Mikel Arteta has long had a reputation for giving up on our Arsenal talent the moment he feels they don’t suit his ethos.
Those who used to work with him explain that he’s not the type to put his arm around your shoulder and explain his decisions.
I blame our owners for letting a rookie in his first job think it’s standard to wash hands of assets and not getting the best out the resources he has.
We can debate if Ozil and Aubameyang were released for footballing reasons.
I will always maintain Ozil was paid to sit at home while a lack of creativity was the cause for our worse league position in 25 years!
I will still argue that the decision to rip up Auba’s contract (and not replace him) cost us a place in the top 4 that season.
Yet, counter points are valid. I do see that long term our boss stamped authority over his dressing room by getting rid of strong characters, and with the future in mind the Kroenke’s message was they supported their manager.
Yet how many individuals have now been loaned by the current regime?
How many releases have there been?
You could field an entire 11 of players who Arteta has either made a free agent or loaned out til there contract runs down.
Loans that are not intended as a chance to prove a manager wrong, but to slash the wage bill.
This week Arteta may have gone too far with the confirmation that Kieran Tierney will spend the season at Real Sociedad.
There’s been zero reports of a bad attitude from the Scot, who is relatable to the modern fan, thanks to stories of carrying his boots in a carrier bag and short sleeves in the snow. Many had earmarked the left back as a future captain, only halted by niggling injuries which meant he’s never been fit in North London for a full campaign.
There’s zero transfer fee that can be pointed as being too good to turn down for squad player who is injury prone.
That’s the issue here.
This choice has been made purely based on ability and that’s why this could come back and haunt Arteta.
While Tierney may be viewed as an old-fashioned left back you could argue, purely based on defending, he’s better then what we have, a player you could bring on when protecting a lead.
Remember the plan was to replace him for Zinchenko at Anfield while we were leading, but we conceded before we could make the change.
So clearly Tierney’s qualities were appreciated.
If we are dropping points because our left back is defensively struggling, it makes little sense that our best defensive left back is in Spain.
All just to slash the wage bill.
The juice doesn’t seem worth the squeeze.
Dan
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I may not agree with “rookie” comment sounds disrespectful to a coach who have given us hope that was getting drained! – think that is uncalled for…..
However, the Tierney decision was shocking especially as it happened after Timber injury which is a potential season long! –
This scares me thinking it can get that unpredictable to a level where Arteta can even sell Gabriel before the end of this window to everybody’s surprise – Few weeks ago he assured media Tierney was in his plans for this season. Then we are surprised seeing him released on a loan like he was s Tavares level – i wish it was those big big offers that are hard to say NO, but a loan? how now..
The story was told of a little boy that would cry ‘ Wolf Wolf’ ‘, But when the villagers came running to his rescue, he would laugh and run off, one day the wolf’s did came but no one came as they all think he was just kidding.
The gaffer claiming Tierney is in his plan and send him on loan immediately, claiming Smith Rowe is in his plan while killing the kid with ring rust does not looks good for his credibility.
It is as a direct result of the gaffer’s actions that are fueling the false rumors,, fans sees Smith Rowe lock of involvement and will believe the the opposite coming out of the gaffer mouth.
He was a rookie at the time
It’s ridiculous. You don’t do away with your backup left back when you don’t have a backup
So What Happens if Zinc is injured, God forbid.?
In any game any player on the field has a risk of being injured. so apart from verstility in players the team needs at least two top players per position especially if you are competing on four fronts like this year.
We should not hear the coach infuture complain of injuries being our downfall if he keeps a lean squad by leting players go.
We are screwed if Zinc has a lengthy injury. It’s been obvious that Martinelli gets isolated when Tomi or Kiwior stands in at LB. Without a LB who can take some pressure off the LW, we are less effective attacking from the left. We have the same issue on the right when Partey plays RB, but it’s less obvious because Ode helps Saka a lot on the right.
