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Arteta’s shot-shy Gunners: Quality

chances but slow build-up blunting
Aubameyang
Tom Worville and James McNicholas 11 nov 2020 136

Arsenal have a problem in attack. By manager Mikel Arteta’s own admission,

“To become a top team, you have to score 90 or 100 goals”. At their current rate
of scoring, his side are on course to record less than half that tally.

The Gunners’ name feels inappropriate for a side who are decidedly shot-shy.
Arsenal are taking just nine shots per game on average, which sees them ranked
15th in the Premier League this season.

Somewhat surprisingly, this low shot tally equates to 1.1 expected goals (xG)
per game — a slightly more respectable ninth in the Premier League for 2020-
21. These two statistics show that Arsenal rarely create chances, but when they
do, they are usually of very good quality. Arsenal’s xG per shot of 0.12 is the
third highest in the Premier League.

Arteta’s team have faced a trying fixture list, but there is enough commonality
to their performances across all games to cause concern. There is a meticulous,
almost dogmatic precision about the way they attack. Just as some teams strafe
the goal and play the odds, Arsenal operate like snipers, waiting for the perfect
moment to strike. This perfectionist approach to creating chances is not a
sustainable route to success. To improve this team, Arteta must find a way to
score more goals. Of course, that means taking more shots — which in turn
means ensuring possession in the final third, and arriving there with a high
degree of regularity.

Pressing concerns
Before getting to shots, it’s worth understanding a little better how the
possession in Arsenal’s games works. In short, nobody moves the ball with less
urgency than Arsenal — statistically, the frequency with which the ball changes
hands between players in the team is the slowest in the Premier League

It is a far cry from the pinball-esque passing moves of Arsene Wenger’s best
sides. Arsenal’s matches see them average 82 possessions per game, ranked 20th
in the league and a considerable distance from the average of 91 per game.

It’s a style that seems to put them out of step with the way football is
developing, particularly when you contrast it to their next Premier League
opponents, Leeds United. If Arsenal games are slow, easy-listening jazz, then
Leeds’ games are Bulgarian techno. Marcelo Bielsa’s men average 104
possessions per game, indicating how matches in this division are increasingly
played at a much more frantic level.

That lower cadence of possession means Arsenal are holding on to the ball for a
long time — but so are their opponents. Arsenal’s average possession time as a
team is 28 seconds, the second-highest in the league and just behind
Manchester City’s 29 seconds. When Arsenal’s opponents have possession, they
keep the ball for an average of 26 seconds — the sixth-highest mark in the
league.

Arsenal could be showing more urgency without the ball, pressing higher and
more intensely. Their passes per defensive action (PPDA) — the number of
passes allowed by the opposition before an attempt to win the ball back is made
— has risen this season, from 12.4 last season to 16.1, indicating a more passive
approach when out of possession.

In a team lacking creativity, closing down and forcing errors is an obvious route
to fashioning goalscoring opportunities. Arsenal have done this relatively well in
isolated instances, such as the game against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Arteta has shown himself capable of co-ordinating a press, but it’s something he
may want to consider implementing more regularly.

Forward thinking
So the way Arsenal generate chances in games is slow, but how efficient are they
in possession? How effectively do they progress the ball up the field?

Not enough of Arsenal’s moves arrive in the final third. Only 35 per cent of
their possessions reach the attacking third, which is the 14th-highest mark in
the league. Compare that to Manchester City (50 per cent), Liverpool (48 per
cent) and Manchester United (43 per cent) and the difference in the quality of
ball progression starts to become evident.

Not only do Arsenal struggle to bring the ball into dangerous areas, but they
also don’t create enough possessions in the game to give themselves more
opportunities to get there. The picture that begins to emerge is of a
fundamentally risk-averse team, dallying on the ball in unthreatening areas.

Overall, Arsenal have just 29 possessions per game that end in the attacking
third. That means, unless someone fancies pinging one in from 40 yards,
Arsenal have just 29 opportunities from which to create scoring chances. That is
the second-lowest mark in the league behind Newcastle United.

That represents a huge drop-off from even a few seasons ago when, under
Wenger, Arsenal were averaging more than 44 possessions a game that ended in
the final third. Arsenal have played only 381 passes into that area of the pitch
this season. Admittedly, that is a figure that may be skewed by the taxing fixture
list they have faced, but it ranks them at just 14th in the Premier League.

Interestingly, the players who can be most relied upon to play such passes are
Granit Xhaka and David Luiz, who average 11.4 and 9.6 passes into the final
third per game. Both players were absent from the uninspiring attacking
performance against Aston Villa, and Arsenal subsequently struggled to
advance the ball. There have been indications that Arteta is attempting to
evolve the team and reduce the reliance on Xhaka and Luiz, but they are yet to
discover another convincing path upfield.

Arsenal’s inability to get the ball into dangerous areas is impacting their
attacking players substantially. Willian managed between 38 and 44 touches in
the attacking third per game at Chelsea. At Arsenal, that’s dropped by more
than a third, to 24. What’s more, he is a player that has tended to thrive in
transition — Arsenal’s tendency to move the ball upfield slowly, averaging 0.95
metres of progress per second, means he is more likely to encounter a deep
block.

It is necessary also to touch on the absence of Mesut Ozil. Although is it

tempting to consider his playmaking ability to be a panacea for this side, his
impact on the team had diminished in recent years. In 2015-16, he was having
45 touches per game in the final third. By 2018-19, that had fallen to 28.
Similarly, Ozil’s assists per 90 minutes dropped from 0.56 in 2015-16 to 0.10 in
2018-19, a change that may not be entirely attributable to the player’s decline
— it’s possible that he, like others in this Arsenal team, was simply starved of
the service he requires to thrive.

Arsenal’s lack of penetration may also be down to a lack of dribblers. Arteta is

reluctant to start Nicolas Pepe, so Bukayo Saka and Hector Bellerin are
frequently the only strong dribblers in the starting XI. Only Sheffield United
and Burnley have attempted fewer dribbles than Arsenal this season.

Blunt spearhead
Having invested in a three-year contract for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,
which could eventually make him the club’s highest-paid player, Arsenal need to
get some return on their star striker.

At the moment, he looks a marginalised figure. Currently, he is attempting just

1.1 shots per 90 minutes, ranking him 47th in the Premier League. His current
xG per 90 minutes is just 0.06 — a meagre 65th. Only by progressing into the
final third more frequently, and finding him in more dangerous positions, can
Arsenal begin to unlock the true potential of their elite goalscorer.

