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Arsenal’s Nearly Season: Disrupting the Backline, ‘That’ Trip to Dubai and Breaking Records

June 18, 2024
Premier League Analysis

When Mikel Arteta sat down to face the media for his first press conference as Arsenal’s new head coach, his message about what needed to change could not have been clearer. “We have to build a culture that has to sustain the rest. If you don’t have the right culture, in the difficult moments, the tree is going to shake, so my job is to convince everybody that this is how we are going to live, and if you are going to be part of this organisation, it has to be in these terms and in this way,”  Arteta told the press back in December 2019.

 

Throughout the last two seasons, the current crop of senior first team players at Arsenal can point to the shaken tree and paint a concise picture of who has held on to the branches. An 84-point total of 2022/2023 followed up by an 89-point haul just a year later shows progression, and 91 goals scored with just 29 conceded caps a Premier League campaign just a point shy of the famous ‘Invincibles’ season. It’s an achievement that would have won the division in any other guise.

 

As Kai Havertz’ 89th-minute winner on the final day against Everton consolidated the Gunners’ record 28th Premier League win of the season, two more than the side that went unbeaten and won the league in 2004 (26), the Emirates went flat. It was a moment that should have represented pride and elation, but Arteta went against the grain with an attempt to galvanise the crowd.

 

 

Whilst the Spaniard moved away from the screens and back into the group before the players trailed around the pitch for their annual end-of-season ‘thank you’ to the fans, Arteta cut a devastated and emotional figure. In spite of any criticism, it is nearly impossible to question the passion and determination of a man battling with his former master to the very pinnacle of English football—the Premier League crown.

 

With the league now effectively monopolised by arguably the finest group of players the English game has ever seen in the form of Manchester City, expectations are stalling across the division. Arteta has been backed at Arsenal, particularly given that the club-record £105 million outlay on Declan Rice last summer, a sum few thought they would ever see spent at Arsenal on a single player.

 

After going out of the Champions League with a limp effort away at Bayern Munich in the quarter finals of the competition, Arsenal found a second wind and attacked the remainder of the season with force and intent. A difficult result at home to Aston Villa prior to the Bayern loss put things into perspective for Arteta’s side, as the grim inevitability of Manchester City’s chase became a reality for the Gunners.

 

After Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool suffered a shock loss in the earlier kickoff, Arsenal went into their fixture with Unai Emery’s side with the opportunity to go three points clear of their title-chasing rivals. An early flurry of chances spurned by Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka left the door open for a second half smash and grab for Villa, as they left the Emirates with all three points in a resounding 2-0 win.

 

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This time, it was all about the reaction. The Gunners had been on a scintillating run of form since returning from their midseason trip to Dubai, winning every game bar one that came away at Manchester City at the end of March. Unsurprisingly, Arteta galvanised his squad and forced his strong-minded character upon his playing staff.

 

The likes of Cedric and Mohammed Elneny, both of whom were due to leave the club at the end of the season, were given key roles internally to pump belief into the group. Elneny, Arsenal’s longest-serving member of the squad, had barely played a minute for the Gunners throughout the season due to injury and falling behind Jorginho, Thomas Partey, and Declan Rice in the pecking order.

 

That sense of unity is the key foundation of Arsenal’s project. Arteta himself has spoken about creating ‘one club’, which was clear at full time whilst after the Gunners’ 2-1 win over Everton on the final day. “I think now it’s time to have a break, think, reflect, and please, keep pushing, keep inspiring this team. Don’t be satisfied because we want much more than that, and we’re going to get it. Thank you so much,” the Spaniard told those inside the Emirates that day.

 

It was recognition of what the fans had contributed throughout the campaign, something most believe Arteta is solely responsible for after building a very likeable and passionate squad. Arguably, the Arsenal manager risked losing that sense of unity on more than one occasion last season.

 

 

Starting with the pursuit of David Raya just weeks after Aaron Ramsdale had committed his future to the club by signing a new long-term deal, Arteta tested the group’s resolve by leaving out fan favourite Gabriel Magalhães to an underwhelming bench role amid reported interest from Saudi Arabia.

 

The Brazilian was, and still is, a stalwart at the heart of Arsenal’s defensive unit. His aggressive and fiery approach complements the ice-cool nature of centre-back partner William Saliba, a weapon in the Gunners’ armoury that ultimately led to just 29 goals conceded in the Premier League last season.

 

As the pressure mounted on Arteta to reintegrate Gabriel, the Spaniard opted to begin the season with an inverted right-back solution in the shape of Thomas Partey in the initial absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Ghanian had operated in that position towards the end of the previous campaign, allowing Arteta to experiment with a solution to what would eventually be his plan to sustain his much-desired clamour for control.

