The opening scenes to the 2021/22 Premier League were perfect. The waning summer sunlight poked through the clouds, bathing a classic British football stadium in oyster blues and shimmering golds. The stands were full of fans singing and cheering, decked out in their red and white replica kits, and waving flags. The energy was electric.
At first, it didn’t even register that this was different, that this was a change. But then the hair on the back of my neck prickled when I heard the Arsenal fans singing in their corner of the park, full of energy and probably quite a few alcoholic beverages, and I was reminded that we haven’t had a full stadium in English football for 18 months.
The players took a knee and Arsenal kicked off, cool as you could ever like. For about five minutes Arsenal played with the cool aura of a team that knew it was better, moving the ball deftly with one touch passing and leaving the Brentford press chasing. The match commentators noted that Brentford might struggle to keep up with the “pace of the Premier League”, not the physical speed of the game, they tutted, but the technical speed of ball movement.
Virtually as soon as they uttered their commentator’s curse, Brentford started looking smarter, better organized, and settled into a rhythm. If Brentford are going to struggle with the speed of ball movement in the Premier League they sure didn’t show it much for the next 85 minutes.
The Bees chased in packs, placing men strategically right where they wanted Arsenal not to pass, to force Arsenal to play into areas where they could spring the trap and win the ball back. At one point they had men wide and covering the center backs and fullbacks. Leno was left with the ball and Xhaka tracked back to present to collect. The problem was that’s exactly what Brentford wanted Xhaha to do. Aware of Xhaka’s need to take two touches to settle the ball and a third to make up his mind what to do with it, a Brentford man trapped him, stole the ball and started a counter on the edge of the Arsenal box.
On another occasion they did a similar trick on Ben White. This time they had more defenders on him and it was inside the 18 yard box but White showed a glimpse of why Arsenal might have paid £55m for him as he deftly dribbled away from the defenders and played an excellent ball out wide to start an Arsenal attack.
They were hardly perfect but overall, the Brentford press was well drilled and looked like they had a game plan for which players they wanted to target. Arsenal, on the other hand, spend much of the match spinning their wheels.
It’s not a condemnation of Ben White to say that Arsenal’s defense often literally left him spinning. On more than one occasion, White was turning around looking at his teammates and trying to figure out where he was supposed to be. For almost the entire game it seemed like none of the Arsenal defenders knew where they needed to be or even who to cover.
Arsenal have been stricken with illness in this match but the defense only had one deputy player, Pablo Mari, and he’s a vastly experienced center back and should be able to deputize. He also struggled but the fan suggestion that everything was his fault was pure scapegoating. He spent most of the match covering wide left as Arsenal funneled almost all of their attack through Tierney and was afforded no cover in front of him with Granit Xhaka looking like a player who would rather be riding a Vespa with Audrey Hepburn.
But the job of organizing on the field cannot be down to the coach just yelling at them and telling them where to stand for 90 minutes. Typically a defender will take up that job and organize his teammates. If the presumption was that £55m Ben White would be that man, he didn’t show it against Brentford.
It was an astonishing display from Arteta’s men who many felt were one of the best defenses in the League last season. There is no question that Arteta had improved defensive solidity from Emery’s last year, but all of that all seemed to evaporate in just one match and the coach was left at the end of the match looking like a ghost.
If the Arsenal defense was disorganized the Arsenal attack seemed equally, if not more, ragged. There are legitimate excuses for Arsenal’s struggles in attack yesterday: both Arsenal’s forwards, £125m worth of attackers, were out sick and Arsenal’s most recent acquisition to bolster the attack (Willian) was not on the team sheet nor was there any indication why. That left Arteta with little choice but to field Folarin Balogun at center forward and Martinelli on the left.
Unfortunately Balogun was out of his depth. His first touch was a 30 foot high looping pass to Pepe. Crosses that might have been controlled by a more experienced forward bounced off him, just out of reach. And when he did manage to control, the Brentford defense just took the ball from him. It was difficult to watch this young man struggle so much but credit to him that he never once quit running or trying.
