Mikel Arteta Was Never The Man For The Job At Arsenal
By: Albion Alushani
Tags: Entertainment, Arsenal, Football, Sports, Soccer

Management

The board have got to take some blame. Arsene Wenger, a football legend did receive the most backing during his time at the club. An even Unai Emery was handed a £72 million winger in Nicholas Pepe. So signings have been made, and big ones. Long story short the club has had signings. But the issue lies in the specific signings they have made. £72 million for Pepe or £35 million for Leroy Sane, the price Man City paid for Sane in 2016? Anyone will say Leroy Sane. This isn’t a special case. Liverpool’s Mane and Salah cost around £40 million and £30 million respectively. Both are top tier attackers in the league right now. Even Mahrez, a proven league winger went to City for £60 million. So what is the issue. Well Pepe has seriously under performed for Arsenal. Arsenal’s best wingers have been academy products, Saka (who I love watching) and Martinelli, a great talent but unfortunately injuries have held him back. It isn’t just Pepe that I am pin pointing this on. But questions have to be asked. Spending that kind of money on a player to honestly do the bare minimum. The scouting in this club needs to be questioned.

Arteta wanted Gabriel, Thomas Partey, Willian (on a free transfer) and Houseem Aouar. He got 3 out of those 4 players. To say he hasn’t been backed is a little bit of a stretch. But it isn’t the correct backing. 3 year contract for a 30 something year old winger who lets be real isn’t Gareth Bale quality. Gabriel was needed fair. But was Partey really needed? He is a great player don’t get me wrong. In Arsenal’s 1–0 victory over Man United at Old Trafford Partey absolutely ran riot against United. But again injuries set him back. But the type of player Partey is is not the one Arsenal needed. They have created virtually nothing this season. Aouar would have been a better pick. Sure they might concede 2 but with Aouar’s creativity they would score 3. It is gone now. Whoever manages the transfers, the scouting of these players and the owners themselves all need to take their heads out of their asses. I know I am a Man City fan but I have always said that I love when there is competition in the league. As much as I love City’s 2017/18 centurion season, the 2018/19 season which saw us go head to head with Liverpool and saw City win the league on the last season was the most satisfying league win. If the big clubs made the league more competitive it would be more fun trust me.

Players

I will be honest. I am 19 years of age, I have been watching football since I was 7. I have seen bad performances and discipline over the years. But this Arsenal side are not simply a bad performance. They are for starters the most boring team to watch. They create absolutely nothing. Man City (at the time of writing this) beat Arsenal 4–1 in the EFL cup yesterday. With the exception of Martinelli, I never felt threatened when Arsenal were on the ball. Under Wenger and honestly even (to a degree) Emery this was not that big of a problem. And even up until September 2020 Arsenal had a lethal press deploying Aubameyangs threatening pace both down the middle and the wide areas during counter attacks caused major problems for clubs. But the players themselves need to take a big look at themselves. How it has fallen to 19 year old Saka to take responsibility is shocking. Senior players running around like headless chickens. The lack of discipline in the team is appalling as well. They have the most red cards in the league (I think at least at this time). Stupid challenges and reckless behaviour. Xhaka grabbing someone by the throat… seriously? That doesn’t even need a VAR viewing. The players don’t seem to have a key quality. It is not pace. Or creativity. Or finishing ability. The majority of them lack a major quality. Pride. They don’t seem to have pride in being a footballer, let alone an Arsenal player. Again let me use my team as an example. John Stones at the beginning of this season would have never been in contention for the starting XI. I would have laughed at you. Stones, an error prone player replace Laporte, one of the best defenders in the league are you smoking? Now in December I am hoping to see Stones start alongside Ruben Dias every game. He grinded. He proved why he deserved to be in the starting XI. In the summer there were talks of him being sold. After seeing his form now, I hope he signs an extension. Pride can influence a lot in both a player and a team. And with a few exceptions I don’t see any pride in this Arsenal side.

Mikel Arteta

Which brings me on to Arteta. An inexperienced manager. Why would a big club sign an inexperienced manager? He is more of an Everton legend and Everton did not bat an eye to hire him. Yet at the end of the 2019/20 season he proved everyone wrong. Winning two trophies in the span of around 7 months. He took a mess of a team and squeezed out a trophy winning side. So why did I say it makes sense to bring someone else after he won two trophies. It wouldn’t make sense. HE HAD JUST WON THEM TWO TROPHIES WHY DEMOTE HIM? I can hear people ask. Let us break it down.

For starters the style of football they played was very beginner like. Essentially it was to hit teams on the counter attack using Aubameyangs pace to cut through the defences of teams. The fact that only he scored in the Semi-Final and Final of the FA Cup says something. At the time it wouldn’t look like a problem. But using 3 at the back only one name comes to mind… Mourinho. Their enemy of a manager. His very sit deep style of football is something only he can pull of to the best of its ability. I saw Pep Guardiola lose to Lyon in the Champions League Quarter Finals just because he couldn’t deploy City to do the same. Pep, a tactical genius could not pull it off. Ole tried it at somepoints in his career and it backfired. It worked for Arteta for a while. Then reality hit, or in this case Aston Villa. 3–0 they lost to Villa at home. They had also lost to City and Liverpool prior to that, but 3–0 to a team which struggled to stay alive last season at home is not great. And it proved that Arteta was out of his depth. His 3 at the back system failed, and that is the beginning of their poor run of form. If the management of Arsenal are content with defensive style of play then they should have gotten Maurizio Sarri or Mourinho. But Arteta wants to attack as do the players. Which brings the next issue Areta has.

What is his next plan should things go south? If Aubameyang can’t score what is his next move? Both City and Liverpool are set up so there are at least 7 goal scorers in their teams. Arsenal only seem to have 1. But that is how Arteta seems to have set the system up. In his post match interview in the FA Cup final he said he wanted to build the squad around Aubamenyang. That should be worrying. His plan for a new season was solely based off Aubameyang. If there is one thing he should’ve learnt under Pep is to never build a squad around someone. Aubameyang has 3 goals (at the time of writing) in 14 games. For someone who wanted to build his squad around that is clearly failing. If that was his plan all along, then unless Aubameyang turns into Messi then Arsenal could very well get relegated. Even prime Aubameyang in the premier league of 2018/19 would not be able to drag this around. Because Arteta is showing another issue.

His decisions have been a joke. They were losing to Everton 2–1 and he decides to bring on a midfielder for an attacker. Not only that, but Pepe was their best player that match. Then he got substituted off. Why Willian is getting all this game time is funny. Even Ole would have dropped him after 5 games not let him continue for another 10 or so. And the exile of Mesut Ozil. Say what you want about him but he would create way more than what they are right now. But he isn’t even allowed to be an option. Why not use Emile Smith Rowe? I saw him last night against us in the EFL cup and he looked bright. Saka has been their most creative player this season, and he is 19. Arteta is in a predicament that is challenging for even experienced managers let alone an inexperienced manager.