Those three words above seem so very synonymous right now.
For the benefit of doubt,please permit that I script a short definition for each of those—
Arsenal: Arsenal Football Club is a professional football club based in Islington,North London, playing in the English Premier League, who go by the nickname,"The Gunners"
Arteta: Mikel Arteta Amatriain is the 39 year old coach of Arsenal football club,doing his 3 season in charge and his 2nd season from start.
Attrition: It means wearing down or wasting away through constant attacks or other process of decline.
Just yesterday(sic), the transfer window slammed shut. Well, I think for some clubs it really doesn't look like a "slamming", it's more like a gentle closing, but for some others who leave things late or who keep meeting resistance the closing of the window is like a huge bang of rejection. The Arsenal fan base are clearly one of those who received the "bang effect". The club succeeded in trumping all clubs I can readily remember by shipping out as many as six players(nay twelve overall even) in January and balanced the equation by signing two players– a goal keeper and a defender(nay and another defender a 16 year old left-back).
The goalkeeper(Matt Turner) and the central defender(Auston Trusty) both Americans, signed deals that allow them continue with their clubs till the summer then they would resume with the Gunners,whilst all the outgoings were with immediate effect; how is that for a balancing act for a club that should be challenging for honours?
Meanwhile this story means that the most valuable striker in the English Premier League for 4 seasons has just left. Valuable in the sense that,his goals has scored his team more points than any other striker. See the chart below:
Yet Barcelona signed him for free, eventhough his contract was to expire in 2023.🤔 How Arsenal were so eager to severe their ties with a man whose two goals won them the FA cup against Chelsea for Arteta, infact it was Arteta himself who championed his puzzling ease of exit to Barcelona.
Then some Arsenal fans are saying, okay you ushered Auba out,no problems, but why didn't you sign a replacement?🤷♂️
ISSUES
Another Arsenal fan said to us recently, concerning the Auba—Arteta clash,that an Arteta is not doing anything strange, that this is akin to what a Pep Guardiola can do and he did it in Manchester City, where in an attempt to clear out the ageing players he "fell out" with Yaya Toure and even did the unthinkable by benching Aguero. The person further added that sometimes it is not about how good the player is, but more about how well the player fits into the manager's style of play.
I like to answer this person by saying an Arteta is no Pep. Pep is way ahead of him,when we talk of coaching expertise. So he can do certain things and unearth alternatives. Arteta is no where near Another world class coach in Allegri that can afford to do without Ronaldo at Juventus. Secondly both coaches had the express backing of their clubs,especially in spending.
I can give more examples of Zidane at Madrid and Pep at Barca, they were both miles ahead of where Arteta is now coaching expertise. Pep was ruthless with Ronaldinho, Deco, even Eto'o; Zidane too in a gentler manner dropped a couple of players, but I repeat they had the intelligence and the backing of the club to get away with it.
As for Arteta, you can't be seemingly quarrelling with everything– with Auba, Torreira is not good, Guendozi is annoying you, Saliba is too young,Mavropanos is whatever. Now see how many players were eager to go this January and indeed they are gone. Even Lacazette and Nketiah(the only two senior strikers remaining) could have gone if Arteta didn't step in and halt any deal from happening for obvious reasons.
I dare say something is wrong with Arteta's man management somewhere or perhaps his coaching style or team structure is so rare that only a select few players actually get a hang of it.
Okay let's agree that it's his coaching style or pattern of play that is too advanced or new for a lot of players to understand, then sign your brand of players, he won't!
I SUBMIT
I put it to everyone reading this that Mr. Kroenke never wanted to sign in January and Arteta knew this all along. I believe all those transfer efforts(submitting bids and so on) were craftily fashioned to calm the fan base down, giving them false hope.
But is that not why you, as a coach, should be even more circumspect in your dealings with your players?
In this You Tube video above, Arteta traveled all the way to the United States to see the club's chairman,Mr Stan Kroenke, towards the end of the January transfer window. I think he went to appeal to the man for funds and true to type, the man refused. Infact it must have easier for Kroenke to refuse when, it's just the EPL Arsenal has to play for. I guess that loss to Liverpool in the Carling Cup hurts even more. I reason that the man knows he emphatically spent the highest in the EPL in the last window, so he doesn't see any need to spend again this January.
You knew exactly the kind of boss you would have,long,long, before you ever signed as a Manager, so you can't tell us Kroenke is too stingy with money or something.
Am I approving indiscipline? Oh no. You see, Lukaku did by far more than what Auba did, but the coach approached him and it's all done with. That's a Tuchel who was more ruthless years back. Arteta seems to be obsessed with falling out with players who have a little chip on their shoulders, yet he is not yet at the class of top coaches who can afford to do this, neither does he have a boss that will properly back him in the market.
By the way, if Arteta was the coach of PSG, by now he would have sold off Neymar,Verrati,almost the whole team because there are real egos down there.
TO CONCLUDE
Back to the matter, what Arsenal has now is a squad too thin to meet her goals this season. Or is it "supposed goals" I should say? One doesn't seem to know what is happening.
Perhaps Arsenal fans have been deceived– they are busy thinking their team should be pushing for a Champions League berth this season, whereas the coach, Edu and Co are not so into that,they like the fact that this team is really young, that salaries are lighter and then they are saying,"Hey Arteta don't worry so much about this season, when we get to the summer we there will be funds to buy some players and then you can challenge for the Champions League place. They are already preparing to extend his contract,you know. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11095/12522198/mikel-arteta-set-to-receive-new-contract-offer-from-arsenal-before-end-of-season-paper-talk&ved=2ahUKEwjegtnJg-D1AhX8BmMBHRKKDlgQFnoECBIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3qNL2xh4iXmj1hYui1ZwhB
THOUGHTS
Arteta is therefore the war,the war of attrition on this Arsenal side, for example what an awful red card record[@ogeewitty/arsenal-set-red-card-record] and all these strange shipping of players away without prompt replacement.
Again on the other hand this so called war may have been a well thought out and planned scheme to bring success in a time only the planners know about; with a January of moving out anyone who is not behaving right, desperately in need of game time or those they think(especially the younger ones) a loan move will help improve their game preparatory for a future come back. Twelve players left this January. Only the 16 year old signing,Lino Da Cruz resumed this January and he belongs to the junior team led by former Captain, Per Mertesacker.
We wait and see.
Well I'm happy Auba was signed,such a great talent needs to play top level football.
cheerfully...