Arsenal: The ‘R’ that word Mikel Arteta—ruthlessness
New Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has made significant inroads since joining the club, but he needs the big ‘R’ word right now. He needs ruthlessness.
Another ineffectual away game for Arsenal, another draw, another non-scoring performance from Alexandre Lacazette and another poor attacking display. Mikel Arteta has said that he will pick players based on form, not reputation.
But right now I’m not seeing it. He needs to start backing his words up and start being ruthless.
I’m looking at things from a very negative perspective right now, but I’m concerned that we don’t talk about a relegation battle more often, especially when you consider that we are only seven points above the relegation zone and we are dropping points at home and away on a frequent basis.
A lot of that is due to the team not seeing games out from a winning position or not offering more of an attacking threat. As much as our defence has improved under Mikel Arteta, our attack seems to have regressed and we are struggling to create chances in games.
It’s madness to think that when you consider how much we have relied on the attack in recent times and even more so when you think how much we have paid for our front four. If we are going to move forward then Arteta needs to start chopping and changing things.
Again today Alexandre Lacazette was poor in his awareness, his movement and his finishing. You can say that it’s a lack of confidence, but how many chances are we going to give him?
More from Pain in the Arsenal
Essentially we are rotating our front three to play in positions that they are not comfortable with to accommodate Lacazette and it’s not working. Aubameyang is clearly happier in the forward role that Lacazette is currently failing at and Martinelli is more effective on the left of the front three. T
Today was the last chance saloon for Lacazette, now we need to give the forward role to either Aubameyang, Martinelli or Nketiah. Let’s be honest, come the end of the season he will more than likely be looking to move to another club. So why should we show loyalty?
Another man who needs to be dropped is Mesut Ozil. I genuinely can’t see what he currently offers to the team and how he improves us. His stats this season of one assist and zero goals prove my point.
Another damning statistic on both Ozil and Lacazette is this, in the two years since Ozil signed his new contract, he hasn’t assisted in an away game. Similarly, Lacazette hasn’t scored in an away game in over a year. This is our No. 9 and 10.
I get that Mikel Arteta is trying to put a brave face on things and get the best out of what he’s got for the remainder of the season in the hope that we will have a massive overhaul in the summer but that’s just it, we need to get to the end of the season first. He’s got nothing to lose. The Premier League season is already done and dusted for us so there’s no harm in experimenting with other players.
Too much loyalty is shown to players because of reputation and right now the loyalty being shown is not warranted. Loyalty where it’s not warranted has been our previous manager’s downfall and if Mikel Arteta is to succeed—and I certainly want him to succeed—then he needs to try something new. He has come in and got the majority of things right, however if he wants the club to move to a bright future then he needs to start showing that ruthless streak and making the tough decisions.
