My bad! I guess Arteta is not “the answer”

78 comments

1. i’ve been saying it since arteta/cazorla went down; arsenal need direction on the pitch. there’s no team there, just a bunch of individual operators all trying their best but going about it in different ways. arteta/cazorla provided direction to arsenal.

   i don’t like the argument that “player x” wouldn’t get into “team y”. there’s no objective way to determine that. arsenal have tons of talent and potential. the question is does the manager’s strategy provide him clear direction or do we have young players like willock and guendouzi trying their best to figure it all out on their own? whats’ worse is that not only is the team lacking direction consistent from the manager but there are no leaders on the pitch.

   with the talent arsenal has, the next manager needs to know how to best utilize his available resources (the definition of management). anyone who’s competent will do a better job than emery. cup successes are mostly luck and no indicator or your quality. arsenal won their last two fa cups against teams who were relegated the same season, such was their lack of quality.

   as for torreira, i told you guys that he wasn’t a fit for the premier league during the world cup and that he’s nowhere near kante. everyone who says he can be as good as kante????? no, he can’t. kante’s not good because he’s short, he’s good because he’s a badass.

   n’didi has been a name i’ve dropped to replace xhaka for years….along with leandro paredes and abdoulaye doucoure. the professionals at arsenal extended xhaka; a player who never learns and never takes responsibility for his actions/failures.

   1. Yes to Doucoure! With Watford at the bottom, maybe they can be induced to sell and reinvest elsewhere?

2. Brilliant! Love the stats attack. I’ve said all along that none of the midfield player’s we have are ball winners. Further more, I don’t want to see just a proven winner as next manager of Arsenal. I want a manager who knows this league and what it takes to be successful in the the EPL. My punts for next manager:

   Top of my list is NES at Wolves. No nonsense, straight talking, defensively minded. Counter attacking. His teams are physical and compete all over the pitch.

   Brendan Rodgers – say what you will about this Northern Irish man. But he knows how to set a team up to be defensive and counter attacking.

   Both manager’s know this league.

   Outside punt for Marcelo Bielsa

   Kudos to any incoming manager who goes with Chambers in the CDM position, Willock and AMN as the fetcher’s and carrier’s in front of him. Pepe and Laca on the wing’s with Bellerin and Tierney overlapping. Central defensive pairing of Holding and Luiz. (Sokratis to be nowhere near the first team). Auba up top, rotated with Martinelli (the lad is good enough). Service to come from the wings rather than try to tippy tappy our way through central midfield.

   1. Respectfully, your comment is ludicrous. Why would Rogers or Nuno leave teams that are HIGHER in the standings than ours? Leicester is on course to play Champions League next season. Wolves are making a run in Europe and, with some luck, win the whole thing potentially.

      And then – Laca as wing? Chambers as CDM?

      “tippy tappy” through central midfield is how all half-decent teams build play. Using the wings to build helps the opposition use the touchline as an extra defender – you’re working with three directions for movement as opposed to four. Go back to FIFA 20.

3. I’m all for Arteta. Bring back the attractive attacking football.

4. Well written and argued post.

   Man, there I was arguing that T4 is a not a write off, and you had to beat us over the head with facts. Like needing a 72% win percentage. Still I’d argue that Arsenal’s management would be irresponsible to think that, at this stage, it is unattainable, and “tank” the season like Switch suggests. That’s not going to happen. We bought Pepe at twice our previous record outlay in order to get Champions League football.

   Arteta? If it happens, I’m all in, but I dont see that happening. Heard of him being linked to Everton, his home before Arsenal. I think that the Everton jod would tell us a lot about him as a coach. The Arsenal job is too big and too much of a poisoned chalice at the moment, for a rookie head coach. But at least he has worked in the English league, both as a player and assistant coach.

   1. Hey Claude, I actually responded on the last article before we cut over to here – we’re more in agreement than my writing style may have conveyed to you. I’m talking about what they’re probably thinking, and you’re talking about whether that’s right, but fundamentally we agree that if they’re thinking as I suppose they are, it’s irresponsible. (And actually, given some of the other stuff, the mitigation, they put out in the “noise” statement, would you put it beyond them?)

5. one of the primary reasons arsenal were successful under wenger’s first part as arsenal manager was because david dein wasn’t simply a suit like raul, but dein was a football guy who wenger could share his vision with and dein was about arsenal more than he was about himself. good luck re-creating that.

6. Hhmmm yeah hhmmm yeah,, n lot n lots of head scratches
   Our team is pretty darn good. We simply need a good manager to get them to gel together as a unit

7. the odds have been slashed on nuno esprito to arsenal over here.

8. Thiago is still my favorite MFer. But he’s never played more than 2400 minutes a league season, something like 27 games. I wouldn’t turn him down but he’s not going to give you 38 games, he’d need a backup.

9. football manager? ha!

   arsenal need to sign you up. 20-year old eddie nketiah at center forward leading a championship team in the bpl? nuts!

   ironically, when arsenal bought mustafi for £35 million, i declared that to be varane money so why pay that much for mustafi? equally ironic, i also said that arsenal should have bought a 19-year old kimpembe who couldn’t get into the psg side to replace mertesacker. wenger could have gotten those two frenchmen, but not emery.

   1. Is this a joke? Football Manager used to suggest line-ups? ffs

      1. When life gets so bad, when what was once an escape becomes the thing from whence we flew, another escape is needed.

10. Most Arsenal fans have been unrealistic about the squad quality for years.
    Wenger deserved the chop because it was his squad hand picked regardless what some say.

    Emery has failed to execute anything close to a coherent vision of what this team should be about regardless the unbalanced squad.
    You give him KDB and Gundogan and he might turn them into plodders.

