Discuss.
Was Arteta a better player or is a better coach for us?
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More time required to judge him fairly as a Manager.
Quality player in a team only just above average as a collective. Silky passer of the ball with good shot and most significantly a committed team player.
He was a wonderful player but he is a far superior manager! He is transforming AFC ,something he couldn’t do on the field. His attitude and fidelity are superb….we arelucky to have found him….he is the next Pep Guardiola.
He was an average player – and is not a coach/ manager at all. Wengers biggest mistake was when he let this virus into the Arsenal organism. No future for the club as long as the MA disease isn’t cured.
nelson Feyenoord knocks Saliba Marseille out of Europa Conference League
RC what u think about Nkunku forget jesus etc Nkunku is our man
Fred
Nkunku, Osimhen AND Bissouma.
Nkunku is a false nine. Excellent timing of his runs, great ability to score now and amazing at pressing…I really like him as a player, he is a former PSG youth (like Diaby, Coman…) but I am not sure he is the profile wanted by Edu-Arteta. I think they want someone that is more of a box player that can play with his back to the goal as well…Plus he is valued at 75 Mln EUR…
LBG – Osimhen, it is too late for him to join us as well – he will be sold around 80 Mln but at that price, we can get Darwin Nunez. We might as well take a “semi-chance” on J. David – we could have him for less than 30 Mln now…As for Bissouma, I d say he is an option but not a first choice…
I think the players we should really pursue are:
– Darwin Nunez, alternatively I. Toney or G.Jesus
– Tchouameni or D.Rice or K. Philipps or J. Bellingham or Tielemans, alternatively Ndidi and Bissouma
It seems Pepe will also leave this summer. Nice, PSG, Monaco and Marseille interested – Newcastle as well…If he leaves, we should maybe take a look at St-Maximin or A. Traore or Raphinha or Barnes or F. Kostic?
Ramsdale – Tomy, White, Gabs, Tierney – Partey, PHILIPPS (?) – Saka, Ode, Martinelli – NUNEZ
Turner – LAMPTEY, Holding, Saliba/Mavro?, Nuno? – El Neny, Xhaka – TRAORE, Emile, KOSTIC – Nketiah
Anyways, I think Arteta was a good player and a good captain but he was no X.Alonso or S.Cazorla…As a coach, he has improved the environment within the club and outside the club too and it seems he is well liked by the players and staff alike and based on our finish this year, I will say whether he is a good coach. He won an FA Cup and Charity Shield then lost his way/touch last year and seems that things are ticking again a bit better this year…let us see at the end of the month where we finish…
Arteta extended his contract until 2025…He is really happy about it. If he stays until then, he would have been our coach from December 2019 to July 2025…quite a feat in modern times
https://www.arsenal.com/news/arteta-where-i-want-be
Hi RC,
I don’t think we have seen enough from MA to decide about his overall quality as a manager.
What is more, his published stats are not providing a good enough description of him as a player.
š
Tackles made, tackles won, interceptions, key passes and the team winning percentages with or without MA would be more informative.
š
Hi Las – I agree with both your points š Feel free to add any stats you may find relevant directly in your posts š
Dear Mr Hans (Christian?) Andersson. You wrote some of my favourite fairy tales (who could forget āThe Tinder Boxā or āThe Ugly Ducklingā). Itās nice to see you have lost none of your inventiveness.
As to the question: as previously indicated, I really rate Mikel Arteta, and that goes back to my delight when Arsene signed him. I had admired him at both Rangers and Everton. LBGās point about the quality of the team he joined is relevant, but he was a reliable player, whose main shortcoming was a lack of pace.
I think everything he has done heretofore has trended upwards, and I genuinely believe he is going to coach Arsenal to heights we have not seen since the Invincibles. Heās still wearing āLā plates, as are half his squad. With experience, he/they will be formidable – give them another full season together, and we will see. We will see.
Off topic – I hope everyone attending the Leeds game on Sunday is ready to sing Louis Dunfordās potential Arsenal anthem āNorth London Foreverā. I canāt be there, but I hope to hear it drowning the Common Taters throughout the afternoon.
If you havenāt heard it, its proper title is Angel, as in Angel, Islington, and there are at least three videos on YouTube; the official one, a live recording at the Union Chapel, and an Arsenal-centric one.
Maxwell
Won’t the other North London team (rubbish) be jealous of our anthem! I think a few of the awaybe’s had a go at it at West Ham game. I am sure it will take off.
