He’s had limited time on the training ground, given the congested fixture list since he’s joined. Not one of the players is an Arteta signing; He’s inherited the worst Arsenal squad I’ve ever seen and has lots of injuries, specifically in defence. The whole team were clueless at defending when Arteta joined.
Our defending has been apocalyptic for over a decade now, but Arteta has got the team, and the defensive unit, performing better than I have ever seen within this period. We’re really constricting our opponents to hardly any chances, especially clear-cut opportunities. Even more impressive when one considers what Arteta is having to work with. Every game he’s forced to use a patched up defence. Another way to tell how well we’ve improved in this area, is by looking at Leno. He isn’t having a lot to do now, which means he finally has some protection.
Apart from the Leeds game, our defending has been our strongest point. Our weakest area is midfield, and wide attack, because we’re struggling to create chances. Maybe Ozil’s fan club can FINALLY see how ineffective he is. He’s been starting all the time under Arteta, and has been used centrally, yet what is he creating? That’s his sole purpose isn’t it?
He’s one of the highest, if not, the highest paid playmaker in our solar system, yet a League 2 player would give us more productivity. Not all of this is his fault of course. Auba is a striker having to play LW, so that’s another area we lack creativity, although he has a good goal return. Pepe on the other wing has been a disappointment so far. Martinelli is like Auba, a striker playing wide. Nelson doesn’t offer a lot, Saka is decent, and Ceballos has been poor. So not a lot of options for Arteta.
Areta is still learning the ropes as a manager, and so it’ll take time for him to get things right. I am sure we’ll look a lot better once he can dump the majority of this squad, and get some of his own players in. We will look a lot better next season. I have accepted that this season is just a write-off.
ThirdManJW