Mikel Arteta: Miktoria Concordia Crexit

[AberGooner]

Again what you see is what you get with Arteta: safety first.

Can understand the thought of developing the attack but realistically he's been here long enough and we've all seen us play enough to know that this is how he wants us to play.

The majority of the time it will be enough to get results against the sides we "should be beating" and get a lot of points on the board which will ultimately keep him in the job. When you make the step up to play sides with real quality in attack your asking the defence to be absolutely perfect in order to get a result.

 

[ThePortugueseGunner]

We will never be successful against the big/decent teams. What's saving Arteta is that we are not collapsing against the small ones.

A little bit of bad luck, and we plummet to the middle of the table.

 

[ExtjExhtts]

Genuinly dont understand his reasoning.

 

[Dennis_Bergkamp_10]

So Arteta played Elneny because he was good last year at OT basically. Never heard a more **** argument.

The guy is training here since 2016 and has never established himself as a starting midfielder, yet for such an important game we play him because 'sometimes we have do to tough things for the game'.

What's next, play Holding, Mari and Kolasinac at Everton as another 'tough thing for the game'?

He's lucky that the board backs him so much.

 

[Kobi]

This thing where we stop playing and drop off when we go a goal up seems to have been happening since he got here, I refuse to believe that the players have been doing it against his wishes for two years.
The thing is I wouldn’t mind so much the negativity if we defended like Chelsea or Arsenal 97-98 but we’re awful, we give up a whole host of chances.
You don’t spend £50m on Ben White to drop off and concede possession every game, Holding is genuinely a better option if this is our plan. When Guardiola bought Stones you knew it was because his team would be in possession 80% of every game, it made sense, Burnley or Stoke spending £50m on Stones doesn’t make sense.
Two years and we have no set identity or blueprint, other than try and nab an early goal and then cling on, it’s not even as though we set up to counter attack like say Leicester 16-17, we just bring every one back and get penned in every game.
I think you need to give managers some time but with the money he has spent and the freedom he has been given I expected a lot more progress in the way we play.
This is very similar to Ole for me, he isn’t up to the job and needs addressing sooner rather than later.

 

[El Duderino]

Anyone with a subscription, is it as bad as I think it will be?

 

[CaseUteinberger]

So Arteta played Elneny because he was good last year at OT basically. Never heard a more **** argument.

The guy is training here since 2016 and has never established himself as a starting midfielder, yet for such an important game we play him because 'sometimes we have do to tough things for the game'.

What's next, play Holding, Mari and Kolasinac at Everton as another 'tough thing for the game'?

He's lucky that the board backs him so much.

He really shouldn't have played Elneny. Think it was a reaction to Sambi at Anfield in all honesty. That he didn't want him thrown in there again. Problem wasn't the crowd though, problem was that Liverpool is a really good side that can press and ManU isn't. Stupid decision by Arteta!

 

[Gunnerineverylife]

We're not getting top 4 spot are we? That run we were in had raised my hopes up "So this is gonna be the year..." Remember when we were criticising Wenger's serial top 4 trophy streaks...good times

 

[Gunnerineverylife]

We will never be successful against the big/decent teams. What's saving Arteta is that we are not collapsing against the small ones.

A little bit of bad luck, and we plummet to the middle of the table.

And Conte aint available now as well

 

[GoonerJeeves]

We're not getting top 4 spot are we? That run we were in had raised my hopes up "So this is gonna be the year..." Remember when we were criticising Wenger's serial top 4 trophy streaks...good times

I don't think so, but I'm actually more optimistic about 4th than I was at the start of the season. Ultimately though, I think we'll come up short.

Fully expect us to end up 5th or 6th, anything lower is unacceptable.

 

[Macho]

Genuinly dont understand his reasoning.

Playing at OT is a thing tbf and to be fair to El neny, he's been there done it.

So has AMN though, so yeah dodgy reasoning.

 

[Macho]

Anyone with a subscription, is it as bad as I think it will be?

Why does it happen? It is surely not intentional — no manager is so masochistic. As his team visibly wilted in that first half, Arteta could be seen on the sidelines urging his team up the field. Whatever his plan was, this was not it.