    I picked Arsenal to finish fifth and I thought I was being fairly optimistic but hearing some fans talking up top three as a must made me roll my eyes.

    Any new manager will definitely need time.
    Leicester under Rodgers is an outlier and it should be treated as such.
    He’s taken over a club with more than a functional midfield and to a certain extent so has Lampard.

    As much as I dislike statements player x would never get into team y , I can’t see any of our midfielders starting for Pool, City, Chelsea, Leicester and even Wolves.

11. The stated goal from the brass is Champions League qualification. A significant section of the fan base has signed on either explicitly or subconsciously with this idea. They are bitter with the club for not being ruthless in this pursuit – sack the underperforming manager, spend more money on transfers.

    The goal from a large section of the fan base is a revival of the Arsenal “identity” – attractive, fluid, technical, attacking football played by young talents, not aging mercenaries brought in to plug holes. These fans are bitter about the overly conservative manager and the dreadful style of play, the use of players like Luiz and Sokratis.

    If you wanted CL now, qualification now, then we’ve missed option #1, Mourinho. Option #2, Allegri is out there. Allegri is not a stylist – he may play a more attacking brand of football, but he’s an Italian coach in the mold of Ancelotti and Capello, not Sarri. Allegri is not wed to any brand or philosophy of football other than his teams be well-organized, versatile in formation and interested in consistently squeaking games out. He will play young players – if they’re useful, but not out of interest in developing assets for the club long term.

    If you’re an Arsenal Identitarian, then Arteta holds appeal because you’re hoping that he’s now a member of the Guardiola/Bielsa/Cryuff coaching tree and he’ll bring that to our club and groom a new generation of players. But there’s no proof he’s capable of doing that.

    I was against Arteta last year because he was a complete unknown. But this stuff on the field is so gawdawful, I’ve come around to the idea in the last 48 hours. He could be cheap(er) and if it’s not working it’s not as costly to fire him. Last year the rumor was he would bring in Xabi Alonso to be his assistant, which would be someone else that’d played for Guardiola as well as learned from other great managers.

    At this point, we’re dreaming if we think we’re making top 4. Spurs will be a lot better. Chelsea looked great against City despite losing, they’re not going anywhere. Leicester are not going anywhere. Wolves are regaining their footing. Everton are going to get a new manager who might turn them around.

    1. Excellent comment. One tiny disagreement about “aging mercenaries” — fans in general have long accepted that you need a blend of project youth and old heads — but it is still a well-argued comment.

       I may be in a minority saying this, but Luiz is a good acquisition. I mean when I watch our games, the guy sometimes looks like one of our few back-field players who can play cohesive, intelligent football. But for him, some perceptions can be hard to shake, and he has dropped clangers. I agree with Tim. Our best CB pairing looks like him and Holding.

       I want us to buy experienced players who fit to supplement young ones. Goldarn it, Arteta was one. Per was another. You won’t get many seasons out of them, but they were/can be good Arsenal players while they lasted.

       I don’t buy the argument that the squad is poor. It is not. In Aubameyang and Pepe, Arsenal have two the best attacking footballers in Europe in the past season and a half. Lacazette has regressed productivity wise, but he was still good enough to score 2 goals on Saturday. Saka is a young footballer of genuine quality, who slows the game in his head. Martinelli is a seriously good young player. I just think the argument that the whole squad is bad, and Z couldnt get into X team is lazy and unanalytical.

       Someone even picked Tammy Abraham ahead of Aubameyang. Really? As we say in cricket, form is temporary, class is permanent. A bad coach can make a worldie look like a bum in he’s playing in a tactically muddled system, and a good coach can make an average player play better than his abilities suggest he can, by surrounding him with good players and tactics.

       Guendouzi is an emerging midfielder for the senior French national team. Im not hearing any talk of his being a bad player that we overhype. He needs to find his role. Torreira looks a far different animal in the colours of Uruguay, and he shows plenty of grit, toughness and no little physicality.

       The problem is clearly the quality of coaching, tactical preparation and execution.

       1. I said I would pick Tammy over Aubameyang yesterday. And I said for what Chelsea are doing. Chelsea had more possession than City yesterday. They also tried to play it out from the back under pressure. The difference was when they needed to they could hoof it outta the back to Abraham who won the ball and held it up. When does Aubameyang do that? If you’re Lampard then you pick Tammy. Maybe Aubameyang gets over Tammy in a different set up. But he doesn’t make Chelsea starting eleven. That’s the debate ain’t it? Does the players we have fit with each other and what we need? Nope. There’s no logic to the team anymore. Aubameyang and Pepe are counter-attack threats that need a low block defence with quick outlet passing.

       2. Good comment. The squad has weaknesses but is better than the comments here indicate. Surely we can all agree that this team has regressed under Emery; it can progress under a better coach. Heck, had the just fired the guy a month ago, we’d have another five points or so with Freddie at the helm.

    2. Everton’s underlying numbers suggest that they should be above Arsenal. FYI

    3. Arteta, Alonso, Ljungberg.

       As Derek Zoolander might say: A really really ridiculously good looking coaching team.

12. I had given up on Arteta being a possibility. But Per’s recent comments on the idea of working with him in the future suggests there is some support for the idea within the club. There’s also some shenanigans going on at the board, and I have to think the disaster that Emery has been means Raul might lose some clout.

    Arteta may not unite the fanbase, no one can. But we’d very likely be going back to our identity. I also don’t see Arteta being anyone’s yes man. He’s a leader, and speaks with authority and clarity. That too, is what this team needs. Working with young players? Apparently he’s been very good at that at ManCity.

    The only box he doesn’t tick is that of experience. We can’t KNOW. But really, it’s a risk worth taking.

