2021 is off to a great start!
If there was ever a match where I thought “oh no this is going to turn out bad” it would be Arsenal, playing away, in the snow, against a Sam Allardyce team that would be looking to pounce on any errors, with a team full of young players. And if I was worried at kickoff, I doubled down in the 2nd half – as the snow piled up, West Brom switched to a more attacking formation, and Arsenal have spent most of the last 18 months playing extremely passive football, especially when we take the lead, so I feared for the worst.
But you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks? The old dog only learns a new trick when Arsenal play well.
From start to finish, it was an impressive performance by all 11 Arsenal men. The guy on my tv wanted to pour ice on the Arsenal by saying “Arsenal just know that West Brom aren’t very good” and some stuff about how the players aren’t Premier League level. And ok, that’s true (sorta). They have lost 3-0 to Aston Villa, 5-0 to Leeds, and 4-0 to Arsenal in their last four matches. But they do tend to raise their game against big opponents. They also have a 3-3 draw to Chelsea, 1-1 to Liverpool and 1-1 to City as well. So, maybe I was being a bit over-wrought but in my defense, that’s what being an Arsenal fan has been like the last few years!
But Arteta has changed and the team has changed and the results are coming in, so maybe I should relax and just enjoy?
What has Arteta done in the last three weeks?
Well, first, playing Emile Smith-Rowe has been a huge benefit to the team. There have been a lot of folks on here and in the blogosphere asking legit questions about whether Arsenal should even play young guys much less whether it’s fair to lean on them to get us out of a relegation battle or – even more crazy – get us into a top six race. But the question shouldn’t be about experience or age but rather whether the player is ready or not.
Smith-Rowe was not only ready but has been bullish about wanting to play for Arsenal in the League for well over a year. The only thing that seemed to stop him was his fitness. Whenever I saw him play last year he looked incredibly bright to start and then tailed off rather quickly. In the position he plays, you need to be constantly moving – making yourself available for simple recycle passes and running into spaces where the opposition don’t expect a player. This was one of Özil’s talents and the other, of course, is picking out that last, caviar pass.
A person who goes by @nogueli shared a video on my TL which shows the similarities between Saka’s goal against West Brom and Auba’s goal against Leicester: both have a pre-assist by Lacazette, and an assist by the #10.
Smith-Rowe might be the kind of player who can only play one or two games a week and his minutes might need to be managed but I think he’s ready to start for Arsenal in the League. He’s already Arsenal’s leading player in terms of SCA90 (shot creating actions per90).
Playing Smith-Rowe is not a panacea but rather a soothing tonic which helps Arsenal play higher up the pitch, find combinations high up the pitch, and get into the half-spaces in and around the 18 yard box. Lacazette had an astounding game and that’s not really a surprise: he’s basically been asked to do everything but center forward play this season. And freed to be a center forward and surrounded by a player who wants to feed him he has scored a goal in every game that he’s played in with Smith-Rowe (yes, aware that one was a pen).
Arteta has tried to experiment with many players up there but none quite fit the bill. Smith-Rowe does because he understands how to move and play those 1-2 combinations in close space.
The second thing Arteta has done is removed the handbrake. Now, I don’t know if he can keep this up all season – there are some tougher fixtures ahead – but it’s excellent to see Arsenal keep attacking for 90 minutes even after taking the lead. Just a few weeks back, we were playing like a shell-shocked side, turtling. That combined with our normal passive defense (which has gone even more passive this season due to the crazy COVID schedule) made me basically hate our football. It was hard to watch and more like work than anything else.
And I have been so beaten down by Arsenal this season that I called for Arsenal to sit back and protect the lead in the 2nd half. I was worried because WBA had a couple of good moments where the snow caused players to make mistakes and WBA nearly capitalized. As we went back for the 2nd half, I would have taken the game being called off if I’m honest. The ball was so slow and WBA had sussed out that they needed to kick it long and high. They even got a couple of good looks at the goal early on. It all looked like we were going to be undone.
But Arteta has removed those restrictions and asked his fullbacks to get fullup. Kieran Tierney had 7 SCA yesterday which led both teams but those not interested in those underlying stats need only point to the fact that he beat the same guy three times before powering in a goal from about the 12 yard mark. I expect that we will play this way almost all the way through January, when we face title challengers Manchester United.
Another thing he’s done – and there’s a lot of question about whether this is intentional on his part – is play Saka on the right. Saka scored and it was a special goal too because I think a lot of young players wouldn’t even have made that run. But more than score, what makes Saka so incredibly good is that he plays like a 25 year old. By that I mean he’s brave, he demands the ball in pressure, and he’s confident enough to turn his marker on the dribble. He’s also aware of his position and where he needs to be on the pitch. He’s just so, so smart.