Lacking fullbacks who can take pressure off the wingers is probably the main reason why we are playing worse than last season. To make matters worse, our less fluent attack is compounded by a shaky defense from breaking up our best CB pairing. It’s no wonder so many fans and pundits are not happy with how we are playing at the moment
Zivchenko was never our only option, in any case. There will always be games when he is out of his depth and ineffectual. Now our plan B will be to go with Kiwior or Tomiyasu. As some have said, “god forbid”.
Why are we trying to mess up a a great team who nearly won the league rice is an upgrade on xhaka and timber is a great addition not sure about the German waste of money I think but we should be flying. Need to get Gabriel back.tierny should of stayed and Smith Rowe should be playing alot more.
I believe Tierney got shipped out for a tactical reason, because we have been playing with four CBs this season and played with a playmaking inverted-LB last season
Tierney is a conventional attacking LB, who’d likely thrive in a team with wingback tactics. But we don’t use overlapping fullbacks anymore nor can Tierney do playmaking as good as Zinchenko does
Tavares’ loan move to Nottingham Forest also shows that we no longer use Wenger’s old attacking LB tactic
GI
I hear you. but for 38 plus games, you cannot employ same playing style. Same style against City and Cristal palace for instance would not work. When one is not workng at 60-70 minutes change is needed and thats when you need a different player type, wingbacks included to fire in corners to a big target man, –We need one on the bench.
See Haarlands goal last weeked as an example.
I think Tierney wants to be the main attacking LB, instead of just playing for twenty minutes in the games
Haaland’s goal was created by Grealish, who played LW, not wingback. We could have Havertz or Rice as the target man and Odegaard or Saka could send long crosses to their head
You can hardly blame a gaffer for his tactics that got him to a second position in defficult Epl season with better coaches than him. This season he is yet to lose a game. Many fans said we should beat NForest silly, but we all saw how they almost beat ManU but for a controversial penalty. Fulham dump Spurds out of cup games yesterday, nothing is easy in Epl games. Let’s cut Arteta some slacks. I really like Thieny buy hey, the coach is answerable to his employers first and not exactly to fans. Coaching a top club like Arsenal is seating on a hot seat. Coaches moving on their lines most times is sure due to pressures. For every tactics we think a coach should use, always remember other coach in the league are not dumd they will crack it with time. Arteta holds the decision to every formation used in a game and he will be responsible for the results. Though we fans can always air our opinion because we have a stake in a club we love so much.
I remain a loyal and positive fans with no sentiments.
I totally agree with you. I liked Tierney’s abilities and playing style too, but Arteta simply decided to play with different styles since last season
If Tierney’s fans would like to see Tierney becoming our main LB again, they could tell Kroenke to employ another manager who uses that kind of player. I’d personally prefer Guardiola’s and Arteta’s unique tactics
Wise post Sylva!
A keep saying the gaffer need a senior head as his # 2 to help tempered some of his brazen ideas.
“While Tierney may be viewed as an old-fashioned left back you could argue, purely based on defending, he’s better then what we have, a player you could bring on when protecting a lead”
That would be a bad argument – he’s a better pure defender than zinchenko, but not tomiyasu or kiwior. He’s not actually a brilliant defender – he’s decent but has been exposed plenty of times as well. You could argue he’s the best LB we have in his combined attacking and defensive abilities, but he’s not special in either aspect imo.
Arteta clearly doesn’t see him fitting in with our style of play, but i don’t think there’s any more to it than that. Many people disagree with MA on this, but it’s not an unusual situation really – maybe arteta is wrong, but sometimes the manager just sees something they don’t like and that’s it. Tierney might be able to turn him around in time, but it’s probably not worth it from his perspective – due to a combination of injuries and arteta’s choices, Tierney hasn’t played much over the past 3 seasons so it’s better he gets a fresh start. Who knows, maybe his performances for sociedad will sway arteta and he’ll come back into the team on his return. That would be fantastic – you can’t fault Tierney for his attitude.
