Arsenal need to continue to do this “thing” more frequently against low blocks.
Arsenal’s final game to end the year was against Ipswich and despite the win coming in the form of a slender 1-0 win on paper, the Gunners would’ve seen it as ending the year on a high regardless. Looking at the win itself, we clearly struggled to put our chances away despite having created enough chances to do so. Failure to do this ensured a fairly nervy end to the contest which understandably shouldn’t have been the case against a lowly Ipswich side. In spite of the nervy finish and failure to win by a wider margin, there were some good performances all over the starting lineup. Some really good football was on show at times in the game but it was our willingness to carry the ball centrally through the Ipswich defense at times that left me fascinated.
Two instances in particular piqued interest with the first being the 18th minute chance that Jurrien Timber manufactured for himself through a brilliant carry near the halfway line to the edge of the visitors box. Though it led to a tame effort at goal, the fact that he carried the ball centrally opened up an opportunity to draw players out of the low block which in turn opens up spaces where we can exploit. Another instance in which it led to a chance as well was in the 48th minute with Martin Ødegaard this time being the one causing panic among the Ipswich defenders. In a run that started from virtually his half way line, Ødegaard eventually got his shot blocked after continuing the run till inside their 18 yard box.
These two instances despite not leading to goals should be encouragement to do it with more frequency, especially against low blocks. Part of the reason why we struggle against low blocks is the often predictable side to side passing without any central penetration and variation to our points/types of attacks. Ball carrying, especially centrally, brings with it an element of unpredictability as well an element of uncertainty to the opposition. Defenders will be caught in two minds whether to stay in position or go after the man which will lead to spaces being opened up one way or the other. Playing that way will also draw us more set piece opportunities in central areas where we can be of more threat as well. We certainly don’t do this enough against those sorts of opposition, which is a downer considering how useful it can be when used to great effect. A lot of the reasons why we don’t are simply tactical with a minor being a lack of bravery from the players individually to take the risk.
It was really great seeing us play that way at times against Ipswich, it was a breath of fresh air to an attack that will need all it can get amidst the continued absence of Bukayo Saka.
Let me get your thoughts on this gooners, did any of you notice this?
BENJAMIN KENNETH.
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I enjoyed Timber’s foray through the middle of the pitch, but that and Ødegaard’s effort were the only moments of merit in a pretty dismal display. Performances like that will not yield many points or much support amongst the fans, so let’s hope we don’t get too many more like it.
Not a fan of the Artetaball, crab football we play too often.
Too much is made of possession, many times resulting in nothing; no shots nothing created.
We have become too predictable in our play, making it easier to defend against us.
Saka’s injury could be a blessing in disguise; changing tactics and changing from everything on the right side.
Odegaard moving more, players attack through the middle, overlap fullbacks, interchanging wingers during play.
Maybe this forces a change in tactics, or maybe it’s just more of the same, rinse and repeat.
Don’t know Arteta have a ball named after him lol!! ……… Another naive comment
Great comment, offer criticism but no solution or nothing of substance to counter my opinion.
Calling someone naive, and then failing or purposefully not debating a point is telling on your part.
Care to elaborate on why I am naive, or you content being a troll?
You’re the critics here mate, I only mean to say your critics is weak.
“Too much is made of possession, many times results in nothing”, The results is second position in both league and UCL.
” We’ve become too predictable in our play, making it easier to defend against us”, It’s called having a defined playing style, Just like any other big teams and we’re second in goals scored in the league, so I guess we’re not that easy to defend against.
👍
@Durand
Don’t count on it. The song remains the same, only with a different player at RW.
Players cannot express themselves in Artetas system,that’s why he got rid of the ego players so to speak .
Tavares is a great example when we played Forest and Arteta was shouting at him how to take a throw in ,he ignored him ,got subbed never to be seen again ,we know how that as now played out .
If he sat down for 90 minutes rather than pacing up and down like a rabid hyena I bet you players would put in a better performance ,to much micro management when there is absolutely no need for it .
Likes to be in control of everything ,that’s why big name players would never be seen pulling up onto the Emirates turf.
I have to agree and that is why I predicted a 1-0 win last game.
It is rigid Arteta ball or nothing.
Agreed sws
When do we see players having a go from out box ,think I saw rice try one against Ipswich.
Unfortunately pep as brought the tika taka football to these shores which as turned the prem into a bore fest ,slot as now changed that for the good and we are seeing his results .
What results ?
Just the results that see them 9 points ahead in the prem and top of the CL losing one game in both comps out of 24 games .
😂😂
Slot almost change nothing. It’s the same Liverpool team with the same style of play……. But with a new energy, credit to him, of course!!
For their results, let’s see if they can sustain it before you start celebrating
Tavares was absolute rubbish in that game at Forest, that’s why he got hooked off in the first half.
