da prosport bet： Writing in his weekly Premier League predictions for Sky Sports, Charlie Nicholas has delivered a glowing verdict on the changes that Mikel Arteta has begun to make in his first few weeks in charge of Arsenal.
What did he say?
da pinnacle： The Gunners have enjoyed an upturn in form since the Spaniard took over from Unai Emery on a permanent basis, with the club losing just once, and picking up a notable victory over Manchester United on New Year’s Day.
And now, Nicholas has hailed the former Manchester City coach for the improvements the Gunners have made in such a short period of time, particularly from a work ethic standpoint.
He said: “It is a tough transition for Arsenal at the moment. There is a heartbeat in the team, and certainly more togetherness than what there was. It has a long way to go before it is fixed, but they are grafting away for Mikel Arteta.
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“He is working them harder at this stage of the season, physically, than what they would like, but they were a lazy team. They didn’t understand what teamwork was, and because of that, Arteta has said they needed to work harder on the basics. They have not got their mojo back, but there has been a couple of clean sheets, albeit fortunate ones, but he is getting a response.”
Fundamentals
In Arteta’s first few press conferences after taking over the head coach role, the real buzzword was the term “non-negotiables”. The idea that, for him, there are certain things in football that simply must be present at all times: energy, commitment, passion etc.
And judging by some of the performances the Gunners have produced under his leadership, those qualities have been there in abundance. The victory against United has certainly been the highlight, and when looking at the stats, it really does support Nicholas’ assertion that the players are working far harder. As per Sofascore, they won more duels (54) and tackles (19) than the Red Devils, and also made more interceptions (15) and clearances (18) too.
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If Arsenal work hard as a group and as a collective, then their technical quality will then shine through. As Nicholas says, the Gunners are back to doing the basics again.
Meanwhile, Arsenal must avoid losing this much-criticised man due to their growing crisis.