Arsenal vs Burnley: Lack of concentration Mikel Arteta’s fault?

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal rebuild is well and truly underway. While the season got off to a dismal start, results and, more importantly, performances in recent weeks have shown the direction in which the young manager wants to take this club.

Wins against Leeds, Benfica and Leicester City have caused a wave of optimism to buoy the feeling around the club. One obstacle that has plagued Arsenal for years, however, is a lack of concentration. Foolish mistakes. It is evident that this problem is a deep-rooted one that is still very much a feature of the London club after another glowing example against Burnley.

Conceding early in games is one obvious aspect of the lack of concentration on the pitch – goals were conceded within the first six minutes in games against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Leicester. For a club languishing in tenth but with aspirations of challenging for the highest honors both domestically and in Europe, this is unacceptable.

Another aspect seems to be complacency. While Arsenal usually do not play well enough to be complacent in the first place, complacency surfaced in the fixture against the high-flying Foxes and now against Burnley. Misplaced passes created unnecessary issues in a game where all it would’ve taken was one (seemingly inevitable) Jamie Vardy goal for the momentum to shift. On Saturday, it was Chris Wood who was the beneficiary.

After Granit Xhaka’s howler against Burnley, is the lack of concentration at Arsenal Mikel Arteta’s fault?

If Arteta wants to truly drag Arsenal back to the top, he needs to look to those already at the summit. He can even take notes from his old club, Manchester City. Part of what makes Man City so difficult to play against is their efficiency. Even when in the lead, they stroke the ball around the speed and accuracy, creating a sense of hopelessness and mental fatigue in their opponents. This kills off the match.

Arsenal are clearly far behind City in terms of both league standing and the quality of the players who take the pitch for their respective teams. Regardless, the composure with which the blue half of Manchester plays should serve as a blueprint for Arteta to work towards.

The source of the lack of concentration can be debated. Some argue that the responsibility to maintain focus from the first whistle to the last rests purely on the players’ shoulders. Yet others argue that it is the manager’s job to motivate his players and ensure that they are ready for any and every scenario.

The source stems from both reasons. The quality of the players needs to be improved and hopefully will be as Arteta continues to shape the team. The Spanish manager has repeatedly pointed out the fine margins by which games can be won and lost. He must also take responsibility for these lapses and solve this problem as it continues to cost Arsenal points.

They’re shooting themselves in the foot almost every week. The Granit Xhaka incident but another catastrophic moments that cost the side dearly.

Arteta knew what players he was going to have to work with when he got the job. It’s up to him then to make sure that the 5’7″ Raheem Sterling does not win an uncontested header in the box in the second minute of the game. He’s the one who picks the team and he’s the one who trains them every day, however, he can’t account for individual mistakes.

The players have to shield the blame, but it’s an issue for him to resolve as quickly as possible as it’s destroying the season and resulting in further slides down the table.