Mikel Arteta: Aston La Vista To The Title?

[Makingtrax]

Scoring just 18 league goals in 15 games is absolute poverty.

Our £150m defence have also let in 22 in 15 games, again that’ll be over 50 conceded over a full season.

8th, 8th - could be on for a treble here.

How have you got a pic of Potter camping out? Did he come to your caravan site?

 

[El Duderino]

Exactly what it says on the tin.

Vinai got scammed by a fake car deal, costing the club a few million... naturally, Arsenal promote him!

I guess this was the beginning of Vinai's "Trust the Process" moment

Promoted him twice, actually. He got to be managing director and now CEO in a very short span of time.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

The main problem now is that the key decision makers are a bunch of spoofers and have all been brainwashed into believing Arteta is the man for the job. Who's gonna take the decision? Even in his most recent interview Josh waffled on about the process and didn't want to put any expectations on this season. Which leads me to believe that they'll really have to be forced into a decision and we're not at that point yet. They'll probably look at the upcoming fixtures and believe most are winnable and we can turn things around.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Kind of opposite of Rangnick, when he said "you adapt to the players you have". No wonder Rangnick is considered as a mentor to great coaches like Klopp, Tuchel, etc while Arteta is a total fraud and a waste of space.

Arteta want to prove he can do it his own way and build his ideas to the team but we seeing majority of it not working so why just don't keep it simple and try play with the current players strength i don't think it going to change the guy is stubborn and now he got players he want he is more stubborn

 

[El Duderino]

The main problem now is that the key decision makers are a bunch of spoofers and have all been brainwashed into believing Arteta is the man for the job. Who's gonna take the decision? Even in his most recent interview Josh waffled on about the process and didn't want to put any expectations on this season. Which leads me to believe that they'll really have to be forced into a decision and we're not at that point yet. They'll probably look at the upcoming fixtures and believe most are winnable and we can turn things around.

I know you're being ott, but I wouldn't say brainwashed, but rather they went all in or Arteta to shield themselves from criticism and if Arteta goes....

It'll be Ivan mk2, we'll appoint some Sven like figure, another ponzi for a managing director like role and soon after Edu/Vinai will leave the club just like Ivan did.

Granted, Ivan left to become a much richer man, but the writing was on the wall that the responsibility was too big for him after Wenger left and he wouldnt be able to keep stringing fans along without Arsène.

 

[Riou]

Promoted him twice, actually. He got to be managing director and now CEO in a very short span of time.

Oh yeah, that's right...how are we still in the top division at this point?

 

[Rex Stone]

Against United I was enthused to throw the remote across the room until the wife said don't you dare.

Yeah but we had more shots than them and the xG was almost the same.

In a big away game what cost us was mistakes and Auba, Martinelli and Saka completely failing in front of goal.

I thought Arteta did his job but there’s been too many other games where the system has looked way off it.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Think this is spot on @yousif_arsenal - I don't like knee-jerking either, but I think you can take a rational assessment of where we are at now and say that there are coaching issues which are holding us back.

Arteta's not a dreadful, car crash of a coach at all. I personally think he'll have a decent career and has got something about him. But he's a level below the best and we'll fall further behind unless he's replaced asap. Need Edu to grow some balls now and pull the trigger early. We've already lost out on the best available options in Conte & Rangnick. If Ten Hag, Potter or maybe Gallardo are available then we should get them in now, not wait for the rot to get worse.

The club given him funds and now he 2 years in job i understand its rebuilding job and the club even the fans didn't expected we going to finish top 4 let alone fighting for titles that how low our expectations is but we want to see evolve with performance so far we stuck just being an average side that still can't finish teams off still bad going forward and still make unnecessary errors understandably so the fans are losing patience.

 

[El Duderino]

Oh yeah, that's right...how are we still in the top division at this point?

We need a Steve Jobs coming back to Apple moment. Something that galvanizes everyone and brings Arsenal back to its core beliefs and way of doing things.

Edu and Vinai get sacked, sliding doors open, mist pours out and we see a tall silhouette approaching.

Welcome back, Ivan "we can compete with Bayern" Gazidis.

#therebaldening

 

[Makingtrax]

In a big away game what cost us was mistakes and Auba, Martinelli and Saka completely failing in front of goal.

They only fail in front of goal because this is their third season of feeding of scraps in the final third.

 

[SA Gunner]

Sunk cost fallacy. I've never seen a better example.