A team in transition
Arsenal need to find a way to maximise output from their existing pool of
attackers. Given the consistency of his selection, Arteta appears to be a coach
who puts the system first — but none of these attacking players was recruited
specifically for his system. The one attacking target we know he prioritised,
Houssem Aouar, is a player suited a possession-based style.

Aubameyang, Willian, Saka and Pepe are all players who thrive in transition —
yet Arsenal’s slow build-up play prevents them from receiving possession in
situations where they are most dangerous. It’s an issue of compatibility between
players and style. Even Alexandre Lacazette’s struggles are in part explained by
the fact he is not the ideal centre-forward for Arteta’s system. Currently, Arteta
is attempting to rob the bank by picking the lock, but trying to do so with a
bunch of getaway drivers.

With time, some of that can and will be fixed in the transfer market. For now,
Arteta may have to compromise some tactical principles to enable these players
to flourish. Arsenal are not without attacking talent, but they require a system
that allows them to shine. More frequent transitions and dynamic ball
progression may be keys to unlocking Arsenal’s attacking potential.

(Top picture produced by Tom Slator using Getty Images)

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Sergei N. 12 nov, 2:36 65 mentions J'aime

Yep. Even this amateur fan noticed the ponderous pace of attacking and a lack of serious drive forward. Diffi-
cult to see how this could be remedied soon.

Srajan N. 12 nov, 8:28 9 mentions J'aime

exactly, arteta's teams have never shown an attacking inclination. We were to be very foolish to think we
will turn on the style starting from leeds game. This aspect of arteta's regime is now worrying me.

Highbury J. 12 nov, 1:14 6 mentions J'aime

@Srajan N. "teams"?

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 2 mentions J'aime

Team.*

Andrew B. 12 nov, 2:50 60 mentions J'aime

I can’t believe the authors failed to mention Arteta’s control-freak direction of nearly every single Arsenal
pass. It’s no wonder the players move the ball so slowly, when they have to constantly look over to him for
instructions before they act. And if Arteta is going to keep insisting on calling every pass, perhaps he could
try calling for more passes into, or at least towards, the final third, instead of sideways or backwards.

Aritro S. 12 nov, 5:41 15 mentions J'aime

Absolutely! I was just thinking of this. It's almost as if Arteta is trying to micromanage his team's play,
even in the attacking third, which makes you think whether Arteta's controlling nature from the sideline-
sis the problem that's holding Arsenal's attack back, not helped by an obvious lack of imagination on
the pitch which makes the players look to the touchlines in the first place. Worth thinking about.

James McNicholas L'ÉQUIPE 12 nov, 8:07 31 mentions J'aime

Hey Andrew. I wrote about this after the Aston Villa game; didn’t want to repeat myself here! Check out
that piece if you fancy. Best, James

Emile C. 12 nov, 10:14 8 mentions J'aime

He does call for line breaking penetrative passes but they rarely come this was especially noticeable in
both the Villa game and the Molde game where he looked like he was on the verge of tears asking the
team to be more penetrative.

Håvard H. 12 nov, 12:11 1 J'aime

Word.

Andrew B. 12 nov, 12:54 2 mentions J'aime

Thanks James - you did indeed!

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 9 mentions J'aime

Lol in real time if you’re calling for these penetrative passes when the ball arrives to the player that
should play it then it’s already too late. There’s no freedom in movement that allows players to link up
instinctively. Instead they’re just stood there whilst Arteta plays chess

Rene P. Il y a 23h 8 mentions J'aime

@Emile C. So Arteta was crying while begging for penetration?

Winterer L. Il y a 20h 1 J'aime

Absolutely!! It is obvious he has micromanaged every single action of possession. The players are so risk
averse in possession and rarely, if ever, look to create organically. There are teams with worse personnel
that look so much more fluid in possession

Austin S. 12 nov, 2:59 57 mentions J'aime

You don’t need even need all those stats to realize how slow and how shy we are. Anytime you sit down to
watch a few games on match day before arsenal comes on you can see it immediately. It’s agonizing watching
other teams whip the the ball around with max urgency and put shots on goal, then on comes your gunners
and the pace slows down to a side to side trickle. Everyone looks confused on the ball or just flat out timid.

Robin B. 12 nov, 7:42 8 mentions J'aime

@Austin S. Agreed, I think in part because by the time Arsenal have the ball in an advanced position,
they're lining up against a settled defence. I can't remember the last time we scored on the counter (Ful-
ham?), which is amazing considering that's how we won the cup last season.

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 3 mentions J'aime

Yeah mate unfortunately those kind of goals don’t work except for a few times in the early days of at-
tempting it. Every team knows that is the ONLY way we can score if we build up the play. No other
method works besides lucky goals or scrappy goals coming from breaks in play. Hence it’s very easy to
defend against.

Aaron F. 12 nov, 3:34 28 mentions J'aime

The modern game - and the success of teams like Leicester and Leeds - shows how unimportant possession
has become to creating quality chances. Teams like City exemplify how it can be done correctly, but this style
of possession without progression is not only antithetical to Arsenals ethos, but clearly ineffective. The lack of
attacking creativity is damning, and the results that papered over the cracks at the end of last season are no
longer there. We need real tactical changes - arteta must abandon his dogmatic approach and embrace a
more creative, risk oriented style, or we will face even further digression

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 9 mentions J'aime

I must say even watching Pep’s city is as boring a watching paint dry at the moment. 90 minutes of foot-
ball and 2 plays where you’ll go ahh football then it’s back to passing along the back. Blame it on the
team defending but if you’re gonna hog the ball with boring football that’s what you get.

