Mikel Arteta, First-Team Manager

[theHotHead]

im going to hold off judgment until we get some attacking players in. i think he knows he cant play dynamic, attacking football with what he has at his disposal so is altering his tactics and style to suit the squad. for example we dont have players like ramsey, cazorla and cesc anymore but the fact we were close to signing aouar tells me they are aware of this and are looking to address it, which gives me hope.

otherwise it just doesn't make sense... the guy graduated from the school of wenger and pep and is constantly talking about implementing an attacking philosophy so logically, it's the only conclusion i can draw.

having said that, i do think he can be doing more with what he has at his disposal but im willing to trust the man. he's won 2 trophies in his first 12 months and there's been positive signs. exactly a year ago we were conceding 25 shots against wolves so there's no denying that there's been improvements in terms of structure and defence (discounting individual blunders like leno's today).

i know its frustrating for fans that we're watching more of an atletico type team but we're going to have to be patient as we cant address all of our issues in one window. we need to back him in the transfer market to help shape and mould the team to what arteta wants. it took klopp 3-4 years to turn liverpool into a powerful, dangerous team and im pretty confident in 18-24 months our squad will look completely different.

If you can't play dynamic attacking football with Ozil, Auba, Lacazette, Saka and Ceballos you are a f***ing idiot!!

Wenger managed to do it with WORSE players ffs. And I can't stand Wenger so nobody can accuse me of being a Wenger lover.

[Power n Glory]

I do find it strange that we've won 7 out of 9 games since winning the FA Cup and some on here seem to be turning against Arteta. Do you really think he was going to turn us into a solid, robust defensive unit and a free-flowing, creative side in 35 odd games, after inheriting the worst Arsenal side we've had since the mid-90s?

He's clearly prioritized shoring up the defence and making us a difficult side to beat, which is totally understandable given the total mess we were in after Emery was sacked. I understand why people are frustrated that we're not creating enough chances and scoring enough goals, but if it were the other way around we'd have fans on here bemoaning the fact that our defence is too porous and that we need Arteta to focus on making us better at the back. If you think he should have this side firing on all cylinders by now after the state we were in then I think that's just totally unrealistic.

If we're still playing like this by the end of the season then yes, I think there's far more cause for concern. However, I think there needs to be a degree of patience and understanding that it's going to take time for this side to gel properly and whilst we certainly need to start attacking better soon, we clearly have made some big strides under Arteta's management and there seems to be a complete buy-in from 95% of the squad. Arteta himself has also acknowledged that we need to improve and I think as the months go by we'll start to see that improvement, and he deserves time to keep working on this team over the coming months.

Trust the process.

Agree with you on this one. It's not pretty football but we're getting the job done.

Major difference between Emery and Arteta is that I can see where we've improved and it's not just a case of individual brilliance getting us the win.

Besides having a weak attack and no midfield control, under Emery, we couldn't defend. It looked like chaos at the back and it wasn't just a case of one individual making a mistake. Teams would tear through us and get multiple shots on goal. Under Arteta that has stopped and we look comfortable.

Same goes for playing out from the back. We're capable of passing from the back comfortably and creating a goal from the situation. Under Emery it looked like chaos again. Heart attack moments and nobody along the backline looked comfortable playing it out. Under Areta that's changed and I'm way more calm watching that process feeling confident the players can break out from the press when under pressure.

Still a lot of work to be done but this is nothing like Emery. We're not fluking results. It hasn't been pretty to watch but it's a slow process.

[swipe right]

im going to hold off judgment until we get some attacking players in. i think he knows he cant play dynamic, attacking football with what he has at his disposal so is altering his tactics and style to suit the squad. for example we dont have players like ramsey, cazorla and cesc anymore but the fact we were close to signing aouar tells me they are aware of this and are looking to address it, which gives me hope.

otherwise it just doesn't make sense... the guy graduated from the school of wenger and pep and is constantly talking about implementing an attacking philosophy so logically, it's the only conclusion i can draw.

having said that, i do think he can be doing more with what he has at his disposal but im willing to trust the man. he's won 2 trophies in his first 12 months and there's been positive signs. exactly a year ago we were conceding 25 shots against wolves so there's no denying that there's been improvements in terms of structure and defence (discounting individual blunders like leno's today).

i know its frustrating for fans that we're watching more of an atletico type team but we're going to have to be patient as we cant address all of our issues in one window. we need to back him in the transfer market to help shape and mould the team to what arteta wants. it took klopp 3-4 years to turn liverpool into a powerful, dangerous team and im pretty confident in 18-24 months our squad will look completely different.

