If there were trophies for everything,,, (Positives Needs & Hopes) [ARS 2-1 THFC]

Today at 06:47 AM

‘If there were trophies for everything’

An Arsenal blog from a coach’s perspective

by Mike McDonald

The game was winding down. Max and I were in the Arsenal pub in Knoxville and the tension was palpable. About 30 Arsenal fans likely all thinking the same as me. We cannot drop any points to this Spurs team. It wasn’t entitlement, bias or just chest thumping. It wasn’t even that regardless of opponent, Arsenal just can’t drop points until they catch Liverpool. It was an energy that if it could speak, would’ve said, “you are 4 goals better than this iteration of Spurs.”

I’ll get into the game later but it’s the direct comparison that I want to celebrate.

There aren’t trophies for everything and that’s a good thing but this is just a blog and we can celebrate whatever we want so I introduce the inaugural ‘Dominators.’ This is an award given by a lifelong football fan to those that understood what I/we understand. That you step up against Spurs and you stay up. Scoreline doesn’t dictate effort. Emotions don’t block the job. You dominate individually and collectively and then you get awarded a ‘Dominator.’ The Ballon D’or of Arsenal Football Club.

‘Dominators’

Mikel Arteta:

He is/was in a tough spot. The over-emotional attention-seeking part of the fan base was turning on him. He had to be a motivator before the NLD. Not just get them up for the game but have them understand the importance of this fixture to those that don’t have it in their veins yet. He had to choose the correct tactics as he is a coach with a heavy toolbox rather than Angie PostaNoClue who has a tool belt smaller than Bob The Builder’s one. He had to improve our final third play and most certainly our finishing. Considering that our fortunes and finances over the past ten or so years are similar, Spurs have equal opportunity to Arsenal. Unfortunately for Spurs, they dumped out their bucket of wisdom and are swiftly turning into Crystal Palace with a modern stadium. The comparison between the job that PostaNoClue and Arteta is doing is stark. One thinks short term and built his house on the sand using plywood and the other put his house on top of the neighbourhood hill and contacted an architect and a concrete guy first.

Myles Lewis Skelly:

Roll out the red carpet and get the press corp to focus their lenses on this boy. He gets a handful of ‘Dominators.’

We all know plenty of footballers that played Premier League football at the age of 18 but the list of those that played elite level PL football and looked like one of the better players is a list that has Cesc Fabregas on it and not many others. I don’t want to go overboard as he’s just really started but the direction of travel is clearly upwards.

He gets a ‘Dominator’ for the following….

1. Fearless

The expectation. The current drop off. The options you’ve sat down on the bench. The way he plays. Not safe and submissive but bold and brave. Almost too brave. And he should be studying for his 6th form exams, not playing left back in a North London Derby.

2. Physicality

Most modern footballers have a strong core. A six pack etc.. Not all of them know the value of how to use it to your advantage and none of them that do are 18 years old.

3. Competition

Ordinarily, an 18 year old would only be playing in the most important game of the season if the coach was out of options. That’s not the case here. There were 3 left backs on the bench in KT, Kiwior and Zinchenko and he has been selected ahead of a fourth in Calafiori. He was selected in this double high pressure game because he is currently the best. Not normal. In comparison, Bergvall is the same age but is playing because Spurs have no other options that are fit.

Leo Trossard:

His general performance was good but that goal could be a catalyst for others to try this very un-Arsenal like shot. In fact the whole move could encourage Arteta to encourage the players to fix two problems that frustrate us. I understand why we normally choose not to counter attack at speed like the rest of the world. We slow it down because if we choose the wrong counter attack to attack, then we are not in our JDP positions to counter press. Perhaps Arsenal’s greatest advantage is structure. If you can avoid broken play then you will always have players in all of the right defensive positions to make it extremely hard to create easy chances against. It is our super power. One that might frustrate us due to how dull and predictable it can make us, but find me a better out of possession team in world football than us. This is why.

There is a better balance to be struck though. I’m sure this is what the coaching staff are trying to get the players to recognize. When you have space AND the same or superior numbers, it is worth attacking at speed. If you don’t it is a transition risk. Odegaard has been the most guilty player in ignoring counter opportunities but on this occasion he made the crucial choice and brilliant one touch pass.