And Balogun should have had a penalty. In the 20th minute, he did control the ball and turned his man. A Brentford defender flew at him, kicked his standing leg, and caused the academy man to literally spin like a top. Referee Michael Oliver saw nothing wrong and apparently the VAR said that Brentford had won the ball. But it looked like a nailed on penalty.
When Arteta did finally bring on his only in form attacker, the game suddenly sprung to life. Bukayo Saka did his best to take the game by the scruff of the neck and between him and Emile Smith Rowe they managed to put together some of the most scintillating attack moves. Just before Saka came on Smith Rowe took a pass from Tierney, beat his marker, and dashed forward. He was tracked by four Brentford men and one got a challenge in at the last second to put him off a thumping shot. And then just moments after Saka was brought on the two of them joined up for an excellent counter attack which was once again saved.
Arsenal had another chance through Granit Xhaka, when Chambers lobbed a cross in and no one cleared it, Xhaka was able to stride in and power the ball, over the net. It was a better chance than the xG suggests. If he’d only kept it down, the score would have been 1-1.
But the score wasn’t 1-1 and Arsenal could have a case to be a bit angry that the 2nd Brentford goal was allowed. From a long throw in, the ball dropped right in front of Ben White, in the six yard box. White froze, uncertain what to do, and as the ball looped over his head, a Brentford man was holding Bernd Leno and shoving him backwards into his own net, leaving an open goal to score. But as clearly as Leno was obstructed, Pablo Mari didn’t win the open header (missed it entirely) and Ben White didn’t clear the ball. It was a pitiful defensive display, uncomfortable to watch as players turned around asking each other who was supposed to get that.
With Arsenal missing three of their top players, all of them in the attack, this was never going to be an easy match to win. But with Arteta’s much vaunted defensive coaching, the fact that Arsenal have hired a set play coach, a replacement for one of the players in midfield, and along with another £60m in defensive recruitment (Tavares and Ben White) this summer you would think that they could put up a good fight and keep a clean sheet. But instead they looked frail in the area which was their biggest strength last season. And that has to be a worry for Mikel Arteta. Not just for results but also for the prospect of keeping his job.
While, it might be too early to begin to panic, I believe it is early enough to state that the top cadre of the club (The Kroenkes)..lack ambition. The ambition I am referring to is the ambition to win . Looking at the transfer business (so far), there is nothing/ no one that will convince you that the club wants to win..just the minimum requirements have been made , in order to be a mid table team. Rough times ahead. In my opinion, Arteta is not the man to lead the team forward. I might be wrong, but you do not have to finish eating a whole tub of ice cream before you can state if it is delicious or not.
can’t say that i concur with your position on kroenke. arteta has already spent £75 million. he doesn’t know anything about football so he’s forced to trust edu and arteta’s decision and has backed them. if this fails, it has to fall at the feet of edu and arteta.
Agree with this. KSE’s fault is in giving all the power to these guys and not having any other football guy within the club. Someone like Cagigao for example.
I can’t help but think Arteta and Edu were so bullish about our chances because they thought they’d be getting their hands on some of the Super League money. Once that went bust they were left scrambling. And yet, to run a football club you need to be able to adapt. I’m fairly confident they wouldn’t have made the most of the SL money either, nor of the players in the squad.
Why get into a business you have no idea about. And not hire an independent employee to be a soundboard on decisions by your executive. How many years has kroenke known the club? How many more before he realises he doesn’t know to run it?
Is he that stupid? Is it just that Arsenal is a glory asset and money making business whose value has grown so as far as he is concerned things are running well if not great.
Makes you wish that owners would be people who are equally invested in the football aspect and not just the business aspect. No difference between kroenke and Ashley from Newcastle.
Actually, this has to fall on the feet of Kroenkes. Edu and Arteta are the symptoms of the problem. Owners have been rank amateurs when it comes to running the club. If Arsenal was a corporate entity in real world, it would be bankrupt by now. More than $300 million have been wasted by these people. The board should have people like Pat Rice involved. We need an experienced DOF and a manager who has decent experience on his resume and a clear philosophy of attacking football.
