By Merlion
November 28 2022

October 2022 issue of Times magazine featured Bukayo Saka as one of the future generations to watch out for. From the write up about him, Arsenal fans GAIN an idea of HOW Arteta is still developing a core group of young Arsenal players. A group who are the future of title-winning sides if they continue to develop under Arteta. If Edu and Arteta continue to scout and buy players that can strengthen the squad the future is bright indeed. This is reminiscent to what Arsene Wenger did after winning the 1997/98 title and began to restructure the team with astute buys from his vast knowledge of French Football, and his network of coaches and agents that informed him of the best talents from French Football.

However unlike Wenger Arteta has a far more focused and disciplined eye to how these players should operate. Wenger was an alchemist, Arteta more a draughtsman and engineer. For the want of a better description I shall call this Arteta Ball. My take on the major attributes of Arteta Ball are as follows: 

Tactical Awareness and Spatial Awareness 

Why so many senior players, leftover from Arsene Wenger’s and Unai Emery’s, failed to meet the exacting standards demanded by ArtetaBall is their failure to demonstrate tactical knowledge and spatial awareness that blended the team as a whole in attack, defence and counter-pressing with swift transition to attack high up on the pitch. 

Many failed to grasp the intricate passing, mobility and movements demanded by ArtetaBall, which without an innate technical knowledge, will just simply disconnect from the rest of teammates during swift transition to counter-attack after a successful counter-press. 

Spatial awareness is developed with daily intense training, developing communication amongst teammates from playing regularly and the intelligence of the players, that with a single glimpse playing head-up, will instantly understand the tactical setup real-time to deliver a properly weighted pass into a passing channel that is spotted a split-second before defenders closing it down. And this spatial awareness is tied back to the intelligence of the player with “innate tactical knowledge”.  

None of the current Arsenal players have yet to match those attributes of Fabregas, always playing with his head up, scanning, spotted a passing channel a split-second before defenders closed it, thinking two or three steps ahead of the next play, pass and move and the ability to drift into the box blindside to anticipate a return pass to shoot at goal. And why Spain was able to field 4-6-0 with Fabregas as the False 9. 

 Predict Teammates’ Movements 

When Saka is not playing computer games, he’s glued to his iPad, watching clips of the next opposition before each game in the hope of gleaming some weakness that might present an opportunity.  

He’s one of those that leads by example. He’s the first one running back, the first one trying to put in a tackle in, but then he’ll be the first one driving out with the ball trying to cause havoc. It’s not been easy for him at Arsenal, because he’s actually been the main man at a very, very young age. 

I found that it is flattering for Times magazine to describe Bukayo Saka as above and possessing these attributes “… … demonstrating an innate tactical knowledge. He sees space before it appears and can predict teammates’ movements, they haven’t yet thought of themselves.” 

Saka has yet to develop telepathic understanding with his teammates “to predict teammates’ movements, they haven’t yet thought of themselves.” For the first half of this season, they are numerous misplaced passes where he expected the teammates to be in position but not. It is still “work-in-progress” to develop telepathic understanding with Ben White, Jesus and Odegaard for this season’s revamped right-side triangle with Jesus the main-man in the centre. 

This resulted in Saka’s instinctive reaction to always to dribble pass the 2 or 3-man press instead of one-two quick passing to the bye-line (Ben White) or predicting Odegaard’s run into passing channels before defenders closed them.

For the game against Wolves, playing deep, Saka was executing one-two passes more often to Ben White running down bye-line or cutting inward, and with Odegaard coming providing more support. Lessons learnt during the first half, and Arteta will surely knew how to coach Saka with more varied passing options and more intense trainings to understand each other movements and preferences to develop better communication. And defenders will be in a dilemma as Saka has the option to dribble, one-two quick pass or a long cross deliver to centre or opposite flank.

And when Saka fully develops those attributes, we will see more goal-scoring opportunities like previous games: 

• Ben White running clear along bye-line and delivered cut-back into centre. 
• Laid back for Partey to shoot at right-side corner of box. 
• Through pass to centre for Jesus and/or Martinelli running clear into shooting position. 
• Long pass to left-side corner for Xhaka’s cannonball shot. 
• Not forgetting that Odegaard (and Emile Smith-Rowe) have the knack to run into goal-scoring position to pick-up the second ball. 

