Mikel Arteta: Aston La Vista To The Title?

[Xln]

1 world class midfielder and 1 good CF.
Title race next season is on

 

[CaseUteinberger]

Ilkay Gündoğan is class!

 

[RunTheTrap]

Just read that Azeez’s loan has been cancelled due to a lack of playing time at Portsmouth. Arteta must be really desperate huh. I knew midfield was gonna bite us in the a$$ but not like this ffs

 

[MartiSaka]

1 world class midfielder and 1 good CF.
Title race next season is on

I think higher quality depth in midfield and left/right backs are also needed. Strikers if Laca also goes Especially if we start playing again in europe. Think we need another busy transfer window like last year - a couple of expensive signings for midfield and striker and 3-4 lower priced astute signings to improve depth.

 

[BaZZe]

We failed to win our 2 best games with this guy.

Should have gone for the guy who couldn't win against a 10 man Southampton.

 

[drippin]

My hope is that Arteta's "We want to play no matter what!" is faking, and behind the scenes he will be glad to use Kloppo methods to postpone the NLD.

Yeah, Tottenham doesn't have Romero or Son for example, but our squad, especially midfield is fckd and even Arthur isn't likely to join soon enough. We could also have our guys back from AFCON.

Would be amazing counter-attack to Liverpool's antics, to get more rest to our guys before the 2nd leg. Liverpool has to play Brentford next, and then get Arthur to improve our midfield numbers.

That's what a cunning manager would do. We would deserve it after Liverpool did that.

 

[A_G]

My hope is that Arteta's "We want to play no matter what!" is faking, and behind the scenes he will be glad to use Kloppo methods to postpone the NLD.

In the TV interview he talked about wanting to play the NLD, but in the press conference he said there's a possibility the game could get postponed. I'll be disappointed if the club don't at least ask the PL for it.

 

[drippin]

In the TV interview he talked about wanting to play the NLD, but in the press conference he said there's a possibility the game could get postponed. I'll be disappointed if the club don't at least ask the PL for it.

Okay, yeah, I'm quite certain Arteta has that in mind. Of course you say you want to play it. Just copy Kloppo methods, didn't he say so too?

 

[A_G]

Okay, yeah, I'm quite certain Arteta has that in mind. Of course you say you want to play it. Just copy Kloppo methods, didn't he say so too?

Yeah he said that before they played Sp**s with a few players missing, but he wanted the Arsenal game off.

 

[TriniGunner]

He also need to tell his players to he more level headed alot of times this season we making dumb decisions costing us red cards against city and Liverpool we played almost 100 minutes combined with 10 men this unacceptable .

If you've played football you'd know how difficult that is to do as a coach. You can instruct all you want but in the heat of the moment during a game, players make decisions that would cost your team and there's nothing you can do about it. Substitutions and benching still won't fix the issue over the long term as what we do as coaches is try to help players minimize mistakes and create a system where there's more time and space to make good decisions.

 

[Sanchez11]

Any n8ws?

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

If you've played football you'd know how difficult that is to do as a coach. You can instruct all you want but in the heat of the moment during a game, players make decisions that would cost your team and there's nothing you can do about it. Substitutions and benching still won't fix the issue over the long term as what we do as coaches is try to help players minimize mistakes and create a system where there's more time and space to make good decisions.

That's true specially young squad but the experience players like Xhaka letting the rest down.

 

[Macho]

Spoiler: White, Chambers, shape change or blood the youngsters: The midfield options available to Arteta ahead of tough schedule

By Art de Roché Jan 14, 2022

Arsenal’s 10 men performed admirably to take a 0-0 draw back to north London for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals — but were handicapped once more by Granit Xhaka.

Giving the travelling support a gritty performance to be proud of, they were once again showered with applause at the final whistle despite not winning. Switching to a 5-3-1 after the sending off, those left on the pitch defended their zones effectively, with Liverpool’s first real chance coming in the 90th minute (Takumi Minamino’s sitter), while Bukayo Saka was still able to carry a threat when breaking forward.
Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta said: “You have to pick players that you are happy to go to war because you’re gonna have a fight, you’re gonna have difficult moments, you’re gonna have moments where you have to suffer and it’s about how to approach those moments.