    If it isn’t possible, I hope we just go the caretaker route and give it to Freddie instead of looking for a quick fix, which likely will not be one.

    1. I see no one else presently on the horizon– with the chance to make things right at Arsenal– other than Arteta. He may not. But he knows what we are as a football club.

       This may have gotten difficult with Arteta too. But I’d have confidence he’d know when something wasn’t right– and act to fix it.

       Further, nobody else of note may want this job now.
       We’d be fortunate to have someone who know what a big club should be. How a big club runs and operates in the PL.

       Arteta was the right choice in May 2018.
       Probably the best choice now– if we are fortunate.

    2. I’m still hoping it would be the manager without any trophies so far – Poch!

       Ofcourse he could go to Bayern, even Madrid.

       However from an Arsenal point of view one could hope, just like winning 18 games out of 25 this season with this squad.

13. I love your rant Tim. Can’t disagree with any of that and it’s been said on this forum many, many times before.

    For the life of me I don’t get why grown men use twitter. I operate quite contentedly without the ‘noise’.

    I think we’re officially the angriest fans (I said something similar yesterday). I read on another forum from someone who attended the Southampton game that a fight broke out behind him between our own fans arguing about these very points. Imagine throwing punches because you can’t agree why your team is so sh1te 🙂

    1. I remember years ago going to see us beat the Totts at Shite Hart Lane, when we went 2 up they set fire to their own stadium. Not the same as your example perhaps, but just as logical behavior and kept me laughing for months.

14. I’m surprised you got that much flak for suggesting Arteta. Meh. It’s Twitter. Outrage is its cause and effect. I’ve softened on the Arteta thing after being pretty glad we didn’t go for him 18 months ago. I mean, you can feel both, of course, that we shouldn’t have gone for him then, but maybe should take that chance now. Some reports are suggesting that he’s a serious candidate for Raul et al. From what Guardiola said today, it seems City expect Arteta to remain there to the end of this season at least, but who knows what’s going on…

    I just can’t understand what is to be gained by failing to remove Emery. Even if they worry about parting with the money, that must surely be weighed against the money the club will lose by finishing mid-table this season (as we surely will) and the damage that carries into next season. Perhaps the issue is that they have one or two clearly in mind to act as the next coach, but those people aren’t available right now, but come on, everyone has a price. Besides, other clubs manage to do mid-season changes at the coaching level all the time. This is absolutely feasible, and necessary.

    We are such a mess right now. Honestly, looking at the fixtures coming up, Norwich and Brighton will be delighted to meet us, and West Ham are in need of a bit of boost, which they will surely get from us. The other day I predicted 10-12 points over the December-January fixtures (if Emery was left in charge). 12 is starting to sound optimistic.

    1. 25% of the domestic TV money is divided based on merit (50% equally, the other 25% based on # of times a match is shown live – roughly 1M per live game).

       The merit amounts to about 2M for every position, starting with 2M for 20th place and getting all the way up to 24M for the champions.

       We finished 5th last season. Based on our current position, 9th, we’re set to lose 8M. I’m sure that’s entering the calculus on how long to persist with Emery and staff – how far down the table would we need to fall where the loss in merit and TV appearance money (because we’d be less box office) is offset by what it would cost to pay out Emery and his staff.

       1. That’s a good accounting of the hard, known calculus.
          Losses to the global brand, merchandise sales– associated soft monies, are less known or unknown.

          I can look back at what drew me to the club. What is it now– that makes potential new-to-Arsenal fans want to become so? There’s not a lot of connection to the old reasoning from the past 20 years.

          This is a period of damage control– going unheeded.
          The Arsenal FC brand is burning.

15. Tim, I don’t know what’s going on because we are usually on the same side of a topic, but I am afraid I have to disagree with you again. It’s an issue that I have with so many fans on here in terms of measuring the quality of our team.

    From most arguments in terms of our personnel and how they match up with other sides, most people either leave out an important piece of context that should always be considered. Arsenal do not have to copy anyone to improve or succeed, because we have a totally different set of players with totally different traits, attitudes and talent levels.

    Most are actually taking Emery’s route of management, which is lacking in creativity and fails to identify the strengths of individuals beyond the basic attributes highlighted. The job of a manger who has a group of talented players is to make things work and there are so many ways to setup a team, so many styles of football, so many formations, so many types of players, so many strengths and weaknesses that these players bring to the fore, so many ways that a side can be set up to utilize any combination of players. If you are looking at your rivals and trying to copy their approach, you could have Lionel Messi and he would fit in.

    We have a group of players who require a manger who will not come in to fit squares in round holes just to be like others who actually have round pieces. Ndidi is good for Leicester because they utilise what he is good at, if you sent him to City, he would struggle to progress the ball how Rodri and Fernandinho do, does that make Ndidi inadequate? Pique struggles so much when teams counter but is very composed and times his tackles in the box very well, so if you put him in a side that can’t stop counters upfront, would that make Sokratis (who is faster and defends very well up the pitch) better than him?

    Our squad has players who are supremely talented at what they do. We have the ingredients for a very good side in all departments because individually, it’s hard criticise any of our players of not doing what they are good at.

    Aubameyang’s movement has been amazing, Lacazette has been amazing at fashioning chances for himself, finishing and holding up play, Pepe has been beating hplayersis first opponent well and just being crowded out by more defenders, Guendouzi’s ability is clear for everyone and he has been driving well with the ball into dangerous areas, David Luiz is the top passing defender in terms of through balls or balls into the final third, I don’t have to say anything about Leno, and etc.

    We also know their weaknesses, but a good coach finds a way to maximise the strengths of his players and using those strengths to offset their weaknesses.

