FA Cup win ‘just the beginning’ under Mikel Arteta

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Nothing beats lifting silverware.

And for the 4th time in 7 years, Arsenal have finished the season with a trophy.

It was our worst season in 25 years the media gleefully told us at the end of the league campaign as we finished 8th – our lowest finish since 1994/95.

And then we go and lift the FA Cup and it was a glorious moment.

I would have been guaranteed a Wembley final ticket. What with my 60 something away credits.

Last week sadness hit as I realised I would not be making the trip to the final. So plans were put in place.

A dozen people turned up. The BBQ was on. The garden bar open. And a life time of memories created.

I will always remember the 2020 FA Cup final. Watching it with some of the greatest people in the world. Lads I have known for decades, been over land and sea with. Oh what a night!

Some might say that the result is “papering over the cracks”. But for me this is not a 2017 situation, where winning the FA Cup hid the slow demise of Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. This is a new start.

Mikel Arteta came in 8 months ago. Some loudmouths didn’t want him. “He just puts out Pep’s cones” they cried. They probably had their anti-Arteta tweets lined up in their drafts.

The victory of Chelsea shows just how far we have come since Arteta took over.

Arteta has shown we are a top 6 side who were coached poorly at the beginning of the season.

Taken into account we had a caretaker manager for 5 games, where we won just 5 points, to finish just 6 points off of 5th highlighted the improvement under the Spaniard.

We have beaten Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United under Mikel Arteta.

28 games he has been in charge for. We have won 57.14% of them. That is just a little shy than Wenger’s win ratio – 57.25 (incredible for 20 years at the club).

Yet people will still deny we have made progress under him.

Yes, we have had some disappointing results. Aston Villa and Brighton stick out. But it is easier to improve to beat the smaller teams than it is to beat the better ones.

Taking into account Arteta took over a team low on confidence, fitness and focus following Emery’s disastrous handling of the squad, what he has achieved in 8 months is incredible.

What is obvious on the pitch, during the drink breaks, is the players respect him. They listen to him. They buy into him.

You see it at Man City and Liverpool, the way the players celebrate with the manager. They see themselves as one unit. Arteta is the same.

The way he has dealt with the Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi situations is also remarkable for a man who is in his first senior job.

Whilst Bernd Leno, Shkodran Mustafi, Gabriel Martinelli and Calum Chambers were all at Wembley, crutches and all, Ozil and Guendouzi were no where to be seen.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles sums up Arsenal under Arteta.

You are either with the manager, putting 100% in training every session, or you are not. And if you are not, you do not play.

A few months ago Maitland-Niles seemed on his way out of Arsenal.

Questions about his attitude, about him demanding to play midfield. He had seemingly played his last game for Arsenal.

He kept his counsel, worked hard at training and was fantastic on Saturday. Likewise he was key against Manchester City in the semi-final.

Maitland-Niles deserves his FA Cup winners medal.

The same for Mustafi and Granit Xhaka. Two more players who have come back from the brink to become key performers under Arteta.

It is important that Arteta is able to keep the core of this squad together. That Pierre-Emerick Aubameayng signs a new deal. That Dani Ceballos is secured for at least another 12 months. Hopefully more.

And then we rebuild.

Get rid of those players who have not bought in to Arteta’s process, and replace them with hunger individuals. Players that want to achieve. Players who have the desire to play and improve. Players who want to join us on the journey.

But for now, we can all relax. Enjoy ourselves. No negativity. This is just the beginning for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta.

WE WON OUR TROPHY BACK

Keenos

Match Report: Arsenal 2 – 1 Chelsea

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Arsenal (1) 2 Chelsea (1) 1

FA Cup Final

Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London HA9 0WS

Saturday, 1st August 2020. Kick-off time: 5.30pm

(3-4-3) Emiliano Martínez; Rob Holding, David Luiz, Kieran Tierney; Hector Bellerin, Dani Ceballos, Granit Xhaka, Ainsley Maitland-Niles; Nicolas Pépé, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Substitutes: Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Lucas Torreira, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah, Sead Kolašinac, Matt Macey, Matt Smith, Bukayo Saka.

Scorers: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (28 mins, 67 mins)

Yellow Cards: Dani Ceballos, Mikel Arteta

Arsenal Possession Percentage: 40%

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Attendance: A maximum of 300 attendees due to UK government coronavirus restructions

Make no mistake about it, today’s match is by far the most important game in which we have played in for a very long time indeed. We just simply have to win the FA Cup this afternoon, no ifs, no buts about it. After the season that we have just had, to win a piece of silverware would be a classic case of triumph over tragedy, and ultimately, a chance to get into European competition next season as worthy winners of this respected domestic competition a Wembley Stadium. We have a good chance of leaving Wembley Stadium as winners this evening. Let’s grab the opportunity with both hands!