“If you are willing to help your team, if you are willing to accept that at some moments you are not going to play the game that you want and then good things are going to happen, so when you play with that spirit and fight and brotherhood around the team, at the end you get rewarded and I think that’s what happened today.”

While there are areas of this squad that have without doubt improved this year, such as defensive solidity and attacking intent, there are others that keep them from making consistent strides. Xhaka’s value to Arteta has been evident throughout the Spaniard’s tenure, but the chaos that comes with heat-of-the-moment decisions keeps the perception of his Arsenal career on a knife-edge.
The 10 men left on the pitch set the tone well for what is a vital seven days for the club’s season. Xhaka’s red card leaves them with even fewer midfield options for a north London derby that could be key for the top-four race, as well as the League Cup semi-final second leg next week.

Arteta with his players after their gritty draw at Anfield (Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Albert Sambi Lokonga is the only recognised first-team central midfielder while Alexandre Lacazette may likely start at No.10 (as he did at Anfield and at times last season).
But who is best suited to making up the midfield?

Option 1: Lokonga and White pivot

When asked about the potential of White playing in midfield ahead of Liverpool, Arteta said: “It’s an option that we have. He has played there before.”
As well as having experience at right-back, as well as in a back three, White played central midfield at both Brighton & Hove Albion and Leeds United. One of these occasions came in a narrow 1-0 loss to Manchester City last season, in which he faced Kevin De Bruyne. Earlier stints in midfield came under Marcelo Bielsa, however, with “murderball” sessions helping him learn the central midfield role with Kalvin Phillips.
Starting all 46 league games for Leeds that season, he played in midfield four times.
“In training, I always did my drills playing centre-mid from the very start that I went there,” White explained to The Athletic last May. “We always did our drills together (with Phillips), so I’d see what he was doing and learn off him every day and then in games, playing behind him. So, by the time I was needed in there, I knew what I was doing.”
Without being tested there at Arsenal, the question becomes how he plays with Lokonga.
Of course, he has driven upfield from centre-back in his time at Arsenal, but starting higher upfield, deciding who between them is the more offensive No 8, will be an interesting dynamic.
Xhaka is often seen pressing high while Lokonga is the player who holds his position deeper. Given the confidence White is playing with, that feels like the sensible way to go for Tottenham Hotspur at least.
The major knock-on effect if this was to happen, however, would be what happens at centre-back. Rob Holding would be next man up, but is not as reliable as White on or off the ball. Arsenal would lose an essential aspect of their build-up play.

Option 2: Lokonga and Chambers pivot

Similarly to White, Chambers has experience playing right-back, centre-back and defensive midfield. Replacing Cedric at Anfield gave him an opportunity to display what he offers at right-back in comparison to the Portuguese (aerial prowess, reading of the game and solid technique on the ball) as was the case last season, but if he was to play in midfield, the demands would be different.
22 of his 33 Fulham appearances at Fulham in the 2019-20 season were in midfield.
“My time at Fulham was amazing, I learnt a lot from playing that position (in midfield),” he said in December 2020. “I understood the role of the midfielder: when he’d want the ball and when he doesn’t want the ball, the communication they need in there. So, for sure, learning another position just helps you in general and I have always felt that.”
If the 26-year-old was to get the nod in midfield, it would appear more logical for him to be the deeper-lying player in the double pivot, but even so, it seems White would be preferred given the game time he has amassed since signing this summer.
Furthermore, should Takehiro Tomiyasu fail to recover in time for the north London derby, Chambers has proven to be a more threatening right-back than Cedric — who was also brought off with an injury at Anfield.

