

This season (small sample size) we’ve scored more from set pieces than we have from open play. That’s definitely unsustainable.

As for your points regarding injuries and so on, this is bigger than personnel. We’ve had these periods of poor chance creation for years.

It wasn't so bad before last season.
It was horrible last season, partly because of injuries.

Arteta's biggest priority now is to improve this significantly.
No excuses this season, he has all the tools he needs.

 

[Bloodbather]

I think the issue at hand has been the same for a long time now and it's very simple.

We prioritize being solid defensively and not giving up counters above everything else and we're truly great at it. This gives us the ability to hang with anyone. But the reins have to be let go a little bit to get that last edge to finish the job. When I say reins, it's the following three things:

1) Nobody is allowed to stay slight up ahead to hunt for counters. Everyone has to defend, they have to sit behind the ball and expend energy defending. We have no counter threat as a result of this.

2) In the build-up, we prefer cycling the ball and looking for an obvious miscue in the defense or a successful dribble from our wingers to get a breakthrough. We rarely try to thread the needle from the center with a pass to a small run or play balls in behind to force the defense to react.

3) In line with the above, players rarely make probing runs, especially in the center. They remain in close proximity to what would be their defensive position in case of a turnover. Calafiori stands out like a sore thumb because he seems to have a cavalier disregard for this and we're usually better for it.

It's not a drastic change that we need. It's just a small tweak, letting go of the reins a bit. But Arteta hasn't done it for so long and it's right that we're running out of patience.

 

[gasperini]

I mean we obviously did, but it would Have meant eg no Zubimendi and Eze or something. We’ve spent close to 300m this window ffs…

The club decided Rodrygo is not worth that. And I don’t disagree. As much as I wanted him at the start of the window, in retrospect what we did with that money was far better.

We have not addressed one of the main issue from last season which is a LW with a killer instinct

Eze is closer to cazorla than alexis sanchez. This team needed alexis sanchez type of player and rodrygo could have been that player.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

What I find a bit odd about Arteta is there's been a narrative that he's a PR type of guy, but if he'd set up the team personnel and tactically wise more aggressively and say we'd lost 3-2 in a see saw end to end game I don't think many Arsenal fans would be on his back the way we have been since Sunday.

Fans were on the up with our general business this summer, particularly Eze, It was almost a free hit for Arteta to give it a go on Sunday, and he chose not too. I have to assume that was his preferred and in his opinion best line up and tactics on Sunday and as a guy who's been pretty supportive of him over the years I find that hard to take.

Losing to Liverpool wasn't why i was annoyed, with their attacking talent it was always a possibility. It's the manner we lost that's the issue. You can't blame the players. They executed Arteta's gameplan about as well as you could ask. It was just too negative.

We've got the best squad in a decade or more, there's a lot of attacking talent at his disposal. He's got to utilise it.

There's a lot of things I like about Arteta, I think he's played his part in bringing us back to a strong level, but he needs to adapt his philosophy and tactics. If he can do that, great. If he can't or won't then I think he should go in the summer.

The foundations for success have been laid, either he leads us to it or we bring someone else in who can.

 

[Riou]

We have not addressed one of the main issue from last season which is a LW with a killer instinct

Eze is closer to cazorla than alexis sanchez. This team needed alexis sanchez type of player and rodrygo could have been that player.

I don't think Rodrygo has the mindset to be an Alexis, he's probably closer to an Özil in terms of being a great supporting player but that the main guy.

 

[Trilly]

I'm sorry but Liverpool were even more cautious than us. The idea that they wanted to win and we didn't is utter crap.

Agreed, Liverpool being cautious at Anfield should have told Arteta all he needed to know about their confidence level.

 

[MikelHadADream]

I think the issue at hand has been the same for a long time now and it's very simple.

We prioritize being solid defensively and not giving up counters above everything else and we're truly great at it. This gives us the ability to hang with anyone. But the reins have to be let go a little bit to get that last edge to finish the job. When I say reins, it's the following three things:

1) Nobody is allowed to stay slight up ahead to hunt for counters. Everyone has to defend, they have to sit behind the ball and expend energy defending. We have no counter threat as a result of this.

2) In the build-up, we prefer cycling the ball and looking for an obvious miscue in the defense or a successful dribble from our wingers to get a breakthrough. We rarely try to thread the needle from the center with a pass to a small run or play balls in behind to force the defense to react.

3) In line with the above, players rarely make probing runs, especially in the center. They remain in close proximity to what would be their defensive position in case of a turnover. Calafiori stands out like a sore thumb because he seems to have a cavalier disregard for this and we're usually better for it.

It's not a drastic change that we need. It's just a small tweak, letting go of the reins a bit. But Arteta hasn't done it for so long and it's right that we're running out of patience.

Another point is we move the ball so slowly so the players can get into position to defend counters when we do lose the ball.

This would probably work a treat after going a few goals up, like we did in 23/24, but we seem to be doing it when the game is on a knife edge.

The lack of attacking talent hurts us here, hopefully Eze out on the left helps us here.

 

[Jasard]

Another point is we move the ball so slowly so the players can get into position to defend counters when we do lose the ball.

This would probably work a treat after going a few goals up, like we did in 23/24, but we seem to be doing it when the game is on a knife edge.