Marcus S. Il y a 18h 4 mentions J'aime

Pep (and Arteta) doesn't want "possession for possession's sake", and what we saw with Man City in the
past couple of years was what true 'possession with attacking intent' can look like.
But, at Arsenal and the current iteration of Mancester City, what you see is what happens when you try
to play "possession with attacking intent" but don't have the right players for it (either not right, period,
or not right insofar as they aren't integrated into the system yet). Then it just becomes drab 'tiki-taka'

That style of play is just too structured and advanced to work without the right players... it demands, for
instance, players who can win one-on-one duels. City still has Sterling (and others) who can do that,
which is why they can still turn out okay despite problems elsewhere. Arsenal just has no one except
Saka, who is still quite raw (but has been quite effective at times). Ideally, Pepe should be that guy, too,
and perhaps he would be if given more game time, but I worry about his overall football intelligence, too

But, just contrast Auba with Sterling. Nominally, they are playing the same position in the system, but I
would not generally bet on Auba to beat his man 1-on-1 in a dribble into the box, and I certainly would
not bet on him to make that incisive pass right as a second defender comes to assist in the 1-on-1
(which is a major reason to dribble... draw defenders)

Honestly, many of our academy players - Saka, of course, but also Nelson and Willock - seem a lot more
interested in trying to take on a man in those situations. They aren't necessarily great at it, but at least
they try and sometimes succeed (Pepe tries but never succeeds)

Tom J. Il y a 17h 1 J'aime

This distinction about attacking intent is key- it reminds me of Pep discussing his Bayern team in 13/14-
in the earlier parts of Pep Confidential- where they dominated the ball but not the attack. Bayern won
games because they had great talent but they ended up in the U-shape of defensive passing and never
moved the ball forward. Pep hates tiki-taka; he is a pragmatic coach who sees control of the ball as the
way to win. Arterta is exactly the same. Perhaps what best sums up Arsenal right now is a great quote
about how Bayern were playing stated in Pep Confidential from the man himself- “gentlemen, this is tiki-
taka, and it is shit.”

Eric R. 12 nov, 3:55 18 mentions J'aime

Hopefully Arteta will learn to adjust his system to fit the players has not the ones he wants to have. Doggedly
sticking to a system seems like something a new manager does until they confidence in their own ability.

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 3 mentions J'aime

What ability are you speaking of? Or just the hypothetical ability Arteta seems to have?

Harry B. Il y a 6h

Ability to walk into an absolute dumpster fire of a team and win an fa cup

Ben T. 12 nov, 4:48 30 mentions J'aime

You have to walk before you run.

We must build up properly slowly before it can be quick
We must expose our holes by attempting to do things the right way and saying who can do it and what needs
replacing and improving.

We are doing the right things but patience is the name of the game.
Partey, Aubemeyang, Willian, Saka, Gabriel, and Ceballos don't join or stay here without believing in the
project.

We have won a major trophy. We have won the community shield as well. We have players wanting to stay with
us and not pushing their way out anymore.
We have a drive, a plan, a project.

We have beaten City, Liverpool Three times Chelsea in a cup final a perfect contrast to us a year earlier in the
Europa league final, and have beaten United at Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years.

Patience is the name of the game. Please don't give up on my Club

Richard B. 12 nov, 7:27 36 mentions J'aime

I don’t think questioning whether the manager is getting right is giving up on Arsenal. Arteta has admit-
ted attack is a problem area and working on it. I’m a fan of Arteta but the measure of his success will be
if he can turn this around, not how many fans he convinces to follow him in blind faith.

Emile C. 12 nov, 10:17 5 mentions J'aime

He is asking for faith not blind faith.

Frederick F. 12 nov, 10:27 3 mentions J'aime

@Ben T. Arteta's Arsenal won a major trophy, yes. Arteta's Arsenal won the community shield, yes. Arte-
ta's Arsenal have beaten City, Liverpool, Chelsea in a cup final, yes. But how Arteta's Arsenal played to
achieve those wins? Not exactly Artetaball.
 Christopher L. 12 nov, 1:18 5 mentions J'aime

We’ve been walking for an awfully long time now and we’ve been slowing down. There are rumors of
Arteta starting to lose parts of the dressing room. He doesn’t know how to manage youngsters and
doesn’t reward good performances. The more that our fanbase is patient and complacent about this
stuff, the more we fail.

Stewart B. Il y a 23h 3 mentions J'aime

@Ben T. Arsenal is not too big to get relegated...This is competition, there is not too time for patience....

Manny O. Il y a 23h 1 J'aime

Umm, this is how Arsenal got to this position in the first place. Being “patient” is being passive in foot-
ball. Just look at Chelsea, the club is bigger than the manager not the other way around. He’s been giv-
en players he clearly asked for so no excuses

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 1 J'aime

Blind morons who don’t understand anything about football spout the same repetitive nonsense every-
time they speak. Go and watch hockey.

Tracey M. Il y a 21h 2 mentions J'aime

@ Manny, well said.

We are so passive.

Arsene should have been sacked, a few seasons before he left.

Unai should have been sacked after we lost to Chelsea in the Europa Cup final.

And Mikel should have already been replaced by Pochettini during this international break.

The only way you drive standards up in an organisation , is by sacking managers who are clearly failing
and upgrading to better ones.

Bayern Munich , Barca, Liverpool , Man City, Spurs, Leicester do this all the time.

None of them persist with 'processes' with inexperienced and failing managers.

Christopher A. Il y a 21h 1 J'aime

I respect the passion behind your loyalty, but we are trying to discuss analytically what is going on at
Arsenal.

Czerwonadupa Il y a 20h

@Manny O. Did he ask for Soares, Mari, Saliba, Willian or Partey? We know he wanted Aouar but was
overruled by Gasper & who by the end of the season will be out of Arsenal's price range with the bigger
clubs circling. And the Hungarian alternative at Red Bull Salzburg already looks to be on his way to Red
Bull Leipzig.
And he still has to get rid over Wenger's & the Wheeler Dealer's overpaid signings who are out on loan
or looking for alternative careers as advisor to American adventure capitalists or Twitter pundit.

Czerwonadupa Il y a 19h 5 mentions J'aime

@Tracey M.
Arteta has won more in 6 months management than Pochettino has in 10 years at Espanyol, Southamp-
ton & Spurs

Ben T. Il y a 16h

Respectfully disagree. The opening goal against city in the semi final was build up play with Laca at a
false nine and bellerin inverted to give Pepe space out on the wing to cross for Aubemeyang.
The cup final we isolated the left side so that aubemeyang could go 1vs1 vs azpilucueta so we could ex-
pose his lack of pace.
Against Liverpool in the community shield we allowed Aubemeyang to cut in by taking away the second
defended by a quick switch after build up and a delayed overlap by Tierney.

These are all instances of coaching leading us to tactically break down big teams.

It is a long process. Remember Klopp struggled at first at Liverpool. Consistent injuries from players not
being able to keep up with his intensity, losing games to smaller teams at times such as swansea and
watford. But klopps version of football took 2 1/2 years before his job stopped being questioned. It took
three and a half before he won any silverware.

But given the pieces that Arteta has at his disposal, how manly long term in his current 11 will be in his
ideal 11?

I think possibly the goalkeeper. Likely Tierney gabriel and bellerin. Partey, and Aubemeyang are the
guarantees.
The rest are young players line Saliba, nketiah, Saka, and martinelli who obviously have talent but still
have a lot of improvement to make.

