“Some, but not all…”
An Arsenal blog from a coach’s perspective.
On one level constructive criticism of Arsenal players seems somewhat harsh when we are in every competition and top of them all. On the other hand, the standards are so high that meeting them isn’t easy and if you fall away 5% then you start glowing. If you want the standards to stay high then you have to push those that are not meeting them.
So that is what I’m going to do because much like Mikel, I wasn’t happy after that game.
There aren’t really games in the PL that are guaranteed points but if there is one over the last few years, it is against a team that still hasn’t won after nearly half a season.
Here are the players that are currently below the high standards;
Martin Odegaard:
There are a few issues here. You may have seen the clips of him online doing some kind of Nordic dance routine when Buendia was about to score the winner last week. A small thing but part of what makes us different and better than others. He did the same thing on Saturday when the cross came in for the goal. Bouncing up and down rather than attempting a tackle or block. I think this has always been an issue for him. I think it has been hidden because he gives so much physical effort and is so willing to get on the ball. I think Martin Odegaard has a fear of being hurt and the spotlight has finally found it and stopped on it. The problem for Martin is that this isn’t just a non-negotiable for Arteta, it is for every footballer wanting to play at the highest level. If you think my statement is harsh, then visualize him in an aerial duel. He either stays on the ground or gives a token effort but doesn’t ever win them. Is this a big deal in the grand scheme of things? Yes and no. Yes, because there will be times like the last two games where he has to get physically involved or we suffer. No, because this won’t happen often. Unless teams start noticing and promoting that their players shoot when they are in his zone.
The other issue he has is that he has almost no connection with VG. Again, you might have seen the clips of VG making great runs and Odegaard ignoring him. Whether VG is the answer or not, it’s hard to know if we ignore the runs we want him to make when he makes them. Regardless of how well he connects with Saka, the whole attacking structure of your football team should be mostly built around the style of the chap who you want to score the most goals. You see this so clearly at City. They played their tiki-taka all the way to their striker prior to Haaland. When he showed up there was far less of this and far more balls behind and crosses to his head.
Ebe Eze:
He is now the option to MO. His issue is the strength of MO. He floats in and out of games. He seems to have the attitude of ‘I’ll take it when you give it to me,’ rather than ‘give me the ball, I want to dictate.’ He seems to be more willing to be adventurous and creative but not as naturally driven. This is an issue for him mainly because his competition excels at his weakness and so you can’t not see it whether you are looking for it or not. Watching Eze is like watching the grandparents monitoring their grandkids at the beach. They’ve been on guard most of their life and now they want to chill on the lounger. Eze was the main man for most of his career and is playing as if he is now putting on sunscreen and having a nap whilst the kids play.
On the other hand, this could all be deliberate. Merino in midfield is intentionally ignored. His job is to be on the end of the move, not in the middle of it. Eze has a similar talent inside the box so perhaps his gift of taking 5 minute naps is to direct attention elsewhere.
His tendency to be laid back is again illuminated when Trossard comes on with a refusal to just float through the game. I’ll talk about him later.
Myles Lewis Skelly:
Getting the balance between keeping a winning team and keeping confidence high in your squad players is almost impossible. MLS was first choice last season at such a young age. Given a brand new Audi as his first car and then forced to trade it in for a Ford Fiesta. The decision to not start him against Wolves was really odd. White has gotten injured because he is naturally trying to impress and get his place back and doing doggies up and down the pitch, game after game when Myles could’ve played LB and Timber shift to RB, allowing Saliba to play in his natural position too, rather than the one he periodically does for France. The message that he has been given is that he is not trusted against the only team in English football without a win and in a home game too. Without knowing the whole story, this might be Arteta’s strangest decision of the season.
Last season Myles was so solid and now he looks shaky. Maybe this is just natural for a player now playing in bits and pieces.
Gabriel Martinelli:
Of all those at this current Arsenal super-squad, his future is starting to look most precarious. He has the disease that Arteta will least like…. Inconsistency.
The Champions League music seems to ignite a fire in him and yet PL games seem to see him become so passive and submissive. Always passing the ball backwards. Passing the buck. Looking afraid to make a mistake. This was evidenced by him trying to head the ball across goal rather than simply heading it in.
He reminds me of a bat. Comes out at night for the 8pm kick offs, but doesn’t seem to be at it if he is playing in daylight.
Viktor Gyokeres:
I think that VG is the victim of the automatisms of others. Before he arrived this group have been playing the same way for years. He shows up and has a different style. Different needs. He isn’t connecting with anyone and I believe that this is a natural consequence of him being a more traditional striker. The fact that we play Merino as a false nine as the alternative, is likely throwing off the habits of others.
