Arsenal had such a great season…… until….. by Ibrahim
First, I would like to give credit to Arteta and the boys for overachieving and beating expectations. For a major part of the season, they played beautiful football that was a joy to watch, even for neutrals and opponents. However, the last six games have left us with a sour taste in our mouth, for what most of us consider a successful campaign. Here are a few reasons that contributed to the ugly ending of the season.
Lack of dynamism:
Throughout the season, Arteta used only one tactic regardless of the opposition, and while it was successful for the majority part of the season, you could easily see the limitation. We have no other tactics when the main tactic is not working. Even when changing the line up, he stuck with the same tactics of playing with the inverted left back. There are times that a different setup is needed depending on the situation or the opponent. For example, we might have had a different result if he had brought in Tierney for Zinchenko early in the 2nd half. Arteta needs to know that a different approach is needed especially when facing teams like Man City and Liverpool.
Limited options upfront:
Throughout the season, we have seen Jesus, Nketiah, and Trossard playing the role of a striker, and they were successful to some degree. However, with their lack of height and poor finishing, none of them can play as an out and out striker. While they are good with their footwork, none of them possess the ability to hold off the defenders or dominate the centre backs. For all his hustle and bustle, Jesus is not one to win headers or drag the centre backs around. Nketiah is a fox in the box and nothing more. We have seen throughout the season a need for a towering centre forward who can hold off the centre backs when the team is forced to play long balls. Moreover, having someone who is a threat in the air is needed when the opponents clog the box as we have seen in the Newcastle and Everton game.
Rinse and repeat:
Recently, Arteta has shown some habits that are closely associated with Arsene Wenger. The stubbornness and repetition of the same failed experiments are something we have experienced during Wenger’s reign. As smart as both men are, they tend to be their worst enemy by getting stuck in their ways. They are both bad with subbing, rotations, and they like playing their favourites. For example, there was no reason to give Jesus a starting role when he didn’t earn it. Trossard was doing well but was benched all of a sudden when Jesus returned from injury. Also, there is no reason to start Saka in recent matches when has been poor and clearly needed a rest.
Arteta needs to be like his former boss when it comes to rotation and player management by being RUTHLESS like Pep.
by Ibrahim
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