Fair analysis, Tim. I liked this move👇🏽
“White showed a glimpse of why Arsenal might have paid £55m for him as he deftly dribbled away from the defenders and played an excellent ball out wide to start an Arsenal attack.”
It was a boss move, and it told me that he’ll do well. Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, in pretty exhaustive analysis, said that on the basis of how he did on aerial challenges (not well) teams will target him. That’s a worry. But I liked his ground game. Welcome to Arsenal, Ben. Hope your confidence wasnt shaken. You do know what it’s like to play for a struggling side, though…
That was a really good chance that Xhaka blazed over, and it took a really good save to deny Pepe.
Their second goal should have been disallowed. It’s a vexing non-use of the technology. It was clear in real time that Leno was fouled. His passivity — both in not shoving off the guy or appealing — surprised me. Emi Martinez would have bulldozed him out of the way and punched the hell out of that ball.
Yeah, I don’t get why that wasn’t disallowed. While Leno had a handful of shirt, he was very clearly being held down and back. Not sure why neither he nor any of the other Arsenal players didn’t protest a lot more.
I think the ball was likely out before Chambers cleared it ahead of their first goal too. But I also didn’t see any clear views of that, so can understand why they let things stand.
And on the basis of that match, the refs have been told to whistle less and keep the cards in their pockets.
Claude,on the evidence of some of the other opening day matches it seems refs are instructed to let some of the physical play go, so maybe the would be foul on Leno fell into that category, although trusting that bunch with making even more of those judgment calls is a big ask.
Can’t escape the thought of what Jens Lehmann would’ve done on that play though.
a) rake the Brentford player’s ankles from behind
b) body slam him into the ground
c) both
Leno is such a choirboy.
lol. yes. He’s not f****** with Mad Jens after that
He’s suspect at more than just aerial duels. I’ve held my tongue because I’ve only seen data and bits of games (which he was unremarkable) but he’s got a lot of questionable defensive metrics.
I’ve already seen people compare him to Mustafi and I’m starting to worry that StatsDNA might be behind this signing. They don’t have a great record in my opinion.
i second your thoughts, tim. no way in hell any defender worth his salt lets a ball bounce in his six yard box. while it’s cute that he’s supposed to be good on the ball, so was vermaelen and he was an awful defender.
for me, the most important quality for a defender is their ability to defend. everything else is gravy. as soon as the claim about him being weak in aerial challenges was announced, i was opposed. with that, i was unfamiliar with him so i only balked slightly. we’ll see.
speaking of a defender defending properly, there’s no way a proper fullback allows an attacking player to cut inside on their stronger foot in the box. it’s just wrong. people have blamed leno for that first goal but he was always going to score.
I agree with you on both counts, the only reason I’m hesitant to blame Chambers here is because
1) he had to run back and clear for Ben White who had failed to clear the ball
2) then he had to run up and defend the play
3) he still managed to get close enough that the shot went under him and I think he blocks that shot 9/10
My fervent hope is that White becomes the best defensive mid Arsenal has ever had. I’m dubious about his future in the back line
Oh boy, Chambersing. You’re not the first one to suggest this. It’s Chambersing.
Ha ha ha. One day it will become true. For one player. But seriously I think this fella has the tools to do it. And will also be a serviceable backup defender. Still not what I’d do with my spare 55m quid.
I wish I could say I was confident this will all be sorted with Auba, Laca and Partey back. I’m sure that will help. But I’m less certain than ever that Arteta and Edu are the right team to lead Arsenal forward. Ben White certainly gets more time to prove himself, but on the evidence of yesterday, looks worth nowhere near what we paid. And the Leno/Martinez thing looks worse by the match.
Argh.
On the glass half full side, ESR was good. Lokonga looks a worthwhile purchase. And Saka and Tierney have continued their good form.
Claude from yesterday. Your comment about Joe Willock is fair. I do love goal scorers but I don’t believe he will come close to replicating what he did last year. I could be wrong and if Willock turns out to be the next Frank Lampard then we will definitely regret that we sold him. However I don’t believe that will happen.
