Big Arsenal badge in case you were wondering.
Today’s post is brought to you via guest blogger, Kevin Coupland, who you can find on Twitter here @Kevin_Coupland.
Arsene’s tenure will be remembered for both the accolades and the style of football (a combination of monopolized possession and world-class combination play.) Here we break down 5 potential successors from a philosophical and tactical perspective:
Max Allegri – The Tactician
This appointment would reflect a cultural change. Allegri does follow a loose footballing philosophy however truly his strength sits with adopting his approach based on his opposition. Switching formation from 4-2-3-1 to 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 is not uncommon whilst neither is deploying players in unnatural positions (see Mandzukic as a left winger.) In terms of general team traits, Allegri does like to dominate possession (including a defence that plays out from the back and steps into midfield as required), slow probing attacks and fast-paced counter-attacks (as opportunities present themselves.) Allegri is likely to still employ a creative talent like Mesut Ozil in a free role but without defensive responsibly, with strong foundations around him to offset the imbalance. As expected from an Italian Manager, we can expect an improved defensive structure with two banks of four employed deep, at least one ball-retrieval expert in midfield and a reversion to a defensive block and counter-attacking approach when defending a lead. Allegri is the first choice for a number of Arsenal supporters given his tactical acumen, however, supporters will need to accept a less defined philosophy with an approach that changes almost weekly dependent on the opposition.
Carlo Ancelotti – The Adaptor
Ancelotti’s brilliance is that he doesn’t commit to one footballing philosophy but instead evaluates the strengths of a squad and devises a strategy accordingly. Given the makeup of the current squad, we can, therefore, expect a similar attacking approach with minor tweaks to improve efficiency (such as a reduction in possession in favour of faster transitions between the lines so to get the ball forwards more quickly.) Other common traits include attacking full backs and the deployment of several playmakers across a midfield that also includes at least one deep-lying (which could be good news for Granit Xhaka.) Whilst Ancelotti is generally considered a direct and attacking manager, he is renowned for prioritizing pragmatism over flair meaning personnel will be measured on their attacking output (goals and assists) and/or defensive contribution in what will most likely be a 4-4-2 (diamond), 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation. Ancelotti’s real unique selling point is his excellent man-management and impressive good recruitment record rather than a particular philosophy or approach. It is worth nothing that Ancelotti only stays at club’s short-term, so a longer-term plan would need to be developed if he is appointed.
Joachim Loew – The All-Rounder
Joachim Loew has managed the German National Side since 2004 with limited club management experience in the year’s prior (apart from stints in Turkey, Austria and the German Lower Leagues), making him a gamble given his lack of experience in recruiting and a building a competitive club side. What is exciting is his belief that a team should contain a variety of qualities to create a well-balanced proposition rather than being restricted by one specific philosophy. This would mean an Arsenal team that contains Mesut Ozil type players with flair and creativity but also players of work-rate and discipline (Thomas Muller types) to balance the approach. Germany and Loew are well known for their high energy game which allows for an exciting high press to win the ball high (therefore the type of manager who would bring the best out of Aaron Ramsey), but also domination of possession and the ability to launch devastating counter attacks as opportunities present. Typical German efficiency dictates a strong defensive platform within his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, reverting into a compact 4-4-1-1 when defending deep (if the high press has failed), built around a well-formed centre-back partnership that contains both an aggressive commander and sweeper. Loew is likely to bring balance the balance to Arsenal that has been sorely lacking, however there is no doubting this represents a gamble given his lack of experience in club football.
Luis Enrique – The Individualist
A La Liga and Champions League winner achieved at a club renowned for playing the best football of its generation. Whilst that in itself appears compelling, the tactical approach involved a migration from Guardiolia’s tika taka football to a more direct style that relied on the individual brilliance of Messi, Suarez and Neymar. The philosophy transitioned from a systematic and collective attacking approach to one that focused on individual quality and improvision, the issue therefore being the lack of such elite quality at Arsenal. There are similarities to Arsenal’s current philosophy including a monopoly of possession (naturally occurring due to better quality players) and pacey counter attacks which naturally occur out of the directive to get the ball forwards quickly, however at present one would assume the system is likely to falter due to the difference in offensive quality and improved level of defending within the Premier League. Enrique could adapt his approach based on these mitigating factors but then we are moving into territory of the unknown rather than the approach that brought Enrique past success.