Another good article Dan, but I don’t agree with your point that it’s about slashing the wage bill.
How are we slashing it, when we have just given, reportedly, one of our biggest salaries to Havertz, along with Rice, Timber and Raya’s new deals?
I believe that MA just doesn’t have the time and / or inclination to actually help players… and he doesn’t need to does he?
With Mr Kronkie shelling out the dollar as if it’s gone out of fashion, why not buy the ready made article?
I’m so disappointed that KT has left, as in my opinion, he was our best defender apart from Saliba.
However, MA is the manager and his future depends on the decisions he makes – I’m certain Kieren will be a success wherever he goes.
I agree with @Ken,how much was KT on ?he was not of our highest earners,not only that but we’re only saving on wages and not even getting a loan fee for such a player but did for Mavros,Mari, Guendouzi….
I have heard a ;lot of nonsense from a lot of fans KEN . But when a fan of your age, experience and passion, claims that our manager “just doesnt have the time and/or inclination to actually help players”, then I have to assume – IF you truly believe what you wrote- that you have a great deal wrong wth your “thinking”!.
It was an incredibly silly remark!
Really Jon?
Wasn’t it you who said that AW had too much on his plate when he was doing the same role as MA is doing now?
Was that a silly remark on your part then Jon, rememberibg that AW was a seasoned manager, while MA was a rookie?
The club itself said they would never allow such a situation to happen again, but then gave the same workload to (at the time) a rookie manager, who had to learn on the job, while dealing with the covid issue, the super league debacle etc etc.
Perhaps the word inclination may have been a little harsh, but he certainly hasn’t the time to coach, as our games so far this season bears testimony to!
That’s my point
What reason is there
Arteta does not like players he did not buy.
I guess he is getting too obsessed with being a boss. Pride goes before a fall.
If he does not put out the right formation and line up on Sunday my trust in him will reduce a little.
Nketiah.
Trossard. Odegaard. Saka.
Rice. Partey.
Zinchenko. Gabriel. Saliba. White.
Raya.
OR –
Nketiah.
Martinelli. Odegaard. Saka.
Rice. Partey.
Tomiyasu. Gabriel. Saliba. White.
Ramsdale.
SJ
Tomi in that role is so makeshift. does not fill me with confidence. If Zinc is not present and Tierney is gone, we are in trouble. I would rather play Gabriel Mag there.
A “rookie” DAN? After almost four years in the job? An odd and incorrect definition of that word, my friend.
Suggest you do NOT MISUSE it again about MA!
On Tierney, it ought to be plain that MA does not want or even need, an old type traditional “get to the bye line and cross it player”. He is entitled , as manager, to set up the team as he sees fit, I SUGGEST!
Isn’t it the TRUTH that YOU have never rated MA at all and have never stopped “knifing him in thr back”!
JF
Yes Rookie is taking it too far. He knows what he wants. But what is his plan B? will he paly same style for all opposition he meets for the 38 plus games? Oppositions coaches will read our style and counter it. That is what happened towards the end of last season.
Strangely Jon, I thought you demanded that a defender had to defend and criticised many of our players for not doing just that (in your opinion).
Has MA changed your mind regarding that, or do you think that Zinchenko is a better defender than Tierney.
Of course, if Zinchenko gets injured again, we can always play Saka at LB 🤔
We all remember and many agreed with the idea that a defender should defend first.
Now Jon is entitled to change his beliefs as we all are, and he maybe has been convinced by Arteta and how he sets up.
I don’t speak for Jon, he can explain his stance if he thinks it necessary. I believe still a defender should defend first, and don’t think Zinchenko’s contributions in midfield offset his horrid defending that cost us points.
Zinchenko’s sloppiness led to the corner kick against Fulham. Zinchenko is far too sloppy and complacent with the ball, just like AMN.
Durand Please dont fall for Kens trap, as I HAVE NOT changed my mind.
What he claims for me is untrue and deliberately twisted to suit his feeble attempt to claim I have changed my view.
