Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Arteta is proving to be tough and flexible. But next season is real test
The man who always speaks his mind
I WON’T be getting excited for Arsenal fans until their team are in the thick of it, at the top, in the heat of a new season.
But I’ve liked Mikel Arteta’s past few weeks of work.
I’m not convinced about Arteta suddenly changing Arsenal from softies to hardened title contenders.
But I may have misjudged the Spanish coach.
He’s more than the quiet, nice guy demeanour he exudes. He is proving tough and flexible.
In the Premier League compromise is the key. Liverpool, Man City, the great Invincibles team... they could shut up shop in a game or two, make life difficult, play on the counter, get bodies in the way.
That is what I saw from Arteta at the weekend in the FA Cup semi-final. A willingness not to be tied to dogma. To be flexible, within a system that is attractive and aims to play exciting open football.
There’s a pragmatism I have not seen at Arsenal for some time now that is raising expectations.
Arsenal needed dusting down and new life breathed into them when he took over in December.
They needed a way of playing that wins matches in several different ways, not just trying to pass teams off the park, no matter what. The interesting thing is how they have surrendered possession in some games. They’ve thought: Maybe this team is better than us at keeping the ball, we can’t match it, and so we have to accept it and do something different.
They are adapting in real time to different scenarios. That has been lacking for a decade. The Wenger philosophy would not budge
from trying to be Barcelona, win or lose. No compromise. Arsenal look capable of mounting a rear-guard action, showing toughness, resilience, an ability to soak up pressure.
Against City on Saturday they had just 29 per cent of the ball, managed just four shots, and faced 16.
Wenger’s side used to average almost 60 per cent each game, Unai Emery 57 per cent. Arteta is currently at 51 per cent.
Arteta was the perfect Arsenal player... skilful, technical. He was the antithesis of the Roy Keane snarling figure of doing anything to win. But he’s proving tough and clever. Next season, when there’s a clean slate, will be the test. He can win the FA Cup by beating Chelsea – that is a step.
Can he say in September: “Right, great honeymoon. We kept Aubameyang, kept Lacazette. We can go to Anfield, the Etihad, and win.”?
That’s when I’ll change my opinion from naysayer, to interest piqued, to someone who believes in this Arteta process that Gunners’ fans tell me about.
Obviously winning the FA Cup is part of the mood music of English football. But it isn’t an indicator of a team who will go on and challenge for the title.
Win six FA Cups in a row and that is still not the quality of winning a Premier League.
It’s mean-spirited to say it isn’t a move in the right direction. It’s padding for clubs who want to win the title and Trebles. On its own it’s a positive end to the season.
Arteta can say to the players: “We’ve won, you have a medal, we have something special going.”
The club needs to have ruthless endeavour to win titles. It is something to turn around a first team of 11 or a squad of 22 and say when they are four points clear in January, we need to go on a run.
At the moment it is green shoots of recovery from Arteta’s first seven months.
I am now excited a little by him, but I am still not worshiping at the altar of Arsenal being contenders again just yet.