Arsenal: Mikel Arteta needs a revolution

Mikel Arteta is Arsenal’s new head coach. As he looks to take the team forward and out of the Unai Emery mess, he must inspire a revolution.

Mikel Arteta is Arsenal’s new head coach. With the news, the Gunners look set for a new era that will hopefully bring more promise and structure than the last. The changes Arteta will have to make for Arsenal to become a top-tier side once again will have to be bold and plentiful.

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At this point in the season, the sad truth is that there is not much to play for in the Premier League as both top four and relegation look unlikely. Although they are a mere seven points adrift of the top four, there has not been much promise to show that Arsenal can actually keep on track with the likes of Spurs and Manchester United who have been in fine form as of late. Every other big-six side, along with Leicester City, has showed flashes of brilliance in certain games that show room for growth and potential. Arsenal, on the other hand, have not. In fact, not only have they failed to beat a top side; they have only won one game all season by more than one goal.

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And the feeling towards the team’s prospects beyond this season is not any more positive. o summarize, there is little room for promise with the current squad. The first team is built around three star players, Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who are 31, 28 and 30 respectively. They are ageing and underperforming. I have long argued that selling one of Lacazette or Aubameyang is entirely essential for the team’s development in the long run, while Ozil is a sell-at-all-costs individual, too.

It is not just the stars, either. Those that have been crushed by the negativity of their play and suffer from a negative relationship with supporters, like Granit Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi, should also be moved of. These swift changes are vital for Arteta to turn around both the quality of play and the overall team moral.

Most of this is widely accepted within the fanbase. Every Arsenal fan will tell you that the club should sell Ozil, Xhaka and Mustafi. But making the same argument for Lacazette and/or Aubameyang stretches the argument a little further. Nevertheless, while their departure would unquestionably hurt the team in the short term, Arteta and the club must focus on what is to come, not on what is happening now.

Reports from across Europe have stated that Real Madrid are interested in Aubameyang and that the striker is beginning to push for a move away from north London. Swapping Aubameyang for Luka Jovic and some cash would be ideal. Jovic is still a mere 21 years old and is a natural finisher with the physicality to work in the Premier League.

Lacazette, on the other hand, would also be desirable to many of Europe’s top clubs and would likely command a fee in the range of £70 million. Teams like Atletico Madrid are certainly desperate for more firepower and the sale of the Frenchman would enable Arsenal to invest money in younger replacements and weaker positions.

Personnel is only part of the problem, however. In addition, Arteta will need to establish a team identity that they can build around for the future, something they have lacked over the past several seasons. Unai Emery had originally intended to structure the squad like a Liverpool, reliant on their athletic and dynamic front three. However, that plan was never properly put into place and the squad constantly altered formations while Liverpool almost exclusively use the 4-3-3 that has served them so well.

Emery tinkered his way to confusion, and his lack of clear English and muddled communication only furthered the befuddlement within the squad. There was a lack of definition. Tactically, Arteta must provide clarity, certainty and identity. What that style will be is difficult to say. Arteta the player and Artete the assistant manager have been very possession focused, but the squad today does not possess the on-ball qualities of prior Arsenal sides or the current Manchester City squad.

The steps Arteta takes in the coming months will set the tone for the new era to come, an era that needs to be successful for the Gunners to regain their status as one of England’s elites and as a club to be feared. He is undertaking a revolution, from top to bottom. Let’s hope it is a positive one.