I have NOT!
Not strangely at all KEN , once again YOU TWIST WHAT I have said in the ,to suit your predictably and pathetically usual attempts to make out I have said what I did not say! Sigh!
Yes I have often said that I PERSONALLY PREFER DEFENDERS AS DEFENDERS FIRST AND AS ATTACKERS ONLY SECOND.
But I have even more often said that team fluidity , most helpful team shape and tactics, pace in moving the ball and trusting the manager to make the correct decisions for the professional club which he was professionally head hunted to manage, is of far more overall importance.
Your dreary attempts to score points, esp as you were so wrong about the refs “corruption” word for Dean ,are really rather tiresome, unworthy of your generation and experience, and frankly a waste of my valuable time in debating with a totally intransigent supporter such as you. Now you know!
Glad to know you haven’t changed your mind regarding defenders defending Jon, so why has he let Tierney go, when Timber is out for the season and Zinchenko has just returned from a long term injury as has Tomiyasu?
By the way, it was YOU who lost the argument regarding the meaning(s) of “corrupt” and I have to thank your dictionary for pointing out your error.
A rookie at the time
I rate him, not good enough to win the prem though
I believe this is a make or break season for Arteta. If he does not win at least the FA Cup then his job might be on the line. So he has to be very careful and smart about experimenting too much and deliver results on the pitch.
A bit of a shame Tierney has gone. We now have no Plan B at all. I think we may have been found out and with no plan B may find this season difficult. Also it’s a shame we don’t have right wing cover for Saka. To be called on to play up to 60 games for Saka is too demanding to avoid burn out or injury
Instead of Havertz we should have chased Vlahovic, we wasted £65 million. Uncanny!
The Tierney issue has exposed some fans that their views are only to support Arteta. They have thrown him under the bus by backtracking on their previous views and some have stayed silent.
It was easy to hide behind Aubameyang, Ozil and Guendouzi attitudes but where to hide the intention when it comes to Tierney and ESR? For those two there are only two option either to show true colors or play mum in case we don’t notice.
Which makes me wonder if that strong Arteta support (which I see it most when we are wining games and not much when we underperform) is genuine or it has hidden reasons behind it.
Yes I’ve noticed that HH
A couple of contributors on here after given grief to fans that were negative towards the rookie boss have now got all angry after the ordinary Tierney was shipped off to Spain ,strange old world .
I do remember a particular argument I once had with a couple of fans (they know who they are )
After I suggested we should be getting a better LB and Tierney wasn’t upto the job ,I was told I knew nothing about football ,I wonder if the gobby pair will remember it also 😉
And it is worse from the other set of devotees. Never in my life have I seen this kind of devotion without any kind of benefit.
I wouldn’t be that devoted to someone who doesn’t know of my existence without an early retirement fat check.
Apparently Arteta does no wrong. The faults of Tierney and ESR are they are forever injured. When a player is sold we are told it was the right time to cash in, they didn’t fit in with the system, they had bad attitudes while the disaster signing with 3 years PL experience we are told he is only 23 we should wait until he is 27.
While Tierney and ESR injuries are their faults because the manager does not favour them, Jesus, Zichenko and other who are favored injuries are the fault of our medical staff and the Emirates stairs.
If we end up selling Gabriel wait to be told his teeth are too white they were competing with Arteta’s hair.
I remember one devotee here used to stress if Guendouzi was any good why nobody bid for him. The same devotee used to praise Tierney and predicted him the future captain. Haven’t seen them commenting on a single article about Tierney.
The silence is telling.
Ha ha ha ha ha
I’m tired of laughing
😂
Managers will play the players they like and not play the ones they don’t. Maybe the best example at the moment is Bissouma, exiled by Conte (but not actually sold) and now being touted as one of the best midfield players in the league. Of course once you actually sell the player then firing the manager won’t change anything. Its a problem for directors. You have to back the manager but if it doesn’t work out and he’s sold the players he didn’t like then the next man in has a major rebuilding exercise.