The temptation then is to put it down to inexperience, or mentality. Arsenal have the youngest team in the league, and inevitably they are lacking when it comes to the methodology of game management. Their manager, too, most likely has something to learn on this front.

 

[Macho]

Spoiler: A familiar Arsenal trait: When in front, why are Arteta’s team unable to take control?

By James McNicholas

Mikel Arteta spoke about Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United as a game of moments. “We didn’t manage one situation, we open up and we concede the penalty and we throw the game away,” he said after the game. In one respect, he is right — Arsenal made the more egregious defensive errors, and could not match the clinical finishing of United.
The game was decided by fine margins. But it is difficult to escape the suspicion that it did not need to be: had Arsenal been able to assert just a little more control, to show just a little more composure, then this was a game they would surely have taken something from.

Arteta said that when his team scored the first goal of the game in controversial circumstances, they had “total control” of the game. He is right — the issue is that they immediately ceded it, handing the momentum back.

This is a familiar position for this Arsenal team: having taken the lead, there is sometimes a tendency to surrender possession and territory. Emile Smith Rowe’s volley past a stricken David de Gea being allowed to stand should have seen this Arsenal team swell and grow. Instead they compressed and deflated like someone had plunged a pin into Bukayo Saka’s inflatable Euro 2020 unicorn.


Why does it happen? It is surely not intentional — no manager is so masochistic. As his team visibly wilted in that first half, Arteta could be seen on the sidelines urging his team up the field. Whatever his plan was, this was not it.
The temptation then is to put it down to inexperience, or mentality. Arsenal have the youngest team in the league, and inevitably they are lacking when it comes to the methodology of game management. Their manager, too, most likely has something to learn on this front.

It may be a physical or quality issue: when the opposition fall behind, the hunt for an equaliser can raise their intensity. Arsenal sometimes struggle to match that. They are capable of playing out from the back when the pressure is off. Under duress, they are less convincing.

Arteta offered his explanation: “We were sloppy in possession. We gave the ball away to the opponent, and we had no pressure there. That created strong momentum that allowed them to run, and they had the structure to play — and suddenly we started to give the ball away. So many unforced errors that led to them having belief that they could do something in the game.”

Whatever the cause, fixing this tendency to sit off when ahead is of the utmost priority. That period between the opening goal and half-time felt crucial to the outcome of the game. Had Arsenal been able to keep their cool and get to the break in front, things may have turned out differently. Just when Arsenal needed to keep up the tempo, they lost their rhythm.

When it comes to controlling a match, it’s natural to look to central midfield. There is a certain irony about the fact that Arteta, a metronomic midfielder in his day, is struggling to replicate that sense of serenity as a manager.

Arsenal had two of their most experienced players, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny, operating in that area of the pitch — and yet could not gain the foothold they needed.

Elneny was presumably selected in the hope he might help Partey to replicate the man of the match performance he produced in this fixture last season. Elneny was Partey’s partner that day, as he produced a domineering display.
Partey did not hit the heights he achieved a year ago. His first half was particularly erratic. He misplaced six of his 25 passes, and even some of those which found an Arsenal man were under or over-hit.
The Ghana international’s recent performances have underwhelmed. He is a less influential figure in the Arsenal midfield: last season he averaged 82 touches per 90 minutes; that is now down to 65. He was playing 67 passes per 90 minutes, now just 50. After attempting 2.3 dribbles per game in 2020-21, he is attempting only 1.7 per 90 this season. If it feels like we are seeing less of Partey, it is because we are.
There are plausible tactical explanations for that. Partey has lost the element of surprise — opponents now know his strengths and weaknesses. It is not unusual to see him surrounded by two or three markers, preventing Arsenal from building up through the centre of the pitch.
Consequently, much of the responsibility for build-up has been passed to other players. This season, Albert Sambi Lokonga (61) and Gabriel (54.3) are averaging more passes per game than Partey.


