Mikel Arteta: Working Jovertime

[drippin]

Given our lack of striker options I think he was trying to spoonfeed the easiest game possible to Gabriel Jesus to try and get him a goal and some confidence back, because the team really needs him to get sorted and in form.

Unfortunately, Jesus is in such terrible form that he absolutely butchered our possession dominance in the first half.

Supporters love to drop players as soon as they have 2 bad games in a row but you can't manage like that (well, Chelsea sort of does) and you have to work on building your players out of bad periods where they lack confidence. Unfortunately right now Jesus is so ****ing bad he might be a lost cause.

This is exactly it. Managing a top team means you have to take mental aspect of the players into account. Many people here don't seem to take it into account. Jesus and Sterling are former star players who are needed in this long season. You have to give them game-time so they don't start sulking and can get into form. You have to give them a chance, and only if they don't perform, you can start giving them even less game-time. Then they have their own proof that others are performing better and they don't have proper basis for sulking. But have to train better, and then use their less chances when given opportunity.

Nwaneri is only ~18 years old, so there is no hurry, and in the beginning he has to be lower in the pecking order than these players. It's just how it is in real top club life, no matter if fans want Nwaneri to start already. Things have to be done gradually. The only game he has started in his career in men's games is against League One midtable club Bolton who rotated 7 players. Southampton is different level. If Arsenal would have been 0-1 at 60 minutes with Nwaneri, he would have been substituted out which would have likely affected him badly mentally no matter his performance if there was no goal and losing points was at risk when he played. This would have been way worse if Arsenal then actually lost points.

The plan always was to try to get a lead with the rotation players, and if not working then make early substitutions to win. And it worked. Take into account that xG isn't everything, because it only counts shots. Arsenal had many touches in the box in the first half, and some cutback passes, which could have lead to a goal.

 

[PrinzPoldi]

This is exactly it. Managing a top team means you have to take mental aspect of the players into account. Many people here don't seem to take it into account. Jesus and Sterling are former star players who are needed in this long season. You have to give them game-time so they don't start sulking and can get into form. You have to give them a chance, and only if they don't perform, you can start giving them even less game-time. Then they have their own proof that others are performing better and they don't have proper basis for sulking. But have to train better, and then use their less chances when given opportunity.

Nwaneri is only ~18 years old, so there is no hurry, and in the beginning he has to be lower in the pecking order than these players. It's just how it is in real top club life, no matter if fans want Nwaneri to start already. Things have to be done gradually. The only game he has started in his career in men's games is against League One midtable club Bolton who rotated 7 players. Southampton is different level. If Arsenal would have been 0-1 at 60 minutes with Nwaneri, he would have been substituted out which would have likely affected him badly mentally no matter his performance if there was no goal and losing points was at risk when he played. This would have been way worse if Arsenal then actually lost points.

The plan always was to try to get a lead with the rotation players, and if not working then make early substitutions to win. And it worked. Take into account that xG isn't everything, because it only counts shots. Arsenal had many touches in the box in the first half, and some cutback passes, which could have lead to a goal.

It is pretty naive to think we should give most/all the minutes on Nwaneri but ignore the senior players.

 

[Impala11]

Too conservative to win the biggest trophies, and too scared to drop his favourites. He has taken us as far as he possibly can imo. I need to see what Inzaghi can cook for us.

Is this parody?

 

[Riou]

"Has Mikel Arteta ruined The Arsenal's great reputation by making us the new kings of the dark arts?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1842851676497072589

...no, he is taking us back to our true form

 

[El Duderino]

"Has Mikel Arteta ruined The Arsenal's great reputation by making us the new kings of the dark arts?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1842851676497072589

...no, he is taking us back to our true form

Strange how everyone forgets the nasty streak guys from the invencible era had.

Bergkamp himself says his temper sometimes got to him in his biography, re the ankle stamp.

 

[Riou]

Strange how everyone forgets the nasty streak guys from the invencible era had.

Bergkamp himself says his temper sometimes got to him in his biography, re the ankle stamp.

"I don't really regret doing it, I just mainly regret when I was caught"

... Bergkamp, on elbowing players in the face

I think it's impossible to win a championship in England without having "and edge" to your game.

 

[Dokaka]

"I don't really regret doing it, I just mainly regret when I was caught"

... Bergkamp, on elbowing players in the face

I think it's impossible to win a championship in England without having "and edge" to your game.

Not unique to England. Think of the amount of ****s in the title winning Real Madrid, Barca and A. Madrid sides alone. Same goes for Italy, Germany etc. Every title winning side in history has a few players rivals and neutrals can't stand and that's because they got that edge to them.

You could argue the lack of that intangible was what held some of the post-Highbury Wenger sides back. On raw footballing talent alone some of those teams were exceptional but Arsenal got the reputation of being easily bullied for a reason back then.

Watching Koscielny get slapped in the head against Birmingham while on his knees with literally zero response from his teammates was just peak pussioball if we're being honest here.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Not unique to England. Think of the amount of ****s in the title winning Real Madrid, Barca and A. Madrid sides alone. Same goes for Italy, Germany etc. Every title winning side in history has a few players rivals and neutrals can't stand and that's because they got that edge to them.

You could argue the lack of that intangible was what held some of the post-Highbury Wenger sides back. On raw footballing talent alone some of those teams were exceptional but Arsenal got the reputation of being easily bullied for a reason back then.

Watching Koscielny get slapped in the head against Birmingham while on his knees with literally zero response from his teammates was just peak pussioball if we're being honest here.

The problem in our history is that we either get slaughtered for "the dark arts", or then it is "Arsenal are soft, they don't like it up'em". The latter view indirectly leading to three horrific injuries.