 

A pair of substitute appearances against Nottingham Forest in the season opener and the 1-0 win away at Crystal Palace before being kept on the bench for the disappointing 2-2 draw with Fulham seemed to disrupt Arteta’s thinking, who continued to reassure Gunners fans that the absence of the Brazilian was purely tactical.

 

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The reality for both Arteta and Gabriel was that the Saudi interest had turned the Brazilian’s head. Mouthwatering sums of money potentially on offer from the Middle East had swung the momentum in the favour of the player’s camp as Arsenal struggled to build early season form.

 

In a curious period, the Arsenal hierarchy believed an offer was imminent and looked to possible replacements such as Marc Guehi of Palace and Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City. It was, ultimately, Laporte who landed in at Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in a deal worth £23.3m.

 

Despite the proposal from Saudi Arabia, Arteta managed to convince Gabriel to stay and fight for his place in the team and was back into the side when the Gunners narrowly overcame Manchester United 3-1 on 3rd September to kickstart their season. The Gunners then beat title rivals Manchester City a month later—a match surrounded by the narrative of ‘Raya vs. Ramsdale’.

 

When David Raya signed for Arsenal, it was met with uncertainty both inside and outside the club. Without the quality being an issue, there were concerns that Raya’s acquisition might disrupt the culture built mainly by the man who led the pursuit of the Brentford stopper, Mikel Arteta.

 

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Steve Round, who had been Arteta’s assistant since the former Gunners captain arrived back at the club as manager, was quickly dispensed with after making his feelings known about the signing of Raya. He offered little to the process and reportedly irked Arteta throughout the decision to bring the Brentford goalkeeper to the Emirates, most notably due to the fact that Ramsdale is and remains to be a popular figure in the dressing room.

 

An initial £3m loan fee paid for the signing of Raya due to Arsenal’s financial restrictions allowed the club to defer a £27m transfer fee to the following summer, with Raya mooted to be close to completing a permanent move to north London after his European Championship commitments.

 

The initial reaction among various media outlets was that Raya was brought in to displace Ramsdale as Arsenal’s number one. By September 17th, when the team sheets came out for the Gunners trip to Goodison Park to face Everton, it was the Spaniard whose name was at the top of the Arsenal line-up.

 

A confident and assured debut performance put some minds at ease among the Arsenal fanbase, but some shaky showings further down the line led to wider debate about whether Arteta had made the right call. They were uncharacteristic mistakes, particularly given his ability to bring the temperature of the game down with the ball at his feet and offer a sense of calm upon claiming crosses.

 

 

Memories of Petr Cech nearly kicking the ball into his own net after receiving a back pass reverberated through the minds of the Emirates spectators when Raya smashed the ball against the shin of Julian Alvarez during the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Manchester City in October. As the ball span wide of the post, the crowd made their feelings known with a collective groan.

 

Prior to that moment, Raya had started the North London derby, putting in a superb display with an outstanding save to prevent Brennan Johnson from opening the scoring at the Emirates. The Sky cameras immediately panned to the benched Ramsdale, whose hands rose to the air to offer a seemingly sarcastic clap of support for his teammate.

 

In reality, Arteta had created a storm that hadn’t manifested itself throughout his reign as Arsenal manager, and flashbacks to dispensing with the services of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, and Matteo Guendouzi felt like a dim memory. As the season continued, Arteta’s confidence in Raya didn’t wane. He persisted with Raya and was ultimately vindicated with 16 Premier League clean sheets and a second-place finish, just two points behind Manchester City.

 

By the time Christmas rolled around, Arsenal had lacked stability and had often failed to convince the fanbase. Despite this dip in belief, Arteta’s side ascended to the summit of the Premier League thanks to a late Kai Havertz header in a 1-0 win at Brentford at the end of November.

 

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Consecutive victories against Wolves and Luton followed, but a turgid 1-0 loss away at Aston Villa brought the squad back down to earth. A fortunate 1-1 draw at Liverpool on the 23rd of December was quickly followed up by Arsenal’s worst period of the campaign, as West Ham claimed all three points at the Emirates before Fulham snatched victory at Craven Cottage on New Year’s Eve.

 

“Really tough day,” Arteta told the press after the defeat at Craven Cottage. “It wasn’t good enough. We didn’t deserve to win. When you have opportunities to go top of the league on December 31 and now end up with a really bad feeling, that is football. The lines are really thin.”

 

Arteta’s side then found themselves in fourth, as just one win in five Premier League matches brought their momentum to a devastating halt. A 2-0 loss at home to Liverpool to crash out of the FA Cup at the first time of asking, conversations about a title-winning season dwindled, and the confidence amongst the squad was at an all-time low. Arteta, however, didn’t allow heads to drop and sent the players on a week-long warm weather training camp to Dubai.