If you can't play dynamic attacking football with Ozil, Auba, Lacazette, Saka and Ceballos you are a f***ing idiot!!

Wenger managed to do it with WORSE players ffs. And I can't stand Wenger so nobody can accuse me of being a Wenger lover.

7-5 Reading was peak Wenger. Chamakh chipping the keeper, Theo blasting in from the wings. The glory days when absolute pubbers were getting top four.

[theHotHead]

I do find it strange that we've won 7 out of 9 games since winning the FA Cup and some on here seem to be turning against Arteta. Do you really think he was going to turn us into a solid, robust defensive unit and a free-flowing, creative side in 35 odd games, after inheriting the worst Arsenal side we've had since the mid-90s?

He's clearly prioritized shoring up the defence and making us a difficult side to beat, which is totally understandable given the total mess we were in after Emery was sacked. I understand why people are frustrated that we're not creating enough chances and scoring enough goals, but if it were the other way around we'd have fans on here bemoaning the fact that our defence is too porous and that we need Arteta to focus on making us better at the back. If you think he should have this side firing on all cylinders by now after the state we were in then I think that's just totally unrealistic.

If we're still playing like this by the end of the season then yes, I think there's far more cause for concern. However, I think there needs to be a degree of patience and understanding that it's going to take time for this side to gel properly and whilst we certainly need to start attacking better soon, we clearly have made some big strides under Arteta's management and there seems to be a complete buy-in from 95% of the squad. Arteta himself has also acknowledged that we need to improve and I think as the months go by we'll start to see that improvement, and he deserves time to keep working on this team over the coming months.

Trust the process.

No Callum what we are seeing is exactly what we saw under Emery. He came in left out our best creative player trying to play Billy Big Bollocks, we went unbeaten but the football was shit, I acknowledged the unbeaten run but voiced my concerns, then things got worse and it was clear Emery's methods were wrong and he was a mistake.

Fixing our defence is absolutely the priority, but its not something that should lead to us playing dire football as a result ffs. He is making the same mistakes Emery made, suicidal playing out from the back, insistence on 4-3-3, dropping Ozil, playing fooking shit football - and he has better players at his disposal !!

You say trust the process, why should we? The issues are obvious, why can't Arteta see them?! Improving the team defensively isn't difficult, Pulis can do it, Hughes can do it, Allardyce can do it, they did it at every club they went to, 3 of the worst managers that have graced the Premier League. We played a newly promoted Fulham who played better footie than us! We have not looked good in any game really this season.

All I am saying is, Arteta does not get a free pass.

[Dejan]

Good post HH

[theHotHead]

To expect anyone to come in and have instant success after the long winding slope Arsenal slid down is expecting alot.
But hey Arteta pulled off a cup win, Imo i wouldnt get your expectations too high for this season. It's always hard to come in and have what you want player wise, and let's face it many of the inherited players are grossly over rated. Little funds and selling off our best in form assets (Emi) tell you that even getting our most prioritized targets is getting hard. We can not off load the players that no longer or ever met expectations, and we find ourselves still playing some players knowing they are not quite good enough.
The tactics I presume will change when the personnel are capable of carrying out what's required and that's going to have to wait at least another two windows IMO

Nobody is calling for instant success, but the shite we are watching isn't good enough, considering Arteta has now had 2 pre seasons to work with the players and this starting squad is better than the squad Emery had.

[Power n Glory]

there's a clear difference to emery.

there's more structure, a better system and we look more robust.

as mentioned earlier this time last year we were regularly facing 20+ shots on our goal against opposition. we aren't getting carved open every 2 minutes now.

even in the unbeaten run under emery it didnt feel convincing but under arteta i feel more convinced and see signs of promise.

and the assertion that we were playing beautiful, attacking football in wengers last few years isn't true. we stopped playing good football years ago.

Yep. Totally agree.

[LMAO]

there's a clear difference to emery.

there's more structure, a better system and we look more robust.

as mentioned earlier this time last year we were regularly facing 20+ shots on our goal against opposition. we aren't getting carved open every 2 minutes now.

even in the unbeaten run under emery it didnt feel convincing but under arteta i feel more convinced and see signs of promise.

and the assertion that we were playing beautiful, attacking football in wengers last few years isn't true. we stopped playing good football years ago.

Yep. Totally agree.

co-signed

[Salibatelli]

Arteta has done one thing really and that’s entirely focussed our team on defence, that’s why we totally lack any attacking threat, Emery was far from perfect but his team was certainly more attacking, I agree it lacked a bit of structure however.

We’re literally scraping wins when we do win at the moment, that’s not sustainable, yesterday we struggled against whipping boys we really did.

