Arsenal were imperious last season. They made Premier League fans fall in love with them. Arteta needed to have his boys win, but he also had them play beautiful football.
The belief is that, come next season, the Gunners will build on their foundations from last season. So which foundations are these?
The Club Trusting and Sticking to One Manager
Arsenal were one of nine teams out of 20 that didn’t see the need to sack their manager. You may note that Arsenal’s brilliant performances made them stick with Arteta, but don’t you think the club had all the leverage to dismiss the Spaniard after the Spurs beat them to the top four the previous season? Yet they stuck with Arteta and allowed him to continue imparting his expertise to the team.
Arteta has continued to prove he will return Arsenal to being a powerhouse. Trusting him will pay off. Teams like Leeds and Chelsea, which had as many as four coaches last season, proved that you are better off just sticking with one manager.
The Club not Depending on One Striker
Some argue you ought to have one top hitman like Erling Haaland to fire you to glory, but Spurs had Kane, and they still failed to qualify for Europe. Having one reliable goal source doesn’t necessarily lead to success. like Arsenal, you can have different players score over ten goals.
In Arsenal’s case, Martinelli, Saka, and Odegaard can easily get the goals you need to win a match, never mind Jesus, Nketiah or Trossard. Arteta should stick with his attacking system. He should keep perfecting a technique where every one of his attacking players is keen to score, or set up the others to do so. Having attacking fluidity is what Arteta should continue to seek, not having his own Haaland.
They say new signings bring new energy, but for the Arsenal team that Arteta had last term, he ought not to completely change it. Apart from the midfield (where Rice and Caicedo may be introduced), other positions should just be maintained as they are, and the other new signings should be integrated slowly to maintain the style the team has adopted.
Not overly depending on new signings, with only Zinchenko, Jesus, and Saliba frequently used last term, and using the same players week in and week out to create a certain pattern in his play, was beneficial. I’m not dismissing squad rotation, but Arteta should limit changing his lineup now and again, only dropping those not performing and sticking with performers to continue establishing his team’s identity.
Those are some things I hope Arteta holds on to next season. What do you think?
Darren N
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Good points in your article, we need to rotate players, we need a plan b and c. Arteta will be wiser, he knows the mistakes he made last season, and losing the chance to win the title will have hurt him and the players. Mahrez scores a hat trick in the semi-final of the FA Cup and is on the bench for the final. This is what Arteta needs to balance. I am looking forward to next season, Declan Rice looks like he will join, but I will wait til it is official. we need a striker, a midfielder, and a defender as we will be competing in the PL and the CL. Nelson needs more games. Now we wait to see who we bring in
Key would be form stable backline. We cannot win with Partey our best midfielder playing at right back. So, sorting out our back 4 and assembling the best defense as we did in the initial stage of last season is key. Rest we don’t need to twist and turn too much and keep our balanced squad. This year we should target for Champions league instead and keep high target.
We need players……big match players. João Cancelo, Sadio Mane, Declan Rice, maybe Moisés Caicedo or Nicolò Barella or James Maddison. Xavi Simons is some player. If we stay in competitions we could have 60 games, 40 games each for a big squad and satisfying for any player. If we don’t upgrade our squad this season we will fall behind…..again. We are attractive to players, in the Champions League, and will have no excuse for not signing the finest players. This year we can fight on all fronts with quality signings.