Diego Simeone – The Pragmatist
A Manager who has achieved European and Domestic success, competing against rival superpowers who hold a stronger financial advantage. Such success was achieved by creating one of the best defensive systems in Europe, involving a high press to disrupt the opposition playing from the back and then two deep compact banks of four should the ball transition into Atletico’s own half. This approach relies on a commitment to defensive excellence and therefore deployment of personnel with the required discipline and mindset, for example positionally aware central midfielders over flair players out wide. Goal scoring comes in the form of quick counter attacks or long balls (with expert hold up play) which relies on the opposition exposing themselves too high up the pitch or an individual piece of skill from a forward player, likely to be isolated without great levels of support. In fairness, recent times has seen Atletico begin to dominate possession against lesser sides however their defensive excellence is still the priority, foundation and platform of their success. Arsenal need to consider their willingness to adopt to a different style of play and their willingness to accept a transitional period to overhaul the current playing staff in order to adopt such a system (which likely to take a minimum of two years.)
These are five of the best Managers in world football, albeit with different philosophies and approaches, but all with proven success. Evaluating Arsenal’s current philosophy and considering the timescales each would need to execute their preferred strategy, Allegri, Ancelotti or Loew would appear to be the most logical candidates.
DM
Back again
Trofee
Tr4phy
Nice one guys.
Come at me bro
Pedro
Why is it sometimes my posts show and at others I can’t post ?
It’s annoying to say the least.
5 experienced coaches… who won’t be coming.
(Why worry when you can have Arteta ?)
Pedro, since a week you can’t stop making praise about the Spaniard, so I guess that you weren’t really inspired this morning.
Out of those 5 only 2 may come at best
German coach just signed a new contract
Simione is on his last year at athletico
And alegri won’t step down from them to us
An interesting read :
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/15118/11376659/mikel-arteta-to-arsenal-why-it-might-be-a-gamble-worth-taking
Ivan has discovered his balls and wants a nice fluffy wuffy Mikel to not rock the boat and still have control of the club, Mikel will be a coach not a manager there was no way a big name with demands was coming in.
“5 experienced coaches… who won’t be coming“
Lol! To true. When I read the names I must say I skipped the article. All very well written I’m sure but largely irrelevant …
“Mikel will be a coach not a manager ”
Which is eaxrly what we need. I’m done with “Ron Manager” wanting to run everything DaveBassett style from the 80s.
Fuck that. Personally I don’t want another incarnation of Wenger back.
5 coaches I wouldn’t want….. well maybe Allegri.
TonyD
Ha ha, I am just being cynical about Ivan Gazidis.
Unlike our dear blogger, who is very much Ivan-in.
I do want Arteta to succeed. I want Gazidis to succeed.
I want them to beat down my cynicism in a way Wenger never succeeded.
Wenger is gone now.NOBODY CAN REPLACE HIM.Mark my word
@GOONER4EVER : well, in a way, it’s a blessing in disguise!! lol
Let’s be totally honest here, all the players wanted Wenger out. That’s been obvious for some time.
IF Arteta is the one, I’m convinced you’ll see a different attitude in the squad for next season. Christ, you could have got a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump at pitchside to see a marked improvement in the team.
Have a little faith and trust(remember those things?).
Wenger is history(hallelujah)).
Let’s unite and start again.
I hear Wenger is lost and hasn’t even emptied his desk.
Reality has suddenly hit home.
Irrespective of who gets the job, I will be taking my first steps around the outside of the Emirates in nearly six years next week.
Will Wenger still be hanging about?
GOONER4EVER, you have duly been marked … as a fucking AKB cunt …
So we’re just waiting for this from Gazidis: “I’m pleased to say we have scoured the world and can’t find any better coach than Mikel Arteta. You may have heard this before and we did win an FA cup and were semi finalists the EL, which is far better than Stoke, West Brom, West Ham and Crystal balance so we really overachieved there. Now you’ve all had time to take in the drip feeding from the press and Pedro to get used to the idea of our new coach although sorry to say Untold couldn’t get on board because they… Read more »
G4E
What the hell are you smoking?!
