Mikel Arteta, First-Team Manager

[ag6789]

We have relatively benign fixtures coming up,: West Ham, BHA and Soton, besides the FA cup and EU. Time to focus and move up the table. Five teams above us aren't very settled and we can get CL if we show some ambition.
This week seems to be the turning point, 3 in 3.

[Sims]

coyg

[DiamondGooner]

Arteta is using the squad he has, getting results and has given us back a structured style of play and identity.

No manager could do that much better than he has in such a short time with improvements to some of our one time dead players ............ yet so much negativity here.

"Not convinced" "Dodgey starting line up" (even though we've won with them) .

Remember I was against AFC going for a guy with no experience so if I like him what's wrong with some of you?

Apart from the ones with an Unai agenda, which personally I find weird because its not like Unai was great was it.

[DiamondGooner]

Good game, unfortunately what Everton has troubled us at the back. Richarlison (c***) was dangerous everytime he got the ball.

Still, fairly even in terms of play and we finished better so bye bye Carlo

Yep, Richarlison was raping Bellerin on every cross, Bellerin couldn't intercept any of them leaving Richarlison running rampant down the wing.

[theHotHead]

I was at the game today things that struck me:

- Everton look like a very good football team.
- It was the worst defensive display under Arteta
- We have so little movement in general, few options on the ball.
- We never try to go through the middle, we always go wide.
- Mustafi will NEVER be good enough for Arsenal.
- Our defenders back off to much

Great comeback, we were lucky not to concede an equaliser, but a win is a win and Arteta beat the man some people preferred to be Arsenal manager (not me).

[Pat Rice in Short Shorts]

I was at the game today things that struck me:

- Everton look like a very good football team.
- It was the worst defensive display under Arteta
- We have so little movement in general, few options on the ball.
- We never try to go through the middle, we always go wide.
- Mustafi will NEVER be good enough for Arsenal.
- Our defenders back off to much

Great comeback, we were lucky not to concede an equaliser, but a win is a win and Arteta beat the man some people preferred to be Arsenal manager (not me).

Mustafi has been quite good for the last spell under Arteta. No he is not the future, but doing a job currently. Both he and Luis certainly are live hand grenades though. Arteta has a grasp on the pins I hope.

Going wide is a good thing with this squad. Under Emery it was bang around trying to find a way into the box while now we are getting four or five at a time in there. Seven goals in two Prem games is damned good.

They back off as part of being organized finally and also not being very quick. This system works well, the individual errors are what he needs to eliminate.

Saka's youth showed through today. I was a bit disappointed that when he started to flail none of the veterans went over to calm him down and get his head right.

[Zenith]

[theHotHead]

I was at the game today things that struck me:

- Everton look like a very good football team.
- It was the worst defensive display under Arteta
- We have so little movement in general, few options on the ball.
- We never try to go through the middle, we always go wide.
- Mustafi will NEVER be good enough for Arsenal.
- Our defenders back off to much

Great comeback, we were lucky not to concede an equaliser, but a win is a win and Arteta beat the man some people preferred to be Arsenal manager (not me).

Mustafi has been quite good for the last spell under Arteta. No he is not the future, but doing a job currently. Both he and Luis certainly are live hand grenades though. Arteta has a grasp on the pins I hope.

Going wide is a good thing with this squad. Under Emery it was bang around trying to find a way into the box while now we are getting four or five at a time in there. Seven goals in two Prem games is damned good.

They back off as part of being organized finally and also not being very quick. This system works well, the individual errors are what he needs to eliminate.

Saka's youth showed through today. I was a bit disappointed that when he started to flail none of the veterans went over to calm him down and get his head right.

Backing off is what causes us the problems, because inevitably the defeders do nothing and that gives the opponent a sight of our goal, leading to a shot or dangerous cross. Every single time.

Proper defending whether you have pace or not is to try to force the attacker to do what they don't want to do. Backing off when the play is high up the pitch makes sense because it buys time for teammates to get back and help but it doesn't help when the attackers are approaching your box.