Fair enough, Bill. We’ll see.
My argument isnt that he’s the second coming of Lampard or Gerrard… it is that THIS Arsenal team needs his skillset, right now. Yesterday, 2 goals down and in a bid to make something happen offensively, we brought on our new Left Back to play at Right Back. Take off Sambi or Xhaka on a Vespa and let Joe run at them.
In the past, when Arsenal sent players on loan and those loan spells were successful, they gave them opportunities. Wilshere, Song Smith-Rowe. Willock’s was the most successful loan spell for a long time.
_________________
BTW, William Saliba made 7 clearances today for Marseille, more than anyone on either side. He also made 13 passes into the opposition’s final third (more than any other OM player), and created 2 chances. Arsene said in his analysis: “Saliba is an amazing young player. So strong, so mature. He can upgrade many, many defenses. Not sure what happened at Arsenal, but he seems talented enough”.
MikEdu’s suspect decision-making is the problem.
Suspect decision making yes (Cedric, Willian) but there is also another problem – Arteta’s ego!
Arteta didn’t even register Saliba ahead of an injured Mustafi, while saying Saliba has had a tough year and needs support. Similarly, we are looking for an RB, when Bellerin is far from the worst RB in the league. Arteta, actually brought on a debutant LB, to play RB ahead of the 2 RB regular RBs he has in the team. Given Arteta’s coaching abilities, why not help Bellerin find form again?
Add to this, the new story based on the comment by Arteta about Auba. Arteta and Edu gave Auba a hefty contract but they are not able to motivate or judge his abilities?
It’s the same Arteta who was blaming himself for not getting the best out of Willian, who is discarding players like Auba and Bellerin captain and one of the vice captains respectively!
Most other PL managers would be getting a lot more out of this squad.
One thing though, I wasn’t depressed after the loss, it was in someways expected- a team that we are expected to win against, comes out with a cohesive plan and manage to attack, will cause this manager and team to panic and lose.
Anyone else smell something fishy with both Auba and Laca sitting out because of “illness”. I think they’ve both been put on the blocks.
Arteta laughed and said they both feel unwell. Not that they are unwell. The impression I got was that they are not, in fact, unwell.
I feel unwell too ……mostly when I’m watching Arteta’s Arsenal.
Auba and Laca might’ve caught a case of getmethefuckoutofhereitis.
It’s a nasty, debilitating condition, especially for footballers.
Jup!
Reports this morning that Auba wants out.
Willian was also missing.
Jup!
Claude: Fair point about Arsenal needing someone with Willock’s skill set especially when they are behind. Ideally I think a team has a better chance to be successful if it gets 15-18 goals from its collective group of midfielders. The fact that we only got 5 goals from all of our midfielders is one of the reasons we could not compensate for Auba’s down season last year. The ideal midfielder can 1) score a few goals 2), help the buildup/create assists, 3) be a solid defender. The attacking mid needs to stronger in the first 2 while the deeper defensive mids need to be stronger in the defense and hopefully help in the build up. Willock certainly showed his strength is scoring and if he can score in the mid teens such as Lampard then you find a way to use him even if he does not help with the buildup and can’t defend. However if Willock settles in around 6 league goal/season scorer which is my expectation then his deficiencies in the buildup and defense might outweigh the occasional goal he might score.
arsenal play a 4-2-3-1. they’re simply not going to get a lot of goals from midfield unless they come from the 10. can you name a team that plays a 4-2-3-1 that has 18 goals from their 2 holding mids?
six goals from a guy in a double-pivot is a very fair return. willock scored 8 goals in half a season, which is an exceptional return. those goals helped move newcastle from relegation zone to 12th. they have a setup that suits willock more than arsenal. what claudeivan is suggesting is willock gave arsenal another option if the original plan isn’t working.
