Arsenal enter the 4th Revolution as we see what makes Arteta so different

 

 

 

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By Tony Attwood

So the question that comes from my headline is “what makes Arteta so different?” and the answer comes from the detail of what he does as revealed through the progress of recent years.

This can sometimes be difficult to see, but if we look at Arsenal season by season we do see some interesting pointers….

 

Pos	Season	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
5	2017/18	38	21	7	10	73	51	22	70
8	2018/19	38	14	14	10	56	48	8	56
8	2019/20	38	18	7	13	55	39	16	61
5	2020/1	38	22	3	13	61	48	13	69
2	2022/3	38	26	6	6	88	43	45	84
2	2023/4	38	28	5	5	91	29	62	89

 

2019/20 was the season Arteta arrived part way through and he spent a lot of time moving players out yet even admidst that disruption he kept the scoring steady while recovering from the mess that caused his predecessor to get the chop.

By December 2019 when Arteta took over from Emery things were obviously going wrong before Emery got the sack, and 2019/20 was a year of rebuilding.

The following season 2020/21 was a distinct improvement, but it must be noted it did not get back to the level of the first Emery season.  True Arsenal were only one point behind Emery’s first season but the goal difference was nine worse.  Only the defence improved.  In fact it was the best since 2015/16, when Arsenal came second.

But then the following season Arteta got the attack working – 27 more goals while at the same time the defence let in five fewer.  And in fact if we simply look at the last three years what we see are three years where the figures keep moving in the right direction.  More points, more goals scored, fewer goals conceded.

But at the same time we find that behind the scenes men have been added to the training and development side of the team working on every detail of the players’ game – all built on the basis of the leadership and partnership of Edu and Arteta.

And it is also clear that the two work well and positively with Richard Garlick who was in charge of contract negotiations and is now the club’s managing director.   And I would suggest from what I have been able to glean, there is a fulsome relationship between the pair and Josh Kroenke.

As a result, the club knows who it wants to bring in, and what to promise and offer the player once negotiations are allowed to start.  It is not that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet, for there is no need to have a hymn sheet.  Everyone knows the hymns and the music that lies behind the lyrics, and the meaning that lies behind both.

A perfect example was Declan Rice – the club would pay almost anything to get him because there was an absolute certainty that he could play in a specific way that Arsenal required within the team.   And because everyone is so clear there is no case of going around and seeing who might be available and making an offer – the club knows exactly who would be able to take on a specific role.

And as a result only three players remain from when Arteta first arrived at the club: Saka, Martinelli and Nelson.  Meanwhile almost everyone in every part of the club that impacts on the players has been appointed under Arteta’s guidance,  And because that goes all the way through the club down to assistants and deputy assistants, if someone does leave or has a long-term illness or injury, Arsenal can now promote from within.

Combine that with the understanding that revealed that Havertz could be used in a different way from before, and the team evolves.   Of course, many commentators expecting a transferred player to be an immediate success, can then make a fuss, but even they are realising what idiots they can make of themselves by calling out a player too quickly.

What’s more the coaching team tend to want to stay.  Don’t imagine that Albert Stuivenberg doesn’t have offers of managerial roles reaching him every week of the year – of course he does.  But he stays because he can influence what goes on in his specialist role. with an accompanying quote from their legendary manager: “Here you have the opportunity to get out the greatness that is in each of you.”

And the managerial team has embraced the history of Wenger and his glorious achievements in revolutionising the club.  Ultimately there is a unified philosophy into which everyone can and indeed has to accept.  

So we are not seeing a great manager working with the club; we are seeing the transformation of the club.   It has happened before at various levels…

Henry Norris rescued the club from bankruptcy, moved the club north, built Highbury and brought in Chapman.   Chapman won the first trophies, brought in his own team, and they took the 1930s by storm, with his successors carrying on the great work.

Wenger picked the team up and rebuilt them in a modern style, all the while helping to pay for the cost of the new stadium.

Now we have a new genius working in the same way that Norris, Chapman and Wenger did, and I feel the process has hardly begun.  And if that is right, we really ain’t seen nothing yet.

If you would like to learn more about the first great Arsenal revolution you might enjoy one of these series.  They are each comprehensive on their topic, and hence very long – but if you are really interested in how this is the 4th Revolution, it might be worth your time.

The 1919 Affair: How Arsenal were promoted to the first division – the only complete and detailed history of Arsenal’s election.

Henry Norris at the Arsenal:  There is a full index to the series here correcting 100 years of rumour and false allegations.

Arsenal in the 1930s: The most comprehensive series on the decade ever.