Is Arteta really more Mourinho than Guardiola?

[@TheAthleticFC]

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[@Robert-i4g]

Arteta plays expansive football he is labelled a Pep copycat... He plays defensive football and he is labelled Mourinho... Thank God he is not Ange yet....

[@liam3104]

Pep never played expansive football. It’s a controlling possession based style

[@akmal94ibrahim]

He can't be Ange because Ange only plays one tactic. Arteta has his main tactic which is a lot like Pep, unsurprisingly, but he also adapts based on the opposition and situation. Ange never adapts.

[@OserojiemenKing]

There's still time for that

[@goated6146]

He's actually a healthy balance of both. He tried to play expansive in the first title run and came up short, last season he tried to keep it a little more compact and still came up short, now we're seeing he's saying man, whatever, whatever we gotta do to win and that's what I wanna see. The biggest example of this was Bayern last season, we got the lead and then tried to keep playing super open and p*ssed our pants. This is the growth of a good coach.

[@DC-zi6se]

Nobody has the guts to play attacking football against Pep Guardiola 😂 Except Klopp...

[@brianmaluleka9189]

that is too simplistic- this season we have had 4 tough away games( including going to Atlanta where Liverpool got smacked last season). Even last season things wont clicking in attack right up to Christmas because he tried playing Rice as a 6, as soon as Jorginho came into the team in January, we were scoring for fun.

[@FootballAndSuch]

​@@brianmaluleka9189 it's not too simplistic... It's absolutely correct.

[@omyga2062]

​@DC-zi6se that's why klopp only won 1 title 😭

[@Asshat237]

EXACTLY

[@cryptofpl]

Arteta is Arteta Pep is Pep Mourinho is Mourinho

[@T.E.S.S.]

wow

[@ssyfelix]

exactly

[@phureefongsammootr3479]

Yes

[@AsPredator]

big if true

[@NoOne-ks8tu]

U deserve the ballon dor for this

[@zsht]

Nice to hear an actual tactical conversation, after the past week of relentless emotional gaslighting by retired former rivals. Ex-Fergie players, no less - the absolute barefaced cheek of it is hard to fathom

[@NandoFIT-df8ly]

fergie's students tend to be managerial failures, i wonder why this is the case. i think it's because fergie was actually tactically limited and relied on man management and individual quality to "force" their way to a win rather than something more formulaeic and replicatable like pep. i read fergie's autobiography recently and it is not a football-related tactically-rich book as i expected, but more of a business-oriented leadership/management guide. with the exception of mckenna (not a direct student) and maybe ruud (at psv) currently, all of fergie's students are simply failures (ole, mclaren, rooney, gary neville), maybe laurent blanc was good but anyone can the league with psg. mourinho struggles with this too.. i think brendan rodgers is the most successful jose mourinho student (excluding xabi alonso who is a student of all 3 pep, jose, and carlo), every other mourinho student fails too

[@ronanfitzpatrick1261]

​​​@@NandoFIT-df8lyI think it's not as straightforward as that tbh. Ferguson achieved tactical complexity by layering simplicity - if you listen to his former players everyone knew what they were expected to do and what their teammates were expected to do, even when deployed in new/different roles. This allowed for quick straight forward decision making within the match and lowered the barrier of entry, but side effect was perhaps a lack of deeper understanding on why they were being asked to do what they did. Secondly the skillset to be a great manager vs a great player are very different and as we can see it's quite rare to have both. We could look at former players of any manager and ask why the majority were never managers, and why only a handful were managers at all. Lastly Fergies earlier teams were full of combative, self judging perfectionists. Keane specifically supposedly got frustrated when the people he was coaching couldn't do things he thought were easy - plenty of former Dutch greats were similar. On the other side it can be demoralising when the guy in the tracksuit who is supposedly past it is still at a level you can never reach and can't understand how you're just not getting it, and can't teach you to maximise your lesser skillsets because it's something teams further down the pyramid would do but is alien to them

[@ronanfitzpatrick1261]

On the focus around leadership and man management it's a good point. But you have to remember that even lower division teams can sign up for analytics services that they can use to show players were they can gain margins from. In Fergies era managers had to do that without that support, so building a players trust in you and your judgement of these things was more fundamental

[@ShiNooBi1986]

It's deflection away from their beloved club is all

[@kurthayward1161]

Do you know what gaslighting means? The most overused phrase ever

[@Kiluei]

Did everyone go collectively braindead? They were playing with 10 men.........