Tim
Great post. Thanks for the review. Its pretty clear that Arteta has done a good job of organizing the defense and preventing the opposition from scoring over the last couple of seasons. Hopefully yesterday was just a bad game from the players. Unfortunately, I fear the difficulty scoring is going to be a chronic problem. Unless Auba can figure out a way to reverse Father Time which seems unlikely to me then finding enough goals from this group of players seems almost impossible. Before the season we talked a lot about finding a way to get more shots but the stats show we dominated possession 65-35% and we outshot them 22-8. If getting more shots is the key to better results then yesterday was a tactical success. However, i believe the line up we started yesterday would have a tough time finishing in the top half of the table no matter who is the manager and its still my contention that we won’t score enough goals no matter how many shots we take until we buy a couple of more players who are good at scoring.
I wasn’t even angry or annoyed during or after the game. I half expected this. The result and the performance. I know both goals were somewhat suspect and I couldn’t get myself angry about those either.
It doesn’t seem like we’ll be playing fun football nor are we going to get top 6. Not sure what the point of the season is then. Maybe if we played and developed the kids? But that’s not going to happen either.
The transfer window could provide some drama though what with Auba and Laca both seemingly having an issue. Incredible scenes really.
Wouldn’t mind mid table mediocrity if kids were being played and football was attractive like Brighton’s.
Jens will be seething with rage at that second goal.
Hey Tim, Hope you’re having a great Summer. I took the Summer off football and will likely continue. A very generous match report but I know you can see what’s coming and will write well when it happens.
Two questions before the season begins / TW closes: a) have Arsenal closed the gap on the seven teams that finished above them? b) have Arsenal addressed their key failing, namely creativity and goal scoring? On the evidence no to both.
This season will be awful. The best players want out, it’s not a happy ship, we’re banking on the kids to rescue this season, Arteta is crabby, petulant and responds poorly to critique (did you see the pre-match presser?), Arteta is clueless in every aspect of football management and the opening fixtures are a tough ask. Cluster ingredients all there.
Carragher said he was glad ‘Pool didn’t get White. He got bullied by two championship players and was 3/7 aerial duels. He’s going to be targeted. Chambers and Mari shouldn’t be at the club.
My prediction is we’re not going to score much and we’ll concede heavily in the next few weeks. Come September the mood and toxicity around the club will be dreadful. It’s going to be a very difficult season to be a fan especially when you see championship level managers and squads doing better.
a) no, not even remotely
b) no, no, no
“Arteta is crabby, petulant and responds poorly to critique” – nicely summarised.
Arteta is a good coach not a manager!
‘ Arteta is a good coach not a manager’
There’s absolutely no evidence of Arteta’s ‘coaching’ throughout the squad.
Appreciate you saying that. Thanks.
‘Good coach’ – I think that’s an urban myth. It’s difficult to point to examples. If anything most players have either gone backwards or been dropped.
How long into the season is Arteta going to last ?
And who’s going to replace him ?
Josh: regarding your comment at 2:07AM
I agree that if Willock can come anywhere close to replicating what he did last season then he would have provided a different option and might have filled the role of an impact sub and that is a very good point.
I also agree the 2 holding midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 are probably not going to score very often but that just highlights the critical importance of getting more goals from your 4 attacking players. If we assume that Saka and ESR/Odegaard are starting in 2 of those 4 attacking positions and neither of those players is going to score a lot then you only have 2 players left who must score the vast majority of your goals and unless both of those players are 25+ goal scorers its not going to work. The reason Arsene’s incredibly creatively talented teams with Ozil/Cazorla/Ramsey and Wilshere only averaged 68 goals/season was because they did not have enough positions on the pitch left over to add goal scorers. Where in this current squad are we going to find 2 players who can score 20+ League goals/season. That basically eliminates Laca as a good option because he has been with us 4 full seasons and averaged 13 league goals/season.
The whole concept and the math in the previous paragraph seems so simple and straight forward but no one seems to want to accept it.
We got attacked by the bees ? That reminds me of
We pressed high.
We won’t do it vs city and Chelsea but if we continue to do this vs the bottom 14 teams, arsenal will get better offensive numbers.