I will say that VG could help himself by being more alive in the box. He seems to be flat footed and late to react.
I’m also aware that many international players come alive in their second season.
At Arsenal you can’t be inconsistent. You can’t pick and choose when you switch on. You can’t not attempt to block a shot. You can’t sulk. You can’t be passive or submissive. You can’t be afraid to fail.
The good news is that these issues come amongst an impressive victory in Belgium, smacking Spurs and Bayern Munich and 6 points against Brentford and Wolves. Top of the PL and CL and in the quarter finals of the CC. Not exactly a club in crisis. The fact that I’m talking about this at all is a huge compliment to the massive progress and very high standards that Arsenal have.
POSITIVES:
Trossard:
I was so concerned about the scoreline that I didn’t notice the performance of Trossard. I saw a compilation of his game on Twitter. He was simply more ambitious. Like I said earlier, he had a refusal to not make a big impact. I hope the coaching staff use his highlights to show others what is necessary if you are asked to be a creative player.
Saka:
That captain’s armband is starting to sit prettier on Saka now. A captain is brave. A captain can’t complain at others if he’s not doing so himself.
That corner had some insane bend on it. No wonder Johnstone misread it.
Rice:
I’m happy that he was pissed at the end of the game. It doesn’t matter if he’s the captain or niot, he was let down by Merino and Odegaard that last 10 minutes. Apparently, he went off in the changing room. Looking at Arteta at the press conference, I’d say they tag teamed.
Jesus:
I sure would like Jesus to stay in January. He is the antidote to the struggling version of Arsenal. That unpredictability is the answer to the deep block. It’s a Plan B and nobody has it quite like he does. Ask yourself why we are nearly halfway through the season, spend 70% of our time in or around the opponents box and have barely had a penalty kick all season. You get most penalty kicks when you do something that the opponent wasn’t expecting. Just saying.
Hincapie:
He is looking more and more like a reliable member of the best squad in Europe. I believe we can activate his loan into a purchase in January, and I’m sure we will. He epitomizes this group. Serious, focused, technical and consistent.
Odegaard:
I have to be fair to Odegaard. As much as his Nordic dance moves are about to become the new ‘6-7’ it has to be recognized that his shooting has become more frequent, powerful and accurate. Very welcome.
NEEDS:
Slow start/Control:
Wolves haven’t just struggled this season but have given up on many occasions. You just have to score first. It looked to me like we were trying to prioritize control rather than scoring. If you’ve read my work for a while, you will know that I am a firm believer in spending the first 20 minutes of the game trying to get ahead. That if you were to fail and possibly go behind, you have another 70+ minutes to recover it. If you are at home, the crowd will have so much appreciation for your intent and energy from having watched you pour forward that they will push you vocally on to victory.
I’m really not sure why we didn’t do this for this game in particular.
HOPES:
Ben White:
He is out for a month. Sigh 🙁
It seems so unnecessary.
Everton:
They are without their best player for our visit. N’Diaye. Lovely. There are others possibly out too, including Grealish on the other wing.
Left Winger:
Will Arsenal go for a left winger in January? I suppose that depends on whether the one they want is available and possibly going elsewhere if we don’t react. My best guess is that Martinelli will go in the summer and that money will go towards a replacement that offers as close to a similar threat as Saka. The club might want to bring a top player in to give us a reason to step up, or at least certain players. The options seem to be Yildaz at Juventus, Semenyo, Diomade at RB Leipzig, Anthony Gordon, possibly Vini Jr, Rapael Leao, Bradley Barcola, Rodrygo, Malick Fofana at Lyon.
They are all good players but I do have a preference for Semenyo. Raphael Leao has the highest ceiling alongside Barcola and Yildaz and offers the sparkle that Martinelli lacks. I want a player that thinks he can do it by himself. Has the confidence of Saka who simply mamkes the right decision whether that is more team minded or like Saturday, a need for someone to carry the team on their back.
TWEETS and THOUGHTS:
I can’t tell you much about this guy. I’ll have to talk to that son of mine who probably knows the last time he tripped over in his front garden.
So very impressive!
I hope you use it well. This is also a shame for look for the league. Such short-term thinking as a time will likely come where players will protect their careers and not play in England because the football never stops.
FINAL THOUGHT:
I just wanted to thank everybody for reading my work in 2025. It’s not just fun for me to share my thoughts but it is important for me personally. After leaving England in the 90’s, I was concerned that my love for Arsenal and the lack of Arsenal interest in Tennessee, would make me want to go back. That’s not easy when your spouse is a hometown girl and your kids have their own life over here.