Kane is past his prime. In his heyday, he brought Spuds to UCL final
He still works his socks off to press frequently for England, but he seems to reduce his efforts at Spurs
If we can find someone like him with Kante’s double-lung stamina, our defenders would likely have an easier job
I think you’ll find that Harry Kane has not past his prime, not be a long shot. 2022/3 season he scored 32 goals playing for a very poor Tottenham side. Last season he scored 27 goals. Season before 33 goals, and season before 24 goals. This season just completed he was drifting back into the midfield third of the pitch. Still he scored 32 goals. Kane will be playing for at least another 5 years. Why?,,,,,, the guy has never been a quick footballer,,,, and has never relied on speed. Those strikers who solely rely on their speed and then lose that as they age, are usually those that are finished at the age of 30. Don’t be surprised if Kane is there at the 2026 World Cup. And I don’t think a player like Kane would benefit Arsenal,, especially with how Arteta wants to play. It’s a shame, because come next season other teams will know exactly how to play us. Arteta has never has an option B of playing
The old Ronaldo also scored many goals for Man United, but his inability to do high-press was detrimental to Man United’s defense
You won’t believe this gotanidea, but Arsenal are seriously entertaining the idea of signing Chelsea’s Havertz. Charles Watts the Arsenal correspondence thought it was a sick hoax,,, but it’s apparently true. Not so sure about Havertz, but then it’s unfair to judge the guy who was playing for a totally rubbish Chelsea side. A little strange though don’t you think
I hope it’s true, because he could play AM and CF. I would only believe the rumor if Romano or Ornstein mentions it
@gotanidea,,, I personally don’t believe in the crap that comes out of David Ornstein’s keyboard. He’s a paid PR spokesman for Arsenal. He’s a bit like a puppet on a string. In previous years, he had us buying players we’ve never had a chance of buying. All football clubs employ puppets like Ornstein. They bullshit us supporters with false nonsense. Then they brainwash wash us with usual excuse,,,, ” well the club did their best in getting such a such player “. I’ve been involved with big football clubs around Europe, and know how they work. Charles Watts can be also guilty of that. Have you ever seen them criticise Arteta,Edu or the owners,,, no you won’t,,, they would lose their privileges if they spoke the truth
I never heard of any journalist criticizing any football club. I think they try to be professional and neutral as sports reporters
It’s the pundits who’re a bit biased
Too much slander there. There are so many pieces to a transfer where everything must align. Also, transfers are always 50/50 until the contract is signed. Instead of slandering Ornstein & Co maybe you should stop putting your hopes & trust in a journo’s word? Learn to treat everything as speculation until it’s confirmed!
What slander are you going on about. Have you ever been at a top football club??? I have been for nearly 20 odd years. I know the nonsense and bullshit that goes on at these clubs. Hamburger SV Football Club in Germany were doing it way back before social media became a dirty word. They would use certain journalists as PR people. I saw alot of strange things while I was at Hamburger SV for 8 years. It’s how club owners use the media to their advantage to dodge accountability for their own failures. One only has to look where Hamburger SV are now in the football world today. Alot of people would be asking,,, “Who the hell are Hamburger SV Football Club”
pj No its not a “little strange” at all.
What it IS , is a sick joke and it would be a DISASTROUS MISTAKE.
I pray this increasingly reported story proves untrue. It BETTER BE!
@Jon Fox,,,, I don’t really know what Fifa is a joke was going on about. I’ve had quite a few dealings with journalists over the years. I’ve never trusted them, and I don’t always take it as gospel that they tell the true story as it really is. As I’ve said, I’ve had experiences with various journalists over the years. You tell them it’s white,,,, and they’ll report it as black. So I’ll be waiting for match one of 38 to see who is in Arsenal’s squad in the new season. And if I’m ever hard up for some entertainment, I’ll sit down down and watch an Arsenal podcast or two for a good old laugh. Some of these podcasters a brilliant when coming out with fake transfer deals and rumours
Some changes need to happen at the managerial level. We ran our squad to the ground playing the same set of players week in week out. Partey’s massive dip in form towards the end of the season should have been addressed more urgently.
I concur with you Twig.
A good manager must be able to rotate their squad for various reasons,e.g fatigue,injury, dip in form or even the opponent you are going to face may force you to twick your team somehow to out manouver them.You can’t be using the same players day in day out &expect to excel.
On this one MA failed big time.
Kane to Arsenal? Not worth discussing, pipedreams!!
If he goes anywhere it will be Madrid or less likely, Bayern. Have to admit it though one of England’s finest strikers, pity he swapped his Arsenal shirt.
Unfortunately Kane swapped his Arsenal jersey because Liam Brady told him he wasn’t good enough and wouldn’t be a football player. Big mistake
This article inspired me to write one of my own. Sometimes I amaze myself with my own brilliance. I was a mediocre Sunday League player, so therefore, as all the best managers generally came from disappointing playing careers, I must be a genius.
Arsenal’s first eleven are awesome. One of the best in Europe. Arteta will rotate around with additions of equally quality players if he gets them for next season. As long as the team tactics stays the same for the performance can be maintained regardless of personnel.
Overall a good article but I disagree on the rotation aspect. The players must not only be rotated when they are not performing well but also must be rotated to give them rest and allow them to recharge. Otherwise players will be burnt out and we could see Saka tiring in the last weeks of he season. In order for good rotation we need squad depth and the right signings in the right positions will solve this in addition to improving the quality of the current bench players.