“Playing against Arsenal“
An Arsenal blog from a coach’s perspective
I’ve just started to write my ‘ preliminary notes’ for my boys high school season in the Spring. The few things that I want to focus on and ensure that we emphasize. I’ve learnt that when you coach a high school team here in the States, that you have to pick a few topics to cover rather than hop around plugging leaks. One of the most important lessons that I’ve learnt in coaching is that if you pick a topic and practice it for an extended period of time, you will get greater improvement as it ends up being a common denominator that gives assists to other parts of the game that improve as a by-product.
A good example would be if you do multiple sessions on a players first touch. Not only will his touch improve but his passing will too, because he has more time to assess his options as his touch was cleaner. His composure will improve because of the extra seconds he’s given himself. The trust his teammates feel will rise as they see a player that is more likely to make something happen with his extra time and space. And on. And on.
The high school season is only 3 months long and you play twice a week. The pre-season is about 5 minutes and so you have to channel that focus. I’ve chosen to run every session based on three thoughts;
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- The best teams treat the game as a large game of ‘keep-away.’ They remember that you don’t have to go forward with every touch. That you might come off the pitch in regret that you were impatient and all your touches were vertical, but you will never come off the field having forgotten that there was a goal that needed to be shot at.
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- That every decision has to be seen through the lens of ‘we’ and not ‘me.’
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- You can easily win a high school game simply by making your opponent dizzy with worry.
Arteta has more principles, but he has the players for longer. I’ve learnt from him that clarity is key.
I sit in church on Sunday’s pining for our preacher to use fewer words to get his point across. I have learnt that in the generation of swiping, we have far shorter attention spans and a speaker has to adapt or the people fall asleep and drown. After years of being long-winded (I’m sure you can agree), I now have clarity that I need ‘less is more’ as a priority. So, my new high school team may have to wing it when it comes to learning how to header and volley properly, but Coach Mike has seen the light.
At the professional level, everyone has a great touch, passing ability, understanding of the game etc… So, what’s the difference? It’s the standards of the coach. You can win games simply because your coach has imprinted in all of you that ‘fine’ isn’t fine. Not every effort gets applause.
When you slow down and take the passion out of a game, you can clearly see that Arteta has higher standards. The ‘narrative pundits’ hate that we are consistently scoring from set plays. The truth of why that is the case isn’t because just because our set-piece coach has better ideas, it’s the standards. Other coaches are content and will applaud if the ball goes to the right area. Arteta and Jover know that this is not sufficient. The ball has to go to the right area AND be delivered at the perfect speed, weight and height, also. I bet if you talked to Mr. Rice about what was expected of him at set plays at West Ham, he would tell you the former and how that was good enough. Rice is capable of more than hitting into the right area, so why sell him short?
For most professional coaches, making the right passing choice and getting it to the players feet is sufficient. It isn’t at Arsenal. It has to go to the correct foot so the hips can remain open. It has to have ‘weight perfection,’ or you’ve eliminated the one touch option. It also has to be passed at the right time, preferably eliminating an opponent who has stepped too close and committed. All professional footballers can achieve this. Not many coaches demand this.
Finally, the best example is your physical effort. Many big teams have lost games against teams that are ‘weaker’ than them, because they didn’t commit to the same effort levels. There are four main components to the game. Technical, tactical, mental and physical. Teams that are elite cannot just lean into the technical and tactical simply because that is their superiority. They have to commit to giving the same effort against Huddersfield as they would against Liverpool. The phrase ‘want it more,’ is spoken all around the footballing world and it’s true.
If you are wondering why Liverpool are making a drama out of every game this season, it is because they have lower standards. It all falls back to Slot and VVD. Slot has allowed to his captain and example give his best when he wants to. When VVD feels embarrassed by a mistake he gives less effort to recover it and then blames others. This doesn’t happen at Arsenal. The standards are higher. The expectations have accountability attached to them. When was the last time you saw an Arsenal player responsible for a goal because they ‘gave up?’ It doesn’t happen.
Even though the media are trying to convince you that Arsenal are a one trick pony, the truth is that playing Arsenal isn’t just a nightmare memory, it is an 8 hour bad dream.
Arsenal players ALWAYS give their best. They will ALWAYS play with a higher level of seriousness. They will ALWAYS value patience over pot shots. They will ALWAYS try to penetrate the box with intent rather than just tossing endless crosses into the box and hoping. They will ALWAYS protect Raya and have the same desire for a clean sheet that he has.
