I don’t want to sound opportunistic, but I feel like this is the best moment to put the doubts on the table. Arsenal lost the Carabao Cup final yesterday, 2-0 against Manchester City, and the performance, in a final, says a lot about this Arteta team. It is a great team, top 2 in the world, very well built, but yesterday it was dominated.
Arsenal has a great squad, brilliant players all over the pitch, but they reach a final and get completely dominated by a Manchester City side that didn’t even have all its pieces and that, in 15 strong minutes at the start of the second half, killed the game with two goals and then just managed a weak Arsenal offensively. And here lies Arsenal’s biggest problem: the attacking side.
Defensively, Arsenal is exceptional, that can’t be denied. But the creativity and attacking ideas don’t excite anyone. That brings criticism and also some exaggerations, like saying Arsenal didn’t deserve to win the Premier League or other trophies: the usual overreactions.
On this attacking point, we have to talk about Arteta who, in my view, limits the team’s offensive power, because there is no lack of players or quality. Saka isn’t having a great season, but isn’t it the coach’s job to get the best out of him, being the star and captain? Gyökeres isn’t scoring many goals, but is it only his fault or also an Arsenal side that doesn’t give him the right conditions and ties him to a role that doesn’t suit him? The players seem very restricted by Arteta’s idea and are not free to express themselves, unlike someone like Cherki, who plays with freedom, flair and confidence, largely because of the trust his coach gives him.
Could it be that this idea from Arteta is holding back a very good Arsenal? In my opinion, another coach with this squad could do even more. Don’t get me wrong, Arsenal’s season is very good: they dominated the Champions League league phase, are first in the Premier League, are in the Champions League quarter-finals and are strong favorites against Sporting. But now comes the निर्णcing stage. And if the collective doesn’t work, is there enough individual quality to decide?
A different coach, without going too deep into names, but for example someone like Luis Enrique, wouldn’t he be able to get more out of this team? More attacking flair, a more dynamic game, more pressure, like we see at PSG, while maintaining defensive solidity? It’s a valid question.
Arteta is not the best coach in the world, and anyone who says that, in my opinion, is wrong. Guardiola is a genius and showed it again yesterday, with a defensive line far from perfect, he controlled the game, did what he had to do, dominated when needed and then allowed Arsenal to have the ball without danger.
I’m not saying this is Arteta’s ceiling, I believe he can still evolve, but the philosophy has to change, because this attacking idea is weak and doesn’t guarantee titles consistently, and that’s what Arsenal needs: titles.
Conclusion
In my opinion, Arteta’s attacking philosophy limits an Arsenal full of quality that is having a great season. Yesterday they were dominated and had no offensive response.
Is it a lack of players? No. Can Arteta solve the attacking issues and, for example, Saka’s poor season? So far, he hasn’t.
This is not Arteta’s ceiling and he could still end the season with one or two titles, but the attacking idea has to change while keeping this incredible defensive solidity.