That and the fact that our new hierarchy doesn't want to admit they've got it wrong...again. Letting Mikel go is as much their failure as it is his. Arteta is their vanity project, a sort of "We'll show them how hip and forward thinking we are. Watch this space!" gamble, which obviously didn't pay off (as could be rationally expected). A gamble they should have never taken, but here they are, with eggs on their faces - and now they've got explaining to do.

At this point they don't have a choice but to stick with Arteta; it's too late for regrets.

Lastly, some nice comments from his peers are just professional courtesy - and all based on how he's performed as an assistant manager, which isn't translatable to being a good or even an okay manager; there are many examples. How often do you see managers badmouthing their peers, let alone their former assistants? It's just poor form.

I want the best for Arsenal. And this is precisely why I want Arteta gone. Think of it this way - if you're friend is in a toxic relationship, would telling him to persist in it be really a thing a best friend should do? It might hurth him if you tell him the truth, but it's the best way forward. The quicker you'll do it, the quicker he'll be on the mend and looking for new opportunities.

Good points made.

I do agree with your idea that this is likely a sunk cost investment by now. We reaped the initial rewards of course, low investment and decent returns with the FA Cup and reasonably good performances against our rivals, but that has been largely overshadowed by the key events that had followed, namely missing out on the Champions League twice through Europa, and then missing Europe altogether.

As for the egg on their faces idea, and now trying to save face or force matters until they do work. Sure, that could be an idea, but the reason I don’t buy that completely is because the cost of saving face is far too great. We may be setting ourselves up for medium to long term losses and a bigger mountain to climb, if we don’t act swiftly in the short term, by bringing in proven expertise at the highest level. I don’t think any serious club would be willing to risk that, and frankly no investor would either.

As for the praise around Arteta, it’s not only limited to fellow managers. Players and officials both inside and outside the club speak well of Mikel and his potential. I believe it’s that commitment seen and spoken about, combined with further analysis behind the scenes, that continue to keep Arteta at the club.

But ultimately it’s points on the board that matter. This metric will force the club’s hands no matter what is discussed behind the scenes. Technically Arteta is still safe in his position, but if we start drifting off Europe, he could be in deep trouble.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

They only fail in front of goal because this is their third season of feeding of scraps in the final third.

I don't know, Auba has missed some true sitters this season. It is difficult to not see this in connection with his age. His career at the top level is coming to an end, I think that is becoming more and more visible by each game.

We very much need a new frontman.

 

[Makingtrax]

@Macho what's his pal at The Athletic saying, man?

James McNicholas in the Athletic

'If you were already concerned about the absence of a coherent strategy for Arsenal’s attack, then their performance in this 2-1 away loss to Everton will have confirmed some of your fears.'

Hey, I'm thinking he's seeing the light, until he spins it that Arteta hasn't been able to buy any strikers of the right type to suit his style of play and suggest a player like Calvert Lewin would be more suitable.

'Stylistically, he is a very different player to either Aubameyang or Lacazette: of his 43 Premier League goals to date, almost half (18 goals — 42 per cent) have been headers. He would offer Arsenal the focal point they frequently lack.'

Get your cheque book out Stan Arteta's PR team is trying to suck you in again.

 

[Maybe]

We need a Steve Jobs coming back to Apple moment. Something that galvanizes everyone and brings Arsenal back to its core beliefs and way of doing things.

Or maybe something more closer to us, like Wenger being hired in the '90s to transform the club. The club structure changed so much that it's hard to get only one "right" guy. Arteta is a massive failure on the pitch and he is probably behind some of the transfers, but Edu is successfully dodging all the criticism after disastrous 2 transfer windows

 

[Sanchez11]

Overmars needs to save us!!

 

[Macho]

Spoiler: Aubameyang, Nketiah, Lacazette: Arteta has no coherent plan for Arsenal’s attack

By James McNicholas


Last summer, Eddie Nketiah was available for transfer and almost joined Crystal Palace. Last week, he turned down a contract to stay at Arsenal. And then last night, he came on ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club captain to whom manager Mikel Arteta awarded a three-year deal in the summer of 2020.
From the outside, it is difficult to understand.

If you were already concerned about the absence of a coherent strategy for Arsenal’s attack, then their performance in this 2-1 away loss to Everton will have confirmed some of your fears.

When Gabriel Martinelli pulled up with a hamstring injury midway through the second half, Aubameyang appeared the obvious replacement for a player operating on the left wing. Arteta told his post-match press conference he selected Nketiah to go on instead because the 22-year-old “does every day in training what you see him do here”. We can presume he meant the general business, rather than the glaring miss.
It wasn’t just the Nketiah decision that was odd.

