Arteta has no excuse not to learn from Arsenal mistakes

As is always the case, emotions in the direct aftermath of an Arsenal defeat are more potent. Immediate reactions are always centred on negatives with less margin for reasoning.

Yet, a few days on from events against Brighton and nothing has changed. As a matter of fact the despair at the ill-fated route Mikel Arteta took his team down has deepened.

He made a huge error in his team selection, as well as the decisions that followed. Fielding Granit Xhaka at left-back and leaving Nuno Tavares out of the side was just the tip of the iceberg.

Tactically the setup was a mess. Fielding Xhaka at left-back wasn’t just with a clear nod to the lack of faith he has in Nuno, it was actually with an eye on bringing deep progression from that area. If it was the first time he’s tried it then there is some mitigation. But it wasn’t. He knows the limitations and persisted nevertheless.

Mikel Arteta has no excuse not to learn from Arsenal mistakes with same errors repeated in damaging defeat to Brighton

What it resulted in is a left-back constantly receiving the ball in a static position. Xhaka’s first touch isn’t a positive one out of his feet to go down the line, with his skillset intended on feeding a player in close proximity to him who can build into the next phase. Whereas, in this position, he’s finding Gabriel or Emile Smith Rowe to feet. These are not the passes you want Xhaka to make, and not the areas you want other players to receive the ball.

It made life so easy for Brighton. They could defend with all the play happening in front of them. So, what does one do in this instance? Change it. Change it in the right way.

Arteta’s solution was to bring Xhaka into midfield (correct) and then leave his two best attacking threats effectively operating as wing-backs (incorrect). With a striker in Lacazette who won’t stretch the pitch or offer threat in behind, the two players who can do that for Arsenal were shunted out to get chalk on their boots. There was simply no logic in it. Tactically it was an awful mess.

So too was having Martin Odegaard deeper so that one of your most aggressive pressers off the ball can’t instigate that side of the game. From every angle it is viewed from there were mistakes, and that lack of cohesion will have impacted player performances, even if they are far from infallible in this instance.

But the primary point is that Arteta has no excuse not to have learned from what he did last season. At least last season when the Xhaka experiment happened he had Partey in midfield, now he’s got a 22-year-old midfielder having his first taste of Premier League football handed major responsibility despite barely kicking a ball this calendar year.

The bottom line is it is stupid. The line below that is that it is repeated stupidity.

There is leniency in much of what Arteta has done on account of his inexperience, just as there are undeniable triumphs in his work that have built a belief within the whole club that Arsenal are on the right direction. That doesn’t mean he can’t be heavily criticised when it is warranted.

Having failed to recognise his own failings against the Seagulls, there is no leeway for him if he makes the same mistake again on Saturday against Southampton. There wasn’t any on this occasion, and there won’t be any then.

He has to learn, and learn fast.