Now, the question.. is whether Arteta will continue with him there. He damn-well better! I know that would sideline Willian and Pepe. I also remember that I wanted Pepe at Arsenal. I also know that I wrote about how I *understood* why we signed Willian (because he’d had some really great creation numbers). But you should NEVER drop a player in the form that Saka is in. Rest, sure, but drop him now and give the spot back to Pepe/Willian and it’s just dumb. Neither of them were nailed on starters up to this point anyway and honestly you can’t look at price-tags or salary or age and experience. You have to look at the qualities the player brings, how it helps the team, and if the player is fit.
What adding Saka does is spreads out the threat up front. Instead of having just one guy (Lacazette or Auba) that the defense has to worry about, you now have three goal-scoring threats. Add Smith-Rowe up there dictating play and it’s a really deadly mix.
An aside about Willian; I have never warmed to him. And whatever goodwill he had with me evaporated when he flew off to Dubai to eat shitty instagram food in the middle of a pandemic. I shouldn’t hold on to anger like this, however. I should instead just focus on the fact that he doesn’t really do much for the team out wide. He helps keep possession (because he passes backward a lot) but he can’t beat a man off the dribble anymore. Maybe we can get him a move to China in January. There he could enjoy his dotage.
In midfield Ceballos had an astonishing game. I say that as a much public naysayer of the deal which brought him to the club (twice). I can’t stand loan deals (in, not out) because I think of it as us paying to improve another team’s players. We aren’t Huddersfield FFS. We should be improving our own players and that means giving them playing time. If he’s good enough and we want him, we should buy him. I could see the logic in a loan deal for a backup or an irreplaceable talent. But he’s not an irreplaceable talent and frankly, he starts way too often for me to count him as a backup.
That said, here’s what his stat line looked like yesterday:
That’s hugely impressive. That’s actually generational talent level impressive. Ok, so it’s “only” WBA but it’s still a MotM performance. The issue with Ceballos is the issue with the Arsenal midfield in general: lacks consistency.
That midfield pairing of Ceballos and Xhaka is wildly inconsistent. But so far there hasn’t been a great pairing in midfield. When Partey gets fit I’d like to see him and Ceballos played together (actually want to see Willock starting more often and taught to play deeper but meh) and it was tried once before, the Leicester match. But that was such a clusterfark of a formation: Arteta played Ceballos, Xhaka, and Partey in midfield with Xhaka nominally starting in a center back 3 and roving forward. I would like to see a 4231 with Ceballos and Thomas in midfield.
It’s been a wild few weeks as an Arsenal fan. We have gone from relegation talk to being within 6 points of a top six challenge. To illustrate how big the turnaround has been, fans have gone from speculating that a loss to Brighton would seal Arteta’s fate to jubilantly celebrating taking 9 points from the last three games.
We are still a long way from where we should be. We are only earning 1.3 points per game at the moment and that’s a pace for 51 this season, the worst points total in modern Arsenal history. The attack is still atrocious, Auba isn’t scoring and looks upset about it, the midfield is unsorted, and the defense could still use some work.
But there does seem to be some momentum and we are heading into an FA Cup tie with Newcastle, followed by Premier League matches against Palace, Newcastle, and Southampton before taking on a resurgent Man U at the Carpet. If we advance in the FA Cup and pick up 9 points in the League, I would have to admit that Arsenal might be on the mend.
Yepp, astonishing, 9 points in 3 games with 8-1 in goals compared with 14 points in 14 games and negative goaldifference!
Wtf happenend, though, like you write, Saka, Tierney, ESR, Martinelli and Laca, enjoying playing with people close, moving, link up is what happenend and its awsome.
Like a breath of fresh air. I´m so pleased.
Superb reading and thanks for the note. As you have correctly said – having someone with the ability of Saka who can half turn by standing in the corridor of uncertainty (the one between the defender and the left back is such a difficult thing to do. Saka exhibits that confidence and executes that as well to perfection.
If you watch the match again – you can see that Saka constantly taking up positions between their left back and the LCB and it was drawing so many players to him. This meant Bellerin had a good gamne on the right, KT had a superb game on the left and ESR floated both on the right and on the left to make the pocket of combinations — which was last seen when Sanchez, Ozil, Caz and Ramsey played together.
Surely the other teams will find it out but you cannot plan for it now. If you want to close this, then there are only a couple of ways to do this – ask the wide forward to tuck in and follow Saka and also ask the left sided midfielder to do the same. If the oppn do that – then our old proven strategy on the left – with Auba, KT and ESR will work out and the attack can flow from that side.