[@mashfnch30]

Commentators, pundits and analysts aren't interested in saying anything insightful, they create their own narrative within the media sphere of which the only purpose is to get eyes. When arsenal play with 10 they're parking the bus but then when spurs play with 10 they all scream and cry that they're not parking the bus

[@ghouls6666]

Exactly what i thought..... I can never understand the uproar..

[@vinodrawat-kw6oc]

That too away against perhaps best team of world. Ask real madrid last season

[@georgeikennaewah-uche4477]

They played the same against Atalanta. You could literally see 4-4-2 defensive block and retreat to their half and this is not a criticism as I tried to get my team to defend the same way and failed😅

[@bahriboy]

Against Spurs? Atalanta?

[@Thelifeofthegoat]

I think Arteta has figured out that you don't always need the ball to control a game. The opposition can have the ball as long as you can manage what they do with it by winning individual battles and overloading attacks. Pep controls the game by possessing the ball all the time to take away the threat of the opposition and maximizing his attacking threat.

[@ironicvirus1496]

Control works in different ways. You can either control as you said by possession or control by limiting shots, defending as a unit and taking chances without it being "moments". I think it's more of a case of the perception of defensive control is that its boring but that doesn't change the fact that it's still a form of control

[@snaggiz]

There’s kind of a ju jitsu kind of aspect to it I guess. “I can make you need to do things you don’t want, which is how I can win”.

[@kleec495]

They were back to their usual siege opponent penalty box against Leicester. It's good thing actually to have flexible game plan.

[@Godspeedysick]

@@snaggizThis is a profound statement if I’ve ever seen one. And I really like this particular tactics nuance because it’s so beautiful to see in football form. “As above so below.”

[@NotGilmore]

What I’ve observed about Arteta as a spectator is most people might not realize but he’s actually learned from the best managers of our time. He can be clever like Pep in his teams build up play and be defensively sound as the likes of Mourinho and Simeone. And that’s the way he’ll be able to beat Peps Man City team which is arguably the most dominant PL team of all time. You can’t just beat Pep in his own game and copy him, You also have to look at the structure of the managers that has beaten Pep in his career.

[@honestarsenalfan7038]

Joe Devine is unrivalled at hosting podcast type videos The only hour long videos I watched were the ones with him in it back in the day, interesting lively personality.

[@lucioledizerot196]

Arteta might be one of the most adaptable coaches out there in terms of playing style, which is great

[@seunmoses]

Tying to be more Pep than Pep is a recipe for disaster 😂 thankfully Arteta knows this, defence wins you games. Pep has a lethal attack and Arteta knew the players to make an equally lethal attack would cost too much (Rafael Lea, Vini Jr etc) so he built an incredible defence. Good on him that Arsenal are no longer pushovers

[@ModernSchema]

great comment

[@anweshchatterjee7595]

Exactly. Pep has always had the players. Messi, Lewa, Kdb... World class players to lead the team. Arteta has ...Saka? He's better off building from Gabriel and Saliba.

[@RD-zx6py]

You need to amass 115 charges to assemble the kind of squad Pep needed to be successful at City. Take that away and Liverpool become the dominant side of that era.

[@JamesHussain82]

​@@RD-zx6pyLiverpool beat them, Arsenal need the 115 chargers to beat them.