Another issue is the second phase of Arsenal’s play. Arteta’s side are quite adept at exiting their own third through the goalkeeper and defenders, but beyond that things can break down. The forwards are not holding the ball up and setting the play, allowing Partey and others to arrive onto the ball with the game in front of them.
This does not, however, explain the decline in his defensive contribution. He was making 2.6 tackles per 90 — now 1.7. Interceptions are down from 1.35 per 90 to 1. He was contesting 11.4 duels per 90, now 9.4. They are small changes, but there is a trend. Arsenal need more from their star midfielder.

There is an elephant in the room — in fact, at certain times Arsenal fans have called him far worse: Granit Xhaka. You will not catch many Arsenal supporters bemoaning his absence, but he has at least shown himself to be a good foil for Partey. Unfortunately, Xhaka’s scheduled return to the team could coincide with Partey preparing to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations. It may be February before we see them regularly in tandem. Right now, that partnership feels like Arsenal’s best chance of establishing a balanced, reliable midfield.
After the match, Arteta insisted he had seen signs of progress. “We’ve come a long way since the game at Anfield,” he said. “We were able to maintain higher periods for longer.”

Longer perhaps, but not long enough. And while it’s widely accepted that Liverpool are a substantially more complete team than this Arsenal side, this United team are not at that level. They are a more direct competitor. This was a game Arsenal could have won, and should not have lost.
If only they had a little more control.

 

[Big Poppa]

AMN was probably our best player against Watford but he has been on the bench since that game. I guess he made a joke after that game that Arteta didnt like?

Yeah WTF.
A confident and in form AMN is a HUGE asset.

 

[ExtjExhtts]

#friendship #friendsWithBenefits #eternalLove

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

Short of an Injury crisis there's no reason for Elneny to be starting for us. I like the guy, he gives his all but he's the definition of a water carrier. One good game against Man Utd last season doesn't change that.

Partey was fairly poor last night I felt, but at least there was a element of attempted positivity to his play.

Elneny stifles us creativity. His first instinct is to go back. AMN and Lokonga are far from perfect but both offer more thrust and drive.

It's hindsight but that was a poor bit of team selection from Mikel. Could say the same for Ødegaard over Laca too, to be fair.

 

[Taneruit]

Short of an Injury crisis there's no reason for Elneny to be starting for us. I like the guy, he gives his all but he's the definition of a water carrier. One good game against Man Utd last season doesn't change that.

Partey was fairly poor last night I felt, but at least there was a element of attempted positivity to his play.

Elneny stifles us creativity. His first instinct is to go back. AMN and Lokonga are far from perfect but both offer more thrust and drive.

It's hindsight but that was a poor bit of team selection from Mikel. Could say the same for Ødegaard over Laca too, to be fair.

....

You're fully aware Elneny had more forward passes (in general and percentage wise) than Partey last night, right? So this is just false.

I mean if you want to make a general case against Elneny fine, but last night he wasn't the problem and I don't get why so many want to portray it that way.

 

[dashsnow17]

Again what you see is what you get with Arteta: safety first.

Can understand the thought of developing the attack but realistically he's been here long enough and we've all seen us play enough to know that this is how he wants us to play.

The majority of the time it will be enough to get results against the sides we "should be beating" and get a lot of points on the board which will ultimately keep him in the job. When you make the step up to play sides with real quality in attack your asking the defence to be absolutely perfect in order to get a result.

Similar story to Ole, as soon as he came in people were like “no tactics just vibes”, and no tactics is what killed him. Soon as Tets came we’ve been saying he’s too conservative. No creativity is what will kill him.

 

[El Duderino]

Make it make sense, macho. Pleeeeease.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

....

You're fully aware Elneny had more forward passes (in general and percentage wise) than Partey last night, right? So this is just false.

I mean if you want to make a general case against Elneny fine, but last night he wasn't the problem and I don't get why so many want to portray it that way.

In the same way that Xhaka has good numbers for forward passes. Dawdle on the ball for 5 seconds then play the safest pass forward.

He slowed our attacking play down so much last night. I'm not knocking him, we all know he's a limited player who puts a shift in. I blame the manager for picking him in this match.