Arsenal in a Ferrari: fast starts and racing hearts (Positives Needs & Hopes) [ARS 4-1 LEV]

Arsenal in a Ferrari

An Arsenal blog from a coach’s perspective

I’ve never really wanted a Ferrari. I think it’s because I’m pretty good at not living in a fantasy world. Now, if  ‘Nesara Gesara’ is true (type it into the search bar on Twitter and watch your mind blow), then I might go get one. A Ferrari with club seats inside, a life size Limpar sitting in the back seat so I can gaze at him lovingly in the rear view and a Santi figurine for the dashboard.

I’ve been yapping for years about Arsenal needing to start fast, especially at the Emirates. I’m a believer that regardless of the opponent, you have over 50,000 excited customers who love you more than their granny. The stadium music gets them singing, the kick off brings a roar and grace abounds for about 15 minutes because you aren’t going to make super excited people get mad that quickly. What you can do however, is get super excited people even more energized if you play with such high energy and attacking intent straight from kick off. English fans are more generous too. Even if you don’t score, they will applaud effort, intent and any progressive actions.

Then you have the mental part of the game.

Arsenal are going to intimidate in the tunnel like they did 20-25 years ago. Havertz, Raya, White, Gabriel, Saliba, Rice, Calafiori, Tomiyasu and possibly Merino. There is a good chance that 8 of those 9 will be lining up each week. Teams will be worried. Intimidated. If Arsenal can get two quick goals like they did yesterday, then the game will be mentally over. We will also benefit from the mental rest from the de-stressing that a lead gives. We will be able to use our squad more, save energy for the longest season in club history. Be able to play Academy players. Keep everyone involved and happy. And on and on.

We’ve all seen many games that are 3-0 at half time. The second half is always somewhat of a training session and either ends 3-0, 4-0, 5-0 or 4-1, as it did vs the German champions.

Arteta was reminded of all of this yesterday. He sent out a Ferrari. A car with an extremely fast start. Too often we send out a rather nice Toyota minivan that is comfortable and safe.

More Ferrari please Mikel.

POSITIVES:

5 signings 

Arsenal haven’t signed 5 players but if you pause and think on it, it is ‘new players’ that fans want to improve their chances. Do they have to be ‘new signings?’ I was looking at our potential bench for the season and it looked much stronger. We have technically only ‘signed’ Raya and Calafiori and the Spaniard was a gimme. I think what we actually want at Arsenal is a stronger bench and a bench that is FULL of players that the coach trusts. Of the 5 ‘new players’ only Raya will likely start. Our bench will likely have three of the other four with one missing out. Calafiori and Timber will start on the bench and possibly only because they haven’t played 90 minutes yet. Nwaneri or MLS will likely get on the bench as they look like they belong. That’s probably understating it though. Both are difference makers. Already. I saw Lewis-Skelly’s highlights. I think he made the right decision every time he got the ball. Decision making is normally the last piece for a young player. Impressive. Of all the 84 left back options, he will bring the ability to break lines with his dribbling where others may not even try this. Nwaneri will likely send Vieira on loan. Both are talented but Nwaneri has more productivity and doesn’t disappear. Arteta has 5 players available for selection that he didn’t last season and with Merino he will have six. An attacker will come in and hopefully a winger and a striker and so he will end up with 7 or 8 new players to select.

Havertz

I think it’s time that we recognize that Havertz is equally effective at striker and in midfield. I think he’s favoured as a striker more by our fanbase because of the current alternatives. He seems to end up in very similar positions either way, especially in attack and when Jesus plays. My preference would be for Arsenal to sign Gyokeres and play Havertz at left eight as we still lack that hungry monster in the box and I think Havertz’s movement behind the defence is better running from deeper. His duel winning and defensive contribution is particularly important in certain games. He seems to be getting stronger too. We all saw the summer videos. Many players pre-prepping. None of it was with the ball. It was in the gym. Havertz seems to have added an extra desire to his aggression. I’ve always wondered why strikers who are as big as their centre back don’t give as much physical effort to keep possession as the CB. If they foul them, who cares! If they get fouled it could be a red card or PK.

Shooting

It’s so encouraging that we are taking more shots from long range. The blocks will get lower and on occasion it may be our best chance. Zinchenko, in particular has wonderful ball striking ability.