So I think the Arteta only has half of the jigsaw that he want to create so far.

Cooper R. Il y a 16h 3 mentions J'aime

@Tracey M. Thank God you don't run an organization. Young coaches take time to grow. Firing a coach
every 8-12 months is a recipe for disaster.

Was hiring Arteta a huge gamble? Yes it was. He's never coached a big team in his life. But he has ideas
and has rebounded well from frustrating losses (see Man City and BHA losses at the beginning of the
Restart; see the bounce back from the hole Arsenal were in during Emery's last few months in charge).
The fact is, Arteta is going nowhere unless he absolutely craters the organization.

The team doesn't have the players to play his system. He knows this, management knows this. And
there are no outside solutions available until January at the earliest.

The overreactions from you and others of your ilk are short sighted. Calm down, take a deep breath, see
what happens. Nothing good happens overnight, and if you don't realize this then you haven't lived
much. Good day.

Cooper R. Il y a 16h 1 J'aime

@Czerwonadupa from various reports, he did want Willian and Mari. If he doesn't want Thomas Partey
he's crazy. The rest was here before him and it's his and Edu's job to replace those players with better
players that fit the system... or adapt the system to what he has on hand. That's been his approach so
far. The 4-2-3-1 from before Restart and the 3-4-3 afterward are both reactions to using the tools on
hand.

Kathy H. Il y a 13h 1 J'aime

@Cooper R. Hasenhuttl had a rough first two years ar Southampton including losing 9-0. Tracey would
have sacked him before he got in the dressing room.

Tracey M. Il y a 43m 1 J'aime

@Cooper. R

The question is , why are Arsenal employing such a young and naive coach?

KSE being unambitious and cheapskates again?

we needed the exact opposite.

Three of Arsenals best all time managers.

George Graham ,Arsene Wenger and Herbert Chapman.

All vastly experienced before they arrived at the marble halls.

Andrew E. 12 nov, 4:54 19 mentions J'aime

Great read. Fascinating numbers behind Xhaka and Luiz considering how maligned they both are by the fan
base.

Hopefully the pace gets moving against a more balanced fixture list.

Robin B. 12 nov, 7:44 3 mentions J'aime

@Andrew E. Good point, Arteta is probably even more risk averse against the big sides. Lining up
against the weaker sides should give him freedom to try new things, or we are in trouble this season.

Sam W. 12 nov, 12:06

@Robin B. Fingers crossed. I think we saw a glimmer of it against Sheffield Utd.

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 3 mentions J'aime

The only player in the Arsenal squad that doesn’t deserve any criticism is Xhaka. Absolute behind the
scenes workhorse and can see how dull the team is without him. They are dull with him too yes because
of Arteta’s playing style but just a touch better.

Cooper R. Il y a 16h

@Fahmid U. agree to disagree. Xhaka is a hard worker but isn't talented enough and has no real position.
He drops into that left CB role because it's about the only place that he doesn't absolutely wreck Arse-
nal's defense. His one thing he's good at is passing, but he is the CREATOR of the U shape passing.
Watch the Man U game. Completely his doing.

Lance B. 12 nov, 6:11 6 mentions J'aime

A lot of stats to say what's plain to the eye - the defense has gotten much better, but once the ball is won they
start passing forward through gelatin. This is a ponderous, mechanical team missing that spark of lightning
we'd grown to love. As they play now, the thrill is gone unless it's against the likes of Molde, not really the
measuring stick of the even recent past.

Franklin S. 12 nov, 6:20 4 mentions J'aime

Yea we can lament the lack of quality in certain areas, but the way they're going about it at the moment he
could have peak Santi and Rosicky in the middle and they'd still create nothing. Arteta just telling then to
keep it between them while the front 3 stand 15 metres apart all locked in their positions like effing foosball
figures. Painful and has been for a while now.

Siddharth S. 12 nov, 6:38 5 mentions J'aime

Willian looks like a very expensive flop so far. Willock has idled on the bench while Lacazette has started most
PL matches, and the limited funds that were available were spent on a DM when the team needed a forward-
minded player. Who is to blame?

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 1 J'aime

Lol Willock is the most useless player we have in the squad. Plays two good games against Dundalk and
Molde, two teams on his own level of football and his the great prospect who’s being wasted now?
get real that kid has played too many games for arsenal doing absolute frick all.

Siddharth S. Il y a 20h 1 J'aime

How do you know he is useless when he has hardly played in the league?

Czerwonadupa Il y a 20h

@Siddharth S. Gasper wanted Partey Arteta want Aouar. You see the result.

Gman A. Il y a 14h 1 J'aime

It is strange you believe Arteta did not want Partey. Arteta is on record gushing over Thomas when talk-
ing with the media about knowing exactly what kind of players he wants to bring into arsenal.

Siddharth S. Il y a 14h

You don't expect him to say he didn't want Partey. Let's hope Arsenal are in the top half after the Christ-
mas period.

Gman A. Il y a 10h 1 J'aime

How exactly do you know Arteta did not want Partey? Also, having watched Partey play for both former
club and country, anyone who thinks he is "just" a DM needs to look again. The real question is not
whether arsenal should have taken Aouar over Partey; on the contrary, the larger issue involves an ac-
knowledgement that for Arsenal to be elite, they needed to acquire both midfield players.

Siddharth S. Il y a 6h

I have seen him play at Athletico. He started out as a RB, filled in at CB for a few games, and then typi-
cally played at the base of the midfield. Anybody who thinks he showed any attacking talents in a highly
rigid and defensive Athletico team is overanalyzing his abilities. He may yet have talent in the final third,
but there is no evidence at club or country level to back it up.

Harlow G. 12 nov, 6:43 3 mentions J'aime

with Mikel Arteta, the only way is up.

he MUST be given time to complete his project. I mean, you can't focus on domestic football if you're still play-
ing European football in midweek as well and Arteta seems to have figured that out as well.

give the man more time.

Richard B. 12 nov, 7:28 13 mentions J'aime

Umm what? The best teams play in Europe midweek, how is that an excuse?

Manny O. Il y a 23h 2 mentions J'aime

Making excuses for Arteta I see?

Neelam G. 12 nov, 7:05 6 mentions J'aime

It is diabolical football. It is as if the team waits for the manager's direction before every pass. Need to change
fast.