We have a quality issue though.
Arsenal’s attack currently is the 7th best (personnel wise) in the league.
Well, yesterday was pretty much what I expected, even with Auba and/or Laca. Was curious to see how Balogun performed and was disappointed about my delusion that a 20 y.o. could hold his own against newly promoted Bees. Defence caused me jitters especially when I realized they had a long ball thrower 😬. Memories of Stoke. Still, they should have dealt with it. Been robust, agile, resilient. As Tim just did in his post. Don‘t know how he brought himself to write that. An exercise in disconnecting I‘ll wager.
I‘m not cool with both Arteta and Edu learning on the job. I‘m not cool with how they have spent and continue to spend the owners money. The owners baffle me, haven‘t they heard of ‚value for money‘ and ‚return on investment‘? The Board confound me in their complacency and passivity. It is going to be a long, hard season. Our club will allow this to play out for even longer than that I fear. I‘m unable to conceive of an event or situation that would wake us from our slumber and trigger an overhaul or sale. These things were once calculable. When winning games was the job of the manager and players, when buying players who could perform to requirements and selling those who couldn’t was the job of the technical director/manager/board, when chasing trophies was the objective and at worst being in the mix to seasons-end was the compromise. When those running the club were competent, of proven quality. When we could trust the club to get it right. No more. I trust my eyes, and our collective experience and knowledge. Hope we can keep each other warm in the misery ahead of us.
Now, if someone were to ruffle up Arteta’s hair and he survived it I reckon we could be on to something …. If only a belly laugh.
There are so many myths bandied about by bloggists.
Like, we did not do well last season because Arteta did not have a proper pre-season. We have had as proper a pre-season as he could have wanted and we have lost 3 games on the trot and continue to play dire, turgid football and are now incapable of scoring.
The next one was that Arteta has to have his own players. Look at the long list of players that have gone and who we wants to get rid of. Then look at the list of players that have been brought in. The more players that come in the more disjointed the play will be as they all need to settle in and can take as much as a season to do so. Why Pepe still hasn’t settled in. Are we not still waiting for the first time that he goes past a defender?
The next one has been talked about above, that Arteta is a great coach. Pardon!!! In the last 20 months has anyone seen any evidence of that? Look at the long list of players, many of them seasoned internationals, who he has rejected. If he was even a moderate coach surely he should be able to coach them to improve, or to play the way he wants them to.
He also cannot seem to coach the players he has brought in, eg Cedric and Willian.
The club waited too long when it was clear that Emery was out of his depth before putting him out of his misery.
I fear that they will do the same with Arteta. He needs to go now, before things get even worse.
I read what some people are saying in the couple of blogs I frequent and I simply cannot believe what I am reading.
How this incompetent and awful manager still manages to get so much positive support is beyond me.
By the way, I used to get annoyed and upset when we lost. Now, I expect it and barely care.
Thanks Arteta, you have helped me to see the more important things in life.
We had been following Brentford’s progress for some years and had them as our Championship team. So even though we are diehard Arsenal fans we have supported the Bees in a more detached way. It started when we went to Griffin Park on a number of occasions when they played Sheffield Wednesday as one of the kids supported the Owls. We were struck by the family atmosphere and maybe a throwback to a less corporate football experience. The four pubs, one on each corner of the ground was a famous feature at Griffin Park. In order to get seats for any matches it made sense to become members and so we watched Brentford try and then fail to win promotion and admired the great job Frank was doing and applauded the way they managed squad building on a modest budget.
When they announced they were building a new stadium they asked if we wanted season tickets and my crazy partner went and bought two. Still a lot cheaper than the Arsenal season tickets we own.