Mr Anderson has always in fairytale land!
RC
Not a chance of acquiring the large majority of your midfield preferences- including the two English men. Bissouma is possible, and would “release” Partey! ( I won’t give up). I would like Nunez. What makes you think he is ” more available”?
Arteta came into the club (as a player) when we were in dire straits.
The season had already started and we were dropping like a stone, but the famous ‘last minute trolley dash’ brought in Arteta along with Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos and the mysterious Park Chu-Young.
Arteta was a crucial part of stabilising our season and helping us finish 3rd in the league.
At Everton he had played a more AM role, but at Arsenal he was prepared to take on a different job, sitting deep in front of the defence and working hard to close the opposition down.
There was a long period when the basis of our play was Mertesacker bringing the ball out from the back and passing to Arteta, who would then play the ‘quarterback’ role of deciding which angle of attack to take.
As a player he always struck me as talented (definitely EPL top six standard), committed and professional. He would surely have had many international caps had his career not coincided with the generation of Xavi, Iniesta et al.
As a manager, it’s still early days but I like what I’ve seen so far.
I feel he learned a valuable lesson with the abject failure of the Willian transfer. Perhaps the most significant moment in his time as Arsenal manager was when he was forced to play a young team against Chelsea because of illness and injury (with ESR coming in for Willian). I think that was the day he decided to pivot towards creating a young, dynamic and united team and away from recruiting big names on the downslope of their careers.
If we can hold our nerve and finish in the top four this season it will be a hell of an achievement.
Even the top six, which we’re guaranteed, is good progress.
Best of all, we now have an exciting young team that has united the fans and rekindled the flickering flame of passion in the Gunnersphere.
I should have added Yossi Benayoun to the last minute shopping trolley.
Although he only came in as a loanee for one year he had some excellent cameos (25 appearances, 6 goals).
LBG. As always inclined to agree.
My problem from now until September is that while everyone else is talking up players from other teams, and usually more favourably than they view our own, I prefer to look inwards, at the teamās evolution. Letās get this winger, that midfielder, the other defender. Then we can demote or get rid of Saka, ESR, Tomi. Thatās the implication, for such as Bissouma, Tchouameni or Phillips are surely going to want to start, not ride the pine.
Consider Salah-Eddine Oulad MāHand (I so want him promoted and commentators forced to say his full name every time he touches the ball!), Miguel Azeez, Charlie Patino, Marcelo Flores, Jack Henry-Francis, Omari Hutchinson. None is ready to start, but any would make good back ups for the first eleven in midfield/wing. What about Omar Rekik, already a full international, and a good centre-half or defensive midfielder? Daniel Ballard, another international, will be back from his loan spell.
The one area I agree needs a seismic upgrade is at centre forward, although as promising back-ups there are Mica Biereth and Khayon Edwards (who just signed a professional contract, with half the EPL after him). The wind direction seems to indicate departures for Eddie and Alexandre (one of my favourite players of recent seasons, but probably in need of a less intense league now).
The best player I project who could easily be Tomiās back-up next season? Brooke Norton-Cuffy. Heās a beast already at eighteen, outrageously athletic, skilful and defensively solid. Heās pleased them up at Lincoln City.
And look out for Ethan Nwaneri, only fifteen but turning out already for the under-18s – and making and scoring goals.
There are others, though to me these are the best prospects. Many of them will go out on loan next season (Omari Hutchinsonās loan to Reading is already rumoured), and itās quite likely that Arteta has a different opinion from mine, so none of them will get a chance!
Weāll also have to decide what to do with other returning loanees – Torreira, Saliba, Balogun, Nelson, AMN, and sundry Academicians. I think only Balogun might still be on the books come September.
The point is that the talent is there, and with the top sixteen names in the current squad providing exponential progress, and a shiny new centre forward, only a few back-up tweaks are necessary.
End of RANT (cf. Mr Pbarany)
What joy (genuine)! To see a post from Rocky. And as always to the point.
Thanks Maxwell.
Had a busy few months so I haven’t been commenting, but I’ve enjoyed the Posts.
When you think about the scale of the job that faced Arteta when he came in, it’s pretty daunting.
For example, we still had Raul Sanllehi at the club organising ridiculous over-priced transfer deals for ageing players who were clients of his agent mates (Ā£72m for Pepe!!!).