    Focusing on the negatives of specific types of players within an environment or setup that magnifies them, and offering comparisons with players in setups that magnify the strengths of their type of player, who is completely different, is illogical and down right unfair. These players have so much quality and the squad has gotten so much better than when Arsene was let go. And remember, Arsene was let go because his side severly underperformed with regards to the quality in the side. Or else, Arsene wouldn’t have been fired for achieving the level that everyone says is this squads level.

    We are a Champions League side masquerading as a Europa League side and somehow this has convinced many that we are really that bad. How do you guys not see Arsenal being outplayed by Southampton as a clear tactical issue? Do you really think our level is to struggle against such sides? We have World Cup, Champions league, Europa League, EPL, Ligue 1, FA cup, SPL, Primera Division and etc, winners.

    I can understand if people say we are underperforming, but a bad squad? The negativity has gotten to you. Don’t let form and envy of other sides blind you from the obvious talent in our side. Thus might not be working, but we have winners in our side.

    1. We just need direction.

    2. “We are a Champions League side”

       Since 2016 Arsenal have finished 5th, 6th, 5th, and are currently in 8th. We have failed to win the Europa League three times running and the last time we were in the Champions League, we lost 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich.

       The only two players who have won the Champions League on this Arsenal team are David Luiz and Dani Ceballos (he played a total of 82 minutes in that campaign). Ozil won the World Cup five years ago and la Liga 8 years ago. Tierney SPL champ, sure. Of all the other trophies you’re ascribing to such a richly talented team most of them are David Luiz and Ozil.

       We are objectively not a Champions League team.

       1. And somehow Aubameyang and Lacazette aren’t Champions League quality then? Pepe not good enough? Leno? Bellerin?

          My main point in stating the trophies is that these players are not a hindrance to winning if the team can be set right, If anything, they could be key to success. These players are talented enough to do more than playing in the Europa League.

          talent wise, Tim, we have under performed now for 3 seasons in a row. Arsene’s final season saw us almost win every game at home so convincingly and lose away in games where you could see the players had given up. Those positions did not reflect our talent level, they showed so much else that was bad, but never talent.

          If anyone is watching Arsenal right now and seeing a lack of talent instead of a severe lack of organisation, coaching, combinations and so many other tactical faults, you shouldn’t really question Unai. It would mean he is working with and at the appropriate level of performance.

          And objectively speaking, Sp*rs are the second best team in Europe right now.

    3. Devlin – I cannot agree more.

       I’d like to think I try to be positive but I’m getting a bit angry at some of the “we’re crap players/ can’t get in other teams” stuff and this is very simple.
       I don’t manage footballers but I do manage teams.
       My role is to make each individual better today than they were yesterday.
       My role is to provide structures/ mentoring/ processes to achieve improvement.
       My role is to define a focus of ‘success’ that we all believe in and can focus on (not that it will be easily achieved, but that its worth achieving).
       What I try to do is shine a light on strength not weakness.
       People can get better from positions of strength rather than where their weaknesses are exposed and their confidence drains as they don’t make the improvements they wish or situation demands.

       ffs I’m rambling but I’ve learnt the hard way that a number of great individuals in a team can ‘fail’ as the project they need to deliver exposes each of their weakest attributes, not their strengths. You get away with it for a few in a team, but not ALL of them.

       Ask MacChrystal – leadership and people are contextual in terms of situation and whether they will flourish or not.
       If they’re in a situation exposing their weaknesses its up to the manager to support them/ swap them out.

       We have a number of wonderful individual talents in our squad.
       They need to be given a structure etc to be a wonderful team.

    4. You said what I’ve been saying, only far better that I could and did. To Tim’s point, it may be better to ask if we have the players capable of making us an EPL Top 4 side, and yes, I think we do. We can agree or disagree on whether we are champions league calibre or not (compared to other regular CL teams), but the CL qualification is EPL top 4, and we can be that with the squad of talented individual that we have.

       13 games in, we are 8th, and have scored one fewer goal than we have conceded. While having one of the best strikers in the world. That is the most staggering stat to me. Team spirit is in the toilet, and Xhaka is an expensive player we are not even playing as a sub, because of his own contribution to poor team spirit. The guy who is now captain is publicly at low level social media war with the management, won’t sign a contract extension and will probably leave soon. Players who can give you goals from other parts of the park have either been marginalised or let go by the head coach. Low team morale and spirit on top of bad team organisation. We are less than the sum of our parts.

       Emery has very little time, maybe even less than we think. Arsenal are a business. Being out of the Champions League and Top 4 is a revenue loser. And the main thing that the men who run the club is going to be guided by is financials. Champions League is his remit. His bosses have said so often, and publicly. In our current position or 10th post Christmas and he’s gone. There’s going to come a point the potential loss of revenue is more painful than the financial hit on a year and a half payoff in remaining salary. I think we’re very close to that point.

    5. LOL some of the comments here are really hilarious imagine, when Arsene was sacked the comments line was that he has lost it and cant get the best out of the talents at his disposal. During 22 Unbeaten run, the comment line was the coach actually knows what he is doing ” giving the players clear instructions what to do and where to be on the field as against Arsene that doesnt do tactics” not minding the fact that TIM kept hammering it that the shot conversion rate are not sustainable, when the team reverted to their mean. The comments line is Arsene left a mess. The team got worse and the lines were because the coach was missing real full backs. He has them now and the performace was the worst in over 30 years. Now the comments line is that the squad lacks talent and some of then cant get into chealsea team. Really??? Did you say same thing when Chelsea lost there first game 4-0 and Arsenal won there first 2? Imagine someone list the Arsenal squad weakness player to player as a reason to back his argument

       1. I don’t know “the comment line” and I don’t think I made hardly any of the points you outline above except the one about the finishing % and the last one about the squad. The fact is that this squad, right now, would not get into the Chelsea side. Could they be made better with better coaching? Sure.