Secondly, I had the odd reaction just before Leo cocked his leg. “What’s he doing? Don’t shoot from there. You play for Arsenal. We don’t take low XG shots.” I’ve been suckered into the problem itself. If you have ever played football then you know that feeling. “This is going in.” Or the opposite sensation, “This is not a good idea.” Leo thought he could score and went for it. Arsenal need more of this. The other possibility was that Kinky (or whatever keeper/doorman at a nice hotel’s name is) would parry it to Kai.

Let’s hope these two decisions encourage others to trust their instinct and counter quicker and shoot more frequently.

Gabriel:

Pick your best ever Arsenal XI.

Did you consider Gabriel?

Maybe we should.

Even though his main job is defending, it’s hard to reject a CB who could end up being your top scorer. I remember Steve Bruce once scored 17 goals in a season but most were penalty kicks. Those are all 0.8 XG chances where Gabriel’s goals are probably 0.1 – 0.3.

I’d put his defensive contribution up there with Tony Adams, or very close. Tony was dangerous at set pieces for sure, but not a threat to Ian Wright getting his annual trophy.

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William Saliba:

Marking Dominic Solanke was too easy for Bill. Almost no point Solanke showing up honestly. Well, to be fair he apparently was credited with our first goal so maybe that’s harsh. Sorry Dom and thank you.

Martin Odegaard:

He has been off form. Apparently. The truth is that his level is so high that when he only creates 2 big chances and 3 expected assists, he has had a ‘bad game.’ It is fair to say that since his injury his productivity has dropped but this has revealed his level being higher than almost all attacking midfielders in Europe. His importance to Arsenal is magnified by our creative lack when he is missing. His importance on Wednesday was evident but also unseen. It’s not just a coach’s job on NLD day to motivate.

David Raya:

He’s a true Arteta player. Consistent. Advanced. Bold. Can catch a cross with one massive hand.

Nicholas Jover:

Just when you thought he had taken a nap.

The fans:

Sang before, during (constantly) and after. As Rice said after the game, “the real fans support” (paraphrased)

Stuart McFarlane:

No idea what he did, but I love that man and I’m sure he did something. Stuart, you get a ‘Dominator.’

The foundation:

Arsenal have been unfairly criticized of late. Some has been valid. Most not. I’d respect those that wish to criticize if they would compliment too. Most don’t. It’s as if it would damage their image. They have to be Batman or the Joker. I find that society has too many people with pride and an allergy to being wrong.

If anyone at Arsenal has made mistakes then the list is small. Genuine mistakes. Not Sambi Lokonga not working out. Every club is somewhere around 50/50 on transfers. Arsenal have however made significantly more good decisions than mistakes. The absolute truth is that if there are 10 important decisions at every football club, Arsenal have made 9 of them correctly.

Here is my quick list….

1. A head coach for now AND the future
2. A supportive board
3. Elite talent
4. Mutual respect between all at the club
5. A competitive team with modern, flexible tactics
6. A safe environment where players are not publicly shamed
7. A stadium, training ground with modern facilities worthy of attracting recruits
8. A winning culture and high standards (possibly the most important one).
9. Quality coaching staff not just the coach’s friends
10. Full respect for the fan base

I’d say that Arsenal could do significantly better with their fan base. They are making obvious steps to lead the way in almost every area, but not with a full respect for their fans. Ticket prices (see Bayern Munich’s model), Ashburton Army and creative engagement could all be better and are good examples

All this was most evident against Spurs and United regardless of the scoreboard as they looked like 12th and 14th placed teams in the PL. I’m not sure where they actually are so let me check….  Oh.

Defensive effort:

Personally, I have not witnessed a football team that takes defending as seriously as attacking (maybe more so) than Arsenal. There was a moment that MLS was out of position. In 3 seconds Leo covered him. Not begrudgingly, but quickly.

Composure in adversity:

Did you think that our heads would go when Son scored? That we would start playing low percentage balls tossed towards Havertz? I didn’t because we just don’t. Simple.

The bravery in possession:

Watch the game back. Pay attention to when we were pinned in our corner. We played calmly out as we had at least two options at any one time. Spurs had one maximum and many players who looked like they didn’t want the ball. Derbies are rough for fans. Most of us just want them to end for fear of losing. Players will be similar. You have to be brave to play in these games as the energy is dialed way up.

The post:

Small mention for the post. It is clearly an Arsenal fan. David Raya had it covered anyway. Small ‘Dominator’ given to the post.

The post match interviews:

I couldn’t wait to get onto this award.

