Country: Nigeria
Player:Saliba
Like @El Duderino said, this is unsustainable. You can't keep relying on grinding out victories vs bottom half teams. The chicken will come home to roost soon enough.
Defensively that was actually a very solid performance, but going forward...good lord...it is so static, slow and boring.If he could get it across to the players that it's ok to attack the opposition he'd be doing himself a massive favour as we could perhaps kill games off. We're easily capable of it. Everything is so calculated down to one pass to the next, I think it spreads a bit of fear and confusion into the team.
Defensively that was actually a very solid performance, but going forward...good lord...it is so static, slow and boring.
Well the back line are his players. The front players however...apart from Ødegaard, im pretty sure the CLUB not just Arteta would love an upgrade. Two talented but inconsistent youngsters in ESR and SAKA and Auba who lacks fight and is awful at keeping the ball and Pepe who's decent but average, its just shocking.All this huff and puff about his own players, needing 5 or 6 more....you give him the summer and this is what he produces......
IS THIS YOUR KING?
This is what I think many of you get wrong, it's not a final third issue at all, it's a defensive system that will take everything out of the players and they are not sharp going forward after that. We expect Pepe and Saka to literally play full back positions and defend for 80 minutes, and for the remaining 10 minutes we want them to be sharp going forward and take players onIt's the final 1/3 that's the issue really. Arteta can get us set up fairly well defensively most of the time.
The final 1/3 is where you need to give a bit more leeway to the players to take risks and think a bit more for themselves, rather than following some routine that's been drilled into them 100 times on the training pitch. Creates confusion and self doubt in the players, as I think we're seeing currently. In those advanced areas of the pitch you shouldn't feel afraid to make a mistake or go 'off script'.
Well the back line are his players. The front players however...apart from Ødegaard, im pretty sure the CLUB not just Arteta would love an upgrade. Two talented but inconsistent youngsters in ESR and SAKA and Auba who lacks fight and is awful at keeping the ball and Pepe who's decent but average, its just shocking.
Thats the area that Arteta and Edu will be looking to improving next summer, buy bringing in some youngish but experienced enough attackers. Well probably spend 100mill on attacking areas next summer.
After seeing the amount of passes go astray when it should be a basic pass in the final third and losing the ball taking on defenders I dont think its fear of trying something. If a player keeps trying something and tis not coming off its probably on the player themselves.It's the final 1/3 that's the issue really. Arteta can get us set up fairly well defensively most of the time.
The final 1/3 is where you need to give a bit more leeway to the players to take risks and think a bit more for themselves, rather than following some routine that's been drilled into them 100 times on the training pitch. Creates confusion and self doubt in the players, as I think we're seeing currently. In those advanced areas of the pitch you shouldn't feel afraid to make a mistake or go 'off script'.
Why wouldnt he give deals to ESR and Saka? they are young talents with potential to improve, However, they shouldnt be starting week in week out for any club looking to get top 4, too inexperienced and raw.Did he not sign ESR, Auba and Saka to deals? I might be misremembering with Saka (that might've been more Raul) but he certainly handed big deals to Auba and gave #10 to ESR who played a large part in his "revival" last season.
So forgive me for not being sympathetic there.
Edit: But I do agree that Pepe is not his player.
Why is there no need to score some more goals against Burnley? Or to attack and open up a bottom half team? Against which team are we gonna score then?There's really no need for it against sides like Burnley. The few times we did actually try and attack them we where able to open them up easily enough. Everything is so percentage based though.