          1. Tim why should they be able to get in the Chelsea side to be talented? Barcelona players would struggle at Atletico and vice versa, that doesn’t mean that either side is lesser for it.

             This statement is used so much, but what point is it making actually? They play a style that is tailored to the players, why should our players fit into other sides to be talented?

             Like you have said about Torreira Tim, ” Not every player is cut out for every league”. The same applies to teams.

16. I think Emery is giving too much structure and input on how the lads play during a match. He needs to realise that he cant tell the boys how they should play football and when and where on the field they play.
    There is too much structure he should not be trying to control how they play during the match.

    Emery should giving info and warning the lads of the opposition dangermen and potential threats then allow them the freedom to play thier game using their strengths.

    It’s as if he says to the team, player A you pass to player B then player B you have to Pass to player C so on. We dont seem as naturally fluid as we were under Wenger. The team has to many structures to stay in and instructions to follow are getting confused. In some cases these players are not technically good enough to play the way the manager is forcing them to play.

    I’ve been saying since the start of the season, even though I do like our midfielders, aside from Xhaka. I believe we have more box to box midfielders than actual combative players Willock, Cebellos, Guendouzi like more freedom to roam and carry and play from deep. Build good field position using good movement, incisive passing and lung busting runs.

    Our only ball winner is Torriera, but is too small at the moment and needs to get stronger. Its obvious Emery is giving him too much to do on the field. Keep it simple pull him aside before the game and say, ” You’ve got this son, plug the gaps, win the ball and pass it to our attacking boys as quick as you can” Clear consise direction.

    Same to be said for Pepe, I think the same is happening there, hes being over instructed needs to be given more freedom. Also another lad who needs to pack on a few more lbs. He should be looking to be more incisive rather than elusive same for Saka. Riess seems to be our only winger (when he plays) that uses pass and move within his wing play. In the prem this is how wingers should play before nutmegs and skill moves to beat 2~3 defenders.

    Theres lots wrong and we need a manager who is willing to trust the lads. Emery has no trust in these boys because he didn’t sign the vast majority, if any of them. For that reason the players have stopped trusting him.

    1. You can create one v ones for your best dribbles by creating dangle in other areas. For the opposition to crowd out one player in numbers is because there is so little danger in other areas, that they can abandon shape and positioning in the knowledge that Arsenal won’t create anything elsewhere.

       Under Wenger, Alexis, who was clearly our biggest danger always seemed to be marked by fewer players, why? The team was more well rounded in creating danger from different points. Mahrez is never crowded out in a similar manner, why? There is far more variety in how City and Algeria attack, that allows Mahrez to only face his opposite man instead of three players.

       When you have a player like Pepe in your side, he isn’t supposed to be the primary attacking threat. He is meant to be the chaos to the entire side’s primary form of attack. That direct threat which takes advantage of the opposition’s focus on the team’s primary system. Examples are, Sane the dribble in a side that prioritises keeping possession and Pedro for Spain and Barcelona.

       The opposite also applies where a direct team plays a player who plays different to the system. Firmino is so different from his partners upfront at Liverpool, and yet he is so important because he offers an alternative approach. Barry is playing that role for Leicester this season where the rest of the side is possession orientated and he just offers directness.

       Like I have said so many times, that is a coaching problem, not a personnel problem. Pepe is good, just as good or even better than those examples I used above. They all have talent, the tactical approach is what puts these players in the appropriate scenarios on the pitch where they can utilize their talents to the fullest.

       1. Meant Vardy for Leicester.

    2. It’s the teams lack of fluidity that causes those overloads on Pepe Pepe unfortunately. We dont move the ball quickly enough and we never seem to overwhelm teams with the sufficient numbers. If we we more appropriately setup to attack (which under Emery we setup to defend especially playing the ball from the back forces us too deep from the get go) there for allowing the team to press opponents back and flood more numbers forward

       1. This. In fact, to counter Devlin’s point above about Sanchez, very often Ozil was crowding Sanchez, creating overloads on the left that would run contrary to the theory that you need to provide a balanced attack to force defenses to spread out. Why Sanchez had more space is we were better at moving the ball to him quickly and the movement around him was crisper and more creative, drawing defenders’ attention.

          We are very simply way to far spread out . It’s absurd how much dribbling Guendouzi or Ceballos or Willock or whomever we have in there has to do – and that’s because they have to ferry the ball closer to a passing target. Xhaka looks poor because he can’t dribble. Torreira is not a dribbler – he can get out of tight spots, but he’s not the guy to hustle the ball upfield. And dribbling the ball actually slows the play down, the fastest teams almost never build by carrying the ball upfield.

          The solution is simple but not easy – get the midfielders tighter to each other, operating in the centre of the park, using more one touch passing and movement off the ball. Increase the tempo and you’ll find Auba and Pepe in space or 1v1.

          What I don’t understand is Emery was praised at PSG for adopting a 4-3-3 and having a very tight, compact midfield three of Motta/Verrati/Rabiot. How did he lose the plot? We should be fielding Pepe/Laca/Auba as a front three, Torriera (Verrati)/Willock (Motta)/Ozil (Rabiot) in behind with Bellerin/Holding/Chambers/Teirney, coaching a high line, compact midfield, pressing in the other team’s half. There’s no way we’d be -1 GD after 13 games.

          1. Motta, Verrati and Robiot? Midfielders to die for 🙂

          2. And yet we were a right side dominant side. I wonder how.

          3. And on the PSG setup, it is reported that he didn’t initially try to play that way with them. He forced his 4231 and they lost the league to Monaco. The players were the ones who told him that they couldn’t play in the way he asked and that they were more comfortable with the 433 which they had played before he arrived. It allowed them to better understand their positioning and allowed them to take greater control of games.

