Welcome to the Interlull, and I’m sure in some ways Mikel Arteta will be glad to have some time to take stock before we head into the final part of the season.
I think there have been genuine improvements and real signs of encouragement over the last few months. Results are still a bit unconvincing when you lay them out. Using that 3-1 win over Chelsea as a marker, we’ve played 21, won 10, drawn 5, and lost 6 (in all competitions).
In Premier League terms it’s played 15, drawn 4, lost 3. There’s no question that’s better than what came before, that dismal period in November/December when we lost 5 and drew 2. Some will say that when you set the bar that low, it’s easy to point to anything as improvement, and that’s not unfair. You can’t simply ignore a chunk of the season because you don’t like it, but it’s also reasonable to point out that things changed from that Chelsea game beyond results.
The formation and the system was altered; we score more goals now (thankfully, otherwise West Ham on Sunday would have been a lot worse); we create more chances; we actually control periods of games in a way we weren’t doing previously; and there is a vast improvement in the football we play from an attacking perspective.
The addition of Emile Smith Rowe was important, and the arrival of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid on loan has been another key factor. Playing with three technical players behind a striker works, which is why it was a bit frustrating to see us deviate from that on Sunday – although Smith Rowe not being 100% fit played a part in that. It still doesn’t really explain Aubameyang on the right, and even Aubameyang on the left, where he has played countless times before, wasn’t great and the captain was guilty of switching off badly for West Ham’s third goal.
I guess it all depends on your perspective. If you’re unconvinced by recency, or if it’s going to take more than a couple of months to change your mind, that’s completely understandable. The onus is on this team and manager to do better, and to produce on a much more consistent basis. I don’t think I’ve heard Arteta say any different from that, to be honest, but I get why there are doubts.
Personally, I see progress. I see something developing that I like in terms of how we play. I see the emergence of younger players who are demonstrating they can be a big part of our future, and a style which is much more in line with what I’d like to see from this football club.
Am I fully convinced? No. Far from it, because I also have eyes and I see our flaws manifest themselves too often. As James said yesterday in the Arsecast Extra, too much of what we’ve put right is being undermined by the other stuff. The question then becomes is it a manager thing or a player thing, or a combination of both?
I think it is a combination, which is why squad building then becomes a key part of how we judge the work of Arteta, along with Technical Director Edu. First and foremost we look at how we play, the results we achieve etc, but beyond that a recruitment strategy that is designed to make us more consistent is the next big step, in my opinion.
Make sure you have cover for a key position like left-back, for example. I didn’t shed any tears at the departure of Sead Kolasinac, but it left us with just one player natural to that position – and we’ve asked a lot of Kieran Tierney. Cedric did ok there, but it’s a a short-term fix, and nothing more.
After his sending off against Burnley, Granit Xhaka did very well until his mistake against Burnley. I have to give him credit for his durability, his availability and his consistency, and I absolutely understand why managers like him the way they do. He is our second best midfield player, and I think the smartest thing we could do this summer is make him our third best midfield player with a good signing. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a role to play, it means we’re less reliant on a player whose moments – perhaps informed by fatigue (whether mental or physical because of how much he plays) – have cost us points this season.
Similarly, David Luiz has been solid of late, but he’s a player who causes me as much stress as anyone I’ve ever seen in an Arsenal shirt. It’s not that he’s not good, because on his day he offers a lot of experience, he defends well, and can be important. But he’s 34 next month. Tim’s column last week gave me pause for thought, and if his role – like Xhaka’s – is diminished by the arrival of a player for the future, then perhaps I could get on board with him staying. However, he’s another example of how we can produce with greater consistency by reducing reliance on their inconsistencies, and he absolutely should not be a regular starter next season if he does get one more year.
By the way, if this feels like a hatchet job, or that I’m blaming these two players for where we are, that’s not my intention. There is far more to it, there are others who have made mistakes – including the manager – but Xhaka has been a key component in this team since his arrival, and similarly Luiz has played as regularly as any other centre-half since he came in to replace Laurent Koscielny. As I said, it’s not just on them, but there’s a Venn diagram of their consistent presence and our current situation.
There are also other areas of this team which can be upgraded. As much as I’m a fan of Hector Bellerin, you can’t look beyond right-back. I think Bernd Leno needs genuine competition; Dani Ceballos and Mohamed Elneny are not going to take us where we need to go; and our striker situation is one which needs to be considered carefully given the age of Aubameyang, Lacazette’s contract situation, and the plateauing of someone like Eddie Nketiah. There’s a lot of work to do on the pitch between now and May, and hopefully plenty more during the summer months.
After that, if we don’t see the progress playing out in terms of points and results, there’s unquestionably a bigger conversation to be had about Arteta and the need to upgrade him. For now though, with something still to play for in Europe, let’s hope he uses this Interlull as well as possible (despite so many players being away – more on that tomorrow).
For now, I’ll leave you with the Arsecast Extra on the craziness of the West Ham game, and lots more.