Option 3: Shape change

Arteta has flirted with the idea of a 4-3-3 at various points this season. He first switched to that shape in September, fielding Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Ødegaard as No 8s, before trying it again against Sunderland in the League Cup quarter-final. Whenever used, the shape has not quite provided balance in midfield, with the anchor of the midfield often exposed.
Should Smith Rowe return to fitness against Sp**s or Liverpool, dropping him deeper could make sense, but only if it is in a midfield three where he has licence to push forward. Given Lokonga’s inexperience and need for development in pressure moments, however, using him as the anchor may not be best, which could make using White or Chambers in midfield easier.
There may be temptation to revert to a back five, as they did at Anfield, but that felt very much like a means to an end. Arteta has used that shape very sparingly since that Boxing Day win over Chelsea last season and given the recent efforts to find consistency in the line-up and patterns of play, moving back to the back five may not be ideal.

Option 4: Youngsters

There will of course be clamour for young players who have been involved with the first team recently to be given opportunities. The Nottingham Forest result was proof that it is not as simple as just shoving an academy graduate on and hoping everything will go smoothly. They have to be helped through the game and feel like they are able to make a difference.
As the pressure of the upcoming games is even heavier than the Forest defeat, taking those chances may be more unlikely.
Whichever direction Arteta decides to go in, he must ensure the energy from the Liverpool draw is maintained.

 

[dashsnow17]

Why was Azeez’s loan terminated? Cos he’s being drafted in or cos it wasn’t going well?

 

[dashsnow17]

Spoiler: White, Chambers, shape change or blood the youngsters: The midfield options available to Arteta ahead of tough schedule

By Art de Roché Jan 14, 2022

Arsenal’s 10 men performed admirably to take a 0-0 draw back to north London for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals — but were handicapped once more by Granit Xhaka.

Giving the travelling support a gritty performance to be proud of, they were once again showered with applause at the final whistle despite not winning. Switching to a 5-3-1 after the sending off, those left on the pitch defended their zones effectively, with Liverpool’s first real chance coming in the 90th minute (Takumi Minamino’s sitter), while Bukayo Saka was still able to carry a threat when breaking forward.
Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta said: “You have to pick players that you are happy to go to war because you’re gonna have a fight, you’re gonna have difficult moments, you’re gonna have moments where you have to suffer and it’s about how to approach those moments.

“If you are willing to help your team, if you are willing to accept that at some moments you are not going to play the game that you want and then good things are going to happen, so when you play with that spirit and fight and brotherhood around the team, at the end you get rewarded and I think that’s what happened today.”

While there are areas of this squad that have without doubt improved this year, such as defensive solidity and attacking intent, there are others that keep them from making consistent strides. Xhaka’s value to Arteta has been evident throughout the Spaniard’s tenure, but the chaos that comes with heat-of-the-moment decisions keeps the perception of his Arsenal career on a knife-edge.
The 10 men left on the pitch set the tone well for what is a vital seven days for the club’s season. Xhaka’s red card leaves them with even fewer midfield options for a north London derby that could be key for the top-four race, as well as the League Cup semi-final second leg next week.

Arteta with his players after their gritty draw at Anfield (Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Albert Sambi Lokonga is the only recognised first-team central midfielder while Alexandre Lacazette may likely start at No.10 (as he did at Anfield and at times last season).
But who is best suited to making up the midfield?

Option 1: Lokonga and White pivot

When asked about the potential of White playing in midfield ahead of Liverpool, Arteta said: “It’s an option that we have. He has played there before.”
As well as having experience at right-back, as well as in a back three, White played central midfield at both Brighton & Hove Albion and Leeds United. One of these occasions came in a narrow 1-0 loss to Manchester City last season, in which he faced Kevin De Bruyne. Earlier stints in midfield came under Marcelo Bielsa, however, with “murderball” sessions helping him learn the central midfield role with Kalvin Phillips.
Starting all 46 league games for Leeds that season, he played in midfield four times.
“In training, I always did my drills playing centre-mid from the very start that I went there,” White explained to The Athletic last May. “We always did our drills together (with Phillips), so I’d see what he was doing and learn off him every day and then in games, playing behind him. So, by the time I was needed in there, I knew what I was doing.”
Without being tested there at Arsenal, the question becomes how he plays with Lokonga.
Of course, he has driven upfield from centre-back in his time at Arsenal, but starting higher upfield, deciding who between them is the more offensive No 8, will be an interesting dynamic.
Xhaka is often seen pressing high while Lokonga is the player who holds his position deeper. Given the confidence White is playing with, that feels like the sensible way to go for Tottenham Hotspur at least.
The major knock-on effect if this was to happen, however, would be what happens at centre-back. Rob Holding would be next man up, but is not as reliable as White on or off the ball. Arsenal would lose an essential aspect of their build-up play.

