Martin Keown has claimed that Mikel Arteta is making similar mistakes that Unai Emery did, by keeping to change the system in use at Arsenal.
Emery enjoyed a reasonable opening season for our side, leading us to the Europa League final, before the whole team fell apart during his second campaign, and Mikel Arteta is in danger of falling the same way.
The team flourished last season, beating a number of big rivals on the way to FA Cup success, before lifting the Community Shield at the start of the new campaign, but recent performances have been below par.
Martin Keown is now hoping that the manager can stick to one system that the team can find their rhythm to.
‘They keep changing from one system to another and they did this with Emery,’ Keown told Stadium Astro (via the Metro).
‘That’s what I would like to see now, the same pictures, the same triangles, the same movements, the same partnerships, the same relationships.
‘If you keep changing it, you don’t find a rhythm, and that’s something that I found in a very successful team. It was like putting an old pair of slippers on for a game. Everything was there. You’d fire it into midfield to Patrick Vieira, into Dennis Bergkamp, [Thierry] Henry into the channel; it was three passes.
‘These players now are getting the ball now and it’s jamming a little bit, so I think keep it simple and start building from this team. If this is the way he wants to play, keep with it, and try to put the people in it and get the messages right and work on it.
‘It was very static, the front three never really moved from positions, they didn’t make themselves available.
‘This is a brand new project for the manager. We don’t want to be over critical. I believe he’s the right man for the job 100 per cent, super bright manager and he’s going to have setbacks, it’s how he responds to this now.’
I don’t personally have much issue with the system put in place last night, with our finishing having failed us, as our performance in the first half should have seen us lead going into the break, and that left us vulnerable to a backlash.
A change in formation appears to have been needed due to too much negative football being played, and a 4-3-3 system could well be here to stay, but results will need to come with it.
Will Arteta panic after last night’s display? Do we expect the same system to be used against Dundalk come Thursday?
Patrick
Arteta have to try the combination of Partey and Elneny/Maitland-Niles. He has to rest Xhaka in the coming game. Xhaka was the weakest link in Sunday’s game
I’d love to see Partey as DM with AMN as B2B with Ozil playing CAM. AMN slotting in next to Partey when defending
Why must Ozil name come in? He was not registered. Please leave my man out of Arsenal pleazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
And he has been the same since he came here. No offences to the man, he is simply not EPL level, forget AFC standard. Wenger just went about hiring these players. Mikel does not have the players for a sustained 38 game EPL. Remember Unai had suggested Steven NZonzi as the CDM as a stop gap arrangement, somebody blocked the move. Any day he was better than Xhaka and would take his man head on. I really do not know what Xhaka is meant to do. Too much mess at AFC, Xhaka, Laca, Kolasinac, Mustafi, the list seems endless.
Wenger did go about hiring these players you are right but it’s been how many transfer window to get them out. I was happy when Xhaka requested for transfer after his incident at the Emirate ( not because I don’t rate him) but guess who comes around and tell me to stay. With Party, William, Gabriel and second coming of Cebellos we have recruited 15 players and yet we blame every failure on Wenger. No wonder the man doesn’t want to visit the Emirate.
So is it! Arteta is not able to increase attacking creativity. After Louis and Saka were substituted there was only a matter of time when Vardy is free and ready to goal. Tactically very cheap of Arsenal.
Arteta should be replaced he is playing to much players out of position and keeping bad players in the starting lineup
Formations will always change depending on the opposition and the players available for selection. Sometimes formations will even change mid-way through the game.
What happens when injuries mount up and suspensions?For example,no Holding and no Luiz for Dundlk and Man U.Can Gabriel be the centerpiece of a back 3 with Musti and Tierney?
Or can Dani play behind the lone striker when Willian in injured?Seems to me that Dani is good when starting from further back
The back passing of Xhaka delays the quick build up to counter attacks. Xhaka should learn to challenge opponents in the midfield
Our arsenal is back after winning against fulham when Emery was still in charge because people were carried away,, I have nothing against arteta but his coaching syststm is getting out of hand,,, he kept xhaka instead of getting a better player,,,,I only see average players in our midfield that’s the struggle,,, till they start creating chances we are going no where,,,, I still feel arsenal need a big coach who can deliver, ancenlotti would have been a better coach,,,,, no of our midfiders can dribble,all they have to pass side way or backward,,, I don’t see anything special about the way we are playing
MIKKI Unlike you, I put no blame on MA, BUT I do agree that our midfield which MA inherited, NOT chose(a KEY point against your argument!!) is slow in thought and movement, lacking all forward creativity.
This is NOT A CALL FOR OZIL, as he is a busted flush, lazy and correctly out of the squad. But we DO need a powerful and hard working, talented central attacking midfielder and we do not have one. We really need two of that type but have only a lesser one in Ceballos.
Xhaka and Elneny and sub standard players of that ilk should never be anywhere near our club, let alone our team and that is much of our problem.
Blame Kroenke but not MA, who HAS bought two wonderful players, the first two of his own choice, save the injured MARI.
Just like to add that our Invincibles remain with that incredible record for yet another season – good old Martin and the rest of the squad, along with the greatest ever manager, still delivering the message – The one and only INVINCIBLES.
On word to quibble about Ken! OUR “greatest manager,” (at least arguably) but not THE greatest manager (as in all football). AW would have been remembered and universally agreed as our greatest , BEYOND DOUBT, IF ONLY he had the wisdom and humility to have left many years earlier, when the golden seam ran out.
To my mind, that was around 2008, the season when the Gallas sulk at Birmingham cost us the title(not by itself of course). IF ONLY….!
In reality, what proved far more of a problem after that season was his change of policy towards buying tiny players, esp in midfield to replace physically stronger ones. A succesion of injury prone dwarfs for a decade after proved our undoing and an inability to find even half decent CB’s, bar only Koscielny. Nothing approaching the standard of his first decade in defence.
Of course he was stuck with Kroenke and Gazidis too, (though Gazidis was AW’S choice, rubber stamped by Kroenke) to do him justice, unlike the previous decade when he had the mighty David Dein at his side and when the clubs shares were owned by true fans on the board, even though such as Fitzman still betrayed DD.
Ironically, DD intoduced the snake KROENKE to our club but at least saw his mistake but it was too late by then!
What a black day was the day, in 2007, when Dein was traduced by the traitorous board and forced out, catastrophically for our next decade and still ongoing now!