Rafa Benitez recently said that Liverpool’s improved standing in the Premier League is due to their ability to strike a balance between offence and defence. Isn’t that the exact thing holding Arsenal back?
During games against Atalanta, Bournemouth, and Liverpool, critics have accused the Gunners of adopting an excessively defensive stance and employing petty tactics, also known as the ‘Dark Arts’, to frustrate their opponents instead of focusing on just playing the game.
Arteta’s team received criticism for not attacking and expressing themselves as much as they should have, especially in the second half of that 2-2 draw against Liverpool.
Many have compared Arteta to Pep Guardiola, whose sides strive to dominate the game both defensively and offensively. But Liverpool star Jamie Carragher feels Arsenal’s second-half game plan against the Reds on Sunday night gave him the Jose Mourinho vibe.
Retreating every time they were leading has resulted in Arsenal dropping vital points (apart from the Bournemouth game) this season. On Sunday, Arsenal had a 2-1 lead at half-time and needed to demonstrate more bravery to finish the game, but they failed to do so, just as they did against Manchester City or Brighton.
Jamie Carragher admitted that Arteta’s team has a limiting element: they are too defensive like a Mourinho team when they need not be. Arsenal must strike a balance between their defensive and offensive strategies.
The ex-Liverpool man said on Sky, “I know they had a couple of injuries at the back but they still got the midfield players and some attackers who you think you can get on the ball and go forward and try and take the sting out of the pressure you’re under. But that instinct to protect comes from the manager but it happens too often.
“I get what happened at City – I thought what they did was brilliant – but what they did here at Brighton, what they did against Bournemouth – the top teams when they go down to ten men, yeah, you are under pressure but you relieve it; you keep the ball a bit more and you’re still a threat going forward.
“It feels like what Jose was like at the Nou Camp with Inter [in the 2010 Champions League]. This is not a criticism, this is an observation.
“But this idea that Arsenal play great football and he is a Pep Guardiola man, he is not. Just look at the players going down today, the secrecy before the game about who was fit and who wasn’t. It’s all out of the Jose Mourinho playbook.”
Arsenal has demonstrated their defensive prowess; now, they need to cultivate the courage and trust necessary to take on opponents. Maintaining leads and retreating even when a man down hasn’t brought Arsenal any success.
Is it time for the Gunners to change their tactics or do you think Arteta’s tactics are acceptable?
Daniel O
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I don’t think its either. Its Mourino type tactics, that dont work as well as prime Mourino. Mourino used to stiffle games to win them.
I think Arteta is his own man. He is not trying to emulate anyone, he is just trying his way. That said, it doesn’t mean he does not adopt other coaches methods partially. There are very few coaches who are 100% original. Even Pep was influenced by Johan Cruyff.
The gaffer is no Morhino, in fact that’s a poor comparison, the latter is irrratic , and unstable and though he’s an accomplished manager he would never be welcomed in An Arsenal dugout.
And speaking about stability, it is actually possible to predict where clubs are going to end up after just s nine games.
Think one can have a lot of confidence about Arsenal, not least because the club has brought in fair numbers of new players who seems to have settled down quickly, have once again one or two youngsters who are breaking inti the first team at an incredible young age under the tulage of a very stable manager, unprecedented progress only threatened by injuries.
This summer some 25% of last season clubs have changed their manager, if one should go back a few months it’s almost 50% of clubs.
Now of all these clubs changing their manager only Liverpool seems to be holding their head above the water, where Morhino goes chaos follows.
Indeed no comparison worthy mentioning.
And I’ve been struggling to consistently see much of Pep in him.
Absoloutely nothing in Artetas style reminds us of Mourinho. He is an attacking minded coach, inspired by Cruyff and his legacy., with posession, high defense,, pressure on the opponent and great technique all over the team. But he is also an extremely smart man that understands football perfectly, so he is pragmatic and modern as well, knows how to adapt to different situations. Like almost beating city away with 10 players. These pundits hates Arsenal and are trying to insult Arteta and the fans by calling him the new Mourinho, dont’t listen to them.