 

The Middle East has often acted as a break from reality for clubs, particularly during the winter months. A cold and wet London can be a depressing, miserable city at times, and the Gunners boss felt it was time for a reset. Various Instagram posts and ‘tweets’, now more formally known as ‘posts on X’ since billionaire Elon Musk completed the acquisition of the social media company, flooded our timelines. The players’ partners had been allowed to join the trip to Dubai, presumably to provide a feeling of togetherness.

 

 

Some players took part in golf, went out for dinner as a group, and spent time with each other away from the pressures of Arteta’s intense training sessions. This was by no means a forgone conclusion given the poor form prior to the trip, but Arteta and his coaching staff felt as if it was time to allow the players to relax ahead of what promised to be a hectic second half of their domestic campaign.

 

Like the decision to sign David Raya last summer, Arteta was once again vindicated by his choice to allow his players some breathing room away from their competitive commitments. Upon returning to the UK, Arsenal won eight consecutive league games, scoring 33 goals while handing out thrashings to Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Burnley, and Sheffield United in the process.

 

The restoration of confidence in front of goal was no coincidence. Arteta had completely shifted his tactical ideas, which had limited the team before the festive period, with a ‘double ten’ set up higher up the pitch in the shape of Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz. As the team continued to evolve, squad player Jorginho came into the team alongside Declan Rice. His presence was such that the team looked more comfortable in possession and seemed to manifest a better understanding of what Arteta wanted from his players.

 

The goals continued to flow, and the Italian became the eyes and ears of the manager on the pitch, consistently providing a measure of calm and composure when the odds were stacked against Arteta’s side. Internal frustrations returned to the surface when Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League at the hands of German giants Bayern Munich in April, just three days after a 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa — a pair of results that pushed the Gunners’ season to the brink of collapse.

 

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Another response was required immediately. Never was the urgency more palatable at a point of the season where the mood in the camp felt do or die. The reaction was near perfect, as Arteta’s title-chasing side powered towards the finish line with intent and aggression. They won their last six as convincingly as ever, with a 5-0 home thrashing of Chelsea and an impressive victory away at arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur coming before comfortable wins over Bournemouth and Manchester United.

 

As the final day loomed, Arsenal knew that they would need a favour from West Ham, who faced Manchester City at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola’s side, who had beaten Spurs 2-0 in North London in a peculiar fixture just days prior, continued to exhibit their relentless pursuit of a fourth consecutive Premier League triumph. Despite Arteta’s assertions of continued belief in the faces of the media, the likelihood of City dropping points at home to a West Ham side who had parted ways with manager David Moyes seemed low.

 

An early gut punch when Gunners fans received the news that Phil Foden had given City an early lead inside two minutes saw hopes of a first Premier League title in twenty years dissipate into thin air. Arteta, a disappointed figure on the touchline, rallied his team to keep pushing. The atmosphere inside the Emirates ebbed and flowed, particularly when rumours of a West Ham equaliser travelled through the stands after City had doubled their lead. Inevitably, the source was a farcical one.

 

Kai Havertz won the game on the day for Arsenal, as Everton had taken the lead to pump further doubt into the players. The full-time whistle meant that Arsenal had finished the campaign on 89 points and second to winners City, who secured their sixth Premier League title in seven years.

 

 

The mood at full time was flat. Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Ben White all collapsed to the floor in dismay, as it was confirmed that the Gunners had fallen short for the third season running of achieving their ultimate goal. In spite of the gutting end to the campaign, Mikel Arteta quickly gathered his group with sincere hugs and words of wisdom to lift them above the shadows of defeat.

 

Arteta looked emotional yet positive. He is a serious competitor and an outstanding leader, characteristics that have led to the point where Arsenal now find themselves battling with the very best. Bukayo Saka, who missed the final day due to injury, entered the frame of the Emirates pitch with a suffering motion. The England winner cut a limp figure of the infectious personality he usually exhibits.

 

“We’re so close,” club captain Martin Odegaard told the crowd post-match. “But at the same time, I’m so proud of all the boys; I’m so proud of everyone at the club. I’m so proud of the progress we’re making. We’ve changed the club. I think you all believe in us now.”

 

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This message was steeped in personality and commitment. Despite the disappointing end to the season, the Norwegian has led from the front to deliver a feeling of prosperity, not to mention a return to a consistent sense of confidence having arrived at the club with the collective self-esteem of the squad on the floor.

 

The promise for Arsenal fans is that this group has shown a willing determination to adapt and improve and will most certainly go again. Odegaard’s words are now the truth of the club, and this team will fight again to achieve their own and Mikel Arteta’s dreams.

 

By: Tom Norton / @XTPer90

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Catherine Ivill / Getty Images

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