It could be that KT will still be an Arsenal player after Arteta has gone?
Well it’s clear Arteta new game plan and system is not working really needs to revert back to a 4-3-3 and put partley back in midfield alongside Rice if not then I’m afraid all the good work Arteta has done will fall apart rapidly and he will get sacked!
Grandad, Unlikely, as players usually retire around age 35 and MA , will IMO be here far longer than another 8 years til Tierney reaches age 35.
On the case of KT, I’m not with MA. For starters, Zinc can’t defend and Tomi with Kiwior do not fit in naturally at left-back. If he must use one inverted full-back, why not Ben W.? He never demanded that from him and never keeps him out of the starting 11. Fullbacks at Arsenal today do not support wingers, leaving us with a jam packed midfield and that’s really a shame. Please, anyone who has MA’s hears should tell him to, please, return to the basics. The 2 wins we have this season so far are scrappy wins and the team is not enjoyable to watch. We looked much better last season. And if I may go off the topical little, can someone at the Emirates return Kai to the Stamford Bridge on the next available flight?
I don’t see it as a step too far. Tierney obviously wants to play regularly and that is unlikely to happen because Arteta prefers a different profile of a player at LB. It is a win-win situation for both the manager and Tierney.It’s also a win for the club because his wages are paid for by Real Sociedad and his value will be protected if he plays regularly at high level. It is a loss,however,to fans who really adore him personally and in his professional capacity.
Arteta is not the first coach to freeze out a player he thinks doesn’t suit his set-up or for a different reason,who are otherwise highly rated by fans,neither will he be the last. Guardiola,Ferguson,Mourinho,among others have done it and gone on to do well in the absence of said players. The Cancelo and Yaya Toure situations with Guardiola come to mind. Trossard and De Zerbi is another. Ten Haag and Cristiano Ronaldo. Zinedine Zidane and Gareth Bale. Mourinho and the likes of Pogba,Dele Alli. Guardiola and Etoo,Ibrahimovic at Barca. Fans sometimes don’t understand these decisions but I believe a club should trust a manager to make the right decisions or just fire the manager if it doesn’t work.
I completely understand where you are coming from Onyango, and the fact that players come and go is part of a Club’s evolution.However I think the main bone of contention with our Manager is his capacity for playing players out of position.In particular the idea that Partey could move seamlessly from being our main defensive midfielder to some form of hybrid right back and the impact this is having on White and Saka who dovetailed so well last season , is a huge frustration for fans who have every reason to be disgruntled imo.Arteta served his apprenticeship under a master but can you just imagine Pep playing Rodri as an inverted RB given the huge influence he has on matches as a DM.To me Partey is as important to Arsenal as Rodri is to Man City yet Arteta has moved him effectively so he can include Havertz in the starting eleven.I appreciate Havertz is a talented player and I hope he goes on to prove it with Arsenal but to risk the impact of Partey, White and Saka to accommodate the German seems to me crazy and unnecessary.This and the treatment of Gabriel and ESR are I feel the principal reasons for fans being so bemused and upset.
Grandad you say Arteta is playing Partey in that position to accomodate Havertz yet Partey played there last season in the last two matches,before Havertz came to Arsenal-who was he trying to accomodate then? While I’m not totally convinced of using Partey there,to claim that the sole reason is to include the German isn’t true. There has to be another reason because the tactic precedes the German. Though I must admit,I too don’t know the reason.
You’ve mentioned the treatment of Gabriel and ESR. I suppose you mean ill treatment. Only 11 players can be fielded at a time and it has only been three games. I don’t remember you talking of the treatment of Kiwior when he wasn’t playing regularly. If I remember correctly,you’ve been very consistent in the past in raising doubts about Gabriel’s quality;particularly his being prone to error. You even proposed that Arteta should have two right footed centre backs( Saliba and White I presume) instead of Gabriel. I thought you’d be glad that Gabriel is finally out of the team because it’s what you’ve always wished for.Careful what you wish for.
