Getting called a “Mourinho team” is a compliment of the highest order to me!
A lot of comparisons have been made in the aftermath of the win against Spurs recently with it centering on the way we saw out the win in the latter stages of the game. This has led to pundits and fans alike pointing out similarities between that no-nonsense defensive style to how the legendary Jose Mourinho would set his team up in matches.
The game against Spurs however wasn’t the first time we adopted this approach, given we’ve turned to this pragmatic style quite a few number of times during Mikel Arteta’s tenure so far, this was single handedly responsible for some of his best results as Arsenal manager. Think back to the FA cup win in 2020 where we frustrated both Man city in the semi-final and Chelsea in the final before hitting them on the counter and eventually winning. It has brought us great joy more recently too adding to the win against spurs both games against City in the league last season was a great example of how this style has paid off for us.
Some Arsenal fans may view this comparison as something they would rather not be associated with the club, which is understandable given most of us grew up accustomed to the aesthetically pleasing style of Wenger ball under our legendary French manager, this was characterized by a possession based attacking brand of football which brought us admirers far and wide all over the world.
That style will always be in our DNA since it’s a key part of the culture and values that makes this club what it is today. However getting called a “Mourinho team” should be perceived as a compliment within the club not just because of the success that defensive style brought to Mourinho in the past, but also because it means we’re a much well rounded team to the ones we’ve had for much of the 2010s and early 2020s decades.
In that period we were fairly excellent in the attacking phase, but always fell short because of the soft nature of our defense, this was perhaps due to the stubbornness of our manager to adapt his philosophy to cater for frailties in defense. Also it didn’t help too much that we prioritized signing players with elite technical ability during that period, which didn’t leave us with enough physicality in the squad at the time. All this contributed to our steady decline in the latter stages of Wenger’s reign. It is finally being corrected however, we can see now more recently that the club has prioritized signing players with height and physicality as well as technique, which has played a part in both our strength in set pieces as well as our excellent defensive record.
What makes me even more happy about the comparisons is that we’ve been just as excellent on the other end of the pitch in the past few seasons, The last two in particular where we scored 88 goals or more in both campaigns. games like the 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea last season or the 6-0 win against West Ham still shows that we’re still very much an attacking team staying true to our values, however knowing when to switch and be pragmatic in their approach.
This just shows the level of maturity and understanding the management has. Given the amount of injuries we have, that would have been the only way we would have won that game due to how an end to end game would play into the hands of Ange Postecoglu’s men.
Looking ahead to the game against City I suspect a similar approach will be taken which will only further boost our chances of taking something from that game. Defence wins you titles, and with the current strength we have in that area a trophy to show for all that effort will not be too far away from us !
KENNETH BENJAMIN.
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Playing to look good and getting nothing from the game
Or Playing to win
The team, the manager imo have evolved over the.past seasons. been able to adapt to different circumstances and situation.
Not lose at any cost, which we saw against Brighton.
Win ugly as we saw against the spuds.
For some it was ugly. To me it was sheer delight.
Gritty display of how to defend as a team. How.many times in the.past did we use to say , lack.of concentration. Lack.of tracking players
Defense parting of the red sea.
I love.to.win in style but I love to win at all.cost.
George Graham, Adams, bould, Dixon, Winterburn a d seaman would have been proud of that display
Fantastic display
Onwards a d upwards
I’m not sure about the defence only but the general style of play that can go with it is something else, I think. I recall fans (including Arsenal’s) didn’t have very high opinion overall of the “type” of football played by Chelsea at their peak then – although you clearly can’t fault their success.
I think it would be unfortunate if Arsenal began to adopt that “package” more generally rule in games – and there’s always a temptation I guess, the more it’s successful. But just as Chelsea’s fans didn’t mind when the silverware was piling up, we won’t either if that’s what it takes.
In as much as we give credit to the defenders and deservedly so ,our defensive solidity has to do with the entire team. The way we set up,everyone contributes defensively.For instance,Saka has made the second most tackles this season (9) after Saliba. Attackers in other teams don’t do that. Even Martinelli who has struggled attacking wise has been immense defensively.
I like the fact that we have a variety of ways of playing these days. Sometimes we sit back and play the Mourinho way. Sometimes we are a possession based team. Other times we are a counter attacking side. Other times we are a long ball kind of team. And sometimes we can be a physical team.Most times we are all the above.
The legendary Frenchman once said, he will never compromise how the beautiful game should be played, coaches like Pep Guarrdiola and Unei Emery maybe seen in that mold.
I kept saying the gaffer is a defensive coach, whether that is good or bad is for another discussion.
But comparing Arsenal style of play to Morhino set up is out of the question, it’s for this reason, the Portuguese legend will never be welcomed in an Arsenal dugout.
A case in point, Big Sam once save Everton from relegation and as soon as the Toffies were safe, they ditch him, the owners found. the decision so embarrassing to be made they put it to the fans.
Arsenal defense is very intact, for me is not only defense all the whole department were ok. Including the goal keeping dept.
Making diffrent approach to the game is a good thing, I will park the diffenders to grid the win.