Mikel Arteta: Aston La Vista To The Title?

[HattoriHanzo]

The only thing this team is missing is a player with tons of x-factor that can score loads of goals and bail the team out. Arteta doesn't deserve it though, he and his fans need to be humbled by coaches with worse teams every April.

Why he doesn't deserve such a player?

 

[HattoriHanzo]

Not necessarily only about Arteta but figured this was the best thread to post this.

Really good description of Arteta's biggest flaw, lack of rotation.
If you don't trust certain players, why you give them new contracts?

 

[HattoriHanzo]

Money doesn't solve everything.

It helps to get you to a certain point. It is why Chelsea and Man U are still top 10 in the league and in the FA Cup semifinals, despite being a *bleep* show.

Funny enough, we played our best football this year after the January transfer window. We didn't spend a dime during that window. Let that sink in.

If our team is good enough to defeat both Pool and City this year, then we are good enough to win the rest of the games.

Enough about what we don't have. We have enough. Just need a manager to coach, motivate and get our team mentally prepared to go out there and not play scared or shrivel up at the first sign of resistance. Those intangibles are what money can't buy.

Name some available managers. Stop with these general statements.

 

[LookingForEric]

I'm not even mad about the fact we lost the title. I couldn't care less about anyone tryjg to gaslight me into accepting this embarrassing capitulation. Like I said, I'm not mad about losing to bayern or losing the league to City. It is the way and manner we did that pissed me off.

Teams have off days, but the least you should expected from a team fighting for the title is to at least look like they give a ****.

This is the third time in the past 3 seasons that we've had a late season collapse. That is deeply worrying.

We now have 2 games before City play, we can go 4 ahead before they even play again. It’s time to stop moaning, and get behind the team one last time this season because we can still win the title.

mod edit: control yourself with that sort of language.

 

[SA Gunner]

I’m frustrated at how the last week has played out as well. But I really think we are overreacting here.

Talk of us being like Potchettino’s Sp**s yet we won a trophy in this project? I guess Liverpool outside of 19/20 were Potchettino’s Sp**s as well?

And about that trophy, how does it tie into Arteta not being able to get over the line and being a nearly man? Do we tailor our narrative to say that it wasn’t his players (funny we don’t hear how Pep won 6 at Barca with Rijkaard’s players) or that it was the empty stadium factor? Or maybe it was “just the FA Cup”.

We have to do an awful amount of lifting these days to **** on the team and manager these days, that in its own says something.

Things look bleak yes, I feel deflated right now because we looked so good at the right time this season.

But take perspective about what our level demands now. City, Liverpool and Arsenal all crashing out at the same time. Same with Barcelona, Atletico. This level we’re competing at is ruthless. You miss your chance now, it’s likely the biggest titles in world football gone.

Let’s pick ourselves up against Wolves push for a strong finish. And then get ready to get back into the fire next season, more galvanised.

 

[SA Gunner]

I feel the real discussions restart on Arteta (and yes he can and should be questioned) if we collapse from this point onward. In the league we are clear of 4-20, and we must show that.

The objective is clear now, 89 points, 87 at the absolute worst.

 

[HighburyHigh]

Try win all our games left and see what that gives us.

 

[Sanchez11]

I swear Aubameyang and AM is some weird esoteric version of Godwin's law.

@Godwin1

 

[avenellroad]

I wouldn't call it a capitulation yet but it's very close, if we can bounce back today and in the upcoming fixtures then at least it bucks the trend of the previous two years a wee bit.

If we finish on 87 points and lose out then you can say fair enough. It'd represent progress and also it's a number very few teams reach and still lose out.

This is exactly how I feel. If we don’t win the league so be it. But to not make City earn it would be inexcusable from us and would make me question our future with Arteta

 

[HattoriHanzo]

I’m frustrated at how the last week has played out as well. But I really think we are overreacting here.

Talk of us being like Potchettino’s Sp**s yet we won a trophy in this project? I guess Liverpool outside of 19/20 were Potchettino’s Sp**s as well?

And about that trophy, how does it tie into Arteta not being able to get over the line and being a nearly man? Do we tailor our narrative to say that it wasn’t his players (funny we don’t hear how Pep won 6 at Barca with Rijkaard’s players) or that it was the empty stadium factor? Or maybe it was “just the FA Cup”.

We have to do an awful amount of lifting these days to **** on the team and manager these days, that in its own says something.

Things look bleak yes, I feel deflated right now because we looked so good at the right time this season.

But take perspective about what our level demands now. City, Liverpool and Arsenal all crashing out at the same time. Same with Barcelona, Atletico. This level we’re competing at is ruthless. You miss your chance now, it’s likely the biggest titles in world football gone.

