good morning. A quick summary of Saturday.
If you watched Mikel Arteta’s press conference yesterday, you may have come to the same conclusion as me. That means a January arrival is not impossible, but more or less unlikely. Asked what he would look for in an attacking player on the market this month, the manager said:
First of all, having a body brought in by someone who can influence the team doesn’t help all of us. It’s about someone who can have an immediate impact on our performance and brings what we don’t have. It’s very difficult to find it in this market.
I think most people understand this, but it doesn’t do much to soothe our itch for new arrivals. He was then asked about his time as a forward during his time at the club, and he continued:
In the front position, compared to what other clubs have done and what they have spent there, we have been far from it over the years and for various reasons. First of all, we already have very good players and there is a lot for the team to achieve during this period.
We have certain limitations and we have a lot of gaps and a lot of things we have to cover to be the team we want to be. And then there’s the ability of those players, whether you can afford them even if you want to. Sometimes that wasn’t possible.
So while I’ve heard him talk about the market being difficult in January (and it could be) and its limits, I don’t think that’s particularly positive. My silver lining this month goes back to what I wrote yesterday, and the profile of the player who most realistically might arrive. Forget big-name players and big transfer fees. That won’t happen, but maybe there is room for a young player.
Now, going back to my initial comment about Arteta looking for players who will “impact the team”, that means they need to be ready quickly, and that could be a lesser known player. It doesn’t match me,” I suggest. But that doesn’t mean the player isn’t useful and they already had someone in the summer when the futures of Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard were in question and Raheem Sterling was sent back to Chelsea. Become. This is a player who can settle in and develop over the final months of this season and throughout the preseason.
Do you think that is likely? If I were a gambler, I don’t think I would spend money on it, but it’s certainly possible from an economic standpoint. And, as Arteta himself has reflected on the fact that we have spent far less on forward players than most of our rivals, perhaps the upper echelons will be better heading into the second half of this season when there are still plenty of players available to play. would be something to consider. I don’t think spending is the only indicator of ambition, and it’s fair to point out that Arsenal have spent a lot of money in recent years, but it feels like they’ve missed an opportunity to improve. I don’t think it’s very difficult to understand if it is perceived as leading to bad outcomes along the way.
In the meantime, we need more from the players we have and Mikel Merino, while not the frontrunner from a goalscoring standpoint, could step up between now and May. He’s a player. In an interview with the Evening Standard, he explained why:
When he came back, he didn’t have a proper preseason to prepare his legs, body and lungs for this fast-paced league. But now I think I’ve reached my best level physically. Well, we’ll see in the future. Maybe by the end of the season I’m fresher so bad could turn out to be good. who knows? “
Everything is starting to click for me. I’m finally starting to understand everything perfectly. I know the rhythm within the team. Know the rhythm of your training sessions. I am beginning to build relationships with you on a deeper level, but that will take time. I think this is the right place for me.
I previously wrote about why Arteta would want to sign him, and we’ve seen flashes of what he could bring. Strengthening it and doing it more consistently will be very beneficial. Because while the focus is now on the forwards, we should not ignore the fact that what we do in the stages of play before we hand the ball to them has a significant impact. Help us become more effective as an attacking team. It’s not just about Merino, it’s about our centre-halves and central midfielders, and we need Martin Odegaard to come back to life as soon as possible.
What you can do tactically to change course is part of the discussion we had on our Patreon preview podcast. So if you like what you see, you can get it here – https://www.patreon.com/posts/fa -cup-preview-119720548 (for just $6/month). Mikel Arteta always says his first job is to get more out of our players, but is he doing that now? And how can you adjust your tactics to squeeze even more threat out of your team? It’s all there. Enjoy listening!
Finally today, as a very busy and active football website, one of the cornerstones of what we do is to engage with our readers in the form of comments. We have active and busy comment sections both here and on Arseblog News, but it takes work and moderation. Please read this (it also involves donkeys here). And there’s so much toxicity, so let’s do our best to keep the discussion moderate…well…basically everywhere else.
Well, I’ll leave it at that for now, but tomorrow I’ll have more details and a full preview of the FA Cup match. Until then, have a wonderful Saturday.