The problem earlier was –once the oppn teams figured out that we played only at 1 pace – which is suck the oppn and KT curves a long ball to Auba it was very easy to play against and shut us out. Now we have few more options up our sleeve.
The missing piece of the jigsaw is – a ball carrier / dribbler who can play through the middle – someone like Santi Caz playing next to Partey and using the space in the middle to drive through. Watch the last 3 matches and it is evident that the center of the pitch is where the space is now!!!
I wonder if it was just my hearing and the crowd soundtrack on BT, but I didn’t hear Arteta telling the players where to be all match long. It seemed as if he has more confidence in the players and is letting them play.
No, I noticed the same thing. Arteta is doing a lot less sideline coaching. He’s learning.
One of your best Tim.
On the topic of pizzas… this is my go to:
https://www.amazon.com/Pizza-Pete-Evans/dp/1742669719/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Pete+evans+pizza&qid=1609705832&sr=8-2
Never had a recipe let me down.
Removing the handbrake is the single biggest enabler. Contrast how we played yesterday with what has gone on before. Movement, pulling the opposition out of shape, take-ons. All were missing in the previous heavily regimented system.
Kudos to Arteta for responding. I think he either realised or had it spelled out – change or be changed!
I take full credit for Arsenal’s improvement. As soon as I had cancelled YouTube TV, Peacock Premium, and CBS All Access on 12/24/2020, Arsenal immediately won 3 games in a row in the PL. Now I dare not resume all of these TV streaming subscriptions. I suppose I will tiptoe back in when the Europa League resumes.
I had also not watched the semifinal or final of the prior FA Cup.
What made me happiest was Arteta saying after the match that the performance was getting close to what he wants. It’s confirmation both that he wants us to attack and that he will be looking for more improvement
glad you highlighted Dani, I find myself watching the mfrs closer than I normally would as they are shit. what I tend to look for (as with all players tbf), is how available for a pass they are.
elneny being a prime suspect for hiding in plain sight, scared.
kudos to Dani, put in an absolute shift, never hid, always asking for the ball, trying to make things happen. I’d prefer more athleticism in time, hopefully he can continue this form till we get someone better come summer.
Yep good post Tim but only 7.5/10 for u today. You didn’t mention or talk about our own braveheart …KT?? Captains performance and Captain in waiting. A Superstar but agree with what you say about BS n ESR hence 7.5/10
Well, I did talk about Tierney.
2/10 for you Tone.
Saka on the left has provided more balance and also freed Bellerin to push up knowing that he has someone not afraid to track back for him.
Had Martinelli played instead of Aubameyang I think we’d have scored 6 or 7 because he and Tierney have a great understanding and they would have shredded WBA even more.
What ESR does so well is one touch football – the ball moves and that unsettles defenders. I think Laca looks like a new player with ESR picking the ball up for him.
I want to also say Pablo Mari may be slow, but he’s very good on the ball. I like Gabriel and Holding is solid – I would just stick to a rotation of those three and Luiz should not see the field again this season.
I read that Elneny might be sold to Turkey and Ceballos recalled by Madrid – we may see a lot of Partey/Xhaka, but then we may actually find change in the pockets for another midfielder.
I would be desperately trying to clear out Pepe now that Saka has staked his claim to the right.
Smith-Rowe reminds me of Rosicky – he is a kind of the player called “enabler”. He does simple passes, run a lot into the spaces and creates therefore spaces for other players. It is brilliant to watch because this is a fundament of football I fell in love with.
As a ex-left back I am mesmerized by Kieran Tierney. I love players like him who are brave, fully commited, who celebrate goals like on the yardschool. He is an example to lead.
It is also quite funny how quick things change in football. Two weeks and Arsenal fans can be optimistic, there is a glimps of hope. Chelsea fans however are on the painful road we have been hitting all Autumn.
Happy new year to all of you!
I don’t know about simple. Those passes look simple until you watch our central midfielders drift wide and lump in crosses for seven games. I will choose to believe that this is all part of Arteta’s master plan to dampen what de Tocqueville referred to as the paradox of rising expectations (also known as the Caviar-Sausage Conundrum).
I know what I think, but this is what I am choosing to believe.
About the handbrake off, wonder who has told Arteta to shut his gobb on the sidelines !
