INSIDE ARTETA'S ARSENAL
A fter a horrid start to the season under Unai Emery, Mikael Arteta's Arsenal bounced back to end the season on a high by winning the FA Cup and defeating Frank Lampard’s ever improving Chelsea 2-1 in the final.
Without a shadow of a doubt the lion’s share of the credit has to be attributed to the management and leadership skills of the Spaniard who was appointed as the head coach of Arsenal in December. Since joining the Gunners, he has made Arsenal look and feel like a team again.
In this article, we will take an in-depth look at the changes he has brought to the club and what work still needs to be done…
TACTICAL ANALYSIS
PRE-LOCKDOWN
Arteta’s tactics for Arsenal can be divided into two parts. One pre lockdown and other post lockdown. Pre lockdown Arsenal lined up a 4-2-3-1 formation. Due to injuries to Tierney and Kolasinac, Saka was preferred at LB. David Luiz and Sokratis was the partnership at the heart of the defence while Maitland-Niles and Bellerin shared roles as RB.
The two midfielders just in front of CB's were Ceballos and Xhaka. Ceballos was given freedom to keep ball at his feet and control the game in midfield whereas Xhaka would play as a false full back if either one moved forward to support the attacking players.
Xhaka was usually seen taking the LB position due to the independence given to Saka who liked to carry the ball from left side who would probably make a run towards the by line for crossing the ball into box.
Ozil played in his customary no. 10 position, as the engache, controlling the play. He would stay behind the strikers and wingers waiting for any stray balls that came as a result of clearance.
POST LOCKDOWN
Post lockdown Arsenal shifted to 3 at the back formation playing 3-4-3. Again emphasis was given on stretching the play out wide as possible and getting those pockets of spaces in the middle. Upon closer inspection, Arsenal's latest victories over Manchester City, Watford and Chelsea demonstrated that most of the attacking threat came from the left side.
The back three consisted of David Luiz, Mustafi and Tierney who had to play as a CB because of injury to Pablo Mari. Maitland-Niles was a surprise package at LWB given he had played as a RB previously and Bellerin was restored to his usual RWB spot.
Further afield, the midfield partnership remained the same with same responsibilities given to them pre lockdown but there was no longer a role designated for Mesut Ozil, thus the emphasis was on transition and removing an unnecessary filter from midfield to attack. Up front, Lacazette or Nketiah played as striker with Aubameyang and Pepe/Saka alongside him.
Since lockdown, Arteta had given more importance on team pressing rather than individual pressing from players. One more thing that could be seen is that players were told to suck opponents into trying to win the ball from them before passing through the waves of pressure. This took the opposition player out of the game temporarily and gave Arsenal an extra player advantage while attacking.
MENTALITY AND COMMITMENT
The fundamental principle that Arterta expects his players to abide by is 100% commitment to his plans, his beliefs and most importantly to this club whether on the field, off the field or in training sessions. Players who fail to do so are free to leave the club as he notably stated in one press conference.
Perfect examples are Guendouzi and Ozil. Since lockdown Ozil has not even shown up to training and thus was also not selected even in the matchday squad. Same with Guendouzi, a certain incident in Dubai during their winter break in February made Arteta furious and since then he has also not been seen on the team sheet.
Even though Arteta’s strict disciplinarian regime might seem a little harsh the results can be seen on the pitch. Since Wenger’s departure and even during the latter part of the Frenchman’s regime, standards had been allowed to drop in terms of professionalism. Instead of 11 individuals playing on the pitch previously, we now see a team of 11 players giving their all to a collective cause.
FRESH START CLEAN SLATE
GRANIT XHAKA
He was booed by his fans during the game against Crystal Palace. Arsenal were on level terms and then captain Xhaka was substituted in 67th minute. Instead of running towards the touch line he was slowly walking towards it which enraged the fans.
In response Xhaka petulantly removed his jersey and threw it. After that incident he was stripped from the captaincy and was on the verge of leaving the club. But after Arteta's arrival at Emirates he was asked to stay, as Arteta had plans for him.
