“You’ve become what you hate; do you hate what you’ve become?” These are the lyrics of the Swedish rock band “The Hives,” and they perfectly describe Arsenal’s current situation under Mikel Arteta’s management. Many would even say that Arsenal fans have suddenly become entitled. The Gunners have finished as Premier League runners-up twice in a row, are currently in second place despite weaker results this season, are back in the Champions League, and have plenty to look forward to. Yet, in reality, they don’t have much to hope for. Yes, Arsenal is second in the Premier League, in a strong position in the Champions League, in the League Cup semifinals, and still to start their FA Cup campaign. But somehow, the faith from previous seasons is missing. All of this is due to Mikel Arteta’s significant shift in philosophy.Arsenal Evolution under Mikel Arteta19/20 – 8th – 14 Wins – 56 pts 20/21 – 8th – 18 Wins – 61 pts 21/22 – 5th – 22 Wins – 69 pts22/23 – 2nd – 26 Wins – 84 pts23/24 – 2nd – 20 Wins – 65 pts*Determined to keep rising bar as a club, What a progress❤️🔥pic.twitter.com/sEc8yUMdH2— Narith MJ (@NarithMJ) April 2, 2024 Since Arsène Wenger took charge of the North London team, Arsenal has been known as a side that played fast, dynamic, and above all, exciting football. Arteta maintained this at first, but something clicked in his head mid-last season. Over the past two seasons, the team was different. No one saw them as title contenders, and in most matches, they were either not favorites or slight favorites, especially against stronger teams. They played on the counterattack, dismantled opponents that way, and made it work without a proper striker—a tactic inexplicably favored by the Catalan coach. Now, as the “glorified 800 million Burnley,” as neutral football fans and even some Arsenal supporters like to call them, the situation has changed. Teams play defensively against Arsenal, and without a true number nine, breaking through low blocks and defensive bunkers is almost impossible. Sean Dyche showed this with Everton at the Emirates, Marco Silva demonstrated it with Fulham, and many others have done the same this season. Mikel Arteta’s stubbornness and the notion that a title contender and a giant like Arsenal should play defensive football is one of modern football’s worst decisions.Arteta’s five years at Arsenal – Are you happy?This January will mark the 11th transfer window with Mikel Arteta as manager. The chances of him signing a striker are slim to none. He has spent 714 million pounds on transfers over five years at Arsenal, bringing in six players who can play as wingers or center-forwards. Of these, one was Willian, signed as a free agent in 2020, and another was Marquinhos, a 19-year-old acquired for 3 million who has played just one minute in the Premier League and is now on loan at Fluminense. Arteta currently has Bukayo Saka, sidelined for two months with injury, Gabriel Martinelli, who seems demoralized, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, and the irrelevant Raheem Sterling. That leaves five players for three positions.Arteta’s big ‘what if?’ – the Basque reflects on international career and embracing EnglandIt’s astonishing that for years, he has refused to sign a proper striker, the one thing this team needs to take the next step and possibly become champions in the near future with this generation. Arteta clearly has something against true strikers. He prefers Havertz, Jesus, and Trossard in attack, while pushing Enwaneri into a winger role, and this is hurting the team—particularly Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian used to tear apart defenses when the team played normal football, but he struggles to break down defensive bunkers, where he has little to offer. Yet, all the criticism is currently directed at him. The Spanish manager has signed six offensive players in five years but has also brought in five goalkeepers, 11 defenders, and eight midfielders, including six defensive midfielders. This is four times more than the number of offensive players. He spent 299.2 million on defense and 275.4 million on midfielders. Only 140 million was spent on attacking players, with 65 million of that going solely to Kai Havertz. Excluding Havertz’s transfer, Arteta has allocated just 8% of his spending on offensive players.No wonder Arsenal think there’s a conspiracy against them. pic.twitter.com/ZYgEJLOi6V— The Sun – Arsenal (@SunArsenal) January 6, 2025 It’s clear that he wanted to fix Arsenal’s defense when he arrived, given the team’s disastrous defensive record. However, after resolving that issue and building the best defense in England, he hasn’t addressed the most glaring weakness—something no one can understand. Every time names like Dušan Vlahović, Benjamin Šeško, Alexander Isak, or Victor Osimhen are linked with Arsenal, the speculation ends almost as quickly as it begins, often dismissed outright by the manager himself. Instead of bolstering the attack, Arteta, despite already having Zinchenko, Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Tierney, and Lewis-Skelly—all of whom can play either left or right back except for Tierney—chose to sign center-back Riccardo Calafiori for 44 million and play him as a left back. On top of that, he now plays Thomas Partey at right back. There’s little explanation for such decisions.’I haven’t seen anything like this in my life’In midfield, he opted for Mikel Merino and left all the creative responsibility to Martin Ødegaard after deciding to sell Emile Smith Rowe and send Fábio Vieira out on loan. While it’s clear he has a vision, so far, it doesn’t look like much. Against Brighton, he started the match with three center-backs (one of whom played as a full-back), four defensive midfielders (one of whom also played as a full-back), a central midfielder who played as a winger, and two wide attackers. They took the lead thanks to a moment of brilliance from Enwaneri, only to time-waste through the first half as if it were the final minutes of a Champions League final.Shearer: ‘I would hate to play under Arteta’Arsenal received nine yellow cards for time-wasting, the most in the Premier League by far. Julian Timber alone has three, while goal-scorer Enwaneri was booked for time-wasting in the 45th minute and had to remain in the dressing room to avoid picking up a second yellow. Eventually, they conceded a goal and showed no interest in attacking during the second half. Realistically, they didn’t have the means to do so, with a greater chance of conceding than scoring another goal. Now, the January transfer window is open, and Arteta has no plan to bring anyone in. He seems to have learned from Guardiola to wait for the perfect option rather than settle for what’s available. However, Arteta is not Guardiola, and Arsenal is not Manchester City. The longer they wait, the harder it will be to achieve anything. Soon enough, Arteta’s clock will start ticking too…##NAJAVA_MECA_8617638##