@Graham : but unfortunatelly, he keeps on talking to the press, repeating all the shit that we already know for years, nobody cares but if he could shut the fuck up and go to Russia for some tourism, before commentating the WC games… (please Vladimir, KEEP HIM IN JAIL!!)
I think people need to calm down about Arteta. We are not simply replacing managers, we are enacting a whole new structure the equivalent of a business turn around plan. It will take time, there will be lows along the way but it’s in train. We have shifted all the stiffs on the coaching and managerial side, that was critical. We have capable people on the football side no one can argue otherwise about Sven and Raul. I for one am grateful that there will be a proper tiered structure as opposed to one selfish old man who had inappropriate… Read more »
Don’t be to harsh with G4E, he was on his way to Untold, but he took the wrong turn…
‘Wenger is gone now.NOBODY CAN REPLACE HIM.Mark my word’
More like nobody wants to.
G gun
That’s how I feel about things.
Any of those 5 would be welcome. Unfortunately it won’t be any of them.
http://www.skysports.com/transfer/news/12691/11376883/justin-kluivert-criticises-ajax-over-contract-dealings
Sign him up
I’d love it to be Allegri, still holding faint hopes for this also.
Whoever is appointed, first things first will have to tell Wenger to sling his hook. He’s no longer manager but still taking up desk space??!! What a hoarder!
Point of this blog post?
Arteta is all but confirmed.
Tbf it was a good read.
And a nice gut punch reminder of all the smart choice appointments we are discarding to the side for an inexperienced rookie.
Guernsey
Agreed. Arteta wouldn’t be my choice, but if they go with him, they are doing so because they rate him highly, think he’s young, smart and ambitious.
I think we should hold off on criticism until we see how he actually does as manager. We also need to see what kind of signings we make this summer.
This post was actually painful to read.
All Pedro is doing is reminding us that not one of the 5 is coming lol
“Arsenal close to appointing boss, next week likely. Start of continental model: head coach slots into predefined structure, will contribute to recruitment decisions & have veto. Transfer targets were discussed with interviewees, pre-sales budget ~£50m.” – David Ornstein
As I said yesterday, a look at our balance sheet and income statement suggests that the 50m figure is correct.
50million quid to spend is a travesty.
I’m in shock, what the fuck was the point of moving to Emirates?
Where is that fabled rainy day fund for when we inevitably collapsed out of top 4 due to Wengers incompetence?
If someone explained this entire current scenario to me in 2010 I woulda called them a loon!
If it helps anyone to feel better, Ornstein says there are “whispers” that Allegri is very much still in the picture as a possibility.
“Arsenal manager search: Arteta likely but Allegri still in mix?”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/44165995
So its gonna be Mikel Arteta armed with 50 million quid!
So many extreme WOBs’ bubble bursting. Ofcourse Bamford is already busy shifting goalposts and all that.
Allegri isn’t gonna touch us with a barge pole with a 50 million budget.
He’s not a clown like Arteta who’s gonna waste time spouting big yet empty words. The rebuild needs hundreds of millions.
OleGunner
Not being in the CL has hurt financially. So, too, I think have lackluster commercial deals. And we have been spending money. Whether we have spent it wisely is another matter. Not selling Sanchez for a tidy sum hurt a little, as did not selling Wilshere some time ago.
Rambo
How is being honest about our financial situation “shifting goalposts”? Do explain, mate.
“The rebuild needs hundreds of millions.”
All the money is gone –> Emirates stadium + Ozil’s wages lol
Realistically we will only get 20m for Rambo ?
Lets assume we’ll sell Mustafi+Ramsey, realistically these are the only two who’ll fetch us decent sum.
Then we’ll require
A starting 11 goalie
Two quality CBs
Two quality midfielders
With a budget of around 100 million.
Comedy.
Will Cech be the new goalie coach ?
Bit of a cruel post today.
A case of this is what you could have got.
