Official: Mikel Arteta is the new Arsenal manager.
Clrnc i think the issue is that Arteta is buying players and thinking about positions differently from many people's fixed ideas of them. So what you see, particularly with players he has bought recently is a lot of malleability. Nobody knows what exactly Calafiori is, or Timber. Even Trossard. Havertz. He's more interested in sets of attributes that enable our way of playing versus fitting a traditional role in a 433 or 442 etc., as one might typically expect.
It also shows in how much formations and match-ups change within games, either during a transition or as game phases evolve.
A great example is Ben White. There are games where he has been a flying right back, inverted right back, and then right centre back; depending on what is required. And he does all of these roles well. You won't, for example, see Trent playing or Gusto playing all all these different roles in a single match.
Claudius He's more interested in sets of attributes that enable our way of playing versus fitting a traditional role in a 433 or 442 etc.
I'm fine with this, but at some point these attributes should probably be shot power and accuracy, vertical passing, dribbling and close control, speed, intelligent movement, and the feverish desire to score fuckloads of goals.
@Coombs Scott Willis / Cannon Stats has written a hand-wringing defensive blog post dedicated to you 
https://www.cannonstats.com/p/arsenal-did-not-screw-up-their-summer
Coombs I'm fine with this, but at some point these attributes should probably be shot power and accuracy
The problem with stat guys today is that they don't think shooting related skills are relevant. It's all about the xG, which is only about getting to the point where you take a shot.
QuincyAbeyie
If you ever find a credible stats guy who writes exactly what you have put down, please share that article with us.
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"who writes exactly what you have put down" lol
Point is no stats person has ever said you should not buy players who cannot score.
What they say from a basic numbers perspective, and we see this with Arsenal now, and over the last two years, the biggest contributor to scoring goals is actual chance creation. The best finishers in the league right now are doing 20-24% (Salah and Haaland), and your typical guys are doing around 16%, but what you also see the importance of taking tons of shots. Haaland has taken 55 shots to get to his 12 goals. If he had only taken 33 shots like Salah has this season, Haaland would have only 7 goals this season.
Guess what, none of our players have taken as many shots as Salah this season - with Saka and Havertz both around 27 shots this season. That much more than our finishing ability is what is holding us back. We are not getting the ball into areas to take shots.
We had this discussion last season - you said we Havertz was a waste of money, we needed to buy a striker in January. And then we started getting the ball into the box and had our best 38 game goal scoring output ever. Because we took shitloads of shots. And that's just a numbers thing - but no stats guy will ever say no to a Salah or Haaland because if i am faced with an individual chance, I want one of those guys.
QuincyAbeyie this is so true for me and it's why I don't like the way Arsenal vision have gone fully into this as the "only" factor. We are struggling to score in many games but xg is good so no problem we are clearly still the best side. It is one data point you need more rounded context and input. You will not score as many as xg if your forwards aren't up to it but they often hand wave that away as having any relevance.
Burnwinter stats guys are basically just pollsters in disguise
Good summary of how we have changed the way we play.
Not bad for a defensive manager. A very impressive stat. Hopefully, we add to this total versus United.
If Slot wins the title in his first season it would unfortunately make Artera look very bad.
Sicario2 - Tier 1 it would make Slot look good.
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Claudius and Arteta bad, as all we hear is that he did not fuck up but City are too good, the league is impossible to win etc. It is not. Just that so far, Arteta has not been good enough. And there is no one who can do a better job then Arteta, that was the narative...well in fact, there are plenty
HomeSteak
look. if we go and have a good season overall, and another manager beats us, then massive props to that manager. If we have a completely fucked up season like the Leicester season, then the manager should be held accountable.
I'm just shocked by the number of people giving up and painting these terrible scenarios - and also eager to get stuck in to Arteta who has done nothing but build credit over the last 3 or 4 years. it's bizarre.
HomeSteak This is getting silly now.
Arteta is "not good enough", yet he was good enough to get us to eighty nine points last season. Only one man has bettered that tally in the 140 year history of this football club. If Arteta isn't good enough for you, who is?