He got hooked off because he told Arteta to fck off .
That was after he was hooked.
I have to agree with all of this about players being afraid to express themselves and I don’t think it’s that players don’t know how to take a throw in but are waiting to be instructed where to throw the ball, so much so the continual time wasting pees me right off and you can hear the fans in the stadium telling them to get on with it. And is it necessary to orchestrate every move, every players position, where everyone should pass? just let them play please. Unfortunately with Arteta it’s ‘do it my way or get on the highway’!
Yes, me and JBG5 did notice – see our comments in yesterday’s “same old, same old” article. I expressed a desire for MA to hopefully take notice.
DK’s point about players not being able to express themselves is an interesting one.
There is no doubt that MA plays to a system and that system has seen us come very close to winning the PL twice.
But within that system there is room to express oneself and I give you Odegaard, Saka and Saliba as examples.
Where I can see DK’s point though, is the likes of brilliant individuals such as Ozil, Aubameyang, Eastham, Anelka, George, Graham, Mozart… all of whom would never be able to function at their highest level if they were “micro managed” as he puts it.
As for the point about MA telling individuals how to take throw ins, if they can’t do that (and we’ve seen our players this season pulled up for not doing it properly) isn’t that something he should be doing?
Watching pool take West Ham apart and they do look good, working to a system, with brilliant individuals!!
Is slot raging on the touchline Ken ?
And no Ken why should a manager have to tell a player to take a simple throw in ,Arteta himself was a bog standard player ,a player who was sighed in our crappy years after the good Wenger times ,what warrants him to tell a player how to take a simple throw in just because he’s our manager .
Because 2 of his throw in were foul throws 🙄
…because he’s our manager.
… because he knows how to take throw ins.
No, he manages in the way that AW used too – did Klopp use to rage on the touchline DK and, remember, you said you wanted Klopp as our manager!!
Yes because Klopp was a world class manager ,as for his raging nothing comes close to Arteta ,not sure what your point is
.
Hasn’t times changed
1 nil to the arsenal is now boring but we sing about it
GG made a living out of it and totally adored for it
Now it’s not good enough
I personally would like us to be more free flowing and score more goals but I will settle for consistently winning 1-0 all day long from now to the end of the season
Best defense in the league
4th best goals scored
Not bad for a team that can’t think for thm selves and only able to play one way 🫢
Onwards and upwards
Probably because GG won a Fcking title Alan
It’s great that you have this unconditional love in for Arteta , but ffs please do not compare him to one of best managers we have had .
What’s is it with your language
If you can’t write with out mentioning your favourite words then please don’t try and engage with me again
You know nothing about me and my unconditional love of MA
How wrong are you
By the way it was titles and not title
Thanks for the history lesson bud
I see everything else flew over your head .🙄
👏👏👏
😂
Sorry should have done another 2 😂😂
Arteta ball doesn’t work. Its limited, thats our problem. Its sound and functional (probably describes Arteta as a footballer) but it isn’t flexible or robust to win the league. I am afraid since the day he joined Arsenal he always comes up short. I don’t see how that can change.
He is a poor mans Pep.
What is particularly galling is that 2 seasons ago Arsenal finished 2nd in the league but the attacking play was exciting to watch but that made way for a more pragmatic approach which again yielded a 2nd place finish. So MA has demonstrated that he is capable of getting the players to play attractive football AND defend well, it’s just whether he can get them to do both. If he can then that may be enough to win the league. But it won’t be this season.
I wouldhave you a big bet, it won’t next either. Its flawed.
👍
Ben and Reggie,
I keep on saying that we’ll never win the league with Arteta in charge. Something I constantly get shot down for.
But I will keep banging that drum, unapologetically.
Arteta will never put emphasis on attack. He’s about aversion to risk and defensive solidity first. Sooner that is accepted the better and we can stop asking for something we are never going to get from him.
I compare our side to title-winning, “defensive” teams like the atletico sides that won under simeone (or Valencia under Benitez?) – those sides had some top players but won titles on their determination and skill in defence and counter attacking to get their goals, however if you saw them, that only really mattered in the big games (Barcelona and Real Madrid) where they knew they were weaker in attack but stronger in defence. Against the smaller teams they often looked thoroughly dominant. Same goes for Mourinho’s sides – they only looked like defensive teams when facing the strongest opposition, but against everyone else they were generally able to make chances quite easily.
We have shown we’re quite able to raise it for big games and compete, but we look like a defensive side in too many of the smaller games; we don’t look dominant. A couple of years ago, we more often did dominate games, but not so much this year. As others have said, we look too risk averse, too often.
Meanwhile those bunch of losers Liverpool who play with real wing backs, centre forwards and redundant old school tactics unlike our sideways thinking gaffer keep on winning and don’t look like choking.
