Arsenal: Mikel Arteta reveals reason behind endless mistakes after Bernd Leno and Dani Ceballos moment in Olympiacos win. (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal put one foot in the Europa League quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Olympiacos on Thursday, a match that adds to the panoply of examples of everything right and wrong within this team.
Three goals away from home in any European fixture is an excellent result when you only offer one in reply. Martin Odegaard, Gabriel and Mohamed Elneny all scored wonderful goals but the sloppiness that handed Olympiacos a route back into the clash takes centre stage. Again.
This year alone Arsenal have conceded 14 goals. No less than seven have been the direct result of unforced errors. By hook or by crook, this team are adamant in undermining their own progress with a unique ability of gifting the opposition.
On three occasions in Athens they cocked the gun aiming straight down. It misfired twice. No fortune the third time, which they deserved.
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta reveals reason behind endless mistakes after Bernd Leno and Dani Ceballos moment in Olympiacos win
Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta sought to clarify the foolishness – putting words to the bemusing treadmill of ineptitude that can only stay quiet very momentarily.
“No [it’s not a confidence issue], it is just when we have to play it,” he told the official Arsenal website. “You know you have to play the ball to this player, but when is the difference… is it now, a second later or a second earlier?
“That gives the opponent a chance to press or intercept a pass or not and that is where the difference is. To discriminate the decision making and when it has to be done is what dictates in the next action whether you are successful or not. But it is not about stopping or discouraging the team not to play, we just have to understand when to do it and that’s crucial.”
The bottom line is, this mantra of playing out from the back won’t change. Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay. Two mistakes in two games involving the goalkeeper and the deepest midfielder have sparked furore over the insistence of heaping pressure onto the players. Why persist? Shouldn’t Arsenal adapt?
#UEL</a> first leg victory 👇</p>
<p>— Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1370152733798502402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>Arsenal: Mikel Arteta reveals reason behind endless mistakes after Bernd Leno and Dani Ceballos moment in Olympiacos win</h2>
<p>Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta sought to clarify the foolishness – putting words to the bemusing treadmill of ineptitude that can only stay quiet very momentarily.</p>
<blockquote><p>“No [it’s not a confidence issue], it is just when we have to play it,” he told the <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://www.arsenal.com/news/arteta-win-mistakes-odegaard-elneny" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official Arsenal website</a>. “You know you have to play the ball to this player, but when is the difference… is it now, a second later or a second earlier?</p>
<p>“That gives the opponent a chance to press or intercept a pass or not and that is where the difference is. To discriminate the decision making and when it has to be done is what dictates in the next action whether you are successful or not. But it is not about stopping or discouraging the team not to play, we just have to understand when to do it and that’s crucial.”</p></blockquote>
<p>The bottom line is, this mantra of playing out from the back won’t change. Love it or hate it, it’s here to stay. Two mistakes in two games involving the goalkeeper and the deepest midfielder have sparked furore over the insistence of heaping pressure onto the players. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/06/arsenal-vs-burnley-4-talking-points/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why persist</a>? Shouldn’t Arsenal adapt?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> What Arteta wants </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-112946" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1306554930-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Mikel Arteta" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">PIRAEUS, GREECE – MARCH 12: Coach Mikel Arteta of Arsenal FC during the UEFA Europa League match between Olympiacos FC and Arsenal FC at Georgios Karaiskakisstadion on March 12, 2021 in Piraeus, Greece (Photo by Eurokinissie/BSR Agency/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>What Mikel Arteta Wants From His Team</h2>
<p>Adaptation is precisely that Arteta is asking for. He doesn’t want an overhaul, he wants precision and, a characteristic not usually attributed to Arsenal, common sense.</p>
<p>Key in Arteta’s analysis is the ‘when’. He places enough emphasis on this to make it clear it’s his biggest gripe.</p>
<p>When done right, phases built from Leno upwards epitomise what is defined as attractive football. Utilising close to every member of the outfield team, involving telepathic movement, quick give and go passes and culminating in the ball hitting the back of the net, it’s as perfect of a goal as can be scored.</p>
