Arsenal’s underrated Arteta progress! Where the young coach has made the most progress

Arsenal’s progress under coach Mikel Arteta is evident just by the fact that the Gunners are fighting for the title for the second year in a row after years of hardship. The Spanish coach has rejuvenated the squad, worked on defensive and offensive standard situations and most importantly taught Arsenal how to win big games.

After the end of Arséne Wenger in the summer of 2018, Unai Emery took over the team. It should be noted that he was given one of the worst Arsenal rosters in history, in addition to following the legendary coach. Fifth place and fighting for the Champions League until the penultimate round was therefore the most he could probably achieve.

The second season was considerably worse. And Emery ended up on the bench after just four wins from the opening 13 rounds.

The outfield banger

Although the losses were coming against pretty much everyone, Arsenal stopped managing especially the games from the big 6 after Wenger’s end. That long term group includes Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and both Manchester teams alongside Arsenal.

Out of 13 league games against these teams, Arsenal have only won three games, each time at home. The away record against the competition has been even worse, with only three points gained from three draws out of a possible 21. Yet Emery has managed big games in the past, paying for Europa League champions.

With Arteta, slowly and slowly

Even with the arrival of Mikel Arteta, Arsenal didn’t go up in the big games. On the contrary, the early wins were earned. The victory at Old Trafford in November 2020 can be considered a turning point. It was the Gunners’ first triumph on the ground of any team from the big 6 after an incredible 29 matches. That is, after more than five years.

Although the victory was earned and perhaps even undeserved, it meant extremely much to the fans and the club. Arsenal have been rejuvenated each half-year, Arteta has brought in Bukay Saku, Emile Smith-Rowe and brought in Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid.

But the most significant changes were in the defensive department, as the club finally found some real stoppers. Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White and William Saliba were gradually added to the line-up. This season, the team is already cohesive. And the Gunners boast a record of three wins, three draws and no defeats against the big six in the league.

Sharp starts and working with emotions

Arteta relies heavily on the emotional side of performance in big games. He wants the players to get the fans moving, while very often taking an active start in the first few minutes. In both games against Liverpool he attacked the opponent intensely from the start. And in both cases it gave him the opening goal.

Arteta’s ability to handle big games has been on full display since last season. In it, Arsenal won six times, drew once and lost only three times. Two defeats came in the spring against a rampant Manchester City. But this season the Gunners have already beaten the Citizens once. And if they want the title, they’ll probably have to do it a second time.

Source: Premier League