Alexandre Lacazette lasted 85 minutes up front despite not mustering a single shot at goal. Nicolas Pepe’s omission feels painfully pointed — he has now been an unused substitute in six of the last seven Premier League games. Last night’s slight to Aubameyang follows him being substituted at Old Trafford on Thursday when Arsenal were chasing an equaliser with 10 minutes of normal time to go.

“I think there will be a problem with Aubameyang after this game,” speculated Gary Neville on Sky Sports’ broadcast of the match. “He won’t like Nketiah coming on before him. There’s always a bit of a bug between him and Arteta. It’s turned a little sour and I bet if Arteta could move him on for some money, he would, and if Aubameyang could get out, he would.”

That we are talking about this team’s attacking problems the morning after Everton had the ball in the Arsenal net no less than four times is indicative of the scale of the issue. Two of the tightest offside calls you’ll see kept Arsenal in the game for longer than they deserved. A win at Goodison Park would have been a steal, a draw a lucky escape. This 2-1 loss, ultimately, was entirely deserved.

Until Arsenal can pose more of an attacking threat, they will be vulnerable to moments like Demarai Gray’s added-time winner.

Late chances for an equaliser fell to Nketiah and Aubameyang, who eventually replaced Lacazette, and both should undoubtedly have scored. But at Arsenal, every big chance is placed under the microscope. It’s because there are so few of them.

Martin Ødegaard’s strike in first-half stoppage time took Arsenal to 18 goals from 15 Premier League games. That ranks them a lowly 12th in the table, below the likes of Brentford, Palace and last night’s hosts.

Goals are a problem, but it is about more than goals. A persistent attacking threat changes the dynamics of a game — it allows a team to gain territory and momentum, to exert pressure and tire out opposition legs and minds.

According to Opta, Everton’s comeback means Arsenal have lost consecutive Premier League matches having taken the lead for the first time since December 2016. Sometimes it looks as if they wilt in advantageous positions.

The reality may be that they’re currently incapable of keeping their foot on the gas pedal. Opposing teams grow in confidence as they realise Arsenal aren’t that dangerous. They have lost their fear factor.

It sometimes feels as if Arteta’s coaching of Arsenal has placed considerable focus on what happens in their own half. There has been an obvious emphasis on build-up play, on passing out from the back. It’s even reflected in their transfer business — there has been substantial turnover in the goalkeeping and defensive positions, at significant expense. But when Arsenal get over the halfway line, the structure and the plan becomes less clear.
Last night, it was not in evidence at all.

(Photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
There were plenty of perplexing decisions.

Nketiah going on ahead of Aubameyang was perhaps the most eye-catching, but it was not alone. Why, for example, was Granit Xhaka left on for all 98 minutes in his first match back from a serious injury? The mismanagement of Kieran Tierney is also fascinating — the Scotsman, in his first club appearance since October 18, has been left out of the team for so long that he was deemed incapable of completing the 90 minutes and was subbed just past the hour.

But the uncertainty around how Arsenal intend to attack is the most troubling theme.
Arteta is yet to sign a striker in nearly two years in charge, but he did authorise the lucrative new contract for Aubameyang — a decision that currently, like the now 32-year-old Gabon international, does not appear to be ageing particularly well.

When that deal was sanctioned, what was the plan for the club captain? Last season, Aubameyang spent months on the left flank, before being switched into the centre-forward position. In Arsenal’s best spell of this campaign, he played just ahead of Lacazette in what was ostensibly a front two.

Now Ødegaard’s return to the starting XI forces Arteta to choose between Lacazette and Aubameyang again — and in truth, the manager doesn’t appear particularly enthused about either option. The sense is that neither Aubameyang nor Lacazette quite fits the mould for Arteta’s vision. Playing them together has been a way of offsetting their respective weaknesses.

It’s this search for a new profile of striker that has led Arsenal to consider Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a potential transfer target. The 24-year-old England international is one of several forwards being monitored as Arsenal plan the evolution of their attack.

Arteta will be grateful that the thigh problem which has sidelined Calvert-Lewin since August ruled him out of this game, too.

Calvert-Lewin scored 16 goals in 33 Premier League games last season. Injury has limited him to just three appearances in 2021-22, but he scored in every one.
Stylistically, he is a very different player to either Aubameyang or Lacazette: of his 43 Premier League goals to date, almost half (18 goals — 42 per cent) have been headers. He would offer Arsenal the focal point they frequently lack.

His physical approach has won him admirers among Arsenal’s recruitment department and coaching staff — and as a young, homegrown player, Calvert-Lewin fits with the club’s new transfer strategy. Having signed a new five-year deal in March 2020, however, he would not come cheap.