Martin M. 12 nov, 7:22 15 mentions J'aime

I quite like Arteta and winning the cup obviously helps but I have been absolutely amazed at the almost uni-
versal praise he has been receiving in the media despite what everyone can plainly see in the games. Im not
saying the media should be on his back - far from it but I would love to know what dictates why one boss gets
hammered while another gets a free ride?

Jon B. 12 nov, 7:30 9 mentions J'aime

It's because he has a vision which he has communicated clearly to the media, supporters and - we as-
sume given the buy-in from players - the squad. We've been on a downward trajectory for years now
and we need to just stick with the plan. If we weren't over scrutinising the attack we'd be saying the de-
fence needs fixing. That is a major achievement and probably inevitably has involved stunting the offen-
sive side of the team. But Arteta isn't blind to it and was involved in Wenger teams and coaching the
unbelievably prolific Man City side - he has the knowledge to fix it but it will take time to teach / recruit
the players to deliver.

Martin M. 12 nov, 7:36

@Jon B. Interesting. Do you think the fanbase will give him time to get this in place if there continues to
be a lack of goals longer term? He does seem like a good coach and I do like him I have to say. Im a Unit-
ed fan so I know time is short for coaches these days!

Richard W. 12 nov, 7:38 1 J'aime

@Jon B Agreed. I still trust him.

Jon B. 12 nov, 8:15

I think so. Would be interesting to see what the mood would be with supporters in the stadium. Ditto
your boss, but I'd be much more confident in Arteta's chances!

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 1 J'aime

What? If anything Arteta is complete blind to what is going on around him since he has no experience in
knowing what to do or what he is actually doing. What is this complete utter nonsense of ‘Arteta knows
what he is going and has a plan’ like he’s shown it to us before in previous managerial roles? Stop it with
that complete rubbish and face it for what it is, an inexperienced trying to run one of the biggest clubs
in the world. Now start your judgement from there. We’re not here as a club to give someone a chance at
a new career ffs.

Joshua W. 12 nov, 7:52 11 mentions J'aime

Surely auba down the middle full of pace and with saka and Pepe either side to dribble would make our front 3
so much more potent. Aub on the left takes up a key dribbling winger position. Every top 4 team has two
wingers who dribble and run at defenders. Aub isn’t a winger he’s a pacey goal scorer. This has to be one of
the first steps

Harry S. 12 nov, 9:55 2 mentions J'aime

@Joshua W. whilst I agree Joshua, Aubameyang has been extremely successful for us on the left of a
front three so it would highlight that isn't the overall problem. In the 3-0 defeat to Villa last weekend, the
difference between Martinez & Leno was light and day. Emi's distribution was fantastic and his quick
throw out to Grealish got them their third goal. Leno holds on to the ball for far too long and it allows
the opposition to get back into position which we then find impossible to break down. I would however,
love to see Auba down the middle playing off the last defender and making direct runs into the box, with
Pepe on his right and Saka on his left.

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 2 mentions J'aime

Get off that Leno agenda ffs. You lot just scream you know nothing about build up play when talking
about the two goalkeepers. Since the turn of the new season the emphasis has been to park the bus and
score a goal from building up front the goalkeeper with the same route to the goal and nothing else.
This works well a few times until every team kn the world knows what you’re doing. Yes Martinez distri-
bution was great in those games for us, when we introduced this style of play the other teams didn’t
expect from us. Now that they know this they know how to defend it. And here comes Leno trying to
implement a style of play we don’t actually know how to play, so when route A is blocked out like it al-
ways is, we don’t have a Route B,C,D to play to add any variety to our play to offset the opposition. So
we are easy to defend. Now, the play from goal using Leno as number 10 doesn’t work. What’s next? Dis-
tribution: who is Leno going to distribute to when we play 7-0-3 formation? No one. Look at how Mar-
tinez distributes everytime and now stop to look at where their whole team is position. None of arsenals
players have that freedom to create space when the keeper has the ball, they hold position. We defend a
corner with eleven players when we win the ball we still can’t press because first thought is build back
the structure and pass the ball along the back (because since we aren’t playing from the goalkeeper
now we don’t have any other form of building up play or scoring a goal) and get nothing done. Leno is
one of the best goalkeepers in the world that will be made to look average as he’s being asked to basi-
cally be a number 6, 8, and 10 when we have possession all playing from goal.

Zulquarnain I. Il y a 21h 2 mentions J'aime

+1 to this. I'm not an Arsenal fan but this unhealthy fascination with Martinez who has played

Yvonne M. 12 nov, 8:02 4 mentions J'aime

I love Mikel Arteta and I was really excited when he came and when we won the FA Cup and everyone looked
so happy, but the football w're playing now is horrible. Watching the Villa game was upsetting, Emi Martinez
was a very popular team member and it looked like the players were as gutted as I was having to watch him in
another shirt, Willian and Lacazette were woeful and I'm tired of watching Bukayo getting kicked to pieces
because he's the only one trying to do anything, Mikel should know better than putting that responsibility on
a young man who's only just turned nineteen. Hopefully the break gives Mikel and his coaches time for reflec-
tion and they start to trust the players and stop this embarrassing micro-management from the sidelines, this
system is draining every ounce of joy out of the football for players and fans alike.

Robert W. 12 nov, 8:20 3 mentions J'aime

Is Bulgarian techno a thing?

Tom Worville L'ÉQUIPE 12 nov, 8:59 13 mentions J'aime

@Robert W. had a barber at Uni who was doing night classes learning to make it so I either assume a)
yes or b) I've been mugged off

Sam W. 12 nov, 9:43 4 mentions J'aime

@Tom Worville surely get in touch with him and find out how he's getting on!

Liam B. 12 nov, 8:26 6 mentions J'aime

Some interesting call outs here but watching Arsenal games over the last 6 months quite obvious ones to pick
out. Not knocking the writers just highlighting that if an arm chair hack like me can see how reliant we are on
Luiz and Granit for example then it wouldn’t be hard for a modern day PL manager to construct a system to
shut down the Arsenal. Throw in a gruelling schedule, current global climate, the rigours of adapting to a new
system, sone square pegs in round holes and you’ll get the odd result like the Villa game. Give the man time
and let him recruit the right players to fulfil his plan. Reckon Mister Mikel in a few years time you’ll be reflect-
ing on a manager that will become a fusion of Graham and Wenger. A rigid tactician but one who had a vision
that changed the club.

Alex R. 12 nov, 8:49 7 mentions J'aime

A great article showing the detailed reasons why we are struggling offensively. Much appreciated in the times
where some fans want to sack Mikel, furlough Willian, release Luiz, make the Gunnersauraus technical director
and give Mesut a knighthood. Keep up the sterling work !