I have many regular friends who email me and are my ‘Arsenal pub.’ I really appreciate them! Hit me up on X (@mike_mmcdonald) or BlueSky (@mikemcdonald21.bsky.social to exchange emails and become part of the family!
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.
Morning, and thanks for post. Good stuff, something worrying about that game the last 10-15 minutes. Like form falling off a cliff, thinking about Sland, Villa game creeping in to their heads, fear?
Great post Mike, I’ve had some reservations about Odegaard for awhile now, but because he is much loved by fans et al, I’ve kept them under wraps. I thought there were times during his absence that Eze linked up far better with Viktor, Eze also wasn’t so fixated with playing everything down the right wing using the left wing and making us less lop-sided and to top it off Eze has 4 PL goals and Martin has none. Food for thought perhaps?
As for Martinelli, I really like him as a player and as a person but on the field he can be so damned frustrating, when Myles came on for Benjamin he hardly made a forward pass along the left flank (am I imagining that?) he either passed sideways or passed back. I was grumbling about him not being progressive enough and then Trossard comes on for GM and Myles is knocking it forward every time! So was it that Trossard made himself available and Gabriel maybe less so?
Right-back is going to be a worry because if Mikel rinses Timber over the next 10 or so games, where White is expected to be missing, then I fear for Jurrien’s fitness. I hope that Arteta and his coaches can work on an alternative option, even from the bench, be it Josh Nichols or Marli Salmon or maybe someone playing out of position, just to lessen the load on Timber.
I can’t think of anyone that stands out for me as an obvious January signing unless a great opportunity presents itself. I think we have a great squad, all we need is for them to stay fit, so maybe sign a physiotherapist with magic hands?
A thoughtful read, as ever, about a game that was an enervating watch, the worst of late-era Wenger with the ball circulating back and forth around the horseshoe of ennui at seemingly ever-slower pace until the final, desperate minutes after Wolves had equalised.
The point about Ødegaard and Gyökeres’s lack of chemistry is well made, though their injuries have limited the time they have had together to develop an understanding. It may also be that the team has got so used to playing without a conventional No 9 that it has forgotten how to play with one. Once ingrained, automatisms are hard to shake off, which is sort of their point. Martinelli’s header back across the goal rather than into it is another example.
Also, MLS will be a testing exercise in man-management for Arteta. I can’t imagine what it is like for a 19-year-old to go in the space of a few months from being talked of as England’s first-choice left back for the next three World Cups to not being able to get a game against the worst team in the league.
Mike, thanks for your article.
The wolves game was awful. We came back on top due to the brilliance of Bukayo Saka, and a masterclass from Arteta for not resting him and let him play full 90 minutes. Other than that, we are awful.. and this is worrying for me because the trend can be seen since Chelsea ‘s game, but we didn’t do anything to overcome the problems.
My default prediction for normal Arsenal game is to win by 2-0. One goal from setpiece, one goal from open play, zero goal conceded due to no nonsense defense.
But now we don’t have Gabriel to score from corner. No wonder our setpiece becomes less threatening. What is worrying for me, we don’t do anything to compensate Gabriel’s role. We should still score at least one setpieces every game by other means. Smith Rowe’s goal against Burnley shows that it doesn’t have to be tall to score from the corner. What Fulham did there, low cross while ESR sneakily goes to the near post, is is definitely a planned move. We need this alternate corner version without Gabriel. This is why we have Nico Jover, to design a setpiece strategy with or without Gabriel. And Saka’s goal from the corner definitely not a result of a drill, it was individual brilliance.
We also struggles to score from open play. Merino fits the role very well because he is comparable to Havertz. As you said above, VG was not used to his strength, but he also didn’t adapt to Arsenal style. We need him to win the long ball that Raya gives him to start an attack. But his first touch is heavy, he didn’t win the first ball, he didn’t win the foul either. I can’t count how many time we lose the long ball. It makes our built up becomes unidimensional: a short pass from the back to the Frontline; a reason why Man City fall short last season.
With the injury to Saliba and Gabriel, we lost two towers who secures our aerial territory. In this situation, it is too much to ask from Zubimendi to help the aerial duels. From a team that was unpenetrable from aerial threats, now we become an easy target for long ball and crosses. Either put Rice on that 6 position while defending (let Zubi defend further upfront), or call Norgaard instead.
It’s not about winning or losing, but understanding the ripped part, and cover it. Since Chelsea game, Villa has tried to double team Zubimendi and use long ball to enter the center area. Now Wolves scores from header. They know our problems, yet we have not done anything to solve.
Hopefully, with more time to rest, we can sort it out. Securing aerial threats to the center of our backline, improving our built-up, and scoring from setpieces without Big Gabi.
COYG