 ArtetaBall means we will see more multi-prong attacks from right-flank, and vice-versa from left-flank too. 

 The Importance of Martin Odegaard 

We have two creative playmakers in Martin Odegaard and Fabio Vieira. Both of them can spot an opening a split-second before the defenders knew about it.  

Plus, Odegaard is the “water-carrier” (with Xhaka helping) carrying out Arteta’s instructions on the pitch, gesticulating and shouting to ensure his teammates remain in position and shape to counter-press and defend against counterattacks.

ESR is no creative playmaker, and more of an inside forward, or deep-lying forward, with a knack of getting into goal-scoring position and shoot accurately. He does not have the dribbling skills of Odegaard, Vieira or Saka and more of a “push-and-run” player with clever body-shape to receive and deceive defender to run clear. 

Odegaard is one of the major reasons for the successes of this season’s first 14 games, with his tactical knowledge to link together the Midfield and Forwards into an integral whole. For those attending Arsenal football games, I believe Arsenal fans notice and appreciate the movements of Odegaard with and without the ball, and noticing him gesticulating to teammates who are out of position. 

Odegaard is still not in the same class of a creative Fabregas who scans the pitch continuously and see plays two or three steps ahead of opponents with his “pass and move” mobility. I believe this current team is still “work-in-progress” and need more playing time together to see creative playmaking with better prediction of teammates’ preferences and movements. 

But Odegaard is the fulcrum of ArtetaBall, able to execute all those intricate passing from flank to flank, linking up the movement of forwards, midfielders and defenders, patiently keeping the ball to stretch, disorient and maneuver defenders out of position before executing a through ball. The movements and darting runs of Martinelli, Jesus and Saka into the box are dictated by a mobile Odegaard moving across the line to draw out defender, and moving into passing channel to execute the final pass or quick one-two in the box. This gives meaning “to predict teammates’ movements, they haven’t yet thought of themselves.” 

On Counter-Press and Counterattacks 

Arsene Wenger predicted on Saturday, 19 November, as part of the FA Technical Panel on WC2022, on the trend for WC2022 that the defensive line at this World Cup will be higher on average than it was in Russia in 2018 while pressing has become the biggest trend amongst teams. 

“Pressing has become absolutely universal now. Teams all over the world press high up and counter-press very quickly to push the defensive line,” he said. 

“Long balls behind defensive lines will be interesting to analyze. Maybe the first dribble to get out of the press will also be important to analyze.” 

“The first game is important. When you have no preparation, a team with no injuries – a fully balanced team – will have an advantage,” he said. “Losing a player to the very last minute will force you to change the structure of the team.”

From Arsene Wenger’s comments ArtetaBall is exactly that. 

Yes all EPL teams and European teams are playing the high-line and counter-press. No doubt Wolves deployed a defensive 5-3-2 and parked the bus in their own half to frustrate Arsenal, but when they executed counter-press to win the ball, launched counterattacks, via a long pass, and instantly had a 1-on-1 situation which they squandered or mainly stopped effectively by our two quick CB, Gabriel and Saliba. 

This young team had learned the ManU lessons when Ten Hag ambushed Arteta by playing Route 101 Football with a quick Rashford, and both Gabriel and Saliba failed to press successfully to prevent Rashford from passing. After that game, Arteta fine-tuned Gabriel and Saliba who are now better man-markers, working in tandem better, pressing and preventing the attacker to execute one-two passes with successful 1-on-1 defending. Both are working well in tandem when one committed a howler, the other CB will sweep it up to prevent the attacker a clear shot at goal. Special mention to Saliba who is so imperious in 1-on-1 situations since the ManU game, and one of the primary reasons for victories and clean sheets. 

ArtetaBall is successful in 2-3-5 attacking formation, defending high-up at the 52-yard line, and with inverted fullbacks are possible due to the superb man-marking Gabriel-Saliba partnership which stops counter-attacks. 

Our first game during second half against WHU on 26 December is crucial and will set the tone for our 2023 title challenge. Moyes knew the vulnerabilities of our high-line against Route 101 Football with their pacy forwards running behind our defence.

When Johan Cryuff was queried on his high line and what happened when a long pass bypassed his defence. Cryuff replied: “They scored.” Will ArtetaBall playing high at the 52-yard with a revitalized Gabriel-Saliba partnership game, (ably supported by Zinchenko and Ben White), prove Cryuff wrong?