Arteta fumbles around for the lighter fluid

by .

What sort of a week am I having? Well, I hadn’t eaten all day yesterday because I was under some extreme pressure at work. At about 8pm I thought, you know what, I’ll treat myself to something exciting. I ordered a really shameful local burger thing… I was excited. It was basically a FUCK YOU HEART burger monstrosity only America can nail. Jeff was delivering to me. I tracked him all the way. Walked out to greet him like a fat kid greets the Ice Cream van. I could not see Jeff. I called. The address was right. He was in Miami. The same exact address. Except he was in Oklahoma. There’s a Miami in Oklahoma? Are you fucking kidding me? A $100billion app can’t say ‘DON’T CLICK YES TO THIS IT IS WRONG.’ No good times for me last night. I ate a pot of ice cubes instead.

Arsenal feels a little like that at the moment. We clicked ‘YES PLEASE’ to the delivery of progressive football to The Arsenal, but the guy who welcomed us at the door didn’t come with the right ingredients, and it’s unclear if his home chef-ing transfers into the restaurant game

I’m being harsh there of course, but not really. Currently, Arsenal is living off the joy fumes of a trophy that outside the main prize (Champions League football), is a fucking waste of ‘sitting on my arse’ time. The Premier League has been grim all year. The games we’ve won, outside United, have been very drossy. When the drossy football looked like a strategy, I could accept it, but increasingly, it just looks like we’ve been getting lucky in football purgatory. Even the United game, which was our best performance, was won by a penalty… and the manager said we played better against Spurs when we were cleanly taught a Jose lesson.

Well, it’s time for Arteta to show something new. We can’t perform badly all year and tomorrow, a home game against a pretty bad Burnley side, is where he has to do some catching up. I keep on saying it, but, we need a performance.

How he gets there, I’m not sure. Even the Dundalk game was quite a way off ‘performance’ levels and they were a pub team. Arteta needs to work out what his basics are again, because we’ve gone on a bit of a wild ride as to what he’s looking for. It’s generally the sign of a young manager, that when a crisis hits, you try 10 things instead of focusing on one. Different tactics, players, in game strategies… it’s a mess.

The shift from 11 at the back, to something more interesting, has been a painful journey. The top-level overview is this squad can shithouse 1-0s when we are ultra-cautious and in form, but when the senior players dip, that’s not possible.

Also, it’s not possible to shift up to an attacking offering when the senior players are giving us 70%. We have no creative outlets and by going for something sexier, we open ourselves up like the bad old days.

So the mega challenge is this: How does Arteta give some attacking juice to a depressed team without completely botching the defensive principles?

Now, we’ve all seen the Vinnai V Interview with Henry Winter in The Times.

‘You’ve got a guy who is absolutely driven to succeed and be successful on the pitch, but doing it in a way that respects our history and traditions. So I think with him we have got a really, really powerful individual.’

Vinnai speaks like the Deloitte consultant he was, but it’s clear, they are backing him because they can’t not do that right now.

This interview, for me, gives cover for Mikel to reconsider how he tackles this season. If the fans are told the manager is going nowhere and the manager tells the fans he’s going to do something different that speaks to the betterment of Arsenal over the long-term, then you have yourself a platform to build, which gives you time.

Arteta obviously can’t put out 11 kids against a very rough and experienced Burnley side. But he can restart the process of rewarding good performances with games. He should start prioritising his future vision for Arsenal by giving players minutes who fit the system, even if that fit is far from perfect… because the alternative, which has been to put unsuitable senior players, who can’t be arsed, into a system they don’t like, has us 15th.

Jurgen Klopp said a good gegenpress is better than a good #10. The whole idea of pressing, which originated in basketball (I think) as a full court press, is the notion that aggression and relentless closing down of opposition can overpower technique and talent if you do it well enough. Well, what has our system lacked with the seniors at 70%? Pressing. What do young kids that want careers do? Run. Do what they are told. Never stop.

Despite Arteta claiming otherwise, there are certain players that are likely undroppable. Leno, Gabriel, Tierney, Saka, and Auba. You have to play Auba out of his funk because his form will return. The rest of the positions are up for grabs.

