Arsenal Vs Bournemouth: 3 improvements Mikel Arteta has made

Arsenal looked nearly unstoppable in Monday night’s 2-1 victory over Bournemouth. It is in large part thanks to Mikel Arteta. Here are three improvements he has made.

Arsenal’s record under Mikel Arteta has remained relatively untarnished, despite three games against top-six opposition. The reason for that success was encapsulated on Monday night when the Gunners beat a scrappy Bournemouth side to the tune of a 2-1 scoreline.

Against Bournemouth, Arsenal looked utterly unstoppable as the Cherries backline defended for their lives for almost 90 minutes. Arteta’s side looked fluid and bright, many of the players completing above 90% of their passes, and despite only using two real midfielders throughout the course of the game, they controlled the park.

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Here are three improvements that Arteta has made during his short time as Arsenal head coach, all of which were made manifest in Monday’s win over Bournemouth.

3. Improved, consistent tactics

Under Unai Emery, one of Arsenal’s biggest problems was the lack of cohesion between games. A 4-2-3-1 formation one game, then a 3-4-3 the next, and a narrow 4-4-2 diamond after that. His constant tinkering and twisting wrecked any semblance of identity, making it very difficult for the team to string together wins, especially away from home.

Players were also put in the cycle chamber, with Matteo Guendouzi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Bernd Leno the only consistent starters, until the error-riddled pair of Sokratis and David Luiz at centre-back caught his fancy, at which point they too became mainstays. But beyond that, Emery’s reign was defined by indecision, tactical tinkering and painful rotation.

One of the reasons for Arsenal’s improved success is Arteta’s vision, one that extends to the far reaches of the club. He uses advanced tactical play, combined with a unified shape, cohesive movement, while also allowing an inherent flexibility so that the system can be adapted to the players on the pitch.

Mesut Ozil has found success in an inside-right attacking role. Granit Xhaka has excelled at the pseudo-left-back role which exploits his passing range and composure on the ball while guarding his lack of pace and mobility and allowing him to prioritise his left foot.

This shift also allows Bukayo Saka to move up the pitch, where he wreaks havoc. Just look at his impact against Bournemouth. The same goes for Guendouzi. Simply because Arteta gave him the space and freedom to operate freely against Bournemouth, using his aggression and passion to its full effect, he was allowed to release his inner fire and become the whirling dervish he was under Emery.

It is the tactical use of players, not just the use of clever tactics, which has improved Arsenal’s fortunes greatly. Arteta is putting the players in their best positions and roles to succeed, and then he is remaining consistent with it. And the impact is irrefutable.