Rambo
Also, as gambon pointed out, Allegri has rarely if ever spent more than £50m in a summer, and he has rarely if ever spent more than Wenger was allowed to spend at Arsenal.
Allegri signed Alex Sandro for £18m, Blaise Matuidi for £18m and Sami Khedira for free. The notion that he would only come to Arsenal if he were allowed to sign four to five £50m players is nonsense.
Who else can we knock out for a few Schkles
Jenkinson
Mustafi
Rambo
Ospina
Akpom ? Or will he be given a chance if we sell welbeck
They ar3 both par players yeah?
Ishola
Posted by the late great Jim Bowen
Allegri has no reason to go to Arsenal other than greed but at this time we do not even know if this aspect is feasible given the reports of Arsenal’s diminishing financials.
Juventus are involved at a higher level on the european stage in recent times than Arsenal and more than likely Juve have handed him a recent pay rise to continue.
One CB will do. A good coach can bring one of our other CBs up to snuff. But we do need a new GK. Ramsey can fetch at least 35-40m, if you want to sell him. Xhaka at least 25m. I’d also consider selling Lacazette if you think we need so much money. Bellerin and Monreal are probably adequate for the moment. We are going to need to be practical. A practical, hard-working solid central midfield coupled with a practical, no-nonsense CB pairing. Certain people here only like big names and turn up their noses at any signing that would… Read more »
Arsenal should go down the pragmatic path if they want to win a big trophy in the next ten years.
Change the identity. Become difficult to beat.
But alas dreamers abound. Wenger induced dreamers.
Seems some want the perfect romantic noble football club. Operating on a shoe string budget compared to others while playing jogo bonito football.
Very noble and all but pitfalls everywhere you look.
Bamford Daft comparison. Juve are the biggest club in Italy meaning they already have great players and its not hard for them to sign new ones. Arsenal are sixth in the PL with a shit squad needing a rehaul. There are 5 teams that have better squads than us and we’ll have to pay premium prices to get players because (a) the money in the PL and (b)We are in a desperate position. Saw this with Auba. Pep Guardiola needed half a billion to transform previous league winners into new league winners. There is no getting away from the fact… Read more »
* and helped them
People forget that the nearest Arsenal came to winning the biggest trophy on the planet the CL in that run to the final against Barca it was noted that Arsenal were unusually pragmatic in their approach that season in europe aided by the involvement of Martin Keown.
Bamford
I dont think the 50mill would be a problem only maybe to Maureen its the shit we have on high wages that dont have much sell on value. Thats what Wenger left us with. A net spend of 50mill is decent and surprisingly a lot of top managers could work with that. Its the low value of what we have thats gonna make it hard. Many could see the cul de sac Wenger was leading us down with his bullshit values.
Rambo
Well, I don’t totally agree with all of that, but it’s also somewhat beside the point. We have £50m to spend, barring sales. We need to find a way to finish fourth. Those are the facts. Bleating about how one wishes it were otherwise is pointless.
Gunner2301
Agree with all of that.
Why is everybody ignoring the fact that we outspend Juve by a billion miles ? This whole ‘ we’ve only got £50 mill to spend ‘ is fucking ridiculous , we’re obviously going to sell , so what’s the problem ? Ever thought that it’s not the best to shout about how much you’ve got ? , when we spent 110 mil , was that figure shouted about before we spent it ? I don’t think it was – if I’m wrong please post the link where it was stated As for Arteta – said it before I’ll say it… Read more »
Bamford’s transformation has me speechless.
After ranting endlessly over Wenger’s inadequacies, now he’s shooting lines straight from the Wenger book.
Overvaluing our players, Compromising quality, signing the cheap and inexpensive, gambling on internal solutions.
”Bleating about how one wishes it were otherwise is pointless.”
Well good luck with that Bamford. Your bleating over Wenger will ultimately come to a waste then. Get ready for more of the same.
“mr wenger your taxi is waiting”
“which one?” says wenger.
looking out the window there is a sea of cars, taxis and vans with their motors running and drivers beckoning wenger to get in. haha….out!
“Thats what Wenger left us with.”