What do the stats say? Well, Mo Elneny is the most efficient midfielder in the league for line breaking passes. He’s also the player with the best ball retention under pressure in the league (players with over 450mins). I don’t care that he’s not perfection, in the system we need to play, he has legs, he does the basics right, we are better with him in the side.

AMN isn’t perfect, but he is young, he has a lot of talent, and he has the athletic profile we need in our midfield. Arteta needs to coach him. Give him a very specific role and tell him to activate against it with all his concentration. A base of midfield with those two gives you a strong platform to build from. You have energy, doggedness, and some pretty decent locomotion. There’s no room for Xhaka, I’m sorry, but regardless of his passing numbers, the eye test fails every single time. His balls into the final third mean very little because we create nothing. His passing is accurate because he is painfully slow at releasing. He is seen as a tactical weakness by other managers because he’s slow. We have to let him drop into right back to protect him from pressure. This madness cannot go on.

How we build ahead of the midfield base is debatable and we’ve got nowhere near an answer this season. For me, it’s Auba on the left. He refuses to press through the middle and he gets eaten alive when he’s asked to hold the ball up. If he plays left, Reiss takes up the right, and you go with Eddie through the middle to set the tempo, you might be in interesting shape. Then the big move… who do you put in that hole? Do you opt to give Saka a go in that position because of his pace and potential ability through the middle? Or do you give Lacazette a run there? I would be inclined to try Saka as a roaming 10 because he is good defensively, and he can stretch teams with his pace. Maybe it’s not a ten and he’s a left sided 8 with AMN taking on the right.

It’s clear I’m not a coach, but I think we really need to start moving in a direction that is about the future, not one that is focused on reengineering the past. Arteta was asked about whether youth was key to his plans. He said this:

“When I feel it is the right moment to do that, I have to bring the players that I have the feeling — or we have the feeling as a coaching staff — that have the best chance for us to win the game,” he said. “So [the answer] has to be a yes.”

That feels like the PC way of saying ‘my senior players aren’t it, right?’

Key point though:

“What I can tell you is that the team will be prepared to battle with a real desire, because we know how important that game [against Burnley] is going to be for us.”

The battle hasn’t been there over the last month. The biggest shift in attitude under Arteta was the fighting spirit. The football might have been pony, but the nasty streak we had, and leaving it all on the battlefield was a joyous spectacle. Mikel needs to get the team back to that. The shortcut to that is to play the guys you don’t need to rally. Play the people who have a future invested in being great at football now. Stop giving game time to the players more interested in planning retirement to Miami, Oklahoma.

So once again I’ll end a post with… over to you Mikel, good luck.

____________________________________________________________

LISTEN TO OUR LATEST PODCAST. Matt and I talk about the root cause of our issues. Leadership, hard work, and lack of strategy… still. We also talk some positives as well.

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DaveB666

Auba scored – yeah…….

rollen

Emery looks World Class now

raptora

Rich is going to give 18 months more to Arteta btw. Scenes

The backpass

Sauce Mcsauce

Habesha Gooner

Wow. I felt at the beginning of this game when I saw the line up,we would lose by a set piece. He doesnt learn so let him not learn at another club. This is worse than Emery.

curse

splosh splosh, clown juice overflowing.

Ishola70

You can actually hear the anger in the crowd now with only 2,000 present.

It’s curtains for Teets now.

Major_Jeneral

The second string team are more disciplined than these senior players though.

Gunnernet

Pedro you cant be that blind or you can?

Paulinho

What a toxic horrible club we’ve become. Managed to give tickets to a nice little microcosm of our awful fans well.

Useroz

Burnley playing and passing like a fucking Barca

Montana Gooner

I’ve seen enough.

airplane banners.com…

Snowkid

Bring fucking emery back ha

Arteta project

What a laugh. Said from day 1. He wasa terrible hire

Bertfish

Arteta looks like he is getting sacked in the morning! Will the board do it though, still can’t see it happening?

Guns of SF

Play Martinelli the last 12 mins

G8

1959 fucking record!

Useroz

Eye sore…. seeing Arteta

Frost

“We really downgraded from Emery.”

Amazing really when you think about it. Just when you think we can’t find a new low. Arsenal start digging.

