Wenger’s Misfit Toys Have Saved Arteta

How Arsene Wenger's misfit toys have saved Mikel Arteta and Arsenal's season.

Notes on West Ham 1-2 Arsenal: Lucky Leftovers

How players left over from Arsene Wenger's reign, like Rob Holding and Mohamed Elneny, have saved Arsenal's season.

Notes on Newcastle 0-2 Arsenal: Aubameyang Back to Save Arteta’s Bacon

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang must be a fan of deja vu because he's primed to do exactly what he did last season. Namely, save Arsenal's campaign and Mikel Arteta's bacon in the process. That's what happened a year ago when Auba's goals propelled Arsenal to an FA Cup win the team's Premier League performances offered no hint…

Notes on Olmypiacos 1-3 Arsenal: Better to Be Lucky than Good

Arsenal played a football game and weren't the most self-destructive team on the pitch. True story. Thursday's 3-1 win away to Olympiacos in the Europa League owed more to luck than quality, but Mikel Arteta won't care. The luck came courtesy of a diabolical performance from the hosts' goalkeeper, Jose Sa. To characterise him as…

Arteta’s Messages Getting Lost in Translation

Mikel Arteta's doing a lot of talking, but you have to wonder how many at Arsenal are actually listening. Arteta delivered a crash course in how to micro-manage a team from the touchline during Sunday's 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester City. He called out fresh instructions and demanded impetus. Yet Arteta's players continued to…

Elneny and Invisible Walls

Mohamed Elneny is the toast of the town after re-emerging from loan wilderness to become arguably the most important man in Arsenal's midfield. Praise has been forthcoming from all quarters after Elneny underpinned the 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. There's an irony about all the positive noise being made about a player…

Notes on Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal: Arteta’s Balancing Act Ends Arsenal Malaise

Mikel Arteta has been searching for balance since he took the Arsenal job. His search has largely been in vain, but Arteta found something close to perfect symmetry at Old Trafford on Sunday. Arteta reshuffled his team after a pair of 1-0 defeats in the Premier League and hit on the ideal balance to help…

Lucas Torreira Won’t Be Missed

Lucas Torreira is still an Arsenal player but in name only. The Uruguayan midfield terrier is rarely seen on the pitch in an Arsenal shirt, but he is still prevalent in various transfer rumours. If Torreira leaves during this window, as seems likely, I for one won't miss him. Atletico Madrid are the latest to…

Arsene Knew

Arsene Wenger signed Rob Holding from Bolton Wanderers for £2 million, and Mohamed Elneny from Basel for a cheeky £5 mill. That's it. Just £7 million spent on two steady and useful squad players who have shown the potential to develop into so much more. Yet Arsenal still thought they needed Sven Mislintat to spot…

Community Shield Notes: Winning Ugly is Arsenal’s New Norm

Those creative midfielders Arsenal are targeting can't get here soon enough. The Gunners won again at Wembley, beating Liverpool on penalties to take the FA Community Shield on Saturday, but the performance left a lot to be desired. Mikel Arteta knows how to win, but he's yet to prove he can win well. Instead, winning…