             I don’t think his way works in a 433, but in saying that, it’s failing with every other formation at Arsenal.

17. This season is a wreck. We need to use it wisely. Play a high line. Experiment with DM (Luiz / Willock) as well as play Torreira. If Chambers isn’t needed for the high line, try him too. Play to our strengths up front. Set up to attack. Find out how much we really need Aubameyang or if we can safely sell him for a DM or AM or other pressing needs. Settle on a style. Win everything available next year. If we can win a cup this year, kudos. Personally, I’d save money and use a true interim this year and get a real manager in the summer.

18. That’s a depressing read, possibly all true but depressing nevertheless.

    I hope (not expecting), it’s the manager that knows the league but hasn’t won anything (significant) yet – first choice Poch or second choice NES.

    I know particularly Poch is in demand and could go to Bayern or Madrid. However as an Arsenal, one can hope, just like winning 18 games of 25, is par for Arsenal!

19. I hope (not expecting), it’s the manager who hasn’t won a trophy yet – Poch (or NES).

    I know Poch could go to Bayern or Madrid, etc. However as an Arsenal fan, one can only hope, just like hoping to win 18 of the remaining 25 league games.

20. Hi Tim,
    Thanks for another great post. I’ve also been thinking about the squad strength in the past few weeks. Trying to understand how much of our dismal football can be attributed to the manager and how much is down to the lack of quality among the players. As you said, our midfield is probably the weakest link, even worse than central defence. However, I look at players in the heart of the Liverpool team and none of them are great. Their performance levels are lifted by Klopp’s organisation, motivation and tactical nous. I mean, they have a right back in playing DM (Fabinho). Neither of their CMs come close to the quality of Fabregas or Cazorla.
    I realise football is far more complex than that, but the point I’m trying to make is that with a better coach we could achieve more with the players we have.

    1. I agree with you that a better coach, better organization, and better training methods would improve the players that we have. How much improvement is the question. But certainly a better coach would have Arsenal closer to top 4.

       1. We have to ask ourselves what is broken before we can understand what can be fixed. The football stinks, of that there is no doubt. I doubt there’s a simple reason for that. “The coach” broadly, sure, vs. “personnel” broadly, but that’s too simplistic in my opinion. We know he’s obsessed with details, so I’m not buying that he’s not giving the team enough direction. There’s an argument to be made that he’s giving them too much to think about and needs to get closer on the spectrum to the ol’ Harry Redknapp “run about a bit” schtick, but without being on that pitch and in that dressing room it’s tough to know. That said, complex problems can have simple solutions and a change in manager is the most obvious fix in our “arsenal” of possible solutions. I think Emery is a fine coach but he doesn’t seem to be a good fit for this club at this time.

          In terms of personnel solutions, I’m not sure there’s any easy answers either. I belong in the camp of supporters that believes this group is pretty good, but there’s been tons of roster churn, injuries and upheaval and I’m not sure introducing another new piece is the way to go. If we did buy a player, I would advocate for an experienced midfielder with decent size and experience playing tactically mature but attacking football, in other words, the player Xhaka is supposed to be. I don’t think he can be reclaimed at this point which is a real shame.

21. Arteta may not be the answer but the bookies have him at 4:1, Allegri 7:2 and Pochettino 8:1 along with Gerrard. Simeone is 20:1. Freddie is 16:1 but that probably doesn’t take into account that he only has a Class A UEFA license.
    Gunner Talk podcast has brought up Marco Rose and ex-Metro Stars coach Jesse Marsch as having demonstrated coaching potential to be in the mix.

    There should be an Unai Emery dooms day clock counting down to when he’s gone.

22. Great post Tim

    I completely agree with your assessment of the talent in the squad. We have a really good striker in Auba and Laca is a good player but after that we have nothing but questions marks. Pepe may still come good but so far he is looking like the second coming of Gervinho. Our GK is adequate . The fullbacks have potential on the attacking end but who knows if Bellerin ever gets back to full speed and good form after his injury and Tierney was good in Scotland but that is a long way from the PL. There is probably not a mid table team in the league that would be really happy with our group of CB’s. As you point out a midfield of Xhaka, Guendouzi, Torriera, Maitland-Niles and Willock is not very good defensively, they don’t win the ball back and they are not good at controlling the midfield and they have very little end product. Ozil has had a truly great career but the fond memories of things he did 3-4 years ago does not help us now. Anyone who has watched him play since he signed the big contract 2 years ago and does not think his days as a top creative player are long past is clearly looking thru a very strong pair of rose colored glasses.

    The bottom line is the squad is just not that strong. There is some potential if Pepe comes good and lives up to his transfer fee and Bellerin comes back to his best and Tierney comes good but none of those is by any means a certainty. Unfortunately our midfield is just not a CL quality group of players and our group of CB’s is PL mid table at best. Clearly we are currently underperforming and I am in 100% agreement with the need to sack Emery ASAP however, there is a lot of rebuilding that needs to be done if we hope to be a regular top 4 team that can potentially challenge for the top of the PL table and compete with the top 16 in the CL

23. Tierney and Bellerin are getting unfairly hit on some comments. They need to be coached to be defenders first and foremost. They are being pushed too hard to be a focal point of the attack when in reality they should be supplementary to it. I think Tierney could be world class – if he has a coach that helps him with defensive decision making, positioning for recovery, marking. His tackling is fine, his commitment great. Bellerin needs to rebuild one step at a time, he’s coming off a year long injury and form doesn’t come back overnight, but it’s got to be incremental and I feel we’re asking him to be Jordi Alba from the get go.