Marco

Since 1959. .. wow

Left Testicle

Burnley could close the gap to 4 points.
Good chance Arteta blows up in the post match interview.

raptora

What did they say about 1959?

Marc

Where’s eb – what we need now is a pathetic excuse.

Guns of SF

That own header goal shows how poor Auba is at heading.
Do we need the 100 crosses into the box?

Is there another way?

I think we are flat out of ideas.

Jim+Lahey

They have to sack him

G8

Look at that hopless Round too!
Fucking clowns

Leftside

This is actually comical at this point.

London gunner

Sell xhaka in jan.

Samesong

The minute Arteta goes watch our football change for the better.

Captain Tierney

Arsenal have never lost at home to Burnley.
Arsenal havent lost 4 home league games in a row since 1959.
Arteta with his favourites Willian, Xhaka, Laca and Bellerin about to break another 2 records
The generational coach is really breaking generational records.

Habesha Gooner

Thanks for the FA cup. BYE.

Venga, Dani

If Arteta had any respect for this club hed resign

G8

We aren’t scoring for shit!

Useroz

Shoot these players. Still enjoying fucking side and back passes and ended up with nothing.

All point to arteta. and his instructions

Graham

Thanks for the blog. Goodbye

Dan T

1-0 down to Burnley at home and still passing it sideways.

Gunnernet

Cant believe the stubborness and self-destruction. Are we damn cursed after Wenger or what? Fucking Xhaka should never wear Arsenal shirt again.

andy1886

How long now since a goal from open play?

Useroz

Ceballos is useless most of the time.

Rich

Raptora

They can Sack Arteta I don’t care.

I’m just not convinced it’ll change our fortunes, without some squad surgery.

TheLegendaryDB10

Guns of SF

I think we are flat out of ideas.

Let me correct you.

I think Arteta is flat out of ideas.

Has been since the beginning of the season.

raptora

Marc,
Or Stroller.

Captain Tierney

Another one os his favourites Eddie about to come on.

Dissenter

Steve Bould has to come in tomorrow morning.
Use the next 2 weeks to get a substantive care taker manager to start on January 2nd.

Guernsey Gun

Anyone seen that cunt champagne Charlie what a fucking. Cunt he is.

InsideRight

SIXTH FROM BOTTOM.

Losing at home to Burnley. Fucking Burnley. Who were in the bottom three at the start of the day.

The worst Arsenal side for 40 years. Let that sink in. Hundreds of millions spent, and we are turning in the worst performances in 40 fucking years.

Has the club no shame?

curse

talk about tanking your first big job, are we really gonna become the first top four club to get themselves relegated in the modern era?

super wow

Useroz

Eddie? would prefer Balogun

Mics_

Crosses are meat and drink to a club like Burnley. Arteta might actually be stupid.

London gunner

Southampton
Everton
Chelsea

I think a loss against Southampton and arteta gets the boot

MidwestGun

Pedro will take it on the chin and move.. on.. NO idea why some of you constantly want to attack Pedro. This is the best blog going, with the most honest comment section..

You all want to blow that up too? Weird fuckin agendas on here.

G8

SACK SACK SACK!

Globalgunner

Vampires are everywhere you know. Cant have too many crosses. Or holy water or garlic

Left Testicle

Watch Nketiah save Arteta’s arse now.

London gunner

This is when you need a physically strong and imposing striker aka balogun

raptora

Emery won 3 times Vs a much better Burnley. 8:3 GD.
Arteta has a 0:0 draw and this game.
Burnley on their way to a first win over Arsenal in 45 years.

Venga, Dani

This is so much worse than Emerys latter days

Pedro emptying all sauce bottles as we speak…

Radio Raheem

Whatever manager comes in should get no more than a year’s rolling contract. That new manager’s bounce doesn’t last beyond that point with our lot. And if Arteta is let go Edu has to go with.

FACupofTea

Wenger would be no lower than 6th with this squad, Arteta is utter shite

Guns of SF

How about Balogun and Azeez and Martinelli?

WengerEagle

London

Could be gone after tonight. Losing at home to Burnley is the nail in the coffin, they are fucking dreadful.

Sly

Problem isn’t the players

Benjamin

If Arteta still is our Manager tomorrow, i Will loose all faith in football and this club in general!!