Let’s pick ourselves up against Wolves push for a strong finish. And then get ready to get back into the fire next season, more galvanised.

Excellent post, as usual.
Let me just say someting about this one thing that you have mentioned, the one people use to dismiss Arteta, "he won FA cup with Wenger's and Emery's players".
This argument is pure stupidity.
I have never heard this argument against any other manager elsewhere, only here (on Arsenal Mania) and only against Arteta.
Which is telling.
And this BS keeps popping up here.

First, for me this is an argument pro Arteta, because it shows that Arteta knew how to adapt to players he inherited from Wenger and Emery, and he lifted the trophy, FA cup.

Second, shall we apply this argument against any other succesful manager?
You already mentioned Pep and Rijkaard at Barca.

What about Mourinho and his trophies?
He never stayed in one club longer than 3 years, therefore he won all his trophies with some players he inherited.
Shall we discount them all?

What about Ancelotti?
Apart from AC Milan, he was also journeyman. Shall we also discount trophies he won after AC Milan, all of them with many players he inherited?

What about Wenger (God forbid, ) and backline he inherited in Arsenal?
Seaman, Winterburn, Adams, Bould, Keown, Dixon
Shall we discount FA cup and title 1997/98, because Wenger inherited players from previous managers?

Further point about "bottling" trophy.
Regarding Ancelotti and his stint in AC Milan, I (as AC Milan supporter) could say that he was bottler because he won only 1 scudetto in 7 and a half seasons he spent there as manager.
You remember players he had at AC Milan (Dida, Maldini, Nesta, Costacurta, Cafu, Pirlo, Kaka, Sheva, Seedorf, Rui Costa)?
How many world class players he had there?

And yet in 7.5 years he spent there he won only 1 scudetto.
And what about UCL final 2005., against Liverpool?
Isn't this final pure definition of bottling?
And Ancelotti was much more experienced then than is Arteta now.
I remember, I was so furious then.
Anyway, I would never call Ancelotti bottler, but one of the biggest and most successful managers ever.

And Arsenal Mania told me that Arteta bottled UCL, because Arsenal went out in QF after 6 years of absence.

Therefore, be careful before you call anybody a bottler.

 

[El Duderino]

We can't keep praising him for bringing back the bar to where it was always raised to and not measure his work to where said bar was put back in place.

 

[HattoriHanzo]

I feel the real discussions restart on Arteta (and yes he can and should be questioned) if we collapse from this point onward. In the league we are clear of 4-20, and we must show that.

The objective is clear now, 89 points, 87 at the absolute worst.

I agree.
Arteta's biggest flaw is his lack of trust to some of his players, hence lack of rotation, hence bad form in April due to tired legs.
And we are witnessing it third year in a row.

Why he extended contacts of Nketiah, Nelson, ESR, if he doesn’t trust them?
Biggest enigma for me is Fabio Vieira.
I have certain opinion about all our players, with the exception of Fabio Vieira.
He was brought to Arsenal 2 years ago, for decent fee (35 million euros).
And I don't know what to think about him because ˙I haven't seen enough of him.

Ødegaard is our best players, closest to "world class" level of all our players.
But he also needs rest.
So, why Arteta doesn’t use Vieira at all?

 

[BigPoppaPump]

I think Arteta is doing a great job and to want him out is ridiculous because we're obviously good enough to win the big trophies just need to get to that point.

We went to the Bayern game thinking we could win, never once in the last 15 years have I actually thought Arsenal had a chance against top teams in Europe. We were resigned to a lost the second we got Barca or Bayern.

However all the PR puff pieces that come out everytime we have poor results or get knocked out of cups is annoying.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

How can you criticise Mikel Arteta when in 1962 Harry Potts bottled the league title when managing Burnley?

 

[Sapient Hawk]

I’m frustrated at how the last week has played out as well. But I really think we are overreacting here.

Talk of us being like Potchettino’s Sp**s yet we won a trophy in this project? I guess Liverpool outside of 19/20 were Potchettino’s Sp**s as well?

And about that trophy, how does it tie into Arteta not being able to get over the line and being a nearly man? Do we tailor our narrative to say that it wasn’t his players (funny we don’t hear how Pep won 6 at Barca with Rijkaard’s players) or that it was the empty stadium factor? Or maybe it was “just the FA Cup”.

We have to do an awful amount of lifting these days to **** on the team and manager these days, that in its own says something.

Things look bleak yes, I feel deflated right now because we looked so good at the right time this season.