It could not be self realisation that he was slowing down the play and making it tentative until every micro – management instruction came. That could not be since Arteta the tinpot dictator saw it as his USP
Great post tim
The game against WBA was an excellent performance. I have to admit I am always surprised about how fickle fans can be. 2 weeks ago we were destined for a relegation fight all season and Arteta was a terrible manager. Now suddenly we are a team full of potential and and perhaps even a run at the top 4 and suddenly Arteta has completely transformed himself. I can’t believe Arteta has suddenly become smarter then he was 2 weeks ago. One thing we have seen in the last 10 years is just how streaky our results and performances have been. During the Wenger years we would go weeks and sometimes months playing with the handbrake on and follow that with a run of great football only to see the handbrake re-emerge at some point for no explainable reason. This squad was never a team which was really in danger of relegation and In the end I suspect we will finish somewhere around 7th -9th place. I am happy the handbrake has been released for now and hopefully it will be a while before we see it again. I am still confident we can make a deep run in the Europa league and may be another run in the FA cup.
Tim, glad you shouted out Dani. He was key to the progressive football that we played. If as Jack suggested Madrid recall him and Elneny goes, we can do the same with Matteo.
Jack, it’s a squad game, we’re involved in 3 competitions, and we need Pepe. Selling him would be mad. Whatever happened to the notion of coaches improving players, or playing to their strengths? Injuries happen too, and if we overplay Saka, he’ll surely get one. If Im Josh, I tell Arteta to make it work with Pepe, even if he’s not first choice.
I think it’s weird the way Arteta tries to downplay the buzz around Saka. It’s almost like he thinks the young man doesn’t have social media.
Mesut’s twitter comment on ESR after the game read like a passing of the torch. It feels to me like he may be gone as soon as this month.
The table is compacted, so even a small run of wins can turbo boost your standing. But here’s the thing… after scoring 8 goals and conceding 1 in the past 3 games, we have a GD of +1. If you want a measure of how terrible we have been, and how much of a repair job still needs to be done, that is it.
And while we’re on Pepe… the player possesses one of the most exquisite first-touches in the squad. Hurl a cannon at that left foot, and he stops it dead (don’t try that in real life, Nico 😏)
His problem is that he is predictable, because he rarely wants to use his right. I dunno… a spell in the centre? He is both technically sound, and a tad too one-footed, a bit of a contradiction. But he’s far from being a rubbish player. And his morose countenance is one that suggests that nobody loves him. He seems both low on confidence, and not enjoying his football.
Pepe strikes me as the one of those broody, sensitive athletes who need a hug now and again. He needs one of those moments such as when Auba let Laca take a penalty, because the Frenchman’s confidence was low.
Im not ready to give up on him. Not with that sweet left, that touch, and knowing where the back of the goal is.
“Well, I’ve been out of the woods for 6 days and nights, now
Well, I’m a little hot wired but I’m feeling alright
I got some money in my pocket and a long, lean ride, yeah
I got to make it down to Galveston by Saturday night, now
Well, I’m a little down under but I’m feeling okay
Got a little lost along the way
I’m just around the corner to the light of day
Well, I’m just around the corner to the light of day, yeah”
Springsteen’s character in the song is perennial loser who’s ostensible turnaround is just a round the corner but I’m going to more positive that than. I think we can do this (have a decent season, maybe even challenge for top 4) if as Tim says we continue our run until at least the Man U fixture.
Also the name of a pretty odd movie with Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox
Squad looks more balanced with Saka on the right and Auba on the left. This also helps defensively. We have a weak right back. With Saka helping out on the right it balances.
Putting Willian or Pepe in front of Bellerin kills us defensively from the right side.
However If Pepe or Willian had MN at their back it then balances out again as Niles is much better defender. This combination gave Arteta a lot of success last season.
One of Arteta’s frustrating issues are his combinations especially Elneny Xhaka combination. How do you play exactly the same kind of players to anchor your midfield? and it wasn’t like they exhibit the characteristics you want from a mdfielder.
Ceballos is a great defensive midfielder more than anything. I have watched him the season. He enjoys doing the Gattuso work. He likes sitting deeper than his mf partner. He enjoys the tackle and he fights. We have a defence midfielder all along withou knowing. what we ned now is a midfield dictator who just loves to get forward. Arteta could have found Torreira useful in this regard. But Partey will Obviously do well.
ESR changes the game for Arsenal. He brings balance. And the most important thing he does is how quickly he releases the forward pass. Joe Willock didn’t thrive because he is a safe player and played more for himself because he thought more of being in the team than just playing football.
We should Sell Nketiah. I don’t know how this guy makes the team week in and out.How did he get the nod against Laca? He is a very sel cantered player who is just interested in scoring goals. Yes he runs and runs with his youthful energy but that is just about it. Come on wenger sold better youth player that i thought did well. Jay Emmanuel Thomas, Jeffe Rene Adelaide etc.
I love Arteta’s Organisation but his inexperience is killing us. I swear. A lot of things he is figuring out now a lotta coaches would have figured much earlier.