The lack of attacking talent hurts us here, hopefully Eze out on the left helps us here.

The hesitency before every actions is a big worry for me. Ødegaard is the biggest offender of this, he's lost all the instinctive play from his game, everything is so considered hence him doing his 360 spins. I don't blame him though it's clearly how they are drilled.

Eze will be a breath of fresh air until Arteta screams at him enough to lose him too

 

[db10_therza]

The hesitency before every actions is a big worry for me. Ødegaard is the biggest offender of this, he's lost all the instinctive play from his game, everything is so considered hence him doing his 360 spins. I don't blame him though it's clearly how they are drilled.

Eze will be a breath of fresh air until Arteta screams at him enough to lose him too

I do wonder how much of this is Arteta and how much is Ødegaard.

Like Calafiori has been here a year and he’s still just as instinctive going forwards as he was when he joined. Or maybe he’s just Arteta proof idk lol.

But really it’s *just* Ødegaard who’s guilty of this no?

 

[Sapient Hawk]

People are complaining about a loss at Anfield like it was against a non league club. 3 games into the season and they already calling for Arteta's head. Those impatient people doesn't deserve to see Arsenal win anything.

Some of us have had the privilege of seeing Arsenal win everything (Domestic & European success under Graham to all the glories under Wenger). Now, I'd be content just watching us play under a manager who has common sense & isn't an arrogant tw*nt.

 

[MikelHadADream]

I do wonder how much of this is Arteta and how much is Ødegaard.

Like Calafiori has been here a year and he’s still just as instinctive going forwards as he was when he joined. Or maybe he’s just Arteta proof idk lol.

But really it’s *just* Ødegaard who’s guilty of this no?

Ødegaard is a mystery. There were highlights of the 5-0 vs Chelsea the other day on the telly, and he was playing at the level of a 100m midfielder. Not just his passing, but he just looked so much sharper.

I think it’s true that his level is directly correlated to our attacking level. If he plays well, Arsenal do, and visa versa (this isn’t a good thing imo).

 

[Riou]

Some of us have had the privilege of seeing Arsenal win everything (Domestic & European success under Graham to all the glories under Wenger). Now, I'd be content just watching us play under a manager who has common sense & isn't an arrogant tw*nt.

My younger cousin counts the Community Shield as an actual trophy, that's how starved he is...

...he didn't help that it was because I spent his whole life telling him it was a trophy, but still feel for the poor dumb lad!

 

[Bloodbather]

I do wonder how much of this is Arteta and how much is Ødegaard.

Like Calafiori has been here a year and he’s still just as instinctive going forwards as he was when he joined. Or maybe he’s just Arteta proof idk lol.

But really it’s *just* Ødegaard who’s guilty of this no?

Nah Martinelli has also had the same devolution in his game. Went from a super direct player looking to shoot quickly to someone who takes a zillion touches and favors going to the byline instead of shooting even if there's an opening.

Saliba has also moved from playing long central passes or trying to switch the play often to playing sideways or to the deep lying midfielder ahead of him most of the time.

I suspect that it's an Arteta instruction that changed our players' habits to the point it sometimes becomes something even Arteta might not appreciate. I highly doubt he's applauding when Ode misses a clear pass for a breakthrough and takes another touch, but his instructions are a big part of that happening.

 

[Jasard]

I do wonder how much of this is Arteta and how much is Ødegaard.

Like Calafiori has been here a year and he’s still just as instinctive going forwards as he was when he joined. Or maybe he’s just Arteta proof idk lol.

But really it’s *just* Ødegaard who’s guilty of this no?

Certainly the most egregious but then he is the teachers pet. I think you see it in everyone though. I wish it never got a "sexy" name like pausa. We've gone from that Wilshere goal to put our foot on the ball every other touch. Bleeeh.

 

[Bloodbather]

Certainly the most egregious but then he is the teachers pet. I think you see it in everyone though. I wish it never got a "sexy" name like pausa. We've gone from that Wilshere goal to put our foot on the ball every other touch. Bleeeh.

'Pausa' isn't even that, anyway. It's stuff like being patient on the move, waiting for the opponent to get closer so they can't get back to the play when you beat them with a pass or dribble. It's definitely not taking unnecessary touches that cause you to lose that split second advantage to get a breakthrough.

I'd say 'Pausa' is composure with regard to your timing on the move, essentially, so what you're referring to would be the opposite of that. Ode overthinks it and loses the advantage, that's the opposite of composure.

 

[El Duderino]

Zubi signing wa uncessary. Arsenal should have gone for two 8s of Ødegaard and eze and sign rodrygo as LW.

Rodrygo clearly wanted the move but arsenal failed on their sides

nah, the lad doesn't want to leave madrid just yet. No need to make stuff up.

Reports in Brazil were such that he was, at most, having his dad (agent) and other intermediaries looking at projects while he focused on training.

 

[El Duderino]

Like Calafiori has been here a year and he’s still just as instinctive going forwards as he was when he joined. Or maybe he’s just Arteta proof idk lol.

He's been injured for more than half of it, so there's still time for him to get it drilled out of him.

In seriousness, though, it's a bit of both. Ode was a bit out of form and later coming back from injury, and Arteta probably told him to play it safe until he was on form/fitter and it since the form part hasn't kicked on, the playing it safe became the norm.