Arteta at a Crossroads with Key Creative Decisions to make
Even the most ardent of positive Arsenal fans have taken the home defeat to Leicester badly and the questioning of Arteta’s methods and tactics is on the increase. It would be fair to say the Spaniard’s honeymoon period during which he basked in FA Cup glory and to a degree the Community Shield triumph, is […]
Arteta’s Arsenal continually making me ask WHY?
Arsenal making me Why? Overall, since Mikel Arteta took over I’ve been beyond excited. To the point where I’ve nailed a bold statement to the wall by telling my friends, “You’ll see. Arteta will be one of the best coaches in Europe in a short period of time.” This may still happen as the list […]
Who can solve the Creativity Issue for Arteta until January Transfer Window?
We’ve had at least 24hrs to calm down from the match against Leicester. An amount of time to dissipate the red mist and see things a little bit more clearly (or at very least not want to smash your TV). I’m no angel; I wasn’t best pleased with the result and was left asking so […]
Like two drops of water – Arteta’s Arsenal are what Emery wanted us to be but also what Emery made us!
Reset your brain and watch our game against Leicester, last night.It could have been just another Arsenal performance under Unai Emery: short of ideas, zero movement in attack, passive midfield with zero creativity.When he first came in, the former Sevilla and PSG coach had two main targets: fix the defensive phase and make Arsenal competitive […]
Lack of quality and creativity in final third proving problematic for toothless Arsenal [ARS 0-1 LEI]
Almost directly on the back of losing our first league game at home since December, fans vented their frustrations far and wide on the glaring lack of quality and creativity in the final third. For me it was the worst performance under Arteta by a long stretch in a game that sent shivering reminders of […]
The System or the Game? Arteta’s coaching style on trial… [Positive Needs & Hopes]
The System or the Game POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES Some games feel more important than others. Yesterdays game felt particularly important. This might have been because our results have been as expected so far. This game was against an equal. It had the power to send us one point off top, but even though we […]
Tactical Breakdown of win in Vienna as Bellerin and Aubameyang provide the Gunners with a positive impact
First Half With regards to the shape, Arteta continued with the hybrid 3-4-3 system. Generally, it was a 4-3-3 because the Gunners were predominantly in possession and a 2-3-5 formation was deployed as they approached the final third. The diagram below illustrates how Cedric would partner Pepe in the attacking phase, with Elneny covering the […]
Attacking Solution Enclosed: how to get the Gunners firing again [Positive Needs & Hopes]
Attacking solution enclosed POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES “Do Rapid Vienna have a goalkeeper? I haven’t seen him yet and this is the 55th minute” “This looks like a massive game of keep away. Again.” “If we are going to score, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be from open play.” “Eddie looks lost. Why […]
In Footballing Terms Arteta has decided to build a system around Aubameyang not Ozil – Simples!
So much has been written already about the Mesut Ozil situation, much of it, agenda driven and most of it speculation. I can promise no agenda in my own views other than a footballing one. I will say however that however much I applaud his work for charity, his defence of the oppressed and his […]
Özil and Arsenal – Caught in a Bad Romance
For far too long Özil and Arsenal have been intertwined in a sadly tragic affair. Both player and club are reminding me of the hit Lady Gaga song, Bad Romance. One particular line in the song goes as follows, “You and me could write a bad romance”. That line is strangely fitting as I am […]