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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