By Tony Attwood
If there is one thing that can stop journalists moaning about Arsenal, it is fans moaning about Arsenal. It doesn’t always work of course, because sometimes the media tell Arsenal that if they don’t change the fans will revolt, but just occasionally maybe even journalists can realise they have gone too far. (OK bit of a long shot, but it can happen).
So it has been with Odegaard. All truly great players have difficult times in their careers, although when the biographies are written, these are mentioned just in passing so we mostly read about the wonderful side of the player’s work (largely because positive stories sell more than negative stories). Think Henry and Bergkamp and if you don’t remember their (admittedly rare) off days, I am not sure you were paying attention.
Of course, the media are fully aware that some people have turned on Odegaard, forgetting all the wonderful performances he has put in. As the Telegraph says he “Odegaard, after all, is only two games away from becoming the first captain in Arsenal’s history to lift the European Cup. Legendary status is within reach. Grasp it, and no one will remember his patchy form over the past few months.” (For “no one” read “journalists”.)
Seriously no one should remember his “patchy form” if they have any sense of perspective. For what player has not had some difficult times, especially after a major injury – especially one received when playing for one’s country, where immediate demands push aside any thought of the longer term? The old “patch him up and have him ready for the next round of internationals” is still the attitude of the managers of countries who have no responsibility for the day-to-day well-being of anyone other than themselves. The psychological damage of an injury is never once considered by them – but is fully recognised by the large Premier League clubs.
There can be no doubt that Odegaard is one of the greatest of Arsenal players in the modern era. For all the grumbling among some Arsenal fans (a group of supporters who, it must be said, are prone to grumbling at all out-of-favour individuals) this is still the same player who has in recent years been seen by many as perhaps the finest playmaker in Europe.
But leaving aside individual players we have a really big reason to be cheerful, and that is the fact that although we have not seen it too clearly in recent league games Arsenal do have the ability to bemuse the opposition by switching their approaches in mid-game. Now the media often are prone to ask, “why didn’t they do 4-2-3-1 (or whatever it was) all game… but the point is that by suddenly changing, the Arsenal team know exactly what to do next, while the opposition will always take a while to adjust.
So although the opening approach of Arsenal, with the classic 4-4-2 line up didn’t work in the early stages of the first PSG match, starting like that again, but keeping the defence very tight, could then lull PSG into a sense of “more of the same” only to find Arsenal changing after 15 minutes. It would be a typical Arteta move.
Arsenal then could once more go over to the 4-2-3-1, meaning that Odegaard could focus on tracking the opposition rather than attempting to break forward. This then can flummox the opposition as they focuss on their own rotation.
And really this is the sort of approach a club needs, in order to break down PSG. They play in such a weak league that they have the opportunity to try out new tactics each mach, always certain from the opening day of the season that the title is theirs. Arsenal of course don’t have such a luxury for they are always challenging other big teams – some of course financed by whole countries.
But as the Arsenal players saw, with the tactical change so the confidence grew, and the level of possession changed radically. Of course, Arsenal still didn’t win, but I think a lesson was learned and I imagine the whole team will have been working on this change of tactical approach ever since. In fact I think we could see some of it in the last match, although it wasn’t perfected. But I suspect getting this notion of change wihtin a match right was more important last weekend than winning the game.
Indeed going back to the last PSG game, Arsenal were way behind in terms of possession at first, but in the second half took control. It just shows what tactics can do.
And yes of course I know Arsenal didn’t win, but the tactical change gave me some hope for tonight. More later, with the suggestions of the starting XI.