In a stunning turnaround of events, he has once again become a cult figure, establishing himself as a key cog in the heart of midfield. A ‘rock’ solid player who rarely let's opponent past him and also makes pivotal interceptions. One thing also seen under Arteta is how he has become more responsible and refrains from lunging into tackles and getting penalised by ref.
DAVID LUIZ
First day of restart Arsenal had a game against defending champions Manchester City. For the most part Arsenal were doing well in keeping City in check. But then, 2 huge mistakes in 5 minutes and a red card for a foul inside the box lead to 2 City goals. After that there was an outcry from the Gooners faith who wanted the ‘brainless’ David Luiz deported out of Arsenal.
Despite the overwhelming opinion to the contrary, Arteta believed in him and gave him a new contract for one more year and it paid it off. A series of MOTM performances, firstly against City in the semi-final and a stellar performance at the back against Chelsea in the final was one of the key reasons why Arsenal eventually triumphed.
SHKORDAN MUSTAFI
Mustafi was considered a clown because of his mistakes defensively, a seemingly recurring theme when it comes to the discussion of Arsenal defenders, but since Arteta's arrival he has increasingly looked more solid at the back and more in line with the expectations of what a World Cup winning centre back should look like.
He's increasingly comfortable with ball at his feet when attempting to distribute from the back. Furthermore, the judgement and timing of his tackles has improved considerably and he is no longer susceptible to being caught in no man's land.
OTHER NOTABLE MENTIONS
Others who also deserve a notable mention are Nicolas Pépé and Dani Ceballos who have enjoyed their second half of the season. Ceballos who looked like he would go back to Madrid after the end of the season is now looking very settled in the Arsenal lineup and is planning to increase his stay in London.
Pepe looked like a £72m flop under Emery but due to Arteta's tactics and his vision it looks like big things can come from the Ivorian next season. It is worth noting his important assists in both the semi-final and final of FA Cup.
COMMUNICATION
It has never been more important than in this current age of player power and enhanced social media, to strike the right balance when it comes to keeping open channels of communication whilst instilling and maintaining the traditional boundaries of respect for the manager's authority.
If Arteta sees something from his team which he doesn't like then he confronts the players directly and is not afraid to scold them if need be. He is often seen talking to the players and has already successfully established a special bond with all the players. This was particularly evident during the celebrations of FA Cup.
Normally players in English football like to call their managers Boss or Gaffer, but Arteta insists his players should call him by his surname Arteta or Mister, a term regularly used in Spanish or Portuguese football.
WHAT DO ARSENAL NEED?
Everyone is talking about the Arsenal board needing to back Arteta and provide him funds. Well it's true, Arsenal do need funds to buy some good players. But more than that Arsenal need a bit more ruthlessness and better game management in order to compete for the Champions League.
Arsenal finished 8th in the league with 14 draws. If they would have just managed to turn at least 5-6 draws into wins they would have certainly finished in the Top 4. This team already has the capability of getting 65-70 points which are required to finish top 4.
What areas of the pitch do Arsenal need to target? Well it is difficult to say unless Arteta is given more time to manage the squad and set out a particular formation/philosophy of play. Without his vision in place, he will not be able to determine what he needs and whose face doesn’t fit.
If rumours are to be believed, he is planning to shift to a 4-3-3 and if this is the case, a top notch CDM is a fundamental requirement and a creative midfielder who can take Ozil’s place in the team is necessary to give him more tactical options in the midfield area. An experienced centre back who is more reliable than Luiz, could also take this team to new heights.
THE PYTHAGORAS PERSPECTIVE
In conclusion, Arteta in his short spell thus far has been a dream appointment for Arsenal fans. He has ensured that Arsenal still play an attractive brand of football, but one which is founded on more solid and effective tactical principles and it seems he has the personality to confront those who are not willing or are not fit to wear the shirt.
Question marks still remain as to whether he will be able to embark upon a longer period of success and create a long-term cultural shift, but the early signs seem promising. It would be in the Arsenal board’s interest to back him, but in the mean time he should focus on honing his principles, suss out who has what it takes to play for him in the long term and prepare a long term blueprint of what he wants to build.
