https://arseblog.com/2025/03/agents-of-chaos/
This week's column. For all the talk of structure, Mikel Arteta has a flamboyant taste in left-backs. For better, and for worse, it is where all the chaos comes from in Arteta's Arsenal. In a short back and sides team, the left-backs are very fur coat and aviator shades.
This week's column. For all the talk of structure, Mikel Arteta has a flamboyant taste in left-backs. For better, and for worse, it is where all the chaos comes from in Arteta's Arsenal. In a short back and sides team, the left-backs are very fur coat and aviator shades.
Comments
1) for me, it's less that zinchenko is a poor defender than he struggles to maintain focus.
2) arteta's ideal for left-back colours his choice of left 8. they NEED to be able to drop back in to protect that vacated space.
2) definitely think that’s true too and why he likes Rice there
but he cannot work in arteta's system because he cannot match xhaka, rice, and merino at dropping back to fill that vacated space.
I assume in some part the flamboyancy is tolerated due to the brick wall we have in Gabriel Magalhães. His monstering of the left CB and positional awareness is incredible. POTS for me thus far.
MLS played the classic Arteta inverted LB.
Calafiori found himself at center forward.
Zinchenko played left 8, and Tierney played LW.
Mikel should have let Kiwior play in goal.
Must have been Nico Jover's idea.
I have a dream (more of a delirium) that we knock Real out of the Women's Champions League, and then knock them out of the men's. Then, do the same to both Barça teams in the finals.