Arsenal and Mikel Arteta: Finding the limitations

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has made a terrific impact on the team in the short time he has been in charge. But now, he is beginning to experience the limitations of his squad.

While he has only won one of his first four Premier League matches in charge, Mikel Arteta could not have hoped for a more impactful first few weeks as Arsenal head coach. Individual players are much improved, there is a greater definition to the team, and the collective approach is far better communicated and understood.

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The underlying processes are clear, and they are working. The team is much better defensively, playing with a greater organisation and structure out of possession and more intense and coordinated press, especially when the ball is turned over, and there are defined progressions with the ball, the playing out from the back substantially calmer and more successful.

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However, while there have been plenty of positives for Arteta to be pleased with and build upon, there are also limitations that he is beginning to reach. The squad is more talented than it presently appears, undoubtedly, and there is reason to believe that they can and should be producing better results than they have done this season, but there are also some fairly clear restrictions to its potential, especially when injuries and suspensions strike.

In Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, Arsenal largely controlled the match. Bar the opening 20 minutes and final, panic-induced closing stages, they were dominant, suffocating United with an effective high press and building play well with accurate and smart combinations, especially between the penalty areas. But when it came to those crucial moments, defending a lead late on, creating chances in the final third, converting opportunities with clinical finishes, there were struggles.

In this match specifically, Arteta was without both of his starting full-backs, using his fourt or even fifth-choice centre-back, without his top goalscorer and leaning on teenagers throughout the starting XI and bench to fill out the team. And all of this is while dealing with a squad that has major holes with or without crucial absences.

While the summer business was positive, adding a needed left-back, potentially elite winger, and young centre-half who will arrive next summer, there are still major problems with the personnel available. Centre-back is a huge weakness, central midfield is short of depth and elite quality, while the full-back positions have been ravaged by injuries, which was not helped by signing an already injured Kieran Tierney.

On Saturday, Mesut Ozil, who has been Arsenal’s primary source of elite quality in recent years, was largely anonymous, Nicolas Pepe showed glimpses but was not consistent, while their poor game management again came back to bite.

Arteta has made a very positive start to life as Arsenal head coach. And there is plenty of reason to hope for the remainder of his tenure based on the work he has put in thus far. But there are restrictions, and he is beginning to reach them.