Trust the process has become a slogan synonymous with Arsenal fans over the years (Closely followed by ‘It’s the Hope that kills you’). Some support and believe in the process while others think of it as a PR stunt used by an incompetent Arsenal regime to avoid the wrath of the fan base. It’s almost two years since Mikel Arteta was appointed so why are we still debating whether to trust the process or not? Surely two years is enough to judge a manager?
The International break was a welcome distraction for Arsenal fans. Arsenal sit rock bottom of the Premier League – zero goals scored and nine conceded. The solid, counter-attacking side that won the FA Cup in Mikel’s first season is no more. We’re witnessing calamitous defending every single game despite splashing out the cash in the transfer window.
There have been lots of factors that have contributed to this abysmal start and they deserve to be pointed out in Mikel’s defence. Covid-19 infections to Captain Pierre -Emerick -Aubameyang, Alex Lacazette and Ben White have meant Mikel has not had his ideal starting team just yet. The injury to Thomas Partey in preseason together with Eddie Nketiah meant Mikel had to readjust his plans since they came within a week of the premier league kicking off. That meant new recruit Sambi Lokonga was thrown right into the side for the opening day defeat to Brentford. In fairness he did well and looks like a decent addition.
The concern among Arsenal fans in the indecision the manager seems to have. One minute they’re negotiating to sell Granit Xhaka, the next minute Granit signs a new deal. Kolasinac was up for sale the entire transfer window but ends up being your third center back against the Premier League champions with William Saliba shipped out on loan. Willian was told he would be central to what Mikel wanted to do here but one year on he’s already gone.
There have been situations in which his inexperience has shown and while I do not blame him, you feel that Arsenal lack an old head at the helm. Sometimes the subs need to be made earlier or the formation needs a tweak or sometimes we just need to play without fear. Leadership has been a weak area of Arsenal’s playing squad for some time and with the current squad being extremely young one wonders where the guidance will come from for the young guns.
Tactically Mikel has introduced a rigid system bearing comparisons to the one at City only that the gap in quality is much bigger. He has specific roles and positions he wants his forwards to perform and occupy which at times looks like they’re playing with a leash tied on their necks. For opponents, it’s simple enough to study and many times teams could easily predict Arsenal’s pattern of play. The predictability of this Arsenal side going forward is what makes it hard to not only watch but also love this team.
The summer additions are decent ones no doubt, some may even prove to be a bargain in the long run. The question is whether Mikel will be here long enough to realize the potential of the current squad. The team is now very much Mikel Arteta’s team and he will need to gel the side as quickly as possible if he’s to rescue the season.
Mikel’s reign however has also given us some reasons to be optimistic. While the FA Cup is the standout achievement, Mikel has also made the side more competitive in big games. In many of them, Arsenal has had decent spells of good football but the team’s inability to take their chances when on top always comes back to haunt them.
Scoring under Mikel seems to take an almost perfectly executed move done on the training pitch for us to score a goal. However the majority of our play seems to want to play the ball wide to either fullback for them to cross it in, while I understand this is a tactical set-up to compensate for our lack of creativity in the middle, the crosses almost always get cleared by the opposition. None of our forwards are prolific in the air so it’s quite annoying when we persist with crosses every single game.
The gulf in quality and class was clear against both Mancity and Chelsea. In the Chelsea game to be specific, Chelsea seemed to be only in gear one and could have given us one big shellacking were they in the mood. What is more worrying is how easily Mikel Arteta was tactically beaten in both games. Chelsea kept on using Reece James on the right-hand side to exploit the space left by Tierney and not once did Mikel change it up. Against Mancity the team couldn’t cope with their movement and intensity of play, the coach looked helpless on the touchline.
Pressing has also been a struggle under Mikel. It seems not long ago against Liverpool that a second-string Arsenal side pressed them into mistakes and won 3-1 however since then Arsenal have looked disorganized in their press . You always get the forward covering yards of space all alone, the midfield never pushes up as a unit leaving the striker to press sometimes three opposition players alone. Ødegaard has helped organize the press but when Arsenal press you always get the feeling that it’s not set up right.
The Premier League currently is home to the world’s best coaches and one begs the question tactically how high does Mikel Arteta rank among them? Arsenal’s ambitions as a club have steadily declined over the years but that should not detract us from realising where we belong. Mikel Arteta might be the right manager to transition this side and have a firm foundation for the future but if in the future we want to take the next step and challenge for honours, is he the one for that?
It’s looking like a long season and time seems to be up for Mikel. It’s his team now and he has no choice but to make it work. The upcoming fixtures after the international break are a must-win, if not then something has to be done to salvage the season.