[@RD-zx6py]

@@JamesHussain82 Liverpool were robbed multiple times against them when they should have been champions. They've had their place in history as a legendary side that should have dominated stolen from them by cheats. They're the most hard done by by City's cheating.

[@thierryhenry674]

Since Arteta joined Arsenal as a manager, Arsenal have been playing defensive football, up until the 22/23 season which they played great attacking football that season, after the signing of Jesus and Zinchenko. Carragher interviewed Arteta in 2023, on whether he deliberately played defensive football in the seasons prior to that. Arteta said he had to, because he didn’t have the players to play the kind football he wanted to play. In another interview, Arteta talked about the importance of tactical flexibility. He said when he was driving to work, if he got stuck in one route, then he would take another route. So Arteta’s mindset is that he wants his team to be capable to play Mourinho’s football when they are facing opponents that are “stronger” than them, and to be capable to play Pep’s football when they are facing opponents that are “weaker” than them. That’s why two members of his coaching team are previously from Atletico Madrid who have experience working with Simeone.

[@thierryhenry674]

Arsenal fans have to face the truth that their players are not half as tekky/silky/tiki taka capable/skill moves capable as the Man City’s players. So unless they can immediately go to the transfer market to massively improve their squad, you can’t expect them to play attacking football AND get a win against Man City. Brentford, in the 22/23 season, have beaten Man City twice by parking the bus. If they play 10 times against each other, Brentford would probably lose 7 times, but that’s the only way you have a chance to possibly get points from this Man City. No other teams have got points off them by playing attacking football, not even Real Madrid. Last 5 times Arsenal played Man City, Arsenal won 2, drew 3 and lost 0. If this “defensive boring approach” is the only way you can get results off Man City, and you don’t play like that in most other matches, then why not doing it?

[@CharlesOdoch]

​@@thierryhenry674Liverpool did it under Klopp

[@thierryhenry674]

@@CharlesOdoch How much possession did Liverpool have when they were playing against Man City?😂 The way they won was with Salah’s fast counter attacks. To be able to start a counter attack, you have to be defensive first.

[@CharlesOdoch]

​@@thierryhenry674Liverpool wasn't known to be defensive under Klopp because they were actually a pressing monster of a team with everyone pressing together making them neither an all out attacking side nor a defensive team.

[@thierryhenry674]

@@CharlesOdoch Look at their field tilt and possession stats when playing against Man City.😂 And look at how deep they defend, and the type of goals they scored against Man City. They are very defensive in those games.

[@Kzeditzzz387]

What’s hilarious is if you watched Man City and look at their games. Fernandinho and rodri are the masters of fouls and transition fouls and rarely get a yellow. Man City also crowd the referee but in the arsenal v Man City game arsenal players get a yellow for crowding the ref in 2022 January the rodri game winner game The best teams have deployed little tricks and ways to exploit, but I don’t see why arsenal now gets a bad tag from it. The free kick tactics started when Leno against Brentford got held also Douglas luis corner which ram stale was held

[@ryankwatemba4071]

Don't get it wrong and don't be biased..the quick free kick was not a 'tactic ' it was a cheap shot .and you know it everyone knows it.the captain is a defensive player and they took advantage of walker talking to the reff..like it or not that was the cheapest of shots

[@ayell91]

​@@ryankwatemba4071walker have more than enough time to get back in his position but he wants to chat with his teammate more than focus to the game. Its basically his fault

[@lostafronaut4647]

@@ayell91 why argue with an arsenal fan when you can just wait?! Wait for the exact same thing to happen to them then watch the double standards

[@Kzeditzzz387]

@@ryankwatemba4071 If the ref spoke to walker than i agree then it shouldn't be taken quickly. But this things happen and the ref calls for the free kick to be re taken. That's down to the ref to maintain the integrity of the game not players who in the moment are focused on winning

[@brianmuchemi7111]

