By Samuel A. January 25, 2023
Arsenal has completely transformed under the Influence of the Club’s manager- Mikel Arteta. Yes the same Mikel Areteta whose job was threatened at the end of last season is at the cusp of securing Arenal a comfortable spot in the Champions League and maybe a Premier league title. It’s a surprise to the majority of us football fans as the expectation was that Arsenal would suffer yet another disappointing league campaign, with both Arteta and technical director Edu criticized immensely for their recruitment style and strategy, preferring young, promising, and underrated players to established, world-class players. But with the Gunners now entering the second half of the season, it’s fair to say that each of their last summer signings and even the ones of the previous season have proved to be a huge hit. Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White and Martin Odegaard have all delivered stellar impacts, responding to their critics in emphatic fashion.
The key taking point is that Arteta has made Arsenal far more robust, even without adopting a negative brand of football, which in other words is implementing defensive stability without being a defensive side. Another noticeable change is the zones former club captain Granit Xhaka has been occupying since the start of the season. Previously, ball progression from the left flank came through the Swiss international’s feet, breaking multiple lines of structure from deep through the use of tremendous passing characteristics. However, since the start of the current season, the midfielder has been operating further forward, making inside runs to create space for the nearby left-winger (Gabriel Martinelli), and is effectively acting as a left-sided number eight predominantly.
A top-four finish would have been an ideal perfect season for Arteta, but they’re further going on in a Premier league and Europa League double charge, showing their change in mindset and their elite mentality.
