Mikel Arteta hit the reset button on his project at Arsenal and fluked his way to a 1-0 win away at Chelsea on Wednesday. The hugely impressive result was the perhaps undeserved reward for a thoroughly uninspiring performance.
Arteta and Arsenal used up a season’s worth of luck in one night, but there was also something throwback about this victory. Specifically, a throwback to last season and Project Restart (remember those days? They seem almost quaint now).
Arsenal resumed a campaign interrupted by Covid-19 with limp defeats to Manchester City and Brighton. Arteta was on the ropes for the first time since he took charge. How did he respond? He became a pass master at parking the bus. A back five, meagre possession stats and trying to smash and grab on the break became the staples of Arsenal’s tactical approach.
Arteta’s George Graham act began at Southampton back in June and culminated with taking the long route to beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final. It was fitting, then, Arteta should return to the old faithful against the same opposition.
Games against Chelsea tend to bring out the tactical alchemist in Arteta. The 3-4-3/5-4-1 became old hat this season until Arteta switched to a 4-2-3-1 in search of something more progressive. A transformation was sweet but short-lived when Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli destroyed Chelsea on Boxing Day.
The 3-1 win surely saved Arteta from the chop. It’s not certain beating Chelsea again in May will do the same, but there’s no doubt this was a welcome result.
Crafting and coaching a defensive game has been Arteta’s chief strength as a manager. His problems have come whenever Arsenal have needed to seize the initiative. See the sluggish surrender against Unai Emery and Villarreal in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final.
Coaxing dynamism from his forward players is an issue for Arteta. Getting them to graft and hold a rigid shape in defensive areas comes easier for the Process King.
So it proved against Chelsea, with Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard doubling up with wing-backs Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka out of possession. Saka was miscast on the right, a strange decision considering Hector Bellerin, Cedric Soares, and Calum Chambers were all on the bench. Still, it’s difficult to fault a manager for wanting to fit Saka into the starting XI any way he can.
Saka’s struggles were mitigated by the extra security Arsenal had behind him. Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey were complementary as enforcers in front of three centre-backs, Gabriel Magalhaes, Pablo Mari and Rob Holding.
Elneny’s steady Eddie routine made Partey look good during November’s 1-0 win away to Manchester United. The same trick worked again with Partey looking more useful and assured than he has in months.
Partey and Elneny protected the back three and let the five in front press high. The latter harassed Chelsea into an almighty bollock-dropper when Jorginho’s overhit back-pass forced Kepa Arrizabalaga into a desperate, diving save.
Kepa clawed the ball loose and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang retrieved and teed up Smith Rowe for a tap-in. ESR rather kicked his own foot and scuffed his finish, but when your luck’s in…
Arsenal had produced the classic smash and grab.
Fortunately, Arteta’s luck held when Chelsea stormed the trenches. Holding should have been flagged for handball and a penalty after blocking Mason Mount’s shot. A stonewall penalty, but when your luck’s in…
Mount was also denied by a smart save from Bernd Leno, while Christian Pulisic was rightly judged offside by VAR after heading in an apparent equaliser during the second half. More chances followed, but Leno tipped Kurt Zouma’s header onto the bar and Olivier Giroud hit same frame with the follow-up.
Leno needed the save against Zouma after some recent shit-shows, not to mention persistent rumours he wants out of north London. This was a big moment for a goalkeeper who was called into action early and often.
The earliest involvement occurred when Kai Havertz robbed Mari and raced clear, only to clip his shot harmlessly over the bar. A dire miss and a dire passage of play from Mari, who was routinely forced into clumsy errors. Chelsea targeted his lack of pace by sending runners down the sides of the Spaniard. Mari’s been compared to Per Mertesacker, and the comp’ takes in both the good and the bad. Mari can read the game, but he turns like an oil tanker, etc…
One calamity defender is bad enough, but Arsenal had to endure two because Gabriel was equally as accident-prone. He’s in the team largely because of his distribution, but it’s been a while since he picked a pass he could be proud of playing.
Arteta’s love of the back three will continue to be bittersweet if he can’t select the centre-backs who work best together. The problem is Arsenal have the pieces of a complete central defender, but those pieces are spread between three players. Mari is positionally sound, but Rob Holding isn’t. Gabriel can be an asset on the ball (honest), but Mari and Holding can’t match his craft and technique. Holding is willing and has a defender’s natural instincts, but he’s not as quick as Gabriel, nor as calm as Mari.
Striking the right balance at the back is an issue that isn’t going to go away. At least it didn’t undermine Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Not with so much luck on Arteta’s side.
I’ve been consistently critical of Arteta, but he deserves huge credit for pulling off this result. Chelsea had more to play for, just like Newcastle a few weeks ago. The Magpies were fighting to stave off relegation when Arsenal won 2-0 at St. James’ Park.
Chelsea heads may have been in the upcoming FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals, but Thomas Tuchel’s players still needed to seal a top-four place. They had more to gain than an Arsenal team looking to sneak into Europe through the back door.
Arsenal’s lucky general knows how to shit-house his way to a result or two. It’s just a shame that skill can upset the big boys but makes Arteta’s team look pedestrian against the lesser lights.
There’s nothing wrong with putting a few over on those who have bitchslapped Arsenal for too long. Yet it’s still frustrating Arteta is almost 18 months into his tenure without having mastered the balance between defence and attack.
So that’s why there’s no recognised style of play…
The 49 Steps 