​@@ryankwatemba4071cheap shots , tactics call it however you want the thing is that walker had time you're a player when he finished talking to him he should have ran to his position seeing him dilly dallying and talking to his players he should have been more focused on running back to his position time waits for no man so should the game someone gets hurt and they stay outside the pitch as the game continues and for those few seconds the opposing team try to get and advantage if the roles were reversed are you so sure savinho ,grealish or doku could have waited for maybe califiori or white or timber or the captain at the time to jog majestically to his position even after the referee has blown the whistle ?? 😅😅can you guarantee that

[@JackBurton3963]

The season Arsenal lost the title after leading by 8 points was some of the very best free-flowing attacking football. Relentless and brilliant. Defensively more vulnerable.

[@GUYE-FAWKES]

Any one that has watched Arteta's progression as Manager knows, The man is a blend of great defensive fundamentals and equally great attacking fundamentals. You knew it from his embrace of the half press, or whatever the purists want to call it, doesn't matter, and patiently waiting for triggers . Eddie Nketiah was a willing participant. Rewatch Artetas second season and you will see. He wants a team that can adapt to whatever game is on offer. Thats his ideology, its one step ahead from just a ball playing team or a defensive unit. This is beyond Pep and Beyond Klopp, and certainly beyond Mourinho. He is Arteta , spanish elegance with an appreciation of the aggression of English football. He clearly wants a team that can execute a plan to the highest standards, a possession based football when needed and a defensive solidity when need. ADAPT.

[@kelvinsmith3960]

This is Arteta football, adapting to different kinds of play , attack mindwise , defensively mindwise, the ideal he explore is more of Arteta invention , Arteta has his own philosophy of football, there is no Pep and there is no Mourinho, also set piece Arteta is master of set piece , so there is lot more to see and he will definitely win the league trophy soon.

[@TYLOTYLOTYLO]

Arteta is Arteta. The only manager i’ve seen a very long time play multiple types of football to an insane standard. He won an FA cup with a 5 back. He was in a title race playing “Pep” ball Then he was in a title race with the best defence in the league and now we’re seeing him play pragmatic dynamic, defensive football and attacking football also in different games different opposition he switches it up. That is proper coaching

[@ejiro241]

Best defence in the league have conceded 8 goals so far. Interesting

[@bengaudin5434]

I think people look at possession stats in games where arsenal play more 'conservative' and immediately think they are parking the bus or playing "Mourinho" ball but out of possession they press really aggressively and still try and push for goals by dispossessing opponents in dangerous positions.

[@humzachudhary2056]

It’s not Mourinho ball, but it’s like that style but adapted to the modern style of football.

[@shishsuke]

Dispossessing opponents in dangerous situations is literally a core component of Mourinho ball, it's actually hilarious how many kids have this perception of Mourinho being some sort of a Tony Pulis

[@bengaudin5434]

@@shishsuke yes i forgot to put quotations around Mourinho for that reason because people often think of Mourinho when they hear 'park the bus'

[@shishsuke]

@@bengaudin5434 agree with you there. Parking the bus is more of a Pulis strategy, Mourinho would sit back and hit teams on the counter very well

[@bengaudin5434]

@@shishsuke yeah look i didn't watch much of Chelsea when Mourinho was in charge but when I watch arsenal at the minute, they're obviously very well organized defensively and don't mind putting players behind the ball but they're making a concerted effort to win the ball in the opponents half as opposed to waiting until they get into arsenals half. For all of havertz shortcomings he's a workhorse and closes down well. You routinely see odegard pressing the keeper in the 80th minute even with a one or two goal advantage. whether or not this is similar to what Mourinho's Chelsea did, i don't really know but its certainly not 'parking the bus' which many people seem to suggest arsenal do.

[@YTPxG]

Arteta is his own person. His main skill is adaptability (even in recruitment). More adaptive than both Pep and Mourinho. At their best, he is closest to Wenger's invincible-dominant both defensively and in attack, but better than Wenger at winning whatever way it takes.

