Notes on Chelsea 2-4 Arsenal: Fortune Favours Arteta

Fortune favoured Mikel Arteta in Arsenal's crucial win at Chelsea.

Emile Smith Rowe False 9, Anyone?

Emile Smith Rowe playing as a false nine can solve Arsenal's scoring problem under Mikel Arteta.

Odegaard the Oil in the Engine

Martin Odegaard has become to Mikel Arteta what Robert Pires was for Arsene Wenger.

Notes on Arsenal 1-0 Watford: Plan B, Where Art Thou?

Arsenal are knocking on the door of the top four thanks to winning games the team should win. There's a note of caution, though, about the performances. Sunday's 1-0 win at home to Watford offered a prime example of why Mikel Arteta needs a plan B. Without one, Arsenal's unbeaten run, which now extends to…

Notes on Leicester 0-2 Arsenal: Pressing the Case for Recovery

Whisper it, but Arsenal suddenly look like a team to be reckoned with in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta's squad is unbeaten in seven games. Some of the performances, I'm looking at you Norwich, Brighton and Palace, have been far from inspiring. Yet some have been awesome, and Saturday's 2-0 win away at Leicester belongs…

Notes on Arsenal 3-1 Aston Villa: Wenger Throwback Opens the Door

It was entirely fitting that on Arsene Wenger's birthday, Mikel Arteta reached back into the past and unearthed a tactical blueprint to pay homage to his old boss. Arteta went 4-4-2 (of sorts, anyway) for Friday's game at home to Aston Villa, and it paid off handsomely. Arsenal won 3-1 in perhaps the most comprehensive,…

Notes on Arsenal 3-1 Spurs: Arteta Gets Saka Right

As statement results go, Arsenal bitch-slapping Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday is a full-throated endorsement of Mikel Arteta's revamped team. This isn't my about turn on the Process King. He's had more time and money than 10 managers would have deserved, but still, Arteta might finally be getting things right. He's certainly getting the selection calls…

Notes on Arsenal 3-0 AFC Wimbledon: Cup Salvation

Mikel Arteta is learning where to pick his spots. I'm not talking about a gross display of bodily house cleaning in public. No, the Arsenal manager is learning when to take seriously things that could offer short-term success and at least a surface-deep validation of his cherished project. Wednesday's 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon in…

Notes on Burnley 0-1 Arsenal: Partey Police

Arsenal won another Premier League game 1-0, this time seeing off more relegation fodder, in the form of Burnley, on Saturday. Sean Dyche's cloggers rarely inspire excitement, but they poured it on at times at Turf Moor. It meant a rearguard action was needed, something that brought out the best in Thomas Partey. The midfielder…

Notes on Arsenal 1-0 Norwich: Pepe Sparks Life into the Project

Mikel Arteta survived to talk process another day. He's still in the job after Arsenal edged past bottom-of-the-table Norwich City to record a first Premier League win of the season on Saturday. Arteta owes a debt of gratitude to Nicolas Pepe, who sparked the campaign (not to mention Arteta's ailing project) into life with a…