PostaNoClue will be fired shortly. When he does it will be because of his energy as much as anything else. If he wants to reflect and if he has a wife that he listens to, it will also be noted that it’s because he is stubborn. Wants to do one thing, one way. The energy situation might be the final nail in the coffin. An owner will hold on if you give him a positive vibe. PostaNoClue acts like he is on a mission to save English football from it’s sins and that he is the saviour. He comes across with a strong whiff of arrogance be it the constant use of the word, ‘mate’ when he is clearly being derogatory or the huge disrespect he shows female reporters who are simply doing their job and trying to interview him. Perhaps the fact that he won’t look at the reporter is because he is trying to find his team on a league table. What he doesn’t value or seem to care about is that players watch interviews. They will know that he is either being disrespectful or has truly horrific body language. I understand that he is frequently disappointed but drive 7 miles up the road and watch how aware Arteta is of his energy. How careful he is of what he says and doesn’t say.

I believe that PostaNoClue has this aura because he decided that he was going to be disrespected in England as an Aussie coach, so he flipped that before it started and went on the offensive. Respect is earned and perhaps he doesn’t trust himself so he has created this character that is extremely unlikeable and inspires defeat.

I am willing to admit that I’m way off base here. It could be that he is the next in line to try to find a surreptitious way of pissing the owner off so he can leave a failing institution and get a lovely fat pay off. Conte did this. Mourinho definitely did this. And on…

The comparison:

…. is stark.

Santi Cazorla:

Much like our photographer, Santi had no influence on Wednesday but he gets a ‘Dominator’ for being Santi Cazorla.

‘Dominator’ awards over. Let’s save the after party until late May.

POSITIVES:

The miracle:

The pitch at the Emirates is rightly called ‘The Carpet.’ If you’ve ever been on a stadium tour you’ll remember thinking that it looks like an oversized snooker table. I can’t remember ever seeing a goal go in at The Emirates where a bobble scored the goal. No taking away from Leo but Kinky should’ve saved that but for bobble. Forget Sesko and Mbuemo. Sign ‘bobble’ and ask him to position himself right in front of their goal.

Arsenal have had almost zero luck this season and luck is one of the biggest difference makers in a 38 game season. The first goal wasn’t a corner as you will have seen by the replay.

A miracle has occurred at Arsenal. We thought that miracles had died but much like my Pentecostal church, miracles sometimes happen

MLS:

As excited as we are about him, it’s always good to remember that he is a midfielder. I’m sure they started to develop him at left back thinking that it would be tough to keep a player and find a pathway as a midfielder. If Arsenal want to enter the market for Alphonso Davies on a free transfer this summer then don’t be surprised if we see MLS tried at left eight. Either way it looks like he has elevated himself to being at least a very strong consideration to start games.

Sliding doors:

That interception by Gabriel from the bent Djed Spence cross was arguably the best piece of defending I’ve seen this season. So technically difficult to do that and not score an own goal.

Martinelli:

Do you remember when Martinelli picked it up centrally between the lines? He dribbled into the box around two and should’ve scored. More of that, please. Many have said that he needs to play more centrally/closer to goal and I’m of the same opinion. We forget that he is perhaps our best finisher. We rarely get to see it though.

NEEDS:

Finishing at Colney:

I’m still somewhat unconvinced that Arsenal are spending enough time on finishing at Colney. There is still an epidemic of taking an unnecessary touch in the box before finishing. I’d say that around 40% of shots are blocked these days. Hit the ball first time and the crowd isn’t as large.

If it were me I would take a piece of the sports culture in the US and apply it at AFC. As you may be aware, American sports have special teams coaches and functional training too. Training sessions are spent 50/50. Half the time you go with the coach who is designated to your particular position and the other half is with the whole team. I like to operate in common sense rather than scoff at American sports. Common sense tells me that if I only had 1 day of training between games then I would choose to give the players the functional training they need in their positions. All athletes need reps. Most certainly if you are low in confidence in a certain area, you need to practice until you change the bad habit to a happy one.

Unfortunately, the overcrowded schedule in England pushes coaches to spend their 1 day showing their whole team the specific defensive and offensive strategies needed to overcome Whoever FC, so player improvements get left to ‘hope.’ The hope that they will have a big moment in the game and get that injection of confidence that a moment gives.

Sterling’s body shape:

Watch Sterling’s body shape when he receives the ball. He has his hips facing one way. Normally to the defenders right. This makes it very difficult for Sterling to go to his right. It’s almost a groin strain waiting to happen. If he would adjust his posture then he could go either way and make himself harder to read. He also keeps the ball on the inside of his foot which means it takes him longer to move his foot around it to use his outside and go right.