    1. I think it needs to be pointed out that a lot of people felt like Bellerin’s form dropped off well before the last injury. What he seems to have lost in this latest injury is speed, pace, and quickness.

24. Jack Action

    I think Bellerin Tierney and Pepe all give us some solid attacking potential but potential does not equal current production and it doesn’t help us right now. Additionally the last 15 years has certainly taught us that even under Arsene unfulfilled potential was more often the norm rather then the exception. None of Bellerin Tierney or Pepe are slam dunks to live up to their potential and its a bit early to be counting on them as part of a talent rich squad.

25. Since the start of the Emirates era and project youth 1 we have seen literally hundreds of U21 players and that many thought had potential to be top quality regular PL players for Arsenal. Unfortunately the reality is that almost none have live up that potential. The idea that Maitland-Niles, Willock, Smith-Rowe, Guendouzi, Nelson, Martinelli, Nketiah can all be top quality PL players is just not realistic. If even one of them becomes a regular starter and a difference making player them we will be beating the odds.

    1. “The idea that Maitland-Niles, Willock, Smith-Rowe, Guendouzi, Nelson, Martinelli, Nketiah can all be top quality PL players is just not realistic.”

       Not realistic? How so?

    2. Maybe beating traditional Arsenal odds, but perfectly realistic. We should be aiming for 1-2 academy team players graduating to the first team – per year. At that rate you would be able to turn over almost two thirds of your top 25, every decade, about right for the rate of renewal. You supplement that with smart transfers, in some cases big money purchases funded in part or in whole by player sales. That is the Ajax way, the Dortmund way and the way we need to go as a club aiming for financial sustainability.

       The thing about this methodology is you need a coherent identity, from the top team all the way down to youth teams. Liverpool are doing it – the academy kids are coached to play Klopp football regardless of age. Spurs were imposing Pocchetino/Bielsa teachings too… not sure what happens to them now.

       1. They don’t all have to become great footballers, they just need to become willing cogs in a greater machine. The Fergie era role players are a good comparison for what they could become: O’Shea, Brown, Ferguson, Park, etc. The MU machine wouldn’t have been what it was without those guys, even if individually none of them set your hair on fire. Good teams have lots of those glue guys who just do their jobs and let others get the glory.

          1. Exactly.

    3. I think out of those Martinelli will make it. Barca were looking at him along with other big clubs.

26. The “how good is this squad” debate is intriguing, but it is really a distraction. Bottom line is that Emery has Arsenal playing way below its capabilities. Eighth after 13 games, 8 points removed from 4th and -1 GD (inferior to Sheffield United’s), and we seek absolution and excuses for the coach.

    And it is leading to some really bad and generalised arguments. Bill lumps “Maitland-Niles, Willock, Smith-Rowe, Guendouzi, Nelson, Martinelli, Nketiah” together. They’re all very different players with very different roles, and yet he puts them all together. Why? Theyre young players, and doing so furthers his argument that we can’t rely on young players to improve the squad.

    The evidence that Guendouzi and Martinelli are diamonds is there for anyone who watches Arsenal games. Both have made significant strides to their senior teams (really good teams), since the season started. On what basis is Bill arguing that neither is good enough? Anyone?

    Of course we’ve had and will have our Jay Emmanuel Thomases, but a lot of factors will determine whether a player breaks through. Being good isn’t good enough… you’ve good to be good AND displace senior players, which is often the problem. Fabregas was a freak… Martinelli, superb as he is, has his work cut out benching Auba or Laca.

    We are not going to buy our way to the kind of glittering squad that would please some gooners. True, we still need the Elegant Beast to boss the midfield that I’ve been calling for for years, but much of the solution is going to have to be internal, and that’s where a coach earns his spurs.

    Let’s look at 2 young players we currently have. Torreira is very effectively deployed for Uruguay, and he’s not short (pun!) of physicality. Ceballos is a revelation for Spain U-23 and seniors. Neither looks comfortable in Emery’s formation, and that does not make THEM, bad players.

    1. International football is no where near as physical as the prem. There are monsters in every PL team and unfortunately Torreira is a poor man’s Kante so he struggles to compete.

       1. He’s also only 23 and could definitely bulk up with the right fitness regimen. His 132 lbs is certainly lightweight in this league.

27. I am all for Arteta. Proven as a manager or not. He has been stewed as a player to play aesthetically pleasing and attacking football. Secondly, he is the principal assistant to the best manager in the world especially in playing possession based attacking football. Something that Arsenal was reputed for a considered period during Monsieur Wenger’s period in charge.
    Look at what Lampard is doing at Chelsea. I know its early but even I have started watching Chelsea’s games. He is reputed to have an IQ higher than Einstein’s… he is busy trying to actualize his potential.
    He knows what he is doing.
    Arteta could yet fail but he will most likely want Arsenal to play attacking football.
    Its a big if he wants to come. He might want to manage city when pep leaves. And Pep is looking tired of late.

    1. A word of caution on Arteta: working with Guardiola for a long time is no guarantee. You need the players. you need time, you need luck… Look at Kompany. He went to Anderlecht as a coach/player with the stated ambition to import Man City football into his new club. He failed, Anderlecht ended up close to the relegation places. Kompany asked for patience. “Trust the process” he kept saying. Finally the club could wait no more and hired a new manager who applied classical recipes and got results. Kompany is a highly intelligent footballer, he knows the Guardiola way inside out. He is charismatic and benefitted from a lot of goodwill. And still… As I said, just a word of caution. Arsenal is not Anderlecht and the players of the English club are a lot better than those in the Brussels based club.