Davi,
You use two key words, Title-winning. Something that we aren’t or ever will be under this current manager, whether in an attacking sense or a defensive one for that matter.🤦♂️
The difference is we are not title winning of course
If you have to tell a player how to take a throw in, what kind of power trip is the manager on.
How would he have reacted to the same instruction, I’m guessing the second word would have been off.
There never would have been a first or second word, because he knew how to take throw ins!!
Are you that against Arteta, that you don’t want him to actually point out a players mistake and try to correct it?
I have agreed with some of your points and criticisms about our manager in the past, but your dislike of him goes further than being objective it seems…. more the pity as your obviously an intelligent football fan in other aspects…. just my opinion of course.
It’s not about how a player takes a throw-in ,it’s how he tells them to take it ,he instructs them to slow play down this in turn lead us to his micro management discussions..
As for Arteta knowing how to take a throw in ,he was CM I doubt he took many if any in his time as a player ,if he did it would have probably gone back to the keeper .
Its irrelevant whether Arteta knew how to take a throw in or not, what matters is how whether he can instruct the players to make the right moves to gain an advantage no matter how miniscule. This is a difficult league where any small mistake is punished even against weaker teams so I thinks it’s important to have a manager who looks after every phase of play
Ken1945,
Having read your comments, I take on board what you say regarding the word objective. Sometimes I don’t express myself very well, something I’m willing to admit.
And I will retract my statement of Arteta being on a power trip, (Stupid comment, My bad🤦♂️).
But that said what I will say, if its true that the team are wasting time under orders, whether it be from throw-ins, Corners, Free-kicks, what does that say about us as a team.
I find it hard to believe that there are fans out there, who pay there hard earned money to come and watch their team wasting time, rather than playing the game.
Now with all due respect to Ipswich, we were wasting time against them, come on this is Arsenal were talking about. Have we really gone to that level of football, than rather than [playing were wasting time trying to get over the line, while I can see that maybe late in the game, we seem to be doing it a lot of the time from set plays.
Its also short changing the paying fans, am I the only one to see that, (Surely I can’t be).
And also, were picking up stupid bookings for it at times also. (Not very clever management if you ask me).
So, once again Ken1945 thank you for your comment’s , and again I retract part of my earlier statement. But I also stand by a large majority of it. 😉👍
imagine the outcry if Arsenal took un-necessary risks pushing for a second goal late in the game and conceded an equaliser
3 points secured
it is, and always has been (remember comical running the ball to the corner flag in extra time), part of the professional game
objectively of course!
subjectively, drives me mad when opponents do it to Arsenal
Arsenal1886,
I did say in my piece that I understand it later in a game. But we seem to start it earlier in games, and I’ll ask the question again.
What does that say about our team. Is that what this once great club has come to.
Because if that’s the level and ambition being shown by this club, how sad is that. Very sad in my opinion.
You need to consider how Arteta sets up the team and his approach to game management.
One of the things he tries to do is to maintain control of the game in all phases of play and throughout the game. It’s not about time wasting but control. It’s not a lack of ambition but effectively his philosophy on how to get best out of his team.
In some cases the approach has led to unnecessary yellow cards and it can be argued that it reduces some of the spontaneity of the players. However, this is also one of the reasons we are one of the most effective teams from dead ball situations and one of the most defensively sound teams in the PL.
We still create chances and score more goals than most. We are also still in contention for titles so the approach really deserves better respect.
Arteta/Arsenal ambition is win and do what ever it takes to win, slowing the game down and ensuring our opponents never get a foothold is professional game management
i look at triumph over Spurs getting as strategy absolutely spot on, and were leading Man C at the Etihad, then red card came and Arteta closed the game down, got it absolutely right
neither was attacking or pretty, the ambition shown definitely not sad!
Ipswich town destroyed Chelsea and no one is saying anything.
Arsenal win against same opponents, pundits jump on it and begin to water down the win, plastic fans buy the narrative, soon everyone is thinking we lost that game.
All of a sudden, we forget that this is the premier league.
Not every win has to be pretty. What matters is the 3 points.
Music to my ears
You are so right Hilary. So many were so upset and aghast when we drew at Fulham, drew with Everton at home and only beat Ipswich 1-nil to the Arsenal. Yet, Fulham turns around and draws at Anfield and wins at Stamford Bridge on boxing day. Everton then draws with Chelsea and City at the Etihad. It’s the same story every season affecting every club differently every season (o.k. except City115, lol).
Because we are expected to be challenging , not Chelsea
Yes you are right, hence we got the job done (three points) while the Chelsea side you expect to become champions before us COULDN’T!
Chelsea spent over a billion in less than two years on transfer fees and are not expected to be challenging.
Only you know in summer mate if you expected Chelsea to challenge for title ?