Trossard

He is never going to be a fan favourite at a big club because he lacks sparkle. I’d rather have productivity than step overs though. He is changing minds and many think he is the better option than Martinelli. He’s just too consistently impactful. His underrated quality is his unpredictability. He is far trickier and harder to read than folks say. His finishing has more variety because he is two footed. What we are seeing with Trossard and Martinelli will be replicated all over the field. The best way to improve a player is give him equal competition. On a side note, I loved the composure he showed for his goal. Made an easy shot look easy which actually is complicated by most who get over-excited (Jesus).

The left side

It was interesting to see us heavily weight our attacks down the left side. Was that because Saka wasn’t playing? Maybe. Was it because we need to be harder to prepare for? More likely, I’d say. I’m looking forward to the relationships getting stronger on the left. The signing and imminent signing of Calafiori and Merino suggests an effort to strengthen and trust the left side as much as the right. We cannot have Saka and Odegaard shutdown and drop points because we can’t create. I think we are going to create on the left by duel winning more than any other way.

Movement

Tactically, we were able to start fast because of the interchanging from the front four. The Leverkusen defence were trying to mark 1 on 1 at times and with that level of movement teams are going to have to play zonally to close gaps which will leave our players available between the lines to receive, as they will be fearful of following us for fear of the gap behind.

1st and 2nd balls

We all see that Mikel has a strong focus on duels. I’m seeing more improvements in this area. There is more effort to challenge for the first ball from all rather than just those who are expected to win first balls. I’m seeing Odegaard winning aerial duels and players like Saka leaning in to defenders to put them off the easy win. If you watch off the ball, you’ll see the closest player or two positioning themselves where they think they can win the second ball, or at least be able to put immediate pressure on the opponent.

Zinchenko

God’s perfect timing. A story. There was a very talented Ukrainian footballer. Maybe the most technical one that this nation had produced. He wasn’t an expert defender but was asked to play there and his lack of elite athleticism was making fans nervous. He also seemed to check out once or twice a game and think he was playing street ball. The fans were getting close to a breaking point because generally speaking, his teammates didn’t make these kind of unnecessary errors. The first game back on home turf needed to be a good one. It was better than that. He reminded everyone that he can be the difference maker, even from left back. that even though the club had more left back options than squirt bottles, he had a super power that the others didn’t have….. vision and ball striking ability. This footballer was likely to start the season even though the competition was higher in his position than everywhere else. God’s perfect timing.

Line breaking

I have a strong feeling that this will be one of the coaching staffs points of emphasis this season. Saliba, Timber and Calafiori bringing the ball into midfield and committing an opponent leaving a teammate open. We may see MLS join this group too with his running with the ball from deep. I’d imagine that Rice will be encouraged to bring more ‘Partey’ to his game with penetrative passing over his shoulder and between the lines. He has the technique to do it. Even better than a deep player committing the first phase of opponents is the midfielders gambling with one touch through balls. You will have seen ESR’s first assist and goal for Fulham. Open hips, one touch and through. We have had numerous players trying to find Havertz in particular with one touch penetrative passes. If you take two or more touches then you are facing the defence and they see your eyes and intent. Disguise opens up compact blocks better than anything.

Jesus

Much like Zinchenko needed that first half performance, Jesus needed that goal. It was the best of him too. A deceptive turn, dribble and the piece that we all doubt him at, the shot.

Defending

I’m not sure if Jesus coming back to the top of the box was Jesus just itching to be involved as he often does or a new tactic. It seemed that when their danger man had the ball (Frimpong), that he came back to help too. I also loved the protection that they all gave to Raya by stepping in front of every long shot. Raya was largely unemployed against the German Invincibles.

Club

A whole book could and should be written about how Arteta and crew have transformed Arsenal. I saw this image and felt great gratitude.

Only Saka, Nelson and Martinelli remain. Changing squads sounds like a good idea but it can be done badly. See Chelsea and Utd.