Kwiringira B. Il y a 23h 3 mentions J'aime

This is the light hearted and yet level headed comment I have read after the Villa defeat!

Maulud Sadiq A. 12 nov, 8:53 5 mentions J'aime

“Currently, Arteta is attempting to rob the bank by picking the lock, but trying to do so with a bunch of get-
away drivers.”

If you just typed this, that would have summed it all up.

Sid C. 12 nov, 8:57 2 mentions J'aime

Excellent article supported by numerical analysis. The bank robbing analogy was genius. Wholeheartedly
agree that Arsenal should be more offensive - starting with a back four not 5 would help.

Interesting observation about Xhaka and Luiz being the only ones who ping the ball forwards. More often than
not, I think they have been the culprits of the slow lateral passing. And, in defence, you cannot afford to be
chasing the robbers in their GTRs when the best you can muster is a couple of milk floats.

Fahmid U. Il y a 22h 3 mentions J'aime

Absolutely not. Xhaka is the only consistent performer in that team. Even on games you’d think he’s
played bad, he’s still does a lot in the game that is completely unnoticed. When he has players in front of
him to pass the ball he does it without thinking the past year we haven’t had anything to play between
him and the front three since we play a 7-0-3 formation. The problems in the past had been defensively
and he took the blame for that. Now the Defense is good (since we park the freaking bus) but now
there’s no attack so he’ll take the blame for that too. Sometimes rash yes, but personally I like to see
something from a player who is someone emotionally connected to what he does on the pitch. Rob
Holding is standing there like a video game character waiting to be selected and people have more faith
in that donkey than our hardest worker in the last 4 or 5 years

Luke H. 12 nov, 9:36

@ James Mc Nicholas do you think it is time to experiment with William as a number 10? Supposedly that was
what Arteta said he bought him for? A lot like Wenger saying Callum Chambers was a DM but never played
there. I don't mean to start in the league but in Europa and off the bench. Doesn't look like he works as a
winger and he is keeping Pepe out. Otherwise I see him going the same way as Ozil and given the money we
spent on him we have to get something from him or it will be a long 3 years.

Tom F. 12 nov, 9:40 2 mentions J'aime

Very nice. Currently, Arteta is attempting to rob the bank by picking the lock, but trying to do so with a bunch
of getaway drivers.

Matt C. 12 nov, 9:58 2 mentions J'aime

Watching the game on Sunday with my brothers (remotely). After about an hour one of them what's apped to
say "we've got to win this, apart from Fulham this is the worst side we've played all season"

As with England, the 343 formation just deprives arsenal of numbers and creativity in midfield. And it's really
boring to watch

A shame as I always loved watching the great Arsenal sides

Fahmid U. Il y a 22h 2 mentions J'aime

Haha glad someone else saw the similarities between the Tony Pulis style football implemented in arse-
nal and England.

Anil S. 12 nov, 10:08 3 mentions J'aime

One word. Willian.

As a once frustrated, now smug Chelsea fan. I can tell you that Willian ALWAYS slowed down our play, it’s ac-
tually his signature move. He gets very few assists, goals or chances created. Whereas every top team has a
RW that thrives on getting numbers. Look at Ziyech, he lives for creating chances.

Of course there are other issues, but I just had to highlight how outdated Willian is as a winger. Purely because
of how much Arsenal fans were giving it large about it 2 months ago. Enjoy guys

Tracey M. 12 nov, 10:36 3 mentions J'aime

I was not giving it large Anil.

I am fed up with your rejects.

I did not want Luiz or Willian.

Now we are stuck with him for another 3 years on a huge salary.

and to think Arteta wanted another one in Jorginho.

Carson M. Il y a 23h 6 mentions J'aime

Literally no arsenal fan I know was excited about the Willian signing

Neil T. 12 nov, 10:20 5 mentions J'aime

Not an Arsenal fan but just wanted to say this is a great article using stats in a way that perfectly underlines
what the eyes are seeing re: Arsenal

Jason G. 12 nov, 10:24 5 mentions J'aime

This is a League dominated by aggressive speed merchants and even teams like Palace and West Ham have
them. In this context Lacazette and Willian look like mid table plodders.

The short term solution is surely get our best finishers, Auba and Pepe in positions where they can actually
shoot and score goals and not on the touch line.

Saka, Nelson and Willian should be providers from out wide with Ceballos and Partey from deep. We could
even use Willock as the presser in chief & runner from deep.

If Arteta plays players where they are at their best, then he can get answers from within this squad.

Dennis M. 12 nov, 10:25

Berlin Techno as opposed to Bulgarian Techno?

Tracey M. 12 nov, 10:28 4 mentions J'aime

Arteta' s Arsenal are so shot shy , they are actually incredibly 92nd of all the 92 league clubs with regards to
actual shots on target in the second half.

His negativity and control freakery has meant Arsenal last scored from open play nearly 6hrs and 30 mins
ago.

Not surprising when he prefers Willian as centre forward over Auba, like his arrogant experiment at Man-
chester City.

Not selling Lacazette to Roma for a sizeable fee and replacing him with a proper target man , also now looking
like another howler from Mikel too.

Rust the process.

Nathan C. 12 nov, 10:53 5 mentions J'aime

Arsenal last scored from open play against Molde - two games ago.

Fahmid U. Il y a 22h 1 J'aime

Your first paragraph is needs to be blown up so the whole world can see it.

Tracey M. Il y a 22h 2 mentions J'aime

@ Fahmid

Its illustrates Mickelball in all its full glory.

The whole idea of football is off course to get shots on target and score goals.
 Well ,it used to be anyway. Lol.

Fahmid U. Il y a 22h

I wouldn’t give it the respect of naming the style of play as if there is one. 11 random bin men lined up to
play the top team in conference in a cup final would set up the same exact way. Park the bus to not con-
cede and...absolutely clueless what to do when they have the ball.

Piyapong B. 12 nov, 10:41 2 mentions J'aime

That rob-the-bank line totally nailed it.

Nathan C. 12 nov, 10:48 3 mentions J'aime

I’m wondering whether the slow buildup - as opposed to high energy pressing and attacking at high speed on
transition - isn’t a deliberate tactic to reserve the team’s energy levels. We have a notorious drop off in energy
for the last 15 mins of most matches. Perhaps Arteta is deliberately trying to keep the team ‘in the game’ for
the entire game by rationing their energy.