Spool forward to last season and the Bees win promotion. Mixed emotions for us. Delighted for them. They deserve it and their attractive, well-drilled style of football will be welcome in the PL. But they are no longer our championship team. We were there on Friday and I have to say it was a deeply painful experience. I was happy for those longtime Bees fans. It was an unbelievable experience for them to be in the top flight after so many years. The atmosphere was electric and the motivation to put their stamp on the PL was enormous. When the goals went in (and I’m afraid to say I predicted both seconds before they went in) we felt the full force of the local support. Happy for them but crushed, devastated that we were so feeble. I would say it’s the most depressing evening of football I’ve experienced. The contrast between a well-run club with a smart owner who is a lifelong fan, passionate about his team and the detached, clueless outfit we have presiding over our dysfunctional club is heartbreaking for Arsenal fans. Enough already.
i really appreciated that, jrgooner.
Nothing falls at the doors of KSE or Edu. Simply because you can’t n suck the former and you don’t need to have Edu gone. Aeteta is suck able tomorrow. Do it.
i really don’t like the fact that both auba and laca were out with “illness” at the same time. i saw an article that says they are both already doubts for the chelsea game. how can you determine someone will be out with “illness” a week early? if this is true, it stinks to high heaven and i wouldn’t be surprised to hear that mikel arteta is at the center of it.
my biggest gripe with arteta has always been that he doesn’t seem to know how to deal with big players… players that have played under experienced managers and have won far more silverware than he did as a player. while there’s no requirement to have won lots of silverware as a player to be a good manager, he has to respect the fact that he has no experience. conventional wisdom suggests that means leaning on your senior guys to help you while you figure a few things out. if you do, they tend to be supportive but you can’t trump the senior guys when you have no pedigree.
this has nothing to do with how tactically smart you are. leadership is it’s own entity. if there’s any truth to this, he clearly has a struggle with french players, not just guendouzi and saliba. there’s no excuse as arteta played in paris and should understand french people better than most.
when you’re inexperienced, you have to understand that you don’t know everything. arteta seems to be a guy who thinks he has all the answers but there are a boatload of questions he’s not even considered. as a new manager, you can’t win without the support of the senior players. if you lose them, you lose the dressing room…and you’ll lose your job. arsenal need to do a deep dive and figure out what’s going on with arteta and that dressing room. without laca and auba, arsenal are primed to be relegated.
Arteta is an inflated balloon, baboon, whatever and cannot get along anyone who questions him, shows him up. Period
I dont want to be the hall monitor, but let’s not verbally abuse Mikel. Atmosphere around the club is toxic enough. The man was a good captain and servant of Arsenal FC and his appointment as coach is what the fans clamoured for. But he seems to be in over his head in his current role. He didnt appoint himself. I say this as someone who thinks he has glaring management issues, and should have been replaced at the end of last season. I want us to win every time we play, and if that lengthens his tenure, so be it. Do I think he can deliver the kind of success we need, is another question.
Thing that gets me is the way Arsene treated him, in contrast to how he treats players. Late in his playing career his legs went and he was often injured, but he remained club captain and passed on-field duties to Per. He lifted the 2015 FA Cup jointly with Per. A more ruthless coach would have Arteta’ed him in 2014. As it was, he contributed little in his final year; but that was OK. Arsene valued him.
He may the outstanding coach we thought he had in him, but till now, this doesnt look like the job in which he’ll show us that.
oh, btw, interesting comments on Auba and Laca. If the suspicions have grounds, that is classic “trying to get the manager sacked” behaviour.
I think Arteta’s leadership style hasn’t adapted to the reality of him not being a player. He was this way as captain, a trustworthy lieutenant of the manager and calling out the players as to what is expected of them, and looks for that quality in his squad.
But he was doing this under managers, at least in England, who created a culture affording their players more freedom to be themselves, and he was doing it as one of the most experienced professionals.
Even when we won the FA cup I thought it was weird Arteta was carrying the cup into the locker room and calling to the players as if he was one of them rather than their boss.
One guy who seems to get this balance right is Conte, which I mention because I’ve noted this before and not because of the rumors linking him to Arsenal.
Arteta lacks humility, makes excuses, and is quick to throw his players under the bus. (This post match interview was an exception in that he said he didn’t want to make excuses and didn’t.) Which might still be ok if his footballing ideas matched the reality he imagines. I can’t blame the players for running out of patience.