I’m getting to the place with Sterling that he is simply not at Arsenal’s level. He has moments but if I was to choose a word to describe watching him, it would be ‘struggle.’ For a once elite player he sure makes a meal of whatever he is trying to do. He doesn’t seem to be in control of what he’s doing. Odd. I am happy to admit that it is as likely to be rust that he is yet to shake off.

Crossing:

As Arsenal are very much a positionally organized team I have a suggestion to help the crossing issue.

Almost all of our chances come from wide areas yet it seems so rare that after a beautiful passing pattern that we maintain that passing perfection when making the final pass. Understanding also that there are almost always 2 or 3 to 1 in the area, I still think we could be doing significantly better. Here is the suggestion….

Wingers/full backs don’t have but half a second to look for the right pass. Instead of looking for a player, look for the biggest gap. If you freeze frame any crossing situation you could point to an obvious gap. I’m a huge proponent of focusing on the middle of the gap and not the player you are passing to. The first problem is always getting it past the first defender. So very many through balls and crosses are cut out by that guy. Focus on the middle of the gap and trust that an Arsenal player has filled it and at the very least you won’t hit the first defender. As we are so aware of the importance of positioning, you’d think we could replicate what we do outside the box, inside it too.

Disguise:

I’m currently re-watching the game. Spurs to their credit are blocking every cross and shot in the first half. I feel that another part of our issue when crossing is that opponents know where we are putting the cross or shot so they put their body there. We need to use disguise. Give them the eyes. Offer them a surprise. As elusive as flies.

I told you I was a poet.

Wrestling:

I would imagine that the PGMOL will crack down on what is going on in the box, shortly. I took another look at the equalizer and watched Archie Gray. He was marking Saliba in the six yard box. Never once did Archie Gray even look at the ball until it was in the net. Back to the cross and literally wrestling Saliba like he is a linebacker in American Football. Imagine if two players started wrestling each other outside the box. Not looking at the ball. It wouldn’t happen because it’s comedic to think it would even happen. Why is it allowed in the box then? As the PGMOL are doing nothing about it the coaches will come up with even more ways of cheating beyond setting picks, blocking and wrestling. Judo, perhaps? Maybe they will be able to use pool cues as weapons? I can see the commentary now…. ” We have a slight delay to this corner as Jover is still handing out pool cues and some of Arsenal’s midfielders are chalking their cues in case there is an opportunity to poke out Richarlison’s eyeballs.”

Richarlison:

It’s easy to dislike Richarlison if you are an Arsenal fan. Not because he plays for Spurs but he has a fake dislike for Arsenal. Ever since he came to London he has tried to start fights against us. If he was British or had been at Spurs for 7+ years I’d see this as genuine, but he’s an irrelevant fake.

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HOPES:

KT:

The first Arsenal transaction this month will likely be KT to Celtic. I’m happy for him. He is a super player who in the right system would be a huge asset.

Sesko:

I’ve thought all along that this is the most likely choice for a striker signing. Simply because we have already tried. The answer wasn’t ‘no’ but ‘not right now.’ Honestly, he would be mad mot to push for this. When is he going to get an opportunity to play at the elite level and quite possibly become instant first choice with the possibility of winning a big trophy within four months. It’s not as if the other elite clubs are chasing him. He is somewhat of a risk as his stats have not been elite unlike other possibilities. He is a project with an impressive ceiling and an instinct that we don’t have at Arsenal.

Mbuemo:

The other most likely addition for the same reason. Super player with the eye and touch of a top level player. Are Arsenal waiting to bid for him until he scores the winner against Liverpool this weekend? I’m serious.

Sverre Nypan:

A younger Odegaard apparently. Norwegian too. The 10M fee is high but not if he becomes a first team player. If he does then it becomes cheap, like Martinelli. I said a few weeks ago that we will sign a young prospect in January and this might be the guy.

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Son:

What happened to him? Not really a factor anymore. Not that we care. I’m sure Man Utd will try to sign him so they can add him to the list of has -been 30 year olds.

TWEETS and THOUGHTS:

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We are rather good.

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What a sad shame that a player that started the turn around at Arsenal will likely not play for us again.

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There we are. Max and I in our local pub. A testament to Arsenal Football Club that in a small city in Tennessee there are probably 100 Gooners that filter through this pub.

FINAL THOUGHT:

Is this the turning point in the season? It probably is if we beat Villa too.

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