This competition should really be a big focus for us but I fear it will end like last season in a defeat earlier than we expect because we’re just not performing well.

You can have any excuses for last night, this was an easy team to beat and we made very hard work of it, that’s on the manager I’m afraid.

Arteta has had almost a whole season now and what we’re not seeing is any kind of form at any point, we struggle to win any games at a canter and I can’t remember on spell of extended form, it’s really hard work almost every game.

[Angelito]

All I am saying is, Arteta does not get a free pass.

This is the thing. People get way too attached to managers. With Wenger, you could understand given his history and relationship with Arsenal.

We had to see similar arguments for Unai too. Unlike Wenger, Unai and Mikel don't have that emotional connection with Arsenal. Sure, Mikel is an ex-player, a well-liked figure. His approach so far and his playing history gives him a longer leash but there's still a leash.

Constructive criticism shouldn't be shunned upon. You can't blatantly criticize Arteta at this stage. So far, he has delivered the results. But constructive criticism is part of the process. You can't ask the media and journalists not to question politicians and leaders no matter how benevolent or ethical they are. There should be check and balance.

Arteta has improved us defensively. He has the right attitude for a manager. That said, we are abysmal going forward and usually scrap past opponents. We have also been poor stylistically. I have no problem with a Simeone-style defensive approach if it brings the result, but Atleti don't look as dire in attack as we do and they have their games where they overwhelm opponents.

A well rounded discourse should be encouraged. Questions must be asked of Arteta. He must be rightfully praised for his contribution and must be questioned when there's something not working. We shouldn't be repeating the mistake that many fans made when Emery was in charge, where every critique of him was received harshly.

You don't trust the process in real world environment. You have faith in people, but not a cult-like blinded devotion to anyone. I have faith in Arteta. That doesn't mean his actions and decisions automatically go criticism-free.

There's a balance between reasoned argument and blind faith. We should be somewhere in the middle.

[Salibatelli]

The thing is lots of other teams are smacking 3, 4, 5, 6 even 7 goals past teams, I can accept some games will be a hard slog but this seems to be a fearure of Artetas type of football, you just can’t imagine his team battering other teams and going on a run of form, it’s almost always hard work.

I find this boring I’ll be honest, as above Simeones teams defend well but they will also hammer teams at times, it’s not always such hard work.

Last night was a perfect example, it should have been won at a canter.

[theHotHead]

there's a clear difference to emery.

there's more structure, a better system and we look more robust.

as mentioned earlier this time last year we were regularly facing 20+ shots on our goal against opposition. we aren't getting carved open every 2 minutes now.

even in the unbeaten run under emery it didnt feel convincing but under arteta i feel more convinced and see signs of promise.

and the assertion that we were playing beautiful, attacking football in wengers last few years isn't true. we stopped playing good football years ago.

Nobody can deny we are better defensively but how can you say we have a better system? Its just as bad as it was before, it is not cohesive, poverty teams are out playing us, we still concede too many chances. We get carved open just as easily, simple balls over the top or simple balls through the middle of our non-existent midfield.

[Power n Glory]

Arteta has done one thing really and that’s entirely focussed our team on defence, that’s why we totally lack any attacking threat, Emery was far from perfect but his team was certainly more attacking, I agree it lacked a bit of structure however.

We’re literally scraping wins when we do win at the moment, that’s not sustainable, yesterday we struggled against whipping boys we really did.

This competition should really be a big focus for us but I fear it will end like last season in a defeat earlier than we expect because we’re just not performing well.

You can have any excuses for last night, this was an easy team to beat and we made very hard work of it, that’s on the manager I’m afraid.

Arteta has had almost a whole season now and what we’re not seeing is any kind of form at any point, we struggle to win any games at a canter and I can’t remember on spell of extended form, it’s really hard work almost every game.

Have to disagree with some of that. If I've learned anything watching Arsenal is that winning games with a leaky defence is what's not sustainable.

[Power n Glory]

Do you guys remember what it was like to lose to Frankfurt, then to draw 2-2 against Norwich and then lose 2-1 to Brighton?

[ESR10]

As long as the results are good (7 wins out of 9 games and just losses at the Etihad and Anfield), it's hard to turn on Arteta, even if the performances are leaving much to desire.

We are much better defensively, we have a game plan in big games.

Give Arteta two more transfer windows to transfer the squad according to his vision. His defensive targets Gabriel and Partey seem to be coming good. Let him sign 2 bigger names in attack and let's see how we click then. I'm optimistic we'll look much better then.

I won't dwell on Özil, but I hope Arteta gives Smith-Rowe more chances in the next months. He may give us a little bit of the creativity we are missing.