How would I summarize this Arsenal team? Arsenal 2025 are a serious team. A team that plays with intentionality from front to back. A team of the highest standards that have an allergy to giving up. A team that takes as much pride in clean sheets as the goals. A team that don’t rely on one or two methods or players. A relentless team that will hound you when you step into their cage. A team of individual excellence that don’t know it because they focus on the collective. A squad without a weakness. A team without an obvious weakness. A team that might be currently over reliant on set pieces in certain games, but when we catch our rhythm, can score from anywhere and everywhere.
Look at that dedication out of possession. Not a single player cheating. Everyone taking responsibility. No passengers allowed. We’re even able to maintain our shape and going straight into counterpress. No team does this better.
Arsenal are an all consuming fire that has just started to get hot.
Imagine having to play Arsenal.
POSITIVES:
Rice:
I wasn’t aware until recently that a third of PL goals are scored by set plays. This stat alone makes a mockery of the criticism we are facing. In this upside down world, it is not surprising that we are getting a frequent spanking for something that we should be getting a round of applause for. It’s the world’s mode, unfortunately. Declan Rice is an elite technical player but at this level you can’t just rely on being better. He is committed to practicing his set plays so that he can fully rely on his automatisms rather than stand behind the ball and hope that he makes the correct connection. He is a perfect example of the standards that we set at Arsenal. Of all the moments in the game, his corners and free kicks have to be as good as perfect. If they are a foot too high then the keepers fists get it. A foot too low and the zonal defender gets it. Too slow and a group of players could impact the delivery.
I’ve been hoping to see Rice shooting more and being on the end of out swinging crosses. If and when he does, he will go down as one of football’s greatest all round midfielders.
Martinelli:
He seems to have found the perfect role. He may not agree but he needed a break from the expectation of starting and we needed a break from expecting him to fulfill his potential. His profile is perfectly suited to both be an impact sub and European nights. Some players unconsciously raise their game against European teams and I think he is one. They do this because they know that the world watches European nights but more than that, they get to show their international colleagues how good they are. A natural human response. His finish was the best of Martinelli. A perfectly timed run and a one touch, unstoppable finish.
Gabriel:
It’s pretty darn cool to be the best in the world at anything. He has achieved this in his ability to score and assist from set plays. He has no equal unless there is a Bulgarian giant whose last name ends in ‘ov’ that is superior, but when you live with Max McDonald, you can be pretty confident that this guy doesn’t exist because Scout Max would’ve told me.
Much like the impact of VG on the other players (read below), Gabriel can also be used as an effective decoy. They are so focused on stopping him, yet we have many tall trees who can take advantage and many nimble players (Trossard vs Fulham) that can take advantage of the free space. I see Norgaard coming to the fore this season from set plays. He was a huge danger at Brentford and I’d imagine that Jover has this in mind and Gabriel ‘the decoy’ Magalhaes will staert to appear.
Timber:
Player of the season so far? It’s between him and Zubimendi, I believe. He is arguably the best defensive right back in Europe already but it’s his desire to improve his offensive game that illuminates. What is so interesting is that he is creating and getting as many, if not more, attacking opportunities than anyone in our team. I believe that this is intentional. Arteta’s main strength is probably everything, but if I was to pick one I’d say ‘taking advantage of every part of the game.’ I’d imagine that one of his goals this season is to give our opponents a few new puzzles to fix. Having Timber as a ’10’ when attacking is certainly a problem that they aren’t facing each week. Any new problem takes them away from preparing themselves and having to prepare for a new type of opponent.
Zubimendi:
I think everyone would admit that he is better than they thought he was. Especially defensively. When he showed up we subconsciously compared his physique to Partey and it doesn’t compare too well. You wouldn’t notice during the game though. He is positionally excellent, even better than Partey. Aerially he has a huge leap. He is tougher than he looks and has the energy to play several 90’s in the PL and not fade.
Martin Zubimendi is so much more dynamic and aggressive than I thought he would be when he joined the club. He has adapted ridiculously well to probably the most complicated/demanding position in Arteta’s system.
Gyokeres:
When defending VG we have heard many state that his physical effort is worthy of his place. Right now, it is a part of his value. If the main thing isn’t working then make sure you are giving your best. What hasn’t been mentioned enough is that coming into this season we desperately needed Saka to have more space. This season he has had that and part of the reason is VG attracting two defenders. Take VG away and perhaps Saka gets smothered again.
Those two goals aren’t just important for him. They are important for the strategy and Saka in particular. I particularly loved that they were in the six yard box. Arsenal have not utilized this area anywhere near enough in the last two decades. The more goals we score in there, the more it opens up for the cutback and at that point, I think we become unstoppable. In fact, I’ve thought for years that this would unlock Arsenal. We have to dismiss teams like City have done over the last ten years. Ruthlessly smash teams by at least 4 goals on a regular basis so we can a mentally take a breather. Having just said that Arsenal don’t switch off, that seems like an odd statement but you have to separate switching off with relaxing the shoulders. Don’t switch off but take away the stress of not knowing that you are going to win.