But wenger said that he lets the club in “strong position”, and uncle arsène is not a liar !! He’s not, right ??
We don’t need hundreds of millions. We need: 1) the existing players that will be retained properly drilled and coached, that will happen 2) A proper scouting network, not wengers yes men spending the budget shagging whores around Europe, that will happen. 3) following on from 2 shrewd acquisitions, ala Kante,, mahrez, Eriksson, Suarez, coutinho, etc etc.
I remain confident with a new continental structure with staff recruited and retained on a meritocracy as opposed to being a paid up member of wengers inner circle. Good times are coming.
Overvaluing our players, Compromising quality, signing the cheap and inexpensive, gambling on internal solutions.
Noticing that. Changing the goalposts to suit a Stan Ivan narrative
If arteta does well, wenger will say he was under his wing and take credit. If he does badly wenger will allude to the logic that they let the master go too soon. Either way wenger will be smirking for years after he got the sack.
Oh yes and for those thinking an owner who comes in and splashes the cash like billy big bollox, remember moshri at Everton. 1. Ends up with fat Sam to save the season 2. Spends a combined 69 mil on gylfi siggurdsson and Davy klassens ( who I hear you say….google it) 3. Still going balls deep for Marco Silva …big mistake imo. 4.Steve Walsh as dof, ok he’s been canned now with the guy from Psv, but please that clown from Leicester c.1998. We will be by no means perfect next season but when you look at the above… Read more »
tbh I do think arteta will do at least a sound job, probably getting arsenal in the top 4 in 2 seasons. Its all speculation, but from the background reports on him ive read, he is no mug…certainly no wenger.
The 50 million stuff must be to scare off potential managers. I still believe that there is no set budget and that it’s more of a case of not going crazy. Otherwise Leno, Coglar. Sokratis and Seri at 22, 35, 20, 35 million respectively that’s well over 100 million. It makes no sense. Especially when you consider that of potential sales we could make like Ramsey, hopefully Xhaka and Mustafi and Bellerin we’d still need another midfielder and a RB especially if Bellerin is sold
Considering that 30-40 million gets you shite these days the idea of a budget of 50 million is about 10 years out of date and unrealistic.
What about reducing Ozil’s wage ??
(just kidding Mesut, relax)
Noone is asking for hundreds of millions to be spent every season. But we do need to do it now, a one-time, probably heavy investment.
Others who think we’re going places with minimal investment combined with ‘better coaching’ have their heads stuck in LaLa land.
Is there any CB out there that doesn’t dive into tackles and sell themselves?
This Sokratis guy does the same.
He’s got better overall concentration levels than Mustafi but still dives in recklessly enough times and commits plenty of fouls.
He would be a slight upgrade on Mustafi. Also looks like he may be losing just a bit of pace nearing 30 yo.
I think Arsenal like his price tag of 15m.
If only there were some more Godin’s of Atletico Madrid out there.
Exactly. A new manager with a war chest at the beginning and then let him mould and tweak here and there year after year. To change the mentality and ambitions of the club they’ll need more than a novice and a meagre budget to set things right.
Of course, none of us know what’s actually gone on internally at the club in terms of the manager hunt, but what feels weird to me is that at no point was Jardim ever linked as being a favoured candidate, or at short odds with the bookies. Standing back, you’d think that in our position he’d be almost the closest fit, but there’s been little to no noise about him at any point. Is it the case that his contract at Monaco is insurmountable (i.e would cost £20m+ just to get him out), or that he genuinely speaks no English… Read more »
Agree Ishola cheaping out on a vital position doesn’t seem to be a thing that’s going away. The Turkish lad as a prospect signing is smart but the experienced leader type defensive signing of Sokratis isn’t for me. Much rather we properly addressed that issue with someone like Koulibaly Gimenez or DeVrij. Quit kicking the can down the line you know
Ishola
We have to stop buying 29 year olds on big wages. If we don’t immediately bounce back to the CL under the new manager, it’s going to be all the more difficult after that if we have 4 or 5 key first team starters all heading towards retirement at the same time.
Auberjune is back with a bang.
Why would the club want to ‘scare off’ potential managerial candidates? This is why you’re a dummy. As if that would ever be the clubs approach to this.