Finally,in his last interview,Arteta said that there will be more rotation. So far this season ,I think he has done well regarding rotation compared to last. Only Raya,ESR and Nelson are yet to get game time(By the way it’s interesting you didn’t mention Nelson and Raya as being unfairly treated since they’ve not been getting minutes just like Emile). Anyway,I’m sure everyone will get minutes to prove themselves. If they get chances and perform like Viera did,they’ll likely get even more time.
You are being rather silly or naive to mention Raya and Nelson in the context of comparing their situations with Gabriel who was virtually an ever present last season.I have indeed criticised Gabriel in the past, but the fact is, in the absence of Timber he is our best option at left centre back.The fact that he is not in the side would suggest Arteta has reservations about the lad who I cannot fault for his grit, determination and his power in the air. Personally I do not feel Nelson has the ability of ESR and I regard him purely as a good impact sub.You may of course have different views but I fully respect them and I shall continue to read your posts, in full, with interest.
You make a good point re Gabriel’s situation. I also prefer him in the line-up particularly because of his aggresiveness. He is also capable aerially defensively and offensively-two areas in which we’ve not looked assured so far.Like you,I’m just trying to make sense of Arteta’s tactics ; not defend or rubbish them. I’ve noticed our fanbase is increasingly getting polarised,in a manner that is reminiscent of the final Wenger years.I’m trying to avoid all that.I’m looking forward to the United and I hope Arteta and the players will have learned from some of the mistakes made by the coaches and players in the previous matches.
On ESR,it’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on. There are five players who have occupied the left half wing position since preseason started: him,Viera,Trossard,Rice and Havertz. Havertz has played the most of course. Emile has also occupied right half wing position once in preseason(against Monaco I think) and his performance wasn’t good-he wasn’t as effective as Odegaard usually is in that role. I think we’ll get to understand Emile’s role with time-if he stays that is.
I think unforeseen circumstances and the nature of our wins so far have meant defensive players were more realistic subs than attacking players. Timber injury and Tomi red meant you had to sub in a defender at the expense of an attacking player. We also needed Jorginho and Zinchenko to help with control of the ball against Palace. I feel like we’ll get to see more of Trossard,ESR and Nelson in games in which we are cruising comfortably to victory-I could be wrong to make this assumption.
Already knew who wrote the piece with too many paragraphs and lot of rans, non other than konstantin’s half brother, Mr. Dan.
And yet you commented
In defense of St Micheal. No he is not a rookie, but he often shows signs of still needing time to learn on the job.. Why are we in denial. Last season s collapse was the result of poor decision making in strengthening the team during the January window and then a total failure to address the issues when things started to go wrong in April.
Tierney had had loads of chances to play, but it is evident, he doesn’t have the ability to play the inverted role, which Arteta seem to have as a must. So with just a little bit of afterthought he should be dropped.
ESR has had injuries, and he is playing a position, which there are multiple choices in our squad. For me it certainly isn’t clear, he ought to be first or even second choice. As much as I sympathise with him, I understand, we may be better with other players.
The old lie about slashing the wage bill is being used again, but is only in the writer’s imagination.
But no manager can develop all players in a squad our size. As we still have a very young and developing squad it is paramount it is manageable.