[@JackPaul-vs3bq]

Winning what exactly, mate? One FA cup so far. 😂

[@tonnykayage]

Mourinho is a lot more adaptable. For example, holding does not stop Mourinho from winning the league

[@ironicvirus1496]

​@@tonnykayagealso don't remember Mourinho parking the bus when his Real Madrid team walked the league

[@CRuane02]

@@JackPaul-vs3bqHe means games obviously, the trophies haven’t come…yet.

[@ejiro241]

​@@tonnykayageI agree. Mou would have find a way to win the league when Saliba got injured. The way Arsenal folded that season was really questionable.

[@1000Tees_]

John nerding out about tactical philosophy was really enjoyable

[@snaggiz]

He’s got his principles, but he’s also extremely pragmatic. The ability he’s instilled in this Arsenal side to both be able to play beautiful possession football and swap to physical, tough, defensive football is impressive. To be able to do both at a very high level is very rare.

[@adventurerwannabe]

Ive yet to see this beautiful posession football you speak of and im an Arsenal fan

[@markright6759]

This is so dumb. Arsenal got two ridiculous red cards and were forced to play defensive for two halves and all of a sudden people are throwing around the phrase dark arts, so dumb.

[@CharlesOdoch]

How about against Spurs?

[@lostafronaut4647]

Rice's maybe. But Trossard saw his teammate get booked for booting the ball away and thought he should also have a go at it. 😂 Don't be silly. Trossard got himself booked

[@MrBrasserie]

What was last season then? It's the same. It's how he plays, not to lose vs rivals

[@bluechampx]

Arsenal parked the bus against Spurs, Brighton and City - even when the game was 11 vs 11.

[@john_mega]

they are masters of timewasting methods and the stats prove it

[@14loosecannon]

Honestly, disappointed that Athletic/Tifo have jumped on this narrative. Arsenal have played Brighton, Spurs, Atalanta and City back to back. The first and last of those they were down to 10 men because of red cards, and the last 3 were away from home, within the space of 7 days and without their most important creative player.

[@T.E.S.S.]

calm down

[@Gooner184]

Did you watch the video? They were fairly complentary

[@14loosecannon]

@@Gooner184 yeah I know, just a bit frustrated that this has become a talking point at all!

[@chajster]

Wow 2/5 game playing with 10 players and now we're talking about possession play. Although I will admit that Arteta prioritize defense over attack because of how many players he try to overload the opposition half of the field so he needs elite defenders.

[@sachitchowdary550]

But none of the defenders he signed are elite. He just guides them and lets them know small details of how to improve themselves. The coaching staff hired also should get credit, each of them are good at what they do to bring the best out of even average players. Basically what I’m trying to say is arteta makes players better by coaching and guiding them well with his tactics and learnings and experience.

[@lostafronaut4647]

Arteta will be found out soon. Mark Havertz and Gabriel out of set pieces. Mark Saka out of the games. Then they are a glorified Burnley

[@micah0190]

@@sachitchowdary550”None of the defenders he signed are elite” Thanks for letting us know you don’t know what you’re talking about😂

[@Aarya-v5n]

Everyone knows Arteta as Pep's disciple but they forget that he was also a player under Moyes at Everton, who were defensively solid. I think he always had being defensively solid as the top priority. The way he has integrated both those philosophies (solid defence and positional play) is so appreciable. That's why Odegaard is so important, because he is not only the bridge between the defence and midfield, but the bridge between these 2 styles.

[@sachitchowdary550]

@@micah0190 lolol, tell me which defender currently in the squad was first scouted by real madrid or bayern when arsenal signed them

[@Abc123ert56]

He's neither of them. He obviously got his pragmatic style from David Moyes, his beautiful fluid final third football from Wenger and his possession style from Pep Guardiola.

[@gabrieldasilvapimentel8873]

WOOOOOOWWWW! Jon's wearing the "Democracia Corinthiana" shirt!!! Salute from Brazil!!! VAI CORINTHIANS!