Within two minutes of the start, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was unlucky not to score from a superb Ainsley Maitland-Niles cross, but three minutes later, Christian Pulisic grabbed the ball in midfield and slipped it to Mason Mount, who passed it to ex-Gunner Olivier Giroud, whilst Christian Pulisic carried on running and popped the ball past Emiliano Martínez to open the scoring for Chelsea. They put us under pressure for the next ten minutes or so, and if it wasn’t for the agility of our goalie, they may well have scored a second shortly after. Five minutes after the drinks break, Cesar Azpilicueta put a hand on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s shoulder in the penalty area, and the referee had no option but to give us a penalty, which our captain put away with some aplomb. Our equaliser kick-started us into life and we applied some considerable pressure on the Chelsea defence, and as a result, were desperately unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions, the best chance being Alexandre Lacazette, who blasted a free-kick wide literally seconds before the break.

The second half started with Chelsea bringing the game to us, but fortunately we were able to neutralise their play in the midfield area before they got close to threatening Emiliano Martínez’ goal. Fatigue and injury started to wear Chelsea down now, and again our confidence started to show with intelligent play and accurate passing through the Chelsea midfield. Nicolas Pépé and Dani Ceballos were absolutely immense, and both men were constantly giving Chelsea headaches as their creative and forceful play pulled their defenders out of position time and time again. Kieran Tierney was winning tackles for fun, and it was after one of these that the winning goal was scored. Hector Bellerin charged through the middle of the pitch, and in doing so, opened up the game. Although Andreas Christensen disposessed him, Nicolas Pepe quickly found Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the left of the area; he ran past Kurt Zouma as if he didn’t exist, and merely dinks the ball over Willy Caballero with his left foot, to score our second goal of the afternoon. A world class goal from a world class striker, worthy of any cup final any time, anywhere. Less than five mintues later, Mateo Kovacic was controversially sent off by Anthony Taylor for a second yellow card. Chelsea by now were completely demoralised, and when Mikel Arteta (who was also pointlessly booked by the referee) replaced Alexandre Lacazette for Eddie Nketiah in the eighty-second minute, and David Luiz for Sokratis Papastathopoulos six minutes later, the match was all but over. The seven minutes’ injury time was a fairly unremarkable affair generally, and as far as we were concerned, it was a case of just letting the clock go down until Anthony Taylor called time on the match, which he did, and we were the winners of the FA Cup for the fourteenth time, which is a record.

This was more than just an FA Cup Final victory for us today. It was a victory which meant that we can look forwad to the twenty-fifth consecutive season of European football next year in the Europa League, and more than that, it means that we can now cast this season off into the past where it belongs, and firmly look forward to the new season with renewed hope and optimism for the future under the leadership of Mikel Arteta, who has won a major domestic trophy in his first season at the helm. Well done everyone! Remember everyone, keep the faith in the close season, get behind the team and the manager, as next season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Victoria Concordia Crescit.

Steve

Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon.

Mikel Arteta FA Cup headaches: Mesut Ozil & Matteo Guendouzi

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Formation & Selection

Mikel Arteta clearly prefers 433 / 4231, but in recent weeks he has employed 3 (or 5?) at the back.

In 2017, Arsenal beat Chelsea playing 3 at the back, with masterful performances from Nacho Monreal, Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding.

Will we see 3 at the back again? With Rob Holding, David Luiz and either Kieran Tierney or Saed Kolasinac in defence?

Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos will surely continue their fruitful partnership in the middle of the park, but who flanks them?

On the left he has to chose between whichever left back does not play as a left centre back and Bukayo Saka.

The young Englishman has been poor in recent weeks, so might be better being used as an impact substitute if we convert to a back 4. Replacing the Alexandre Lacazette up top allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to play down the middle.

Auba will likely start wide left.

On the right hand side, Nicolas Pepe will likely be selected, but who plays behind him is a head ache.

With Cedric cup tied, it is a choice between Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Bellerin is the better defender, but the Englishman gives more going forward and is perhaps better suited with playing wing back.

Arteta has also instructed Maitland-Niles to tuck into midfield from the right hand side at times, which he is more than capable of doing so. But Holding is not as good as covering the right hand side when he does this as Mustafi.

Arteta has quite a bit to think about.

Mesut Ozil

Having not played a minute since football restarted, Mikel Arteta has a dilemma.

Does he put Ozil on the bench, giving him a chance to win his 4th FA Cup medal? Or does he continue to cast him aside.

Something has gone wrong with their relationship.

Ozil played a lot under Arteta prior to the suspension of football, and not played a minute since football restarted.

Is it his refusal to take a pay cut? His attitude? His continual sick days with a “back injury”? Has he just fallen out of love with football? Now happy to go through the motions in training, not play and pick up his huge pay cheque.

Clearly something is not right there.

Whatever the decision, Arteta should announce it today to stop it being a big issue tomorrow.

Matteo Guendouzi

Following the defeat to Brighton, Guendouzi found himself out of the team with the club concerned about his attitude.

Like Ozil, he has not even made the bench since that incident, with the club reprotedly open to offers on him.

His immaturity is clearly a concern for the club – to the point where they had to discuss it with his “representatives” rather than the player himself.

We are a weaker squad with Guendouzi in it. If not playing, he can provide us energy coming off the bench.

Maybe missing out on an FA Cup final is the kick he needs? Arteta perhaps needs to offer the olive branch and at least let him take a place on the bench.

My gut is, following rows with Arteta in Dubai, mocking Freddie Ljungberg and Unai Emery, Guendouzi is done at Arsenal and will not be part of the travelling squad.

It will be a sad end to such a talented players Arsenal career.

Keenos