No bid is expected imminently, however. With Lacazette likely to remain with the club until the end of his contract in June, Arsenal’s overhaul of their front line is more likely to be dealt with in the summer.

There remain questions over Calvert-Lewin’s injury record and whether he is the right stylistic fit for the club, and these would be considerations before any decision was made on whether to pursue the player more seriously.

But a season is a long time to wait for a new centre-forward — and two years is a long time to wait for a convincing attacking plan.

Arsenal should be creating and scoring more with what they have available. The likes of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe are imperfect players — but they are surely better than this.

Arteta is keen on “specificity”, on having players who fit his meticulous criteria. Between transfer windows, however, he needs to work with what he’s got. And he needs to do better.

Goals are not the cherry on the cake or something to get round to eventually. Arsenal need them now.

Perhaps there is a centre-forward out there who could unlock this Arsenal attack, be it Calvert-Lewin or another.
Arteta had better hope so. At the moment, it’s not entirely clear if the Arsenal manager is capable of figuring it out himself.

@Oxeki @El Duderino

I think @Sanchez11 likes these too lol

 

[Makingtrax]

I don't know, Auba has missed some true sitters this season. It is difficult to not see this in connection with his age. His career at the top level is coming to an end, I think that is becoming more and more visible by each game.

We very much need a new frontman.

My gut feeling tells me he's very frustrated and it's affected his form. At one stage last night Lacazette cleared the ball off the line to stop a corner. What was he doing there behind Tomi? These strikers are so deep it's mental. No new frontman will solve this problem.

 

[El Duderino]

Spoiler: Aubameyang, Nketiah, Lacazette: Arteta has no coherent plan for Arsenal’s attack

By James McNicholas


Last summer, Eddie Nketiah was available for transfer and almost joined Crystal Palace. Last week, he turned down a contract to stay at Arsenal. And then last night, he came on ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club captain to whom manager Mikel Arteta awarded a three-year deal in the summer of 2020.
From the outside, it is difficult to understand.

If you were already concerned about the absence of a coherent strategy for Arsenal’s attack, then their performance in this 2-1 away loss to Everton will have confirmed some of your fears.

When Gabriel Martinelli pulled up with a hamstring injury midway through the second half, Aubameyang appeared the obvious replacement for a player operating on the left wing. Arteta told his post-match press conference he selected Nketiah to go on instead because the 22-year-old “does every day in training what you see him do here”. We can presume he meant the general business, rather than the glaring miss.
It wasn’t just the Nketiah decision that was odd.

Alexandre Lacazette lasted 85 minutes up front despite not mustering a single shot at goal. Nicolas Pepe’s omission feels painfully pointed — he has now been an unused substitute in six of the last seven Premier League games. Last night’s slight to Aubameyang follows him being substituted at Old Trafford on Thursday when Arsenal were chasing an equaliser with 10 minutes of normal time to go.

“I think there will be a problem with Aubameyang after this game,” speculated Gary Neville on Sky Sports’ broadcast of the match. “He won’t like Nketiah coming on before him. There’s always a bit of a bug between him and Arteta. It’s turned a little sour and I bet if Arteta could move him on for some money, he would, and if Aubameyang could get out, he would.”

That we are talking about this team’s attacking problems the morning after Everton had the ball in the Arsenal net no less than four times is indicative of the scale of the issue. Two of the tightest offside calls you’ll see kept Arsenal in the game for longer than they deserved. A win at Goodison Park would have been a steal, a draw a lucky escape. This 2-1 loss, ultimately, was entirely deserved.

Until Arsenal can pose more of an attacking threat, they will be vulnerable to moments like Demarai Gray’s added-time winner.

Late chances for an equaliser fell to Nketiah and Aubameyang, who eventually replaced Lacazette, and both should undoubtedly have scored. But at Arsenal, every big chance is placed under the microscope. It’s because there are so few of them.

Martin Ødegaard’s strike in first-half stoppage time took Arsenal to 18 goals from 15 Premier League games. That ranks them a lowly 12th in the table, below the likes of Brentford, Palace and last night’s hosts.

Goals are a problem, but it is about more than goals. A persistent attacking threat changes the dynamics of a game — it allows a team to gain territory and momentum, to exert pressure and tire out opposition legs and minds.

According to Opta, Everton’s comeback means Arsenal have lost consecutive Premier League matches having taken the lead for the first time since December 2016. Sometimes it looks as if they wilt in advantageous positions.

