As Arsenal have mounted an unlikely title challenge this season, a lot of the focus has been on the man behind this revolution. When Mikel Arteta moved to north London from Manchester, the club was in disarray and had lost its way. Fast forward a few years, and we are seeing that vision come to fruition.
Now, for many this revolution that has been started by Arteta is credited to Pep Guardiola, his boss at Manchester City. While there is some truth to this, it does not reveal the whole picture. For that, all we need to do is take a look at how the Gunners play and it can be understood.
The Technical Brilliance
One of the biggest problems the north Londoners face is that their backup players do not have the same technical mastery that the first-choice players have. In the FA Cup game against City, the likes of Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney were not able to execute certain passes. Now, this might look like a small problem but for someone like the former Everton captain, it does not work.
The reason for this is that Arteta has managed to coach the players in such a way that there is a certain choreography to their movement. While this was seen even in the first season he was in charge, it has fully blossomed this campaign. The way players move or the decisions they make has predetermined feel to it. For example, when Granit Xhaka has the ball, you can almost sense that he knows where his teammates are going to be.
It is this kind of coordinated brilliance that has made the north Londoners start to believe about a potential title. And to be fair, this is perhaps the biggest similarity you can notice between Arsenal and City or in other words, Arteta and Guardiola. But there are a couple of areas where the student differs from the master.
Intensity And Passion
If you saw the recent Premier League match against Manchester United at the Emirates, there was an inevitability about the third Gunners goal. The reason for this was the way they had stepped up their intensity in the second half. After perhaps being outdone by Erik ten Hag and his tactics, the league leaders responded in stirring fashion.
While they were still intricate in creating their patterns and moving the opposition around, there was a speed to proceedings now. This is perhaps the biggest difference between the Emirates side and the one at the Etihad. While the north Londoners do not match up to the intensity of a prime Liverpool side, you can see the shades of it.
Particularly at home, you can see the team make use of these two styles of play to create their own hybrid version. This looks like more of a combination of what Guardiola likes to do and what Jurgen Klopp excels at. Bringing these two worlds together has helped the Gunners a lot as it makes it easier to destabilise other teams.
Adapting To The Game
There was a time when Arteta could be branded as almost as being naive in the way he approached games. It looked like all the conditions had to be in his favour for the team to win. And even worse than that, was the way he would react to what was happening in the game. That has changed a lot as you can see the players being a lot more proactive these days.
Going back to the United game, there were a number of instances where the hosts went long to beat the press from the visitors. The logic behind this was that they could win the second balls and look to be on the front foot from there. This tactic is one you will see City using more given that they have Erling Haaland in attack.
But for the Gunners, it is about adding different dimensions to their game and also to mess up the opposition tactics. And at home, you can see the players feeding off the energy that is radiating from the stands. The fans have a huge role to play as the connection they have with the squad is actually pushing them to fight that little bit more.
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A Marriage Of Technique And Passion
By taking the best of what Guardiola wants and what Klopp demands, Arteta is creating a new type of team. While they are not yet the finished article, the proof is right there and we can see this group of players evolve into what their manager wants to do. It can also be seen in the players that are being targeted by the north Londoners.
This is especially true of midfield where the likes of Moises Caicedo and Decan Rice are touted as potential signings. What is special about both these central midfielders is that they can play at the base of the midfield or further forward. And more importantly, they have this combination of physicality and technique that Arteta seems to love.
Physicality is not something that many people would associate with Martin Odegaard but there is a reason he has been named the club captain. The Norwegian is able to marry the two disciplines that are the hallmarks of Guardiola and Klopp to be what Arteta wants. Yes he has the technical wizardry to get away from defenders but he is also able to press and win duels. And duels is something as we all know, Arteta loves to win.
Conclusion
While it is far too early to say that the Gunners will win the Premier League, things are looking good at the moment. From now on, it becomes a question of how the players are mentally able to handle the pressure. And remember, Arteta has to face Guardiola twice in the league and that could determine the outcome this season.
There are a lot of promising signs for the north Londoners as it shows that the team is headed in the right direction. Even if the league is not won, the future looks bright and with the right additions, this team can take that next step. And all of this has been possible because Arteta wanted to create his own vision rather than follow his master.
Arsenal and their manager do have the shadow of Guardiola hanging over them but the influence of people like Arsene Wenger and David Moyes must not be overlooked. Arteta has done himself a favour by not sticking to one particular way of playing. By using the different influences, he has come across, the Spaniard has been able to improve the overall quality of the team. As for the debate of master vs student, there is a long way to go but one thing we can say for sure is that the gap between the two has gotten much closer.
