What Arsenal should be considering this summer ahead of next season: by
The Gunners have had a magnificent season even if their title ambitions crumbled when they went winless in April, drawing against Liverpool, Southampton, and West Ham and losing to Manchester City.
Arsenal’s poor form in the final phase of this season can be attributed to these three factors that need to be corrected before next season.
1. Arteta not having the guts to tweak his formation time and again
2. Lack of squad depth
3. Inexperience
Arteta’s tactics became predictable. In the earlier part of the season, teams were still getting to understand Arsenal’s game. Almost all Premier League teams were caught off guard, and Arsenal punished them. Arteta mastered the 4-3-3 formation and also became rigid with his lineup. In several games, Arsenal played the same way with the same players except for one or two changes. Entering the second part of the season, teams understood and forged ways to contain Arteta and his boys.
Unsurprisingly, in April, teams that have struggled all season, like Liverpool, West Ham, and even Southampton, found a way to outsmart the Gunners. The predictability of Saka saw him unable to help the team, with the overdependence of some players like Partey (who’s been out of form) and Saliba (who’s been injured) affecting them. Next season, Arteta needs to find a way to be unpredictable, tweak formations, and rotate players.
For squad rotation, a strong bench is needed. Bringing on board a top defender, midfielder, and striker could make it easier for Arteta to rotate his team and keep his squad fresh, like Man City, who are juggling between different competitions but don’t seem tired at all, as Pep Guardiola’s rotation sees his players always fresh.
Honestly, of the many players the Arsenal boss has signed; only Oleksander Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have added experience to his squad. Most of the players Arteta has signed only come with the promise that they have potential. In the summer, Arteta needs to look at players with experience to add to his project. We’ve talked of Gundogan, Declan Rice, Mason Mount, and even Wilfred Zaha; these are players with Premier League experience that Arteta’s project may need. Losing Xhaka’s experience will be a blow.
What else does Arteta need to change ahead of next season?
Daniel O
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