 

[Riou]

Not unique to England. Think of the amount of ****s in the title winning Real Madrid, Barca and A. Madrid sides alone. Same goes for Italy, Germany etc. Every title winning side in history has a few players rivals and neutrals can't stand and that's because they got that edge to them.

You could argue the lack of that intangible was what held some of the post-Highbury Wenger sides back. On raw footballing talent alone some of those teams were exceptional but Arsenal got the reputation of being easily bullied for a reason back then.

Watching Koscielny get slapped in the head against Birmingham while on his knees with literally zero response from his teammates was just peak pussioball if we're being honest here.

I will never really understand what happened with Wenger immediately after we moved stadiums, seemed to really change even if I accept a lack of funds in comparison to Highbury...but even then we could have helped ourselves better.

We moved to the Emirates with still a good chunk of an Invincible spine...Lehmann, Toure, Gilberto, Ljungberg, Henry...all tough characters (even Freddie was quite spiky on the pitch for someone who would model underwear off it lol) who knew how to win.

Obviously that couldn't last forever and some of them needed replacing quickly, but to move away from the physical side of the game so much (and prime Wenger used to sign some proper athletes) was so odd to me...we went from Vieira and Gilberto to Denilson and Fabregas so quickly, just a neverending run of buying number 10s lol.

Wenger giving Gallas the 10 shirt in our first season at the ground was such a foreshadowing of the insane stuff that was to come really

 

[Dokaka]

The problem in our history is that we either get slaughtered for "the dark arts", or then it is "Arsenal are soft, they don't like it up'em". The latter view indirectly leading to three horrific injuries.

I mean yeah there has always (since Wenger's appointment) been an anti-Arsenal sentiment among the media because Wenger was a foreign manager who did things differently and it worked. You still see remnants of the Brexit ball fanatics around today but it has died down a bit, but the resentment remains.

You'd much rather be accused of "dark arts" or whatever than being weak, for the reason you said.

 

[GoonerJeeves]

I mean yeah there has always (since Wenger's appointment) been an anti-Arsenal sentiment among the media because Wenger was a foreign manager who did things differently and it worked. You still see remnants of the Brexit ball fanatics around today but it has died down a bit, but the resentment remains.

You'd much rather be accused of "dark arts" or whatever than being weak, for the reason you said.

I'd actually argue we got a lot of the same under Graham. We were subtracted more points than Man Utd after the brawl at Old Trafford in 1990.

But there is *no way* that Arsenal side in 1990 would have allowed Jose Antonio Reyes to be kicked off the park.

 

[Dokaka]

I'd actually argue we got a lot of the same under Graham. We were subtracted more points than Man Utd after the brawl at Old Trafford in 1990.

But there is *no way* that Arsenal side in 1990 would have allowed Jose Antonio Reyes to be kicked off the park.

Wasn't that because you publicly admitted fault which made it easier to give you a harsher slap on the wrist? I feel like I remember hearing that in a documentary at some point. Man Utd kept quiet and dealt with it internally while Arsenal made public statements about punishments or something along those lines, I might be misremembering.

 

[Riou]

I'd actually argue we got a lot of the same under Graham. We were subtracted more points than Man Utd after the brawl at Old Trafford in 1990.

Love how we got docked points, lost our captain and best defender to jail for a period of that season...and still won the league

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Wasn't that because you publicly admitted fault which made it easier to give you a harsher slap on the wrist? I feel like I remember hearing that in a documentary at some point. Man Utd kept quiet and dealt with it internally while Arsenal made public statements about punishments or something along those lines, I might be misremembering.

I think the main reason was our fisticuffs with Norwich some months before.

 

[hydrofluoric acid]

People wanted forward but Arteta seems to have a vision that Califiori and Merino can unlock Martinelly.

 

[Batman]

I will never really understand what happened with Wenger immediately after we moved stadiums, seemed to really change even if I accept a lack of funds in comparison to Highbury...but even then we could have helped ourselves better.

We moved to the Emirates with still a good chunk of an Invincible spine...Lehmann, Toure, Gilberto, Ljungberg, Henry...all tough characters (even Freddie was quite spiky on the pitch for someone who would model underwear off it lol) who knew how to win.

Obviously that couldn't last forever and some of them needed replacing quickly, but to move away from the physical side of the game so much (and prime Wenger used to sign some proper athletes) was so odd to me...we went from Vieira and Gilberto to Denilson and Fabregas so quickly, just a neverending run of buying number 10s lol.

Wenger giving Gallas the 10 shirt in our first season at the ground was such a foreshadowing of the insane stuff that was to come really

He was obsessed with winning the CL so he wanted the more technical continental players who also happened to be cheaper at the time in order to do better in Europe. Think about it, if you went Invincible, you can't really better that so the one prize that's missing is probably the one you prioritize, and he almost pulled it off. If Thierry hadn't been drinking from Partey's juice box that night in Paris, we win the CL 2 or 3 nil and Wenger is even higher up the GOAT list.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

 

[Tir Na Nog]

They've got his systems in the new FIFA!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1843997506801410455

 

[Batman]

They've got his systems in the new FIFA!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1843997506801410455

Ran up against this level of nonsense a few times in Weekend League ffs. Funnily enough though, one way to counteract it is by smacking powershots at the keeper so he parries them out for corners which are basically penalties like our corners are.

 

[Makingtrax]

"Has Mikel Arteta ruined The Arsenal's great reputation by making us the new kings of the dark arts?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1842851676497072589

...no, he is taking us back to our true form

There's some top clips on that account you posted. I'd temporarily forgotten just how beautiful our football was.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1842513362824872262