Mikel Arteta now caught between a rock and a hard place - his new system is holding Arsenal back
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Most football fans had Arsenal and Manchester City as Premier League title favourites at the start of the season. It was all set up to be a straight fight between the defending champions and the club that finished second to them in the last two seasons.
The script favoured Arsenal, as City were going into the season with an ageing squad. But then games into the season, neither of the two clubs is at the top of the table. City lie second, while Arsenal is in fifth, seven points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
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Hide AdThe Gunners started the season brightly until they lost their captain, Martin Ødegaard. Losing the Norwegian playmaker resulted in a stark loss of creativity in the side. It also confirmed the long-standing belief among critics that Mikel Arteta’s brand of football is sliding towards the pragmatic, with their victories becoming ordeals for supporters rather than adrenaline-fuelled triumphs
Lucky for Arteta, Ødegaard is back. He brings the creativity the team lacked in his absence, but the coach must understand that a team aiming to win a highly competitive league like the Premier League can’t be overly reliant on one player for creativity. The solution isn’t just buying a replacement in the transfer market; it requires a tweak in playing style.
Arteta sometimes sets his team up with four centre-backs and two defensive midfielders even against "normal" opposition. This setup and approach are acceptable against title contenders like City and Liverpool, but less so against mid-table clubs. For a team with no ruthless striker who can finish off half-chances, you need to loosen up and create more opportunities.
The overly pragmatic approach can wait until the business end of the season, not at a stage where you need to bury teams to put fear into your next opponent.
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Hide AdThe more guarded approach hasn’t even yielded the desired results to justify it so far this season. The team has conceded eleven goal , three more than the eight goals they had conceded at this time last season.
Arsenal make a short trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. All eyes will be on whether Ødegaard’s return brings any changes to the way the team plays. Logically, playing pragmatically to secure a draw at Chelsea sounds reasonable, but not when you risk widening the gap between themselves and league leaders Liverpool, who already lead by seven points.
Chelsea are no longer the formidable side that used to scare Arsenal in the Roman Abramovich era. The Gunners have beaten them five times in their last 6 encounters. Though Chelsea has improved this season, Arsenal still holds the psychological advantage, and Arteta has no reason to fear the Blues or set up his team defensively. If he once again sets out a rigid side that ends up on the wrong side of the result, the faintest whispers of ‘Arteta out’ just may rise a notch or two.
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