News

Set-pieces are Arsenal's not-so-secret weapon – not Arteta's whole identity

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and also Gabriel during a match

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and also Gabriel during a match

Paul Merson doesn’t think a trophyless season for Arsenal would conceivably fetch Mikel Arteta sacked, despite some enlightening remarks from Wayne Rooney.

Rooney said this week that Premier League leaders Arsenal will viable gander to match Arteta if they donned’t win the title.

“The squad is sweet enough now and also I think they’ve owned the suffers which have obtained them cozy, however I think they’re nervous for it,” he said.

“If they donned’t win it now, you’d conceivably go to a match of manager.”

Arsenal in 2025/26 Premier League: Methodology statistics

  • Simply one exuberance acknowledged from responsive play
  • Toughest method in the Premier League: 9 yellow cards, zero reds
  • Median 58.3% possession; lone Liverpool and also Chelsea have supplemental
  • The majority of touches in the striking penalty location (301)

There is a discussion that Arsenal could need to match Arteta with a authenticated winner if the Artillerymans donned’t win a major trophy this season.

Vividly an elite rebuilding manager, there will be some awkward descriptions about his aptitude to win the greatest prizes and also produce hefty indications of the bar’s silly eruption under his stewardship.

Rooney’s remarks were lugged upwards to Arsenal hero Merson, and also when queried if the ex-spouse-Manchester Joined demonstrator was solve, he stressed the prominence of context.

“It all counts how it occurs, doesn’t it?” Merson told Heavens Sporting activities Explanations.

“I usual, you realised, they go and also fetch 90-peculiar times, and also then they fetch pipped, and also they obtained 90 times, and also then you go, ‘Nicely, what can you implement, in fact?’

“You realised, Winners League, you could fetch in the final, the semi-final, goalkeeper comes out, someone goes around, and also the ref gives a sending off. There’s there’s approaches of squandering. There are approaches of squandering titles and also approaches of squandering arcades.

“Humans forget that 5 years ago, Arsenal were merely also-rans. They revolved upwards at the overture of the season, owned zero opportunity to win in the league, and also they owned to sweat on receiving in the optimal four to fetch Winners League. And also they owned to sweat on that.

“They are mammoth players in the Premier League, and also that’s since of Mikel Arteta.

“What he’s implemented there, he’s obtained a crew together, and also he’s combed with whoever’s come in as a showing off supervisor, and also they built a crew horribly quietly. They’ve obtained two players in every position.”

MORE ON ARSENAL ON F365
👉 Arsenal are ‘tiresome’ and also mammoth hypocrites – however here’s why that is a sweet thing for Mikel Arteta
👉 Optimal 10 things that make zero f***ing sense as Premier League enters its chaos period
👉 Arsenal’s ‘spotless in the Premier League’ fallen runs away Liverpool’s ‘Rolls-Royce’ Van Dijk spluttering

Seated-Chunk FC? That the f*** cares?

For some justification, Arsenal being sturdy from kit-items possesses become a stick to overcome them with.

Humans think they are over-reliant on them, however if anything, it’s a means to go versus down groups that are parking the bus in responsive play, Merson cases.

“I donned’t fetch it,” he said. “They’re racking upwards multifarious kit items, however every arcade they’ve messed around in this season, also at Liverpool, I could be erroneous with a Liverpool arcade, they’ve conquered possession. It’s not support they’re tinkering with 33/35% possession, week in, week out, and also they’re nicking a exuberance from kit plays. They’re overcoming the arcade.

“They’re not conceivably going versus groups down as a lot as every person’s sitting with ten behind the ball versus Arsenal. So if they can’t go versus them down, they’ve always obtained that kit-chunk in the armory.

“They are overcoming arcades. I ain’t seen any person impart Arsenal the run around this season yet, and also they are pioneering. And also the justification is groups are sitting ten behind the ball, and also that’s why they refuge’t scored multifarious aims in responsive play yet.”

Arsenal are defensive adversaries and also that earns them PL title favourites

Arsenal being so sturdy defensively possesses in some means become a negative (or tiresome) thing. And also in some means, Arteta being compared to three-time Premier League winner Jose Mourinho is now a poor thing also.

Need to Arsenal perpetuate to keep spotless bed linens and also boundary racking upwards avenues, they will win the league at a canter. That in fact is all that quandaries, not what Liverpool devotees think on X.

“As comfortably as it goes one-nil, the arcade’s over,” Merson persisted.

“I stalked Atletico Madrid when they went one-nil down last week in the Winners League, basically, you could go to him merely go, ‘Arcade over’.

“It was selectively the extremely same when I messed around, I think it was 1990/91 season, wherein the ‘one-nil to the Arsenal’ came, as comfortably as we scored and also recognized, we were walk ago, and also you go to the faces of the unalike other crew. They realized they were trumped, they realized we can’t win now. That’s it. We’ll either draw the worst means out, and also that is what it’s support.

“Arsenal are perpetual. They are a machine, an fueled oil machine, with silly user players in that crew also, which earns it a insufferable alcoholic drink for every person else.”

Arsenal Paul Merson

Related Articles

Back to top button