       1. Completely agree, tutelage under a great manager doesn’t guarantee greatness. But it does help!

          It’s tricky to step into Arsenal right now. Emery is extremely details oriented so I doubt there’s anything lacking in terms of preparation or tactical fiddling. More likely, Emery lacks qualities like daring, vision, inspiration; emotional intangibles and trust in his players. Crucial elements, and ones that we don’t know if Arteta can provide. In short, he’s not going to step in and press the “play like Guardiola” button at Arsenal. But, he would provide a fresh start, a new approach and a familiar face, all things that would boost the club. Is now the right time? Hard to say. I’m the patient sort but if our form is still this poor in December, it’d be hard to argue that change isn’t necessary.

28. To be perfectly honest, the fawning over Chelsea is reaching nauseating levels. My prediction is it’s going to turn sour for Lampard and Chelsea like it did for Ole and Man United. Probably not to the same extent because Lamps has a better track record prior to arriving at his current job, but no honeymoon lasts forever. Lamps is not some newly minted boy wonder manager, though he might be good enough to stick around the league in some capacity even after he’s inevitably fired in 2-3 years because that’s the max shelf life of a manager under Roman Abramovic. He’s riding the crest of a wave right now but all clubs go through ebbs, too. His tenure will be defined by how he deals with that.

    1. Lampard from what I’ve read has smartly surrounded himself with fantastic assistants. And he’s basically still in the early learning stages of his managerial career, yet producing good football. I’m actually worried that it will be the opposite of what you’re thinking – he might give Chelsea some managerial stability and the club a long term identity.

    2. Hey Doc, to last three years at Chelsea a manager needs to be fairly impressive.

       I’m far from fawning over Lampard and Chelsea but apart from their defensive frailties their squad is purpose built and I really like their midfield.

       Someone mentioned LT and how lightweight he is and that he needed bulking up.
       He probably could put a few pounds on but that won’t change much.
       There’s lot more to it than just mass.
       Mendy has about 6 inches and 45 pounds on Kante but wasn’t able to throw him off his stride for the Chelsea’s first in the City game.
       As a matter of fact it was Kante who made Mendy lean back before striking the ball.
       Makelele at 5’8” and 155 pounds was undersized but revolutionized holding mid because from his balance and body strength.
       Torreira seems to have problems remaining upright all on his own sometimes.

29. Claude

    Look at the evidence from the last 15 years. Arsene put by far more more emphasis on youth development and gave more chances to young players then any big team manager of his era. The number of highly rated players who were supposed to become top players like Saka Martinelli Guendouzi maitland-Niles, Smith-Rowe Nelson Nketiah Willock Nelson has probably reached reached triple digits but how many actually came close to becoming regular difference making players for Arsenal and living up to that hype? I would argue the answer is none. I am certainly not suggesting we jettison Saka or Martinelli but we have a very large sample size which clearly indicates that building a long term plan based on the idea that any of those players are destined to be future difference makers on a CL level English team is an extremely low percentage strategy

    1. “……building a long term plan based on the idea that any of those players are destined to be future difference makers on a CL level English team is an extremely low percentage strategy..”
       ________________________

       You seem new to football Bill, but you must have heard of the expression “moving the goalposts” (which I dont think is unique to soccer anyway). You just moved the goalposts. Now youre making a different argument, so let me repeat my query.

       You said: “The idea that Maitland-Niles, Willock, Smith-Rowe, Guendouzi, Nelson, Martinelli, Nketiah can all be top quality PL players is just not realistic.”

       I asked: “Not realistic? How so?”

       I’m still awaiting an answer.

       Secondly, I said that they are different players in whom different levels of hope and expectation are being invested, and you should not be lumping them all together.

       Third, if we cant depend on any of “Maitland-Niles, Willock, Smith-Rowe, Guendouzi, Nelson, Martinelli, Nketiah” to build a better squad, how do you propose we do that?

       1. I haven’t seen enough of the others to make a definitive statement but Guen and Martinelli are ballers.
          Dismissing these two is just silly.
          Didn’t Klopp say Martinelli was a world class talent?

30. The players from Arsene’s original project youth group of academy players in the 2006-2010 era were one of the deepest group of young players with the highest expectations for long term success of this century. How many of us think you would have a chance to build a CL level team if your counting on players like Gibbs, Bendtner, Walcott, Denilson, Song, Merida etc etc.

    1. You forgot a couple of players from that era; Cesc Fabregas, Carlos Vela, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Adebayor, Johann Djourou, Philipe Senderos, Abou Diaby, Lassana Diara… Robin van Persie. Supplemented with Alexandr Hleb, Matthieu Flamini, Tomas Rosicky, Eduardo, Samir Nasri, Andrei Arshavin…

       Yeah, I’d give that project a go again over what we have now. Wenger failed to buy a world class keeper to replace Jens and bring in a VVD type imperious CB/leader – had he done that and kept those players from getting their heads turned, maybe managed their injuries better… that team would have won the league multiple times and made long runs in the CL.

       1. It’s a lazy argument by Bill.

          All clubs buy young players. Arsene, even at the height of “project youth”, brought in Silvestre and Gallas, so it wasn’t just Djourou.

          Theo is a Southampton product, who had already played senior football for the Saints. Ox was also a Southampton product, who cost a lot of money for the time. Is he crap too? Barcelona bought Song from us. It didnt work out for THEM, but the reason they bought him was that it worked out for us.

          Adebayor looked like a new born colt with the first touch of a brick wall. Madrid came in for him. Ramsey beat some illustrious names to become our record goalscroer from midfield, and is the main reason that Arsene broke his trophy drought towards the end.

          I could go on and on. You cannot make a generalised argument about the impact of young players, because that impact is varied.

          And no, I disagree that Guendouzi and Martinelli in particular can’t become good players, mainly on the basis that they already are.

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