Because if we hired a manager like Allegri for example he’d probably insist on bringing in good players to improve us to compete for trophies and that costs big money. You don’t think a top manager would take on improving a team that finished 6th place and aimed at competing for trophies with a budget of 50 million? Good luck getting that guy
What a waste of an otherwise decent post. It’s over. Arteta has already been selected. They’ve floated the trial balloon and they wouldn’t leave him to hang out to dry at this stage.
Elmo “We have to stop buying 29 year olds on big wages. If we don’t immediately bounce back to the CL under the new manager, it’s going to be all the more difficult after that if we have 4 or 5 key first team starters all heading towards retirement at the same time.” If he was the equivalent of an Aubameyang in defence then you could squeeze another in with the knowledge that he is going to have a big influence on defence and sure up an area where Arsenal are lacking. But unfortunately he is not that player. Another… Read more »
A manager who has never managed a day in his life and a £50m transfer budget… Wait… were… we relegated last season??
Gimenez would be an immense signing. Like Lucas Hernandez he’s seems incredibly mature and confident for one so young. Simeone would have a lot to do with it of course
Gimenez though is far from the finished product himself.
His weaknesses are covered many times by Godin.
Looks like we’re on the Man United plan. First, we get our Moyes-like ‘Chosen One’. That will be a disaster (and I really liked Mikel as a player, even in his crab-like later years). Then we’ll over-compensate and get an old head (Ancelotti, perhaps). He’ll fail like Van Gaal but will be much more likeable while failing. Then we’ll land on our Mourinho (I’m thinking at this point, it will be finally Allegri) who just like the Man U boss will have Arsenal looking ok on the results side but bore the hell out of us while picking up points.
“Wait… were… we relegated last season??”
Nope, but careful for the next one!!
What’s the price for the Giminez lad? Sounds like Laporte money, but if he’s the right man then you get 6+ years as the rock of our defence. The problem is we can’t afford another expensive mistake, so the scouting and personality assessment has to be spot on.
Lads,just calm down, reassess your managed expectations ,thank the club for your interest in their affairs,and settle for another season of behaving like a mid table team.
They don’t give a flying fuck what we would like,it’s a business.
Arteta ain’t going to do any worse or better than what we’ve been used to,let’s face the club are not moving away from the existing model.
What a trash post. Who the fuck cares about Simeone, Low, Ancelotti, Enrique? Are we going to do a management-style summary of Klopp, Zidane, Mourinho next?
If this Auber lad on here can post for a week without insulting whoever he’s referring to I’ll eat my shorts.
Ivan Ivan Ivan Ivan
Announce da ting
Announce da ting
A14
You enjoy all of this don’t you?
Another reason why this Sokratis signing is not the best idea is because he is a front foot CB just like Mustafi. If there is a thought that Mustafi could improve bringing in a player that has a different style of play to him seems a logical idea to get a balanced partnership rather than bringing one in that has the same way of defending. So many front foot CBs about. Always looking to get in front of the attacker and get a foot in ahead of him. The man who is probably seen as the best CB around Godin… Read more »
It would be so great if Stan gave us an unsecured loan equal to the stadium debt outstanding. It would free up 23M cash reserve bookmarked for stadium debt repayment and give us more leeway in transfer market. Stan wouldn’t have his equity diluted either. It’s just that a part of his equity will be in a different form (unsecured loan).
Was browsing through Newsnow on my break and ended up on UT. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know.
Pick up this gem in the comment section:
here is a type of fan (Arsenal Fan TV or the mob at LeGrove are the best examples)who seem to just live to moan.
Author goes by the moniker of ‘AFC Nemesis’ – won’t and don’t need to elaborate further.
Antagonisticgine14
Abusivegine14
Angrylittlemangine14
Attilathehungine14
Predictable and boring.
Chill out.
Wenger’s gone.
Koulibaly has a 100m+ release clause. We ain’t getting him.
Will have to be smart, and will have to sell probably Mustafi & Ramsey, I think, but we could bring in 4/5 players for 130-140m this summer. CB & CM the two biggest outlays.