Academy:

What an achievement it is that MLS played 45 mins and Nwaneri played 20 mins in this squad. This squad is arguably the best the club has ever had although it’s still unfinished. To get this time at the Emirates Cup when the focus moves from fitness and experimentation to first game preparation, is a tell tale sign. This team is without doubt in the top 8 teams in world football and arguably in the top 4. As I’ve said many times, the step from Academy to first team is not one big step. That thought has to be discarded. It is about 11 levels in the football pyramid. Without re-telling a previous thought exhaustively, a regular pathway looks more like….

Lower division loan – Belgian league – Championship team – French league – lower EPL side – Serie A – Arsenal’s bench – Arsenal first team minutes – loan to Leipzig – regular Arsenal minutes – guaranteed Arsenal starter.

Some players jump a few levels. That’s not unusual. If you are Bukayo Saka you skip the tour of Europe, but it’s even harder now for EN and MLS because we were mediocre when Saka broke through. If either of these boys break through their jump will look more like one of those unrealistic action movie jumps where Muscles McSweaty is chasing the bad guy and somehow manages to jump twice as long as Jesse Owens did in the Olympics from the top of one building to another.

NEEDS:

Vieira

I think we have to accept that he is a moments player. Similar ability to Odegaard but has never dominated a game like Odegaard does almost every week. Vieira seems too afraid, laid back, lazy, satisfied, pick an adjective. He needs to be loaned to a team where he is the best player and relied upon so he can sense the fans demands and what he should demand too.

Last action

The timing of this is off as we just had a very impressive win, but we still looked jumpy in our final crossing action. Maybe I expect too much because the box is very crowded but our players are so incredibly precise outside the box and so imprecise inside it.

Kiwior

I’m confused. when Kiwior arrived I thought he was quick. He looked slow on recovering at full speed when Leverkusen scored which was a concern if we are playing high and he is in the back.

HOPES

Signings

I keep hearing that we will likely sign ‘one attacker.’ This scares me a little because short of getting Isak which Newcastle would be mad to do, who could be an option to play striker and wing. Now that  Trossard has stepped up and Jesus can be used on the wing, I’d say a striker is more important. There are too many types of goals being left on the table for a striker we don’t have. The 6 yard box being lava is the big issue. I do wonder if we are pining for Isak and are willing to wait. He does seem as close to perfect as a non-Arsenal player you could find.

Unpopular idea

I risk my reputation here. If we don’t sign a winger, I’d be up for getting a cheap player that offers ‘last 15 minute devastation.’ A player that can beat a man, has elite pace, specializes in individualism or all. When we are winning 2-1 with backs to the wall and need outlet pace. Maybe a 1-1 game at home against Southampton who are defending like 2024 Arsenal. The player that always springs to my mind is Adama Traore. I’d far rather have him on the bench than Eddie or Fabio Vieira. I’m not in the camp who think he has no end product. His finishing isn’t great but he easily beats his man and his crossing is good. Again, rather Traore than Vieira.

Shoot for Love

Max has introduced me to the world of You Tube. I thought I just went there when I wanted to watch R.E.M. music videos. The football content creators are really very impressive. Far better content than any football show on TV. The latest one he has shown me is ‘Shoot for love.’ A weird name but a very creative idea and watched by the pros, I’d imagine. The two guys challenge a pro to a very difficult challenge. Yesterday, I watched Ansu Fati try to beat Messi’s ‘Shoot for love’ record (yes, they got Messi on the show), of punting a ball 21 metres in the air and then juggling it 3 times in a row when it comes down. I saw Dybala trying to curl the ball around the side of a wall from 35 yards out, made up of 11 columns of cardboard boxes which looked about 25 yards wide, and into the goal. There was a reason that I’m telling you this, but I forgot. Never mind.

Personal choice

I still believe that Gyokeres is the 5 extra points we need to win the league. I’ve moved from Pedro Neto to Mo Kudus due to injury risk but understand that unless we sell, Eddie, Reiss, Ramsdale, Kiwior and Partey, then PSR will not allow us to spend another 150M. I still have a feeling that we get Raphinha.

TWEETS and THOUGHTS

I think this might be Skelly’s route into the team.

I’m feeling quite clever now. This is a similar thought to my first ‘positive.’

What an amazing story. Not only is this a good teaching moment but it is super memorable for the players. Psychologically they must be so in tune to him because he is clearly so diverse and clever with his methods of communicating ideas to footballers.

FINAL THOUGHT:

Lyon are getting a pounding.

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.