Mikel Arteta: Miktoria Concordia Crexit

[Makingtrax]

This might hold some weight were it not for the fact that this team behaves identically every single time it takes a lead against any and all opposition. It's clearly coached to sit back when it goes ahead. That's been the case in every match we've scored first in this season as well as quite a few last season. I don't know why people feel a need to reach for answers that are right in front of us. In spite of who he's played and worked under, the academy he came from and the club he presently manages, Arteta has no interest in playing free flowing attacking football. He wants to scrape results by perilously inviting pressure with slim leads. It's a lower midtable mentality that has absolutely no place at a club with our supposed ambition and certainly not a club with our tangible history. And yet again, it's an example of incongruent ideas being pursued at this club because if that's what you want to do, you do it with experienced players, not mostly youngsters.

What surprises me is he played under Wenger and assisted Pep, 2 attacking managers. What made him turn into Tony Pulis?

 

[Gervais]

You gonna stick around this time?

Might have to you know, some hard hitting truths still required

 

[DUFFMAN]

This might hold some weight were it not for the fact that this team behaves identically every single time it takes a lead against any and all opposition. It's clearly coached to sit back when it goes ahead. That's been the case in every match we've scored first in this season as well as quite a few last season. I don't know why people feel a need to reach for answers that are right in front of us. In spite of who he's played and worked under, the academy he came from and the club he presently manages, Arteta has no interest in playing free flowing attacking football. He wants to scrape results by perilously inviting pressure with slim leads. It's a lower midtable mentality that has absolutely no place at a club with our supposed ambition and certainly not a club with our tangible history. And yet again, it's an example of incongruent ideas being pursued at this club because if that's what you want to do, you do it with experienced players, not mostly youngsters.

How does that explain Sp**s 3-0, Leicester away, Newcastle etc etc.

The fact is we didn't sit back and try protect a 1-0 lead in every game like you said.

 

[Batman]

What surprises me is he played under Wenger and assisted Pep, 2 attacking managers. What made him turn into Tony Pulis?

I think his tactical ability has been wildly overestimated for that precise reason. One would assume that operating under the 2 greatest attacking minds of the modern game and coming out of La Masia would yield a certain sort of philosophy but he looks much more like someone whose football identity came from playing under Moyes which was his prime. Frankly, I'm starting to get the sense that his greatest contribution to Pep and City was his individual work with players and perhaps some ideas about the defensive side of the game. I was listening to one of Cruyff's interviews a few days ago and of course he's Pep's influence and two things struck me. The first was what a delight and a genius Cruyff was. We owe him a great debt as lovers of this game for what his philosophy has given us. More important for our purposes here, there's absolutely nothing of it in our play.

So much was made about whether Pep's brand of total football could bear fruit in England and indeed its success is something I've heard Arteta speak of with pride and yet he manages as though he doesn't think it can win. In the initial run of games after his appointment, we actually looked to be trying to set up very similar to City and as expected, with worse players the results weren't as good in possession and we were vulnerable in defense but instead of staying the course and buying the sorts of players that could eventually replicate that style of football, he seems to have panicked, given up and basically just set us out to be an expensive Stoke.

It's baffling to me because if you're selling a youth project and expecting to use that as cover and capital with the supporters then it stands to reason that you would be trying to be exciting and expressive to get them on side rather than going into a shell that doesn't allow you to pick up maximum points against opposition you should be handling comfortably. City and Liverpool got their attacks going and then did what was needed in the market and training to become more stout defensively. We're still dodgy defensively and our record is more a result of sitting in a shell and Ramsdale's heroics but at the expense of the part of our game we should be developing now, going forward.

 

[Preacher]

 

[Tourbillion]

He can work on that in the Championship.

It's the only championship he'll ever get close to.

 

[Olivier_Giroud]

LOL.. Our make-believe manager lost to Carricky..... That's what happens when you cut corners and just hire some random ex-player because he is the cheapest and dumbest one around,

Rangnick, Tuchel, Klopp, Conte, Guardiola, Rodgers, Bielsa, Howe, Potter, Gerrard, Viera - that's a good collection of World Class, Established and upcoming good managers that is making up the coaches/managers of other Premier Clubs while we are stuck with a charlatan that plays total garbage football.