But take perspective about what our level demands now. City, Liverpool and Arsenal all crashing out at the same time. Same with Barcelona, Atletico. This level we’re competing at is ruthless. You miss your chance now, it’s likely the biggest titles in world football gone.

Let’s pick ourselves up against Wolves push for a strong finish. And then get ready to get back into the fire next season, more galvanised.

The team I'll grant you but the bolded is never a difficult task if you're motivated enough

 

[lomekian]

Yes I agree, my problem is he can't learn and overcome the same freaking mistakes he does again and again. For example the Havertz LCM thing and Zinchenko LB when everything was working so well before that. The other one which is an enormous problem is his lack of security that reflects in no rotation nor opportunities to young talent.

I said so many times, he is pushing Saka so much he is going to break him, and he did. Saka is playing injured and it's so obvious. Still he can't trust his own system. If it is good and flexible then other players can do it. If only one player can do what you want to play then you are doomed to failure because non player can last every match of the season.

Rest your squad, have them all on good football rhythm and make your squad last longer.

ESR, GJ, Trossard and recently Parted and Zinchenko, all of them can rotate. Then you have Tomi and Vieira to give something if you give them minutes. Even when they are fit, he didn't use them more than 10-15 min.

On Havertz and Zinny left side combo, that did actually directly lead to a number of prromising positions against Villa. It was, in my view, exactly the right tactic, undermined repeatedly by poor final act execution. If Trossard doesn't toe his sitter into Martinelli, they have to come out more and the Havertz runs from deep become more potent.

Where arteta failed was not reacting to Villa's half-time tactical change to shut down that avenue due to a lack of trust in those bench players that are fit until it was too late. This also leads directly into the Saka point.

Question is: Is it him being fearful or is it the squad quality being too poor? Also specifically, most of our better rotation players aren't fit right now. Partey can barely walk judging by recent subs, zinny, Vieira, Tomi all not fully fit (as well as Saka, Martinelli Jorgi and probably others, including Jesus).

Ultimately our hale end kids should be vital components the way the squad is constructed, and Arteta seems to lost faith in all but Saka.

 

[Paperino]

Whenever this clown are asked difficult questions he starts waffling like an idìot. He almost never get that kind of questions though. Wenger was cross-examined when he achieved the same things as Teta.

 

[Paperino]

I wouldn't call it a capitulation yet but it's very close, if we can bounce back today and in the upcoming fixtures then at least it bucks the trend of the previous two years a wee bit.

If we finish on 87 points and lose out then you can say fair enough. It'd represent progress and also it's a number very few teams reach and still lose out.

If we win the league its progress. Otherwise not.

 

[Tourbillion]

If we win the league its progress. Otherwise not.

Technically, yep.

 

[A_G]

From an interview with Santi today:

…There is nostalgia for north London, too. The last time Cazorla was at the Emirates Stadium was April 2018, when he asked to train on the pitch. “I really want to go back,” he says. “I owe them a lot, they hold a special place. I also have a great friend there.”

There’s a grin. Cazorla saw Mikel Arteta’s managerial potential before anyone and it was bloody annoying. “Injured, watching games together, he would get the remote and pause it. ‘What are you doing?’ He would say: ‘Go back, go back’, rewind 30 seconds, and ask: ‘What do you see?’ ‘I see a paused screen! What do you want me to see?!’ He would say: ‘Look at this guy here, how badly he’s positioned. If he goes here, and he goes there, this space opens’. Every game, pausing every 20 seconds. The match has finished and we’re still in the 20th minute. I’m thinking: ‘What’s with this guy?’

“He sees it. I love football but I don’t. I think it’s a gift. He’s pausing. ‘Can’t you see we’re doing this badly? Don’t you think the left-back should be deeper? That he should draw out his marker? Don’t you think we can create a space there?’ I said yes to everything: ‘Yes, you’re completely right, Mikel. Now, press play.’ I’d say: ‘Mate, you’re a coach already.’ He said: ‘Yeah, I see things that make me think I should be.’ We talked a lot. He still loved playing, but working with Pep Guardiola at [Manchester] City was an opportunity, the best apprenticeship. I said: ‘Mikel, if that’s what moves you, go for it. It’s worked out well.

“Mikel has changed their [Arsenal’s] mentality. When I was there, something was missing. Mikel changed that and they have an incredible squad. I love [Martin] Ødegaard and see myself in him: like him, I found a coach [Arsène Wenger] who gave me confidence. He made me captain before I could say ‘hola’ in English. Declan Rice reminds me of Aaron Ramsey, appearing everywhere, a brutal player. Arsenal are clear candidates for the league.”