Arteta has installed the habit of winning in his Arsenal Squad

The habit of winning

An Arsenal blog from a coach’s perspective.

So as you may know, I’m a Brit from Hertfordshire that unexpectedly met a beautiful Tennesseean in 1998. I’ve lived in Tennessee ever since.

Living in the US is similar and different to the UK. Both. One of the differences in the circles that I move in is the obsession of winning covering all sins. As my manager told me way too often, “It’s all about the W.” I work all day and all evening with young people. I’ve always been an independent thinker. I’m probably somewhat Americanized by now but this cultural priority I will never agree with when it comes to youth sports.

Young kids like to win but far prefer to have fun and then go to Chuck E. Cheese to eat endless pizza. Teenagers like to win and some love to win but they love the camaraderie of playing with their friends primarily. Then they go to Salsarita’s and eat distinctly average burritos and think it’s great. Don’t get me started on American food.

I’ve coached in the Olympic Development Program, college soccer and professional players also. They have continued to play the game because they have a true love for the sport and winning is important. The only thing that trumps winning is not being on the bench. Fair enough I say because if you love something you want to do it rather than watch it.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that professional teams are made up of players who are doing an actual job, like you and I. They may prefer to play than win, love eating burritos and wish they could eat endless Chuck E. Cheese pizza but they hear the word ‘win’ more than any other.

Another Americanism is to get ‘fired up.’ Most coach’s prioritize this and parents most certainly love a chest thumper coaching their child. They all get in the huddle and shout about winning using some hugely cringeworthy rhyme that was birthed whilst watching their girlfriend doing her cheerleading routine. It’s so tempting to go down the cheerleading path now but this is already getting self-indulgent.

I was lucky to watch the Brentford game. Most in the world had no coverage. America may not have me fully sold out, but they have the best coverage of football. Every game, every PL team.

What was so evident watching was that Arsenal really wanted to win. Is that a stupid statement? Not really. It;’s the Carabao Cup. An inconvenience to many clubs. Fans too. A total bonus competition. What is different about Arteta’s Arsenal is that he realizes that you can’t just talk about winning. You have to teach them how to actually do it. Why? Because most of us want something but don’t know all of the steps to getting it or more likely, aren’t willing to do what it takes.

I watched Kiwior go well out of his way to stop a certain goal. Tomiyasu throwing his body in front of numerous shots. Gabriel leading like he does at every away ground and playing like he’s playing Real Madrid. There were many other examples but to sum it all up briefly, Arsenal took this very seriously. Did they take it seriously because they really want to win the Carabao Cup? Maybe, but I’d say they’d like to win it but that isn’t why they played so seriously. They played in this manager because they are living daily as a family that are being taught how to win. That you win at everything. At the small sided games, the shooting drills and the Carabao Cup. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a race to be first in line at the canteen that leads to a brawl when Cedric keeps winning.

MA knows!

So, what is the evidence that we behaved this way. Well you won’t find it so convincingly in a PL or CL game because those trophies shine so brightly that they self motivate. Watch Ben White get beaten 30 yards from Brentford’s goal and sprint to the point of exhaustion to catch Wissa. Watch ElNeny, who must know that he is an after thought, come on and make such an impact on both sides of the field. Watch Havertz run and run and run then make numerous runs behind the defence, still not to be found. Watch Reiss and ESR buzzing around, raising the tempo of what has been low tempo passing recently. Watch Eddie give more physical effort in a CC game than I’ve ever seen in the PL. Watch Sagoe Jr. replicate the habits he’s seen at practice and press at speed, get bypassed and then sprint again. Watch Ramsdale’s reaction to his big save. Like he was playing Spurs. Better than all that, watch any other Carabao Cup game that doesn’t involve Mansfield, Port Vale or Exeter. Jogging. Half hearted. Whatever attitudes.

For those that didn’t watch, I ask you to trust me, Arsenal won because they have been taught how to win not because they have the Carabao Cup theme song as their ringtone.

This was a team that have never played as a team who looked like a team because they have been asked to be serious, taught to be serious and held accountable for it.

POSITIVES:

• I have watched many good players not find their game in the first few months. When I watch Havertz I see a player who is playing as well as others in the defensive third, undoubtedly he is in the top tier for pressing and regaining possession. In the middle third he is succeeding. He is not yet affecting games in the final third. This is the third that people base most of their judgement in. What I see is a player making endless attacking runs but not ever being given the ball. This might be because there is a disconnect between how he has played at Chelsea and Germany and how Arteta prefers to play low risk football. Low confidence isn’t a Kai Havertz exclusive problem. It happens to every player and sticks around if they feel or hear the groans. When he assists or scores a goal or two I think many will have to delete their tweets. Alternatively, he may never get there. In the meantime, he plays for the team that we love. Perhaps it would be smarter to make him feel loved for the sake of this love.

• Eddie played with a real point to prove. So much energy. A clear desire to play with more aggression. A nod to Jesus in his desire to be more unpredictable on the ball. He deserved a goal.
• Smith Rowe was good. He did a little of all the Smith Rowe things. To be fair, if Vieira and Havertz are regularly seeing the field then ESR should be eating from the same pie. We are currently a team with an XG that is unlikely to see us seriously challenge unless we change this stat. Of all the midfielders trying to secure a regular spot, ESR has the most goal threat. I think with more game time and trust he will open up one of the biggest skillsets that we have in the squad.

NEEDS: 

• Not sure about Arteta’s comments about including youngsters. He stated that “…. if I can’t play them in a game like this, then when can I play them,” when getting credit for starting Sagoe Jr. I appreciate that he got the balance right in his starting line up but the involvement of Cedric over Reull Walters is a little depressing. If he isn’t going to play Walters in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, then when? If he isn’t going to include Lewis Skelly and Nwaneri in the squad then when? I understand that they are young but I think that they have elite potential. I’d want them to stay encouraged.

HOPES:

• There is still a weakness in the area of creating chances. Without a trust in Havertz’s runs into the box, we are an almost a zero aerial threat. Whether Eddie is the answer or not, the squad needs this option. There is smoke now with reliable chat about Toney, Ferguson and now Santiago Jimenez. Oshimen will be hard to resist. Arteta ideally needs Jesus for times where chaos, work ethic and link play are needed but the bench needs aerial threat, even as a decoy to open up space for others. All the best teams have had a striker scoring 20+ and often many more.

FINAL THOUGHT:

You don’t need to worry about Arsenal. They are too serious to not be challenging. We are unbeaten and only Liverpool and Barcelona sit in that group. We have conceded zero away goals. Not easy.

I was super encouraged that our new patchwork team beat Brentford’s first team. Not just the scoreboard but more so the strong desire to play this way in the Carabao Cup. Maybe I’m over exaggerating. Maybe it’s motivated players who want to get in the first team. If that’s a part of it then that is the same round of applause.

Mike McDonald

Former Highbury regular. Moved to TN, USA in ’99. Married with 3 kids. Coached in UK and US for 27 years.
Mike McDonald Soccer Academy in Morristown TN, Olympic Development coach, Regional Premier League Champion.