[@terraforever]

All I have learnt, speaking as an ordinary audience member at home, is that the rain is mainly on the plain in Spain, as opposed to Sweden, where I presume the rain is NOT mainly on the plain? Do they have plains?

[@wizardaka]

The truth is that Guardiola is more like Mourinho that people would care to admit.

[@BigSmoke2.20]

😂

[@dominiclm9991]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@play4dc]

I think what lots of managers have noticed is passing the ball out the back leads to big mistakes against good pressing teams. If you want to play direct at the highest level, you need the best pressers, a keeper with excellent long range distribution, and big fast players to win headers to help you burst up the pitch quickly. That high press is not mourinho-esque, its Thomas Frank.

[@Gooninguntildie]

This is the most sophisticated video I've seen in a while. But what is not said is that Arteta knows that our chance creation is not at an elite level and he will not be happy with that. The reason why dark arts and defence have stood out in the last few games is because we have struggled to achieve our ideal game model for various reasons. Arteta respects all aspects of the game, and that includes quick throw-ins and set-pieces. That's not the only game model Arsenal are aiming for. He is just kind of manager who wants to maximise every single aspects of the game. And I mean really every single thing. But I still don't know what to make of Arsenal's potential this season, given the early season injuries to Ødegaard and Merino, two red cards and a difficult schedule. I’m afraid this season will be another not good enough season..

[@Sizdothyx]

"Before you can win the right way, you have to start winning first" - Sacchi or Capello

[@andyhills9972]

Great video - basically describing how Arteta is willing to try different approaches in the face of change. The injury to Rodri gives us the chance to see whether Pep is willing to change in the same way, but for much longer.

[@irwanardiansyah6167]

Reuben did well to host yesterday, but I'm very glad you are back Joe! 👋🏻

[@drillnewsandclips3798]

please rephrase this brother

[@irwanardiansyah6167]

​@@drillnewsandclips3798it did sound weird🫣 sorry, I'll edit it

[@ibraheemhudthayfah3407]

The way you handle game tactics shows resilience, experience, knowledge, and critical thinking. The Athletic FC videos are on my weekly watch list !

[@alvinaditya1610]

the athletic is the last football channel i expect to comment about this matter, i mean dont be an idiot, arsenal were weakened after losing odegaard and merino, arteta had to adapt, i dont get why people are so surprised over this, calling it dark arts and such, dont you ever see how arsenal play when the squad are fully fit ?, come on

[@FilmStudiesFundamentals]

There’s been loads of absurd Athletic content in the last two weeks about Arsenal. It’s basically just well-produced content farming: they know that Arsenal fans are a very “online” fanbase, hugely protective of their team and, at the moment, frustrated about how the team are being treated and perceived and so engage with all the content.

[@alvinaditya1610]

@@FilmStudiesFundamentals now that you mention it, you are absolutely right, it's all for the views

[@gregbeales7945]

My dudes…2 seasons breaking arsenal’s scoring records 😊😊

[@antoniobrandao7139]

Being “more Mourinho” doesn’t mean less goals. Take a look at his Real Madrid and Chelsea sides. Being more Mourinho is more of a tactical mind set.

[@brucelee7782]

JJ, Jon, Joe, Seb are my favourite personalities, please keep them on the channel and podcast!

[@Thatdeltayorubaguy]

Arteta is definitely Arteta. He is someone who is swift with adaptability when the original plan is not going down well. He often had been berated in the past for lacking plan B & C etc. These days he anticipates changes in the games, and he is swift to adapt to get the best results possible. Watch him during his press conferences, he is like a man who has a ready-made responses to all questions before being posed at him at all. I don’t see him like anyone but Arteta, he is just an intelligent manager who learns from his mistakes and successful managers from yesteryears.

[@heinzii7834]

Him laughing at the journo was so disrespectful and I loved it. Stupid questions like that deserve that.

