Football

Three things we learned from Arsenal’s victory over Nottingham Forest Have the Gunners finally woken up? Arsenal beat current rivals Nottingham Forest in an impressive 3-0 victory at the Emirates. Bukayo Saka yet again was the star of the show as he scored a stunner while substitutes Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri put the seal on the victory. The North London club is now back in the Champions League spots and just one point away from second place. Saka is the main man Unbeaten in five games, Forest’s confidence was sky but it was all extinguished after 14 minutes courtesy of Bukayo Saka’s brilliance up front, as he dribbled past three of the Tricky Trees’s players and shot a diagonal ball which almost went top bins, but it was a goal nonetheless. This makes it four goals and eight assists for the Englishman across all competitions this season, but stats do not do justice to the prolific right winger, who just has so much more to offer. The 23-year-old is definitely living up to his nickname ‘starboy’. Martin Odegaard completes the team Just three minutes into the match, Odegaard reminded everyone why he was missed so much as he helped the Gunners take the lead via a world class assist finished by Mikel Merino’s header which rebounded to Jurrien Timber. Although the goal was later ruled offside, it was a clear indication of the Gunners going all out from the start, as the Norwegian captain ran circles around the defence, while also making 15 successful passes in the final third in just the first half alone. But probably the most important thing Odegaard offers to the team apart from his playmaking is his chemistry with Bukayo Saka. The duo just clicks when together, be it for threading the needle passes or quickly combining for one-two. And we saw this partnership yet again during Saka’s moment of brilliance which led to the first goal. Mikel Arteta is surely glad to have the 25-year-old back to his starting eleven. Much-needed win on Arteta’s 250th game in charge The Gunners last won a Premier League game in early October, and were coming into this matchup winless in their last three games. The Spainard channelled in his inner genius and made five changes to the team which drew against Chelsea previously, while also keeping important players like Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli on the bench so as to keep them fresh for the upcoming matches. While Odegaard and Saka were the highlight of the show, Thomas Partey did well as the replacement to Rice and also scored a goal. Substitute Ethan Nwaneri was also part of the action as he scored his very first Premier League goal which secured victory. What’s next The Gunners will now travel to Portugal on Tuesday to face the in-form Sporting CP as matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League takes place midweek. Also Read: “I think we dominated them, we were the better team in many phases and situations” : Was Mikel Arteta ‘furious’ over the draw at Stamford Bridge?

“Arteta loves to play games with the opposition” : Oleksandr Zinchenko sheds light on Mikel Arteta’s pre-match mind games Mikel Arteta has transformed the Gunners into a championship-winning team, as Arsenal are finally one of the top clubs in Europe who consistently perform in the Champions League as well. But apart from the Spaniard’s in-game tactics, it has been revealed that he is quite the genius off the pitch as well.  Previously, the Spainard’s unique pickpocketing technique to keep the players alert all the time went viral, in addition to the infamous lightbulb analogy he used to inspire players as we saw in the All or Nothing documentary on Amazon Prime. Recently, Arsenal left back Oleksandr Zinchenko revealed another ‘tactic’ of the Spaniard, which is not for his players this time around, but is used to throw off rival managers. Mikel Arteta likes to keep the other team guessing Speaking to the Athletic, the Ukrainian revealed how the Spainard likes to keep things uncertain and not reveal his tactics to the opposition, even if it takes to go to great lengths like making injured players travel and do a little act in front of the cameras. “I’ve seen Mikel Arteta tell injured players to come on the team bus and walk into the dressing room with their wash bag, to put the other manager off the scent. Arteta loves to play games with the opposition.” Zinchenko revealed. Of course this is not a new strategy, but the Ukrainian believes that Arteta does not owe the opposition to see right through their management. In football, even the slightest of details could very well be the difference maker, and the Spainard understands this thoroughly, as he likes his opposition second-guessing everything. An example of this strategy was already seen, when the Spainard stated that Bukayo Saka was ‘uncertain’ to play in their clash against Liverpool, but the winger started regardless and also scored nine minutes in during a 2-2 draw at the Emirates. “I don’t want to make it easy for anyone, the opponent has to do their homework – like I do. If I know something for sure, I won’t lie, but if I’m uncertain, I’ll keep them guessing.” the Spainard explained post-match. While these tactics are all well and good, the Gunners are still nine points behind Liverpool, and no other sly mind games will help the Spaniard and co. reduce the lead. Arsenal will look to close the gap against Nottingham Forest this weekend, who are breathing down their necks at fifth place, as they cannot afford to drop down even more at this point of the season. Also Read: “I think we dominated them, we were the better team in many phases and situations” : Was Mikel Arteta ‘furious’ over the draw at Stamford Bridge?

