3 improvements Mikel Arteta must make next season

2. Substitutions

This weakness and the next both go hand in hand. Arsenal are a front-footed team that craves sustained pressure in the opposition’s third. In those games where they start slow and the opposition goes ahead, it seems as if the game is finished. Arsenal never really seem as if they can overturn a deficit and get back in the game.

In a sport with razor-thin margins and a growing level of quality, difference makers can truly shine. Players will always take the spotlight. Yet managers can also be difference makers in their own right. Tactical setups, creativity and a willingness to adapt can win games. It is in this department of creativity with substitutions that Arteta must improve.

In looking to come back from going a goal or two down, there is a woeful simplicity in the Spaniard’s substitutions that merely revolve around getting more attacking players on the pitch. While this may work in some cases, in the vast majority of games, something more significant needs to change. Unless the set up or approach is altered, swapping out one attacker or full-back or another is pointless as they will run into the same issues as the players they are coming on for.

Arteta clearly values stability and balance in the squad. As the transfer window continues and different profiles of players are brought in, the options he has on the bench will improve dramatically and allow him to try new tactics. With the five substitutions rule coming into effect next season, Arteta must show improvements in how to maximise those who aren’t starting.

Continued on the next slide…