<p>It isn’t flawless.</p>
<p>Arteta wants this system, with a midfielder, usually <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://www.whoscored.com/Players/89401/Show/Granit-Xhaka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Granit Xhaka</a>, dropping in between the centre-backs or on the left to allow the full-backs to push up, to be played with pace. Said speed is difficult to maintain when those receiving the passes are not particularly agile, or when the timing of the deliveries is off.</p>
<p>Arsenal have issues with some individuals who aren’t mobile enough to move the ball quickly on the half-turn, but the latter point can affect everyone. This is what Arteta highlights.</p>
<p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/11/arsenal-player-ratings-vs-olympiacos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Against Olympiacos decision-making cost the team</a> on 58 minutes. Who, though?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Was Leno or Ceballos at fault? </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-112958" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1306571199-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Dani Ceballos" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">PIRAEUS, GREECE – MARCH 12: Giorgos Masouras of Olympiacos FC and Dani Ceballos of Arsenal FC during the UEFA Europa League match between Olympiacos FC and Arsenal FC at Georgios Karaiskakisstadion on March 12, 2021 in Piraeus, Greece (Photo by Eurokinissie/BSR Agency/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Was Bernd Leno or Dani Ceballos at Fault?</h2>
<p>What Leno does when receiving the ball from Gabriel is where the first option is lost. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://fbref.com/en/players/c0617e2b/Dani-Ceballos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dani Ceballos</a> has space in between the Olympiacos press to receive and turn, with this turning circle decreasing as the German takes a touch.</p>
<p>He still opts to feed the Spaniard, only this time with the central diamond compressing the space around the midfielder on account for the goalkeeper’s speed of thought. Ceballos calls for the ball, on his left foot, having taken a glance around him for bodies closing in. This is a pass Leno makes when to his right there is David Luiz in acres of space with Hector Bellerin in front of him providing an option down the line.</p>
<p>What Leno does is what is being asked of him: draw in as many opposition players as possible so when the eventual progressive pass is made Arsenal can assume as high a numerical advantage as they can. It’s the rationale behind this style of building play. For that reason, he wants Ceballos to either play it out on the right flank with one touch or likewise back to him so he can move outwards.</p>
<p>It is, by all accounts, a risky pass. Overly dangerous, but one that could have been avoided with finer timing. Arteta states it clearly enough, ‘you know you have to play the ball to this player, but when is the difference’. He wants Leno to play that pass first time, with the weight of ball from Gabriel soft enough to angle a ball into Ceballos. The mistake rests on Leno’s shoulders.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">✅ Mix up at the back<br>✅ El-Arabi scoring against the Gunners</p>
<p>It's a double dose of deja vu for Arsenal. 😬 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/UEL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#UEL</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://t.co/k2Gs4a0kNO">pic.twitter.com/k2Gs4a0kNO
<p>— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/03/12/arsenal-arteta-reveals-leno-mistake/"https://twitter.com/footballontnt/status/1370123116698013703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>However, Ceballos’ spatial awareness is poor. Seeing his man pressing from behind as well as in front to his left, he tries to be too cute. It’s not the first time. Leno heaped unwanted pressure on him with the timing and pace of the ball but he does himself no favours with over elaborate play.</p>
<p>Playing out from the back is never perfect. No side in history can do so repeatedly without the occasional error. Alisson Becker has been guilty of a handful of uncharacteristic errors this season. Manchester City have also been caught out, albeit briefly. All the manager can do is to minimse the scope for risk to the best of his abilities: coach the timings, positions and structure. If players can’t manage it, then sign new ones.</p>
<p>This style isn’t going to stop. Yes, Leno needs to learn that not every ball <em>has </em>to come with high-risk attributed to it, and there are the kindergarten passes as well as the hospital ones, but this approach has been the backbone of great goals and elegant movements under Arteta’s reign, just as it has been the platform for despair.</p>
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<p>While more fine-tuning is absolutely urged, the other two errors on the night were more individual than systematic, so that’s another trait of the team in itself. It’s very apparent more work is needed. A lot more.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