And we had the following players on our books:
Sokratis
Mkhitaryan
Ozil
Torreira
Mustafi
David Luiz
Kolasinac
Bellerin
You can see what a massive transformation has taken place in the two-and-a-half years Arteta has been in charge.
His first starting XI as Arsenal boss was:
Leno
AMN – Luiz – Sokratis – Saka
Torreira – Xhaka – Ozil
Pepe – Lacazette – Aubameyang
Only Saka and Xhaka can be considered guaranteed starters in the current Arsenal best 11, with Laca and Pepe as bit-part players.
Everyone else has changed (and been improved on with the possible exception of Ozil, except that it had been a long time since Ozil was at his best for us).
What a joy to see a post from Rocky AND Maxwell!
Detailed, knowledgeable, based on careful observation and massive experience, innovative in their suggestions, and essentially, positive in their efforts to analyse.
I am a fan of both long term contributors, in case you hadn’t guessed, and regard their “return to the fold”, a direct reflection of the good vibes currently evident at OUR Club.
PS
Maxwell
Agree with much of the analysis of what we already have “in house”. But think the recent injuries illustrate why we must try to strengthen the squad with, hopefully, some ” established” professionals who can hit the ground running.
Just as claimed often by another old timer, the honorable Rasp, I have always been a big fan of Azeez. Likewise Ballard. I do think we should retain Saliba and show him that good in France requires an upgrade in effort to improve in the Premier League. I think the history and quality of the Club he will be turning out for can be infiltrated into his character and he has the talent to succeed here. I have read about Norton- Cuffley and believe Balogun will succeed in the Premier League, hopefully with us.
Agree, the future’s bright.
Not osihmen though
Didn’t realise edu and arteta were looking for a particular type of striker interesting
Never been more important to beat a Leeds team tomorrow ( no Viduka repeats please Gunners). Four points behind Chelski, with a game in mid week and the Cup Final at the weekend.
Of course we have the little matter of dismissing the Totteringham, but……
What a great start! The anthem at full volume.
Hey, Maxwell,
No problem with rants. Really. These are valid arguments and alternatives.
I appreciate the lookout to the academy players and there are many agreements here. It would be too long to list, but Norton-Cuffy and Salah-Eddine are on top. I would add a few more full backs here like Lopez, and the 2 really young but hugely promising Walters and Sousa. We are really well covered on the flanks. Maybe wingers included (even if Pepe gets sold I tend to agree with TA that Nelson could provide a more capable cover for RW than most of the fans could imagine). And AM is the same categoryl as we already have Odegaard and ESR for the position, while Flores waits and Hutchinson can also play AM and RW. So if we would somehow end up signing Coutinho I would honestly doubt the competency of the people in charge…
There are a few part I don’t fully agree with: I think Biereth and Edwards are really far even from the bench, although I sincerely hope that Nketiah stays, so a single – but high profile – striker signing (Jesus or Gakpo, as Nunez will go to a richer team, Abraham is way too expensive – and even if he leaves Rome he wouldn’t join Arsenal – and I don’t think Toney or DCL are really top quality attackers) would suffice with Eddie and Flo rotating the PL bench and the cup games.
I think fans are often seem loyal to the academy players, but tend to quickly forget them and move to the next big thing. Do you remember, when a year ago fans demanded Mƶller to the first team? Now he is yesterday’s news. Same applies to Taylor-Hart, even though his limited progress is injury related, not lack of playing time. Azeez seemed to be the player fans and pundits expected to save tens of millions in midfield; now he is expected to come after Patino in the pecking order, while 70M investment on Rice/Philips is demanded.
No chance of getting Rice or Phillips for that matter, whatever we might ” demand”.
Classic opportunity for Pepe to do something, anything. If he is so talented in training, why does he not even try to beat his man, remember the goalkeeper is up the field? Difficult to remember a bigger waste of money!
Three points, should have improved goal difference, but we go forward with four points on Totteringham. Can we win the League ( oops,) win a place in the Champions League at the Shithole?
Yea really hope we sew up forth place on Thursday
Disappointed we didn’t add to the goal tally
My MOM was Martinelli 8, but only just from Elneny 7.5, who, sitting in front of the back four in the last two games has shown a surprising calmness and ability not previously always evident. Soares deserves a place now, perhaps, for all the corners and occasional free kicks. Tomi proved what is said that his right and left are equally good, with the switch to the left. Rob Holding breeds improved confidence by the game, as does Eddie, and I believe with that belief and confidence, and a little bit of luck, we can get something out of Thursday to make us all happy.
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