Arsenal’s dismal run of results has been compared by Mikel Arteta to an onion, and the player is optimistic that his team’s “phenomenal” mid-season break can rekindle their title challenge.
Arsenal dropped to fourth place at the end of the previous season after suffering back-to-back losses to West Ham and Fulham. The runners-up from the previous season have only triumphed once in their last seven games in all competitions.
After a week in Dubai, which the Arsenal manager believes has helped to “recharge the batteries” of his players, Arteta’s club takes on a Crystal Palace team that is similarly out of form on Saturday.
Given that Arsenal is creating more opportunities than their opponents, Arteta was optimistic about the team’s chances of closing Liverpool’s five-point lead at the top. However, the Spaniard acknowledged that he and his staff have been struggling to find a way to improve the most crucial statistic of all: goal scoring.
“After examining all the data, it is evident that Arsenal is the team that is performing the best,” Arteta remarked. In actuality, we haven’t prevailed in enough games. Something lies behind it; it like an onion with layers upon layers… To truly comprehend what is causing us to win or lose, we must go deep.
The margins, the little things, and the boxes themselves have all contributed significantly to that. That needs to be changed. As a coach, you may believe that if you do something, that’s what will happen. It’s not.
To succeed, we must discover something else. Arsenal’s long-term interest in Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who returns on Saturday following an eight-month gambling suspension, looks unlikely to materialise in the winter market given the Premier League’s spending rules.
Toney is a more realistic target for the summer. When asked which position he could sign a player in if money were no object, Arteta insisted, “I love the players that we have,” which was possibly instructive.
However, the manager did disclose that Arsenal have been using a “holistic approach” to enhance their finishing, one that includes permitting the players to travel to Dubai with their families in order to spend “togetherness and moments.” Arteta remarked, “They are a part of us.”
They share a home with us. Although they may not spend every day in the building, they nevertheless experience our successes and disappointments in their careers on a daily basis. They must be acknowledged.
They must be there, and in my opinion, that was one of our best times together. We constantly aim to adopt a comprehensive strategy and consider all factors that could have an impact on the players, both positively and negatively.
Emile Smith Rowe’s potential loan to West Ham was downplayed by Arteta, who expressed optimism about the likelihood that Julien Timber will return this season after the £34 million summer acquisition intensified his recovery in Dubai.