A few thoughts and observations that could help explain some of what we are seeing;
Inverted full backs – a critical part of MA’s strategy, while not a controversial comment it does explain a lot, e.g. MA will want multiple inverted full back options at his disposal this season (just one in Zinchenko like last season)
Timber – perfect fit for MS inverted full back strategy and quality central defence cover, his absence has huge impact already
Partey at RB – an experiment started in closing stages of last season to see if Partey could play inverted RB, perhaps persisted with experiment recently due to Timber injury and transfer window still open
Tierney – not an inverted RB, add to this lack of trust to play conventional defensive RB, e.g. Sporting Lisbon ties, KT knows this which means no long term future in this system, without a permanent transfer offer then loan only option for starting games
Gabriel – potentially not starting due to transfer conjecture, may have had head turned (Madrid over Saudi), if head not clear then not unusual not to start, that conjecture closed down when window shuts
4-3-3 – same as last year, continues to be the on paper formation for TV, but as we know there are different formations for attacking phase vs defensive phase (e.g. inverted full backs) and rotations (e.g. interchangeable front 3)
Versatility – the ability to play multiple positions at a high level is key to the MA 4-3-3 strategy, this is more than being a Striker one week and Winger the next, the MA strategy is to play multiple positions within the same match enabling phase based formations and rotations
Havertz – in this context matches the MA system and strategy, defensive phase work off he ball is good, attacking phase versatility, rotation options with any number of positions, plus much needed height (both defensive and attack)
Personally, for the weekends match against Man U (and with transfer window shut) I would like to see Zinchenko return as our inverted LB, Gabriel to CB pairing with Saliba, White at RB, a Midfield three of Odegaard, Rice with any of ESR/Havertz/Vieira on the left side of the trio,
the Attacking three Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli
Ramsdale in goal
The bench then looks strong with Jesus, Trossard, Partey, Nelson and whoever misses out in Midfield.
Defensive depth following Timber injury remains my biggest concern, the first three games of season tell me (and hopefully MA, Edu et al) that players out of position in defensive areas harm our over all performance, and the performance level of this first three matches will cost us too many points over the course to get anywhere near Man City.
Wise words
Interesting perspectives. Timber is a huge loss in the grand scheme of things. I think he would have been perfect for that inverted RB role. As for concern about defensive depth,maybe it’s time to look for an internal(academy) solution if a signing can’t be made.Reuell Walters for instance.
Hello everyone, hope you are all well!
I haven’t posted here in about ten years, but this piece of news just got me going. Arteta’s transfer dealings seemed perfectly logical this season (that Havertz might be a Pepe-level flop is another matter, he might just need more time). Then came the dropping of Gabriel from the team, then playing Partey as a right-back, which seems odd to say the least – however, Arteta is the coach, he knows what he wants, I don’t form the right to criticize his work as manager, mostly because I am not a football manager and never managed a team in my life. If Arteta feels the need to “tinker”, it’s up to him.
Then came Timber’s injury… Gabriel still doesn’t play, which is even more surprising, however, that’s a professional coaching/management issue again, which is also up to Arteta.
What’s truly incomprehensible is that Arteta loaned out Tierney, one of the best left backs in the Premier League, IN SPITE of Timber’s injury. All this when Arsenal are in contention for FOUR trophies, and knowing that Zinchenko cannot play all games in all competitions and might even get injured. Then what?
You don’t need to be a football expert to understand that proper squad depth is a must. This move has just basically dug the grave for this season.
So, the team.is short on full backs, all of whom have been injured at some point or another during the last season, and the manager let’s one go. I mean why not? It smacks of two things – 1) as many have argued Arteta us NOT pepe. The former has a plan A and he sticks to that no matter how the team is performing. Pepe does not. If pepe doesn’t have the players to make the inverted full back system work, and it very often doesnt, in particular against teams that have quality wide men, then he changes to something else. Arteta by contrast just drops or gets rid of players that don’t fit the system. 2) Arteta hedges too often for the clubs own good. Instead of getting in the defenders (not ‘defender’) everyone knows we need, he gets in one, and, shock horror, his plans get blown of course as that player gets injured. Terrific. At the same time he gambled on Havetz coming good, a bet not one single Chelsea fan would have taken. Then he puts pressure on the first choice keeper by bringing in another who is not someone you can bench! As for the, ‘we can’t criticise the manager’s comments, well, I think you’ll find we can. As football fans have done since time immemorial. As we can also criticise players, physios, the board etc. They aren’t Gods, they aren’t infallible, and if they aren’t subject to critique they just carry on making the same mistakes.