Another similar thought: with Europa League and a more congested than usual fixture list, perhaps he’s also
trying to keep the team fresher for the latter part of the season. A team that have burned themselves out on
high pressing and high-speed counterattacking will arguably have less in the tank and more injuries than the
current Arsenal would come the final stages of the season.

Understandably, most fans don’t want to think of their team as less fit or more injury-prone than their com-
petitors, but maybe Arteta’s inherited a team without the necessary conditioning and resilience and he’s just
playing the hand he’s been dealt.

My two bob’s, for what it’s worth.

Alex R. 12 nov, 11:42

@Nathan C. I have thought that recently, that especially in Europa we have been putting away the lesser
teams late on in the game. Its one tactic that whist not necessarily exciting, is effective.

Alasdair T. Il y a 22h 1 J'aime

I think that's a really interesting point, especially considering the volume of muscular injuries resulting
from congested fixtures. However, the players need a bit more freedom.

Fahmid U. Il y a 22h 1 J'aime

I like what you’re thinking but all of these theories are suggestive of a manager who knows what he is
doing he has a vision he has a plan he is the man he is the messiah.

...based on what exactly?

A more reasonable explanation is a man who doesn’t really know what he’s doing but has done a good
job of convincing everyone he does. What does an inexperienced manager do what a team that’s never
struggled to create chances but struggle defensively?

Step 1: Defence: Tells everyone to defend and not concede a goal. Easily done with a 7-0-3 formation
parking all 11 players.

Step 2: Attack: Guys you have these positions. Stay in them. No freedom in movement ESPECIALLY
when Leno has the ball. Let Leno decide how we play he is the only player I want playing as a number
10. If not, our two CDM can play number ten.
Why aren’t you scoring goals? Oh wait I actually have no idea what I’m doing.

Andreas T. 12 nov, 10:58 6 mentions J'aime

The thing about Arsenal is they just try and walk it in

Alasdair T. Il y a 22h

Genuinely laughed at that, thank you.

Rodrick L. 12 nov, 11:41 1 J'aime

I think only Willock and Smith Rowe can’t add the creativity to midfield necessary of the players in our squad
while keeping the drive Arteta demands. However, he seems like most managers reluctant to play young play-
ers from his club’s academy. I see no reason to not play Joe Willock especially due to his goal scoring record
over the past year.

Stuart T. 12 nov, 11:56 2 mentions J'aime

I've yet to see any sort of reasoning as to why Aubameyang is being played out wide. He's not creative. He's
not a dribbler who can cut inside and make chances for himself. He's a striker. Maybe I'm wrong about that
because I feel like I must be missing something. It's not even like it could never work, I think maybe it could in
transition/counter attacking side, but Arteta is mostly playing slow and boring defensive possession football.
It's just baffling.

David C. Il y a 23h 1 J'aime

Couldn't agree more. It's not rocket science. Surely we can all see that Auba's impact on games has be-
come minimal by playing out wide. It worked in a couple of key games last season- most notably in the
FA Cup when the ball was played forward quickly for him to run onto. We don't seem able to replicate
that formula this season and it seems Arteta has become fixated on that set up. There is also the issue
of no-one taking responsibility for having a pop at goal from the edge of the box.

Stewart B. Il y a 23h 2 mentions J'aime

@Stuart T. Try to think of Auba doing the job that Laca is being asked to do. Laca is not playing that
way because it is his style of play, he is being requested to do it. Hence the constant chirps of Laca,
Laca, Laca from the side line. If it is not Laca, it has to be Nketiah. It really does not matter where Auba
is positioned on the line up sheet, just put him on the pitch and give him the freedom to find the most
optimal position.

Robert N. 12 nov, 12:09 3 mentions J'aime

Good piece spelling out the team’s troubles, but not sure I can agree with this line:

“none of these attacking players was recruited specifically for his system. The one attacking target we know
he prioritised, Houssem Aouar, is a player suited a possession-based style.”

Willian surely must have been recruited by Arteta to fit a specific system, otherwise what was the point of the
transfer? Willian has come in for a lot of stick from fans but it’s not like any of the other attackers have been
tearing up trees either.

They all seem to be very diligently and carefully following Arteta’s instructions, so in a way I have a level of
sympathy towards the players (except Laca when he misses sitters) - it’s clear the instructions aren’t quite
right yet. It just goes to show that a large part of the modern game involves technically sound players follow-
ing meticulous plans rather than trying to express themselves and make what they do with the ball an art
form.

Daniel T. 12 nov, 1:12

Insightful analysis!

Stewart B. Il y a 23h 1 J'aime

"Currently, Arteta is attempting to rob the bank by picking the lock, but trying to do so with a bunch of get-
away drivers."
Well put.

Manny O. Il y a 23h 2 mentions J'aime

Arteta is amateur hour. Talks the talk for sure but is far too arrogant to change now. I see this getting a lot
worse before it gets better and ultimately the sack

Stewart B. Il y a 23h 2 mentions J'aime

Listening to the handbrake podcast, it was mentioned about how happy players are with the training sessions.
The problem with that, is that training sessions are not games and good coaches are not good managers. That
is why most top managers have coaches to go through the minute details in coaching sessions then allow
players to express themselves in the game.
Another thing: Artheta is supposedly looking for players who are humble with zero ego...if true, maybe he
needs to have a look in the mirror.

Fahmid U. Il y a 23h 1 J'aime

When you don’t know what you’re doing, you play everyone in defence and try to control everything that hap-
pens in attack.

Stewart B. Il y a 23h 2 mentions J'aime

To the call of moving Auba to the middle and the supposed lack of form from Laca. There are only two players
in the premier league that are set up to do the job that laca is being asked to do. They are Antonio at the
Hammers and Mitrović at Fulham.

Shane M. Il y a 22h 1 J'aime

Superb article tbh.

Terry B. Il y a 22h 5 mentions J'aime

I would like to have the data and a detailed analysis of Ozils performances in the 10 games under Arteta be-
fore he got frozen out to see the evidence he used to evict Ozil from the squad.

I would also like to see analysis which describes how the game has changed from Wengers time to today’s
mode of play. Does such data exist? Clearly our performance in terms of points, league position (and enter-
tainment?) has deteriorated post Wenger and it would be fascinating to learn more about how and why this
has happened with data to back up the analysis. Perhaps an insight into why Ozils assists dropped dramati-
cally post Wenger could be included. Was it down to the change in the way football is played, the role of man-
agers/coaches or the result of deeper, darker forces at work from those concerned with the commercial inter-
ests of the US Global Corporation that is Arsenal PLC.