TheLegendaryDB10

Mics_

It’s worse if that is his only attacking strategy… which it is.

izzo

I expect the news of his sacking by tomorrow morning on the dot com.

Habesha Gooner

Unless some thing Drastic happens in transfers in the middle of the park, Then I don’t see our fortunes changing even with a new manager. We need classy players. We have average and poor.

Marco

Yes .. problem
Is not the players

Arteta out tonight

The Godfather

Sad thing was that the lads were really playing well
to start the second half and only Nick Pope kept them in the game. What Xhaka did is UNCONSCIONABLE!

Especially after everyone saw what happened with Pepe.
He is such a cancer !!!
Horrible human being !!

SAGG

When things go wrong Arteta drops Laca and Willian and ask AMN and Nketiah to save him.

So he expect that the youngters thrive in the worse possible scenario.

Arteta is clueless just get rid of. him.

zaco

Arteta is the weakest coach i have ever seen, he has shown that the players are bigger than him, he can’t even drop the senior players no matter how poor they play or play the hungry, younger players no matter how well they perform, please give us Sam Alladyse at least he won’t get relegated. shame on Arteta, playing Lacazet at no 10 while keeping those who are natural midfielders on the bench all because of the size of the acccount and their age. shayme on

Dissenter

When you create chances for Aubameyang , he will score

Burnley got that memo

Useroz

Pedro reminded we”d be 5 points from Everton IFFFF we won… oh well

raptora

Rich, and at what point would you ever sack a manager? We have 13 pts in 12 games. You do realize that this is historic low for god knows maybe a century. When do you say that enough is enough?

Samesong

Relegation form.

Argooner

Another dose worsterfuckshire with side cant cut the fkn coleman’s mustard

G8

343 with xhaka willian Bellend and Laca as no 10
against fucking Burnley..
SACK the fucker now!

London gunner

Yeah its not all on arteta its clear edu is hopeless.

We could have made money for a new and improved squad with the sale of

Xhaka
Laca
Mustafi

And not clogging up wage bill with willian.

Matt

My god we are a fucking shambles of a club

Left Testicle

Pedro’s dream team would have been Gazidis with Arteta at the helm.

Guns of SF

This might be a good time to replace Mike

The new coach should demand some $$$ for Jan to make things happen….

Allegri? Poch maybe????

Now is the time to make a change !

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Will Peter / Pedro admit he made s blunder putting all his eggs in the arteta basket ?

Get him gone and we restart next year

The Godfather

How many coaches will these bunch of players cause to get the damn sack?
These guys are awful

Useroz

Fiuxking embarassing

InsideRight

What manager would want to come in to the Emirates and take over this team, with no funds available and players like Xhaka, Luiz, Bellerin stinking out the place and Ozil sitting on his yacht?

Venga, Dani

we are relegation fodder

Marco

These players are capable of a lot more

Useroz

That’s our Saka

Guns of SF

Nice try Saka

Habesha Gooner

Your Burnley knocking it around is a new low. Wow.

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

Time to throw all the youth in…

Leftside

Honest to God Burnley are horrific.

Losing to them is the next level is the next level is up that Wenger was talking about.

MidwestGun

Saka unlucky with that one. decent strike.

Left Testicle

Is Souness in the studio? He knows how shit Xhaka is.

Mics_

Favre got fired after losing three in a row. What will it take for us? Actual relegation?

Dissenter

“Sad thing was that the lads were really playing well
to start the second half and only Nick Pope kept them in the game. What Xhaka did is UNCONSCIONABLE!”

…and the manager who’s made him a permanent fixture on his starting 11?
It’s like Xhaka’s name is written with indelible ink or something

R.S.P.C.Arsenal

600.000 grand a week for strikers ….

Useless cunts

Gunnernet

If Arteta has any dignity left and ‘loves’ the club should resign.

Enough with the sauce crap. Bring in Rafa as interim coach. We have way too many experienced players. He can work with them.

At least we ll have decent chance at europa. In the summer here we go again…

John T.

This is utter BS. You cannot firethe player, time to replace Arteta. Good luck elsewhere.

Guns of SF

Where is Edu????

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