MLS:
Competition is the best competition.
Lewis Skelly went into the game probably knowing that he needed to remind everyone of his super power. That turn, run and especially the weight of the pass was that. It married the need Martinelli had to show off his one touch finishing. He can only hit that perfect shot if the ball is rolling slow enough.
NEEDS:
Martinelli:
There is always going to be more that he can do because he has such a high ceiling. Even though he had his best game of the season, he has gotten into the bad habit of closing his eyes when he has a chance to score in the air. The AM game was the third time this season that he has closed his eyes and it has hit his shoulder.
Hincapie:
I thought that last night was the perfect time to introduce him. I’m sure that he is not 100% and I’m sure this was the reason, but I would’ve loved for him to have the chance to play on such a happy night.
Eze:
I wish he would be more demanding of himself to get on the ball. Maybe he’s under instruction to let the game come to him, but I suppose the comparison to Odegaard is in my head. I understand that he is a laid back personality and that his composure and chill is an asset, but personally I’d be pushing him to make the difference more often. When MLS made that run it made me wish even more so that Eze would bring the same directness.
HOPES:
Improvement:
Arsenal haven’t won the league in previous seasons because of our record against the mid-table teams. This is one of the ‘focuses for improvement’ this season. In previous seasons, playing Palace at home when they are hot would worry me. I trust this team though. Palace might be hot but I’d imagine that Arsenal will show up with their fire extinguisher on Sunday and we will forget how hot they were.
TWEETS and THOUGHTS:
Arsenal have never lost or conceded in a Champions League group/league phase game at the Emirates under Mikel Arteta
As far as Europe are concerned, the Emirates is a fortress for Arsenal.
Look how many phones are out for a corner…
It’s honestly like a penalty at this point. Arsenal are expected to score every corner they get. It’s crazy scenes.The whole story told by one video.
Take me back
No, thank you. On a serious note, this picture reminds us of how appreciative we should be of the huge progress,
I like this.
Gonna do nothing realistically but shows the club are aware and actively doing what they can to work on improving the atmosphere
Mikel ‘s fingerprints all over this.
Along with Dowman and Salmon, the standout talent on display for Arsenal is Ife Ibrahim.
Central-Midfielder with an insane technophysical base – languid frame like Vieira/Diaby who can glide through midfield. Comfortable using both feet, strong tackler and good ground coverage.
With our current options, I bet he goes on loan soon, alongside Salmon.
I think our defense has gone up to another level since Gabriel Heinze was appointed.
He has clearly impacted the defense line massively
It’s hard to spot because our defense was excellent this season, but the clean sheets tell the story by themselves.
FINAL THOUGHT:
Madueke and Havertz back soon. Hincapie ready to contribute. Dowman ripping up the U-21’s and U-19 national team. Odegaard last man back. What a blessing to be an Arsenal fan in 2025.
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.
Mike. Thanks for a good read.
I think Martinelli shines everytime the opponent discarded a low block and went for high defensive line/midblock instead. In your words, this situation occurs more likely in European night instead of weekend Premier League against mid/lower table team. Rice role as box to box has indeed made trouble for Atletico and they have to switch from 5 at the back to 442 defensively to close Rice. It gave space for Martinelli instead for the goal scoring position.
Glad we have different screwdriver for different bolt. So, you want to do a low block? Non-negotiable 5 at-the-back? Here comes Trossard for you. Oh, you are brave and want to fight head on? I present you, Martinelli…
I understand we have came a long way of building a team from GK to midfield. We have been successful so far, I believe. This year we finally start to add and sharpen our winger and frontmen. So I hope we can work on more tactical drills for attacking situations. We have been excellent with our built-up from GK to upfront to date. Now it is a time to built the finishing move. Bayern Munich should be our benchmark in this aspect. Yes, they, BM, have quality Frontline.. but the trace of drills can always be seen from their goal scoring situation. Hope we could sort that out this season.
As you said Mike. It doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate what our boys have been doing. We just want more from them. Because we know they can do more…
COYG.
A good read. Arteta has instilled a relentlessness in this team that has an effect equivalent to your first-touch example. So many other improvements flow from it.
A great piece from the head of the McDonald clan…
Havertz, Odegaard and Madueke should be ready to go after the next Interlull and just in time to give us a boost up till the end of the year.
Looking forward to Brighton on Wednesday and seeing our shadow squad get some badly needed minutes on the pitch. Dowman to start, Salmon on the bench, Harriman Annous perhaps. Would love to see the Brighton manager looking miserable after the game, nobody has a more grumpy face than him.