The time of the Invincibles seems so far away ... After only 3 days in the Premier League, Arsenal is no longer responding.
Last in the championship, 0 points scored, 0 goals scored, 9 goals conceded, the Gunners are going through an unprecedented crisis.
A rain of criticism falls on the players, the technical staff embodied by Arteta, and the sports management pointed out for his choices on the transfer window.
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Mikel Arteta, at the center of criticism
All eyes are on Mikel Arteta (39).
The young technician of the Gunners is on an ejection seat and struggles to convince observers of the London club.
The idyll had however started well between the former number 8 of the Gunners and Arsenal with an FA Cup won against Chelsea (2-1).
Beyond the results, Arteta had been able to infuse a real dynamic into the game with a clearly identifiable style marked by neat ball exits, and rapid transitions of rare efficiency.
Aubameyang & Arteta Lead Arsenal to FA Cup Glory |
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea |
Heads Up FA Cup Final 19/20 - YouTube
Put into orbit with this trophy, the young technician was to embody this renewal for a club which is desperately seeking to regain its letters of nobility. It did not happen. Worse yet, Arsenal failed to secure a qualification for the European Cup, a first for 25 years. For almost a year, Arteta has tried a 3-4-3, a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 but is struggling to find the winning formula in the world. Under the leadership of the former assistant to Pep Guardiola in Manchester City, the Gunners can not find a style that suits them and above all, chain the results to find the heights. This catastrophic start to the season will not fix the Spanish technician's case. It was quite simply the Gunners' worst start to the season in 67 years.
In the game, Arsenal produced nothing and struggled to procure opportunities, as evidenced by the 1.79 expected goals (probability of scoring a goal from a shot) created in 3 matches.
In fact, the pressure continues to fall on Mikel Arteta's shoulders.
Worse still, rumors are tirelessly coming to the fore to designate his potential successor.
Antonio Conte, contract-free since leaving Inter Milan, has been linked with Arsenal recently, although his agent has publicly denied a possible pre-deal with the club.
In the eye of the storm with observers of the London club, Arteta is clearly not unanimous.
But this failure is not just on his shoulders.
A very expensive recruitment, but which divides
The end of the Wenger era was marked by extreme reluctance on the transfer market. After injecting huge amounts of money to build the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal was spending less, with a policy focused on recruiting young players with high potential like Ramsey. Since then, water has flowed under the bridges. Arsenal has again become a major player in the transfer window since 2019, and the arrival of Edu at the head of the club's sports management. This summer the Gunners were the biggest spending club on the old continent with 170 million euros invested in 6 players. A recruitment which has caused much ink to flow and which inspires relatively little optimism among the club's regular followers.
The amounts raise a lot of questions: 60 million for Ben White author of a good season at Brighton, 30 million for Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield. Figures that may leave one wondering, of course, but which can be explained by the particular context of Anglo-English transfers marked by hyperinflation. Arsenal is no longer dreaming and can no longer aspire to attract first choices without European participation.
In this situation, the club is focusing its sports policy around young people: “
Over a period of one year, we signed 10 players and seven of them are under 23 years old. We have also renewed seven players during this period, only in the first team. Five of those seven players are also under 23. We need to create a solid foundation. I would like to see Arsenal strong in one, two, three, four and five seasons. It takes a strategy, ”
Edu said on Skysports.
In terms of departures which are problematic, David Luiz was left free, and William Saliba was loaned to Olympique de Marseille.
The young central defender has become an essential part of the Marseille rearguard.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's defense represented by Holding, Mari or Chambers is the worst defense in the championship with 9 goals conceded in 3 matches.
HIGHLIGHTS |
ARSENAL VS CHELSEA (0-2) |
Decisions which have their share of importance and which perfectly illustrate Arsenal's current flaws.
Arsenal gunners continue to shoot themselves in the foot, a symbol of a cannon that hasn't been spinning in the right place for a while.
But for all that, there are still grounds for hope, and the club can aspire to play for European places.
The top 5 in the sights
Despite many difficulties, at all levels, Arsenal have the capacity to fight for European places. The top 4, synonymous with qualification in the Champions League seems inaccessible, but a position in the top 5 is possible. With the arrival of Thomas Partey in 2020, the confirmation of Kieran Tierney and especially the emergence of young people from the training center like Bukayo Saka or Emile Smith Rowe, Arsenal has solid foundations on which to build a team. of the future. Even if they no longer box in the same category, Arsenal are still able to hold their own against the big cars in the championship. Last year the Gunners took 17 points against the top 6 teams, a perfect illustration of a team that can raise its level of play.
HIGHLIGHTS |
Laca, Xhaka, Saka all score!
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Arsenal vs Chelsea (3-1) |
Premier League - YouTube
The key to success lies in the ability to be consistent over a full season.
After this catastrophic start to the season, Arsenal finally has a generally favorable schedule.
This will be the right moment to launch a series and move up the rankings.
In this line, Arsenal records the returns of Thomas Partey, Ben White, or Gabriel, packages for injury or Covid.
From now on, Arsenal can count on a complete group, more representative of the real strengths of the workforce.
Asked about Bild, the former glory of the club Arsène Wenger wants to be optimistic for the rest of the Arsenal season. “
Today the club is in good shape. They had two difficult games, the team has potential and I hope they can come back
. ” Norwich's reception this Saturday is an opportunity not to be missed, to wake up a giant asleep for too long. The moment to get your head out of the water to get back to playing the leading roles and to restore a little, the blazon of the gunners.