The defender should get to the attacker but don't dive in, by body position and body shape force the attacker to do what they don't want to do, force the attacker to have to do something remarkable to get past you, as opposed to backing off and giving the attacker a free shot on goal or free cross.

[Santi]

#relentless

[Santi]

I was at the game today things that struck me:

- Everton look like a very good football team.
- It was the worst defensive display under Arteta
- We have so little movement in general, few options on the ball.
- We never try to go through the middle, we always go wide.
- Mustafi will NEVER be good enough for Arsenal.
- Our defenders back off to much

Great comeback, we were lucky not to concede an equaliser, but a win is a win and Arteta beat the man some people preferred to be Arsenal manager (not me).

Mustafi has been quite good for the last spell under Arteta. No he is not the future, but doing a job currently. Both he and Luis certainly are live hand grenades though. Arteta has a grasp on the pins I hope.

Going wide is a good thing with this squad. Under Emery it was bang around trying to find a way into the box while now we are getting four or five at a time in there. Seven goals in two Prem games is damned good.

They back off as part of being organized finally and also not being very quick. This system works well, the individual errors are what he needs to eliminate.

Saka's youth showed through today. I was a bit disappointed that when he started to flail none of the veterans went over to calm him down and get his head right.

Backing off is what causes us the problems, because inevitably the defeders do nothing and that gives the opponent a sight of our goal, leading to a shot or dangerous cross. Every single time.

Proper defending whether you have pace or not is to try to force the attacker to do what they don't want to do. Backing off when the play is high up the pitch makes sense because it buys time for teammates to get back and help but it doesn't help when the attackers are approaching your box.

The defender should get to the attacker but don't dive in, by body position and body shape force the attacker to do what they don't want to do, force the attacker to have to do something remarkable to get past you, as opposed to backing off and giving the attacker a free shot on goal or free cross.

There’s a balance between backing off and diving in. When you have lots of teammates around you you can pressure the guy on the ball but the idea is to back off and force the attacker to go wide or shoot from a distance rather than diving in and leaving a huge gap exposed behind you. It’s hard to get the balance between the two and watching them back off is infuriating but more often than not it’s actually been the right thing to do.

Just wish we never did it against Eden hazard because that f***er always made us pay for it.

[Santi]

For reference look back to that van dijk defending against spurs last year I think it was. He backs off and covers the ball to Son because he is alone at the back and knows sissoko is the worse finisher of the two. Once the pass is no longer relevant he pressures Sissoko and forces a wild shot.

Perfect defending.

[theHotHead]

Santi, exactly, force the player to do something you want them to do. Backing off and letting them have a free shot on goal in the box is ludicrous !

[Salibatelli]

The amount of guilt edged chances Everton missed yesterday, Everton will feel disappointed they definitely edged the game but lost it, 17 shots to our 9 but their forward play was immense.

Difference is I guess we had Aubameyang who was superb and of course Leno who made some key saves to keep us in it.

Ceballos showed why he should have been playing regularly for me, Saka other than a shoddy few minutes in the 2nd was good too.

[Pat Rice in Short Shorts]

Santi, exactly, force the player to do something you want them to do. Backing off and letting them have a free shot on goal in the box is ludicrous !

There is a difference between backing off at the 18 yard line and backing off as a defensive unit in midfield. Under Arteta we have been closing down in the box far better than under Emery and that quite honestly has to do with effort. No coincidence that M-Niles has not featured at RB recently after allowing a couple goals by turning away from the shot rather than closing down.

Under Emery we had way too many instances of defenders playing too far forward on their own, such as Sokratis losing a wild ariel challenge at the half line and thus giving up a cheap goal. As far as I can see Arteta is keeping it far more organized and conservative by dropping off a bit. It is working better.

[Arsenal Tone]

The sideways passing possession football is so boring to watch. How many times do we get the ball on the edge of the box on an attack only for the ball to end up back with our defence?!