@Mats
I had to take a step back and read this again.”He is an attacking minded coach inspired by Cruyff and his legacy”… Are you having a laugh there dude? No offense, but Artetas style of management is nowhere near Johans. 😂😂😂😂
Agree NY.
Jose Mourinho is a winner and God has blessed him in his coaching carrier for many years .Let us pray for other young coaches also to have good success rather than comparing them with Mourinho.
At least Mourinho’s tactics won him lot’s of trophies, we are yet to see Arteta’s trophy. FA triumph was more of a fluke because back then he had not built his own team.
Was mourinho competing with Pep Guardiola?
🙄. Who really cares?
I’m taking several things into consideration
1. New players bedding in. Merino only just in to the fray during mid October.
2. The long term injury to Odegaard – almost 2 months so far. He’s not a bit part player
3. Annoying red cards which have been very expensive
4. Injuries to other regular first team players which have altered the dynamic and signs of ring rustiness/match fitness on their return. White was initially and I’d suggest that neither Saka or Timber were fully fit on Sunday
I thought the game would finish as a draw based on Saka and Timber being unable to play. I revised my thinking once seeing the team sheet. I revised it again after Gabriel went off and seeing Saka and Timber being replaced. Whilst the team is stronger on paper, if so many of them are missing, just returning or injured again during the course of the game, I don’t know what people expect? As far as Liverpool were concerned why would anyone not expect them to come at Arsenal in the second half?
I clearly saw a different game to a lot of you
Great points, SueP. Hard to argue with – I understand the thought that we should be able to cope with injuries and suspension if we want to win the title, but there are limits for every team. I do respect the resilience arteta has instilled in the squad – we would have been thrashed several times in recent weeks with squads of the past, which were even more heavily reliant on one or two players.
My only concern is that we didn’t appear to have a solid way of playing without odegaard – but that’s bigger than just the Liverpool game, and I don’t expect even he would have changed the outcome significantly given the other issues you’ve laid out.
SueP
It’s strange how we can be watching the same game and see it totally different. I saw it the same as you.
I prefer taking game to opponent, rader than protecting lead an invite pressure. Arteta should adjust we still got players that hurt any team, we keep given too much respect to other teams.
Arteta is pragmatic in his approach to managing, which some will enjoy and some will not.
It’s harder to find balance than fans think. Wenger’s squad played beautiful football, but at times I was left frustrated at how exposed our defense was.
Arteta at times leaves me frustrated when we drop off in second halves to protect a lead rather than killing off an opponent.
I’m curious to see how Arteta grows as he gains experience, and how or if he adapts and evolves. For example, he still employs inverted fullbacks, prefers not to have a traditional 9, and create/score from the wings.
I think he is still honing his philosophy as a manager, and will evolve as he begins to trust his players more and less micro managing.
Great last point Durand.
Gone are the days of watching MA running up and down the line like a yoyo.
Of course he still celebrates like a kid, something everyone with passion does.
He’s matured into the management role slowly but surely and I don’t see that trying to protect a 2-1 lead against Liverpool, with your defence being down to one regular player due to suspension and injuries, as being negative – I would call it common sense.
I think you’re right about Arteta maturing. His previous manic behaviour was, frankly, an embarrassment to him and the club. It was completely unnecessary, and I suspect the owners probably had a word anyway.
His more mature approach generally is good timing on his part as it hardly befits a coach reading the riot action to his team (after three red cards) if he can’t control himself in the technical area. Timing is everything.
I don’t think Arteta is turning into Mourinho tactically. You need to be “flexible” depending on the opponents and circumstances generally.
Despite his recent problems though, and reputation for rather dour football, we shouldn’t forget that Mourinho won the CL with unfashionable Porto – playing pretty good football as I recall – at the age of 40 about two years younger than Arteta is now.
What happened in our last match while Liverpool get drawn is because of injuries to our main defence .