 

[Joestlaachmkr]

This clueless idiot should get the **** out of AFC, we are probably going to finish something like 7th this season - behind the likes of Sp**s and United.

It’s unbelieveable how much patience this clown has gotten.

 

[Rimaal]

Henry on Wenger returning.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Henry on Wenger returning.

Very fair assessment really. Wenger is such a gentleman, and also so savvy that he would never force an embarrassing situation.

 

[boonthegoon]

Henry on Wenger returning.

Love titi but he really doesn't arteta and saying things randomly now.. Arteta didn't say just coz he was asked in the show. Before and after the show he has talked about wanting Wenger back and really is looking desperate about it.

 

[mpower2540]

How does that explain Sp**s 3-0, Leicester away, Newcastle etc etc.

The fact is we didn't sit back and try protect a 1-0 lead in every game like you said.

Bar Newcastle we did sit back and protect our leads in those games though. While having zero counter threat and giving up pretty good chances to the opposition.

It’s an awful habit that we’ve developed and it’s a part of every game we’ve played you must see that no?

I don’t believe personally that Arteta wants us to just retreat but it’s fairly academic to me whether he does or doesn’t, the fact is we’re doing it and it’s his responsibility to change that. He’s shown zero ability to do it.

However it’s fairly obvious now he’s a conservative manager and he can drone on all he likes in post match interviews about us not being aggressive enough or sitting back too much but his substitutions and line ups feed into our negativity. I mean why start Elneny? We need a goal and he makes like for like changes, he did it against Villarreal too remember bringing Auba off when we needed a goal.

His actions contradict what he says. He’s excellent at speaking which looks to be a big reason why he’s charmed everyone into thinking he’s going to turn into some superstar coach while the actual on pitch evidence is minimal. He got me good btw, I was absolutely convinced by him when he first arrived even last season for a spell!

We’ve got good players but we play the majority of our games like a plucky underdog, it’s dumb!

 

[ExtjExhtts]

We didnt sit back against the 20th team in the league?

 

[Makingtrax]

Great article about Rangnick in the Athletic today with a contribution from Mertersaker. He's obsessed with winning the ball back and instigates an 8 second rule in training where players hear a loud ticking and have to retrieve the ball before the 8 seconds is up. There are also speed drills where players are trained to act and think fast to make decision making automatic.

Never mind Klopp and Tuchel, Arteta as a trainee manager could have done with being mentored by him before coming to Arsenal.

 

[ExtjExhtts]

He's obsessed with winning the ball back and instigates an 8 second rule in training where players hear a loud ticking and have to retrieve the ball before the 8 seconds is up.

Imagine reading this and then thinking about the way we acted after 1-0 against United.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

All the best teams look to win the ball back immediately and press aggressively. For some reason for such a young manager Arteta has the philosophy of a dinosaur in that regard.

Klopp, Tuchel, Pep, Naggelsman, Pochettino all the coaches of the top CL contenders this year want their side to press aggressively and now United have appointed a manager with a similar philosophy. I imagine Xavi will want something similar too now with Barcelona. But for some reason our coach is still in the sit back and try to protect what we have.

 

[Makingtrax]

All the best teams look to win the ball back immediately and press aggressively. For some reason for such a young manager Arteta has the philosophy of a dinosaur in that regard.

Klopp, Tuchel, Pep, Naggelsman, Pochettino all the coaches of the top CL contenders this year want their side to press aggressively and now United have appointed a manager with a similar philosophy. I imagine Xavi will want something similar too now with Barcelona. But for some reason our coach is still in the sit back and try to protect what we have.

Can only think that his footballing brain got into gear during his Everton days, certainly not with Arsène or Pep.

 

[Hunta]

Can only think that his footballing brain got into gear during his Everton days, certainly not with Arsène or Pep.

Our graph above looks similar to West Ham.

 

[Oxeki]

Can only think that his footballing brain got into gear during his Everton days, certainly not with Arsène or Pep.

He spent most of his playing career in midtable clubs. I think that has certainly played a part in his cautious approach.

 

[Makingtrax]

Our graph above looks similar to West Ham.

It does. Except Moyes didn't ask for an expensive rebuild to play that sh!t.