Ben S. Il y a 22h 4 mentions J'aime

That's strange because as a player arteta was all about taking risks, quick pacey play and getting fans on the
edge of their seats...oh, hold on, arsenal's style makes perfect sense now!

Josh P. Il y a 22h

Loved the detailed analysis here; while I know this article was focused on the (lack of) attack, the new system,
with its slow possession and structure, was supposed to be defensively sound. The losses to Leicester and
City at least felt close, but they also never felt like the team could come back down 1-0 - again, the lack of
pace or attack. The second half against Villa seemed a complete collapse of structure and attack, so I'm very
curious as to where the manager goes from here.

Robert N. Il y a 21h 2 mentions J'aime

Very true. If Arteta concedes the first goal with this game plan then he’s sunk. Needs to be a way to get
the players to take a lot more initiative whilst also defending well...

Conor C. Il y a 21h 3 mentions J'aime

Good piece, but I think the "he doesn't have the right players for the system" lines are overplayed. He has
Nketiah, Lacazette and Aubameyang, three very different types of strikers. Surely one of them can do the job
he asks of the position. In fact Lacazette's strongest asset is his pressing which seems to be what Arteta
wants most out of the position and why Laca continues to start despite woeful form. That stubborn consisten-
cy seems to be Arteta's problem more than anything else. He won't vary his approach even when it's obviously
not working. Lots of new managers are to able to put together coherent attacking sides without 3 or 4 trans-
fer windows to get their perfect players. Roster fit is not a valid excuse for how bad these performances are.

Kristiyan D. Il y a 21h

What should "Bulgarian techno" suppose to mean ?

Richard P. Il y a 17h 1 J'aime

I'm no expert on 'Bulgarian techno' but I imagine unpredictable, fast paced and different. Like Leeds.

Jakub T. Il y a 20h

Isn't Chelsea position on the graph wrong? They have 1. 59 xG per 90, according to FBref.

Lawrence O. Il y a 20h

Excellent analysis - thank you Tom & James. The graphics told the story visually; love the line about the com-
patibility (or lack thereof) of the players with the system.

While reading I couldn't help picturing Kolasinic out on the wing, passing back and pointing where the ball
should be played.

One point not mentioned: are we missing players that can make penetrating runs into the box? Craig Ramsey
comes to mind, Wilshere driving forward from midfield, etc. Do we have those type of players able to effective-
ly penetrate?

Guy J. Il y a 20h 2 mentions J'aime

This is an excellent analysis. The thing is, the impotency in attack is so jarring that it's difficult to maintain the
benefit of the doubt. Mr. Arteta (and everyone at the club) have clearly worked very, very hard to address our
defensive deficiencies, with no insignificant amount of success. I can only imagine that took quite a bit of time
and effort, so perhaps the same will be the case regarding our attack. It takes a lot of time to turn around a
ship in open water, and in the Premier League, the waters run deep. It's November, and we've got good people
with tremendous talent. Nothing is guaranteed, but we shall see.

Niall K. Il y a 20h 3 mentions J'aime

Still never ceases to amaze me how differently Arteta is treated to certain other managers.

Apparently Arteta is too much of a “perfectionist” - that’s why they can’t score and are as dull as ditchwater to
watch!
Not because he has no tactical chops other then tightening his defence - it’s because he wants footballing
perfection!

Righhhhhtttttt

Charles L. Il y a 18h 3 mentions J'aime

I watched them play against West Ham and they were lucky to win. Then they beat a terrible Man U with
a penalty, despite not looking like scoring all game. Gary Neville and sky seem to be chief cheerleaders
yet he hasn’t done much at all. He’s basically doing what Pulis and Allardyce get lauded for when taking
over teams near the relegation zone. Stop the goals but also struggle to score them as a result. He
might open them up but I suspect the minute he does they’ll concede goals.

Zayd G. Il y a 20h 2 mentions J'aime

Arteta is fit for the big games with his approach however in games against lesser opposition it should be
about doing what we can do rather than what the opposition can.
Loosening the “shackles” on a Pepe or Nelson in some games can give us some dynamism and threat going
forward!

Rory W. Il y a 19h 2 mentions J'aime

The perfect breakdown of our problems

Charles L. Il y a 18h

#trusttheprocess isn’t that what he says?

Mark A. Il y a 17h

Outstanding analysis / article, thank-you. Nail on head.

Jad M. Il y a 15h 2 mentions J'aime

My solution is simple; time to play with the handbrake off for fuck's sake!

I like that we are harder to beat defensively, but watching us attack can be like starting at midnight and trying
to watch the whole of "The Irishman" without falling asleep!

Jad M. Il y a 15h 1 J'aime

My solution is simple; time to play with the handbrake off for fuck's sake!

I like that we are harder to beat defensively, but watching us attack can be like starting at midnight and trying
to watch the whole of "The Irishman" without falling asleep!

Callum B. Il y a 14h 1 J'aime

"Arteta is attempting to rob the bank by picking the lock, but trying to do so with a bunch of getaway drivers."
Is quite possibly the greatest metaphor I have ever read from a sports journalist.

Duane S. Il y a 14h 1 J'aime

"The picture that begins to emerge is of a fundamentally risk-averse team, dallying on the ball in unthreaten-
ing areas."

That quote is Ceballos in a nutshell for me. I want to see Willock start getting some of his league minutes. He's
maybe not ready to start but he can at least provide some urgency and energy off the bench when we're
sleepwalking through yet another second half

Andrew C. Il y a 8h

Looks like a prime Ozil would really have suited this team. Man City's long periods of possession are/were of-
ten finished with a killing pass from Silva or de Bruyne, something which an engaged Ozil could probably still
provide for Arsenal, Incidentally, he did play a fair amount in 2019/20 when I guess his assists per minute
perked up on the year before.

Arteta may need to turn things around soon which may be difficult if the 31+year old Aubameyang does no
rediscover his scoring touch. He has now managed over 50% as long as the much-maligned Emery and has
averaged only 1.61 points per game compared with the latter's 1.73

Fabio D. Il y a 6h

“Currently, Arteta is attempting to rob the bank by picking the lock, but trying to do so with a bunch of get-
away drivers.”

Helge Il y a 4h

Surely, it has to change. The data gives clear answers and Arteta understand and know. Also those around
him will know. So the expectations and demands from the owners and fans will increase... Will he be able to
develop the team to be more active in the final third, create more chances... Time will show, i doubt, but it will
definately change in the future...

LISEZ AUSSI

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