Option 2: Lokonga and Chambers pivot

Similarly to White, Chambers has experience playing right-back, centre-back and defensive midfield. Replacing Cedric at Anfield gave him an opportunity to display what he offers at right-back in comparison to the Portuguese (aerial prowess, reading of the game and solid technique on the ball) as was the case last season, but if he was to play in midfield, the demands would be different.
22 of his 33 Fulham appearances at Fulham in the 2019-20 season were in midfield.
“My time at Fulham was amazing, I learnt a lot from playing that position (in midfield),” he said in December 2020. “I understood the role of the midfielder: when he’d want the ball and when he doesn’t want the ball, the communication they need in there. So, for sure, learning another position just helps you in general and I have always felt that.”
If the 26-year-old was to get the nod in midfield, it would appear more logical for him to be the deeper-lying player in the double pivot, but even so, it seems White would be preferred given the game time he has amassed since signing this summer.
Furthermore, should Takehiro Tomiyasu fail to recover in time for the north London derby, Chambers has proven to be a more threatening right-back than Cedric — who was also brought off with an injury at Anfield.

Option 3: Shape change

Arteta has flirted with the idea of a 4-3-3 at various points this season. He first switched to that shape in September, fielding Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Ødegaard as No 8s, before trying it again against Sunderland in the League Cup quarter-final. Whenever used, the shape has not quite provided balance in midfield, with the anchor of the midfield often exposed.
Should Smith Rowe return to fitness against Sp**s or Liverpool, dropping him deeper could make sense, but only if it is in a midfield three where he has licence to push forward. Given Lokonga’s inexperience and need for development in pressure moments, however, using him as the anchor may not be best, which could make using White or Chambers in midfield easier.
There may be temptation to revert to a back five, as they did at Anfield, but that felt very much like a means to an end. Arteta has used that shape very sparingly since that Boxing Day win over Chelsea last season and given the recent efforts to find consistency in the line-up and patterns of play, moving back to the back five may not be ideal.

Option 4: Youngsters

There will of course be clamour for young players who have been involved with the first team recently to be given opportunities. The Nottingham Forest result was proof that it is not as simple as just shoving an academy graduate on and hoping everything will go smoothly. They have to be helped through the game and feel like they are able to make a difference.
As the pressure of the upcoming games is even heavier than the Forest defeat, taking those chances may be more unlikely.
Whichever direction Arteta decides to go in, he must ensure the energy from the Liverpool draw is maintained.

5 paragraphs and over 270 words before the topic of the article is first mentioned. I swear to god, these people are swindlers.

 

[Macho]

Why was Azeez’s loan terminated? Cos he’s being drafted in or cos it wasn’t going well?

Both.

Think he didn't have enough appearances for Portsmouth, so if they are going to do that, he might as well take his chances here with our shortage.

Arsenal pull you out if you don't get enough games now.

Arsenal 'terminate' Azeez loan as Arteta copes with midfield crisis

ARSENAL loaned Miguel Azeez to Portsmouth at the start of the season

www.express.co.uk

 

[Riou]

@Macho

 

[Macho]

@Macho

Cheers for finding my new profile banner.

 

[Riou]

Cheers for finding my new profile banner.

This made me laugh (nothing to do with Mikel, but thought you would like it too) ...



...is this Gilberto's nice way of saying, "None of them, fam"

 

[freeglennhelder2]

Jesus, looks like he has permanently sealed Martinellis eyelids using some kind of dark vibe telepathy energy.

It was always gonna end this way tbh.