Former Arsenal player reveals the reason Mikel Arteta excluded Matteo Guendouzi from his plans Good managers always do their best to unlock their players’ potential, but it does not help when the players’ attitude is one of reluctance. Matteo Guendouzi suffered a similar kind of fate with his then manager Mikel Arteta, as he was dropped out of the pecking order and his overall plans completely. The midfielder was one of the best young prospects by the time he joined the Gunners in 2018, and under coach Unai Emery, he deservedly got plenty of starts and playing time, as he played 33 league games and 15 cup competitions in his debut season only. But the Frenchman’s luck changed when Mikel Arteta arrived as head coach in late 2019, as the likes of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira were chosen ahead of him in the Spainard’s game plans. Guendouzi was the victim of loan transfers, as he moved to Hertha Berlin and Marseille, the latter is where he started playing permanently starting 2022.  According to former Arsenal player Jeremie Aliadiere (spent six years with the club starting age 16), who played with Guendouzi back in his Lorient days, Guendouzi suffered this mainly because of attitude issues. “Frankly, from the point of view of talent and purely football, if I’m just talking about that, there is no surprise. After, during my last season in Lorient, when he started to train with us and to play, I had a little question about his attitude. I said to myself: He’ll have to change a bit.” said Aliadiere (via Le Telegramme). “He’s in Lorient, so it’s understandable, it’s a small family club, that’s it. But if he wants to climb the ladder and go play in a big club, his attitude will have to change. I think he understood that right away when he arrived [at Arsenal].” Guendouzi admits that his relationship with Mikel Arteta was ‘not the best’ The Frenchman has shown some signs of aggressiveness to validate this theory, as in 2020, he saw himself excluded from the Spainard’s training and match day plans following a post-match altercation with Brighton’s Neal Maupay. This ultimately led to his loan move to Hertha Berlin. But, Guendouzi revealed two years later that this moment was not the reason for his exit from the North London club, and that journalists and media outlets have falsely pinpointed this moment as an excuse. “Journalists used this excuse to say that we had a bad relationship and that’s why I stopped playing and left Arsenal.” said Matteo Guenduozi “Not at all. It’s a gesture like many on the pitch. There’s a lot of tension sometimes, a lot of problems on the pitch. In any case, it has nothing to do with all that.” the Frenchman added. Although, the Lazio midfielder did admit that his relationship with Mikel Arteta in general was not good, regardless of this spat. “It’s true that I didn’t have the best relationship with him. Beyond that, I always tried to work, always gave the maximum of myself in training and in matches. I still play a few matches with him, I still did great performances. He preferred other players and I respect that decision. That’s why, afterwards, I also decided to leave because I was still young, I needed playing time to continue to progress. The most important when you’re young is to play.” the 25-year-old explained. Matteo Guendouzi now plays his football in Italy under Lazio, where he has started all 12 games for the Serie A side, contributing a goal and an assist. He is also currently with the France national team as part of the Nations League squad, but was an unused substitute in their recent draw against Israel. Also Read: “I think we dominated them, we were the better team in many phases and situations” : Was Mikel Arteta ‘furious’ over the draw at Stamford Bridge?

“Something has changed in him” : Mikel Arteta confident about Kai Havertz reaching ‘another level’ Kai Havertz has been one of the most polarizing figures ever since his debut in the Premier League, with good reason. Originally playing an attacking midfielder’s role, the German was appointed to the striker position in Chelsea and now with the Gunners, and has since been widely criticized for his unconvincing performances. Initially being termed as not clinical enough, Havertz has come a long way trying to adapt his new role. With 4 goals in 7 Premier League matches and a total of 6 in all competitions this season, the German is finally looking like the complete striker he was sought out to be. The 25-year-old was once again in the scoresheet in the North London club’s 3-1 victory over Southampton, making it the seventh consecutive time he has scored in the Emirates, matching the record set by Robin van Persie. Apart from the German, wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli also scored in the latter minutes of the second half to make the game out of reach for Russell Martin’s team. “He wants more and he’s not satisfied with what he’s doing” : Mikel Arteta impressed by the German’s recent form In the post-match press conference afterwards, the Spainard coach spoke keenly about his striker, suggesting that his qualities and consistency will be the key for him to become a 20-goal striker. “You can tell [his confidence has grown], he takes the ball and he runs with the ball. He’s on high press, he goes full gas, the way he holds the ball, the position he takes in the box. He’s an attacking midfielder, he plays as a nine, you don’t know where he is, that’s his football brain. His focus now is ‘I’m going to win the game, I’m going to do it’ and that’s a different thing.” said Arteta. Strikers usually rely on others to create chances and provide good balls inside the penalty area, but the ones who are good on the ball as well often go at the top. The names of Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane come to mind. In his early Dortmund days, the Polish was taught the art of ball control and playing by Jurgen Klopp before he was pushed to the target man spot. Havertz’s career trajectory has also gone a similar way till now, as in his time in Leverkusen, he was regarded as one of the best young attacking midfield prospects. “When he’s practising, he wants more and he’s not satisfied with what he’s doing because there is still, I think, another level from him, obviously, he’s surrounded by incredible players but something has changed in him and that confidence, you really sense it and now he’s putting it into games and he’s winning football matches which is great.” the Spainard reflected. Apart from the extraterrestrial goalscoring abilities displayed by Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer, Kai Havertz is just around the corner with the Premier League’s top attackers. But the catch is, the German does way more on the pitch whether on the ball or off, something which simple statistics cannot justify. Also Read: “This year Declan has to change that” : Yaya Toure provides key difference between Rodri and Declan Rice