The reality may be that they’re currently incapable of keeping their foot on the gas pedal. Opposing teams grow in confidence as they realise Arsenal aren’t that dangerous. They have lost their fear factor.

It sometimes feels as if Arteta’s coaching of Arsenal has placed considerable focus on what happens in their own half. There has been an obvious emphasis on build-up play, on passing out from the back. It’s even reflected in their transfer business — there has been substantial turnover in the goalkeeping and defensive positions, at significant expense. But when Arsenal get over the halfway line, the structure and the plan becomes less clear.
Last night, it was not in evidence at all.

(Photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
There were plenty of perplexing decisions.

Nketiah going on ahead of Aubameyang was perhaps the most eye-catching, but it was not alone. Why, for example, was Granit Xhaka left on for all 98 minutes in his first match back from a serious injury? The mismanagement of Kieran Tierney is also fascinating — the Scotsman, in his first club appearance since October 18, has been left out of the team for so long that he was deemed incapable of completing the 90 minutes and was subbed just past the hour.

But the uncertainty around how Arsenal intend to attack is the most troubling theme.
Arteta is yet to sign a striker in nearly two years in charge, but he did authorise the lucrative new contract for Aubameyang — a decision that currently, like the now 32-year-old Gabon international, does not appear to be ageing particularly well.

When that deal was sanctioned, what was the plan for the club captain? Last season, Aubameyang spent months on the left flank, before being switched into the centre-forward position. In Arsenal’s best spell of this campaign, he played just ahead of Lacazette in what was ostensibly a front two.

Now Ødegaard’s return to the starting XI forces Arteta to choose between Lacazette and Aubameyang again — and in truth, the manager doesn’t appear particularly enthused about either option. The sense is that neither Aubameyang nor Lacazette quite fits the mould for Arteta’s vision. Playing them together has been a way of offsetting their respective weaknesses.

It’s this search for a new profile of striker that has led Arsenal to consider Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a potential transfer target. The 24-year-old England international is one of several forwards being monitored as Arsenal plan the evolution of their attack.

Arteta will be grateful that the thigh problem which has sidelined Calvert-Lewin since August ruled him out of this game, too.

Calvert-Lewin scored 16 goals in 33 Premier League games last season. Injury has limited him to just three appearances in 2021-22, but he scored in every one.
Stylistically, he is a very different player to either Aubameyang or Lacazette: of his 43 Premier League goals to date, almost half (18 goals — 42 per cent) have been headers. He would offer Arsenal the focal point they frequently lack.

His physical approach has won him admirers among Arsenal’s recruitment department and coaching staff — and as a young, homegrown player, Calvert-Lewin fits with the club’s new transfer strategy. Having signed a new five-year deal in March 2020, however, he would not come cheap.

No bid is expected imminently, however. With Lacazette likely to remain with the club until the end of his contract in June, Arsenal’s overhaul of their front line is more likely to be dealt with in the summer.

There remain questions over Calvert-Lewin’s injury record and whether he is the right stylistic fit for the club, and these would be considerations before any decision was made on whether to pursue the player more seriously.

But a season is a long time to wait for a new centre-forward — and two years is a long time to wait for a convincing attacking plan.

Arsenal should be creating and scoring more with what they have available. The likes of Aubameyang, Lacazette and Pepe are imperfect players — but they are surely better than this.

Arteta is keen on “specificity”, on having players who fit his meticulous criteria. Between transfer windows, however, he needs to work with what he’s got. And he needs to do better.

Goals are not the cherry on the cake or something to get round to eventually. Arsenal need them now.

Perhaps there is a centre-forward out there who could unlock this Arsenal attack, be it Calvert-Lewin or another.
Arteta had better hope so. At the moment, it’s not entirely clear if the Arsenal manager is capable of figuring it out himself.

@Oxeki @El Duderino

I think @Sanchez11 likes these too lol

It's funny how the penny has dropped with him, but he can't bring himself to admit it.

 

[Macho]

Yeah people are eager to blame individuals because it suits, but that young defence is conceding a lot, ESR aside nobody upfront is up to much..

Players with no future are getting minutes whilst capable guys with some time on their contracts are unused subs (AMN mainly).

The subs and team selections are emotional instead of with real analysis... A lot of mistakes from last season being repeated in terms of tinkering, subs, bringing up our meager chances in the post match interview after a loss after Everton had 2 goals chalked offside.

It's a mess. I mean get DCL in if you want, but it's still a mess.

 

[Paperino]

So Gunnerblog's new approach is that Arteta need a new striker to achieve the football he want to play. The same Arteta extended Aubas contract.