[@altberlin3826]

Arteta is his own man. I think that's pretty obvious

[@allenlopez9731]

These 3 are really fun to watch. They have a unique chemistry and repartee. All 3 have deep football knowledge and are articulate as hell!

[@michaeldawson3223]

One defensive performance after going down to 10 men against their main title rivals and people are saying he’s too defensive? Ridiculous.

[@pabvill9212]

love the Socrates sweatshirt

[@artmichael5270]

Guardiola is Guardiola. Mourinho is Mourinho. Arteta is Arteta. I hope this helps.

[@lilmoyse]

John is amazing at simplifying complex subjects 👏🔥

[@Andreweroo]

John is the whole reason to watch this, guy's class

[@mrstudioguy]

Arteta is Arteta . he’s already carved out a place of his own, through advancing the game by way of his approach to set pieces - for those who love sports you can see he’s genius in bringing a new dynamic into football. Soon other teams will copy this approach. If pep introduced corner management into the game we’d be lauding him to the end of the world so let’s give Arteta his flowers for doing what Arsenal managers are known for which is advancing the game.

[@stephencollins3709]

JJ hits the nails on the head; Arteta has assembled The team that no other team will want to play against. They have a tactical, physical, or skillful counter to every other team in the league right now.

[@chananson5983]

Whereas in the past you adjust tactics to get the best out of your players; nowadays you instruct players to maximize the system. Maybe this is why we see a lot less individualism in the modern game.

[@mangoesboy]

And precisely in positional play, individuals are dictated to express less, unless you are in the final third. Interesting topic to debate.

[@clintonorebajo1014]

The end threw me. Good analysis guys

[@xRizWaynex]

Hey guys, just wondering what kind of Wacom tablet you use for those infographics where you move around your players and lineups

[@ECG.767]

No one ever mentions that Arteta came up under Moyes at Everton! He learnt how to defend properly in those years. And that player size makes a difference especially for set pieces!

[@robinferizi9073]

One thing I've noticed is how good Arteta has become at live tactics, like when a player gets a red or a key player gets injured, he's able to change the entire way the team plays, and they're clearly all prepared for it, thats a difference to Pep because really all pep ever does is does like for like substitutions, and like for like players because of how many player options he has, I'd say Pep plays one style and just sticks to it which is why certain teams drain City, whereas Arteta adapts to different teams and situations, which is why no opponents of arsenal have an easy time

[@yf9409]

Excellent analysis, but a vital element was overlooked: Arsenal's mastery of data-driven strategy. By assembling top medical professionals and coaching staff, Arteta has optimized set plays, exploited the 'dark arts,' and perfected penalty conversions - unbeaten since 2022. Under Arteta, Arsenal has transformed from pushovers to resilient contenders, mentally and physically. This metamorphosis stems from deliberate signings of technically gifted, tall players and embracing the Arsenal philosophy. Arteta's strategic defense echoes our successful 70s and 80s teams, the bedrock of our legacy. To beat Mikel's teams, chaos is key - Tuchel's UCL tactic proved this. Arteta's managerial style blends experiences under top managers, his father's influence, and loyalty to the 'Arsenal way.' Moreover, he leverages cutting-edge analytics from STATS DNA (acquired by Arsène Wenger in 2012). This sports data company, also utilized by the Kronke family, incorporates NFL and NBA statistics into football strategy - Arsenal's secret weapon.

[@DarrylOswald]

Can we just bring back the podcast please? Forcing these guys to stick to The Athletic's rigid script is sucking the souls out of them and wiping the smile from my face.

[@naeemshaikh3191]

17:20. Something that would have been worth including to highlight Arteta's emphasis on denying the opposition chances, is that for the 23/24 season Arsenal had the lowest xG conceded.

[@johngonzalez2440]

Joe is back!!! 💛

[@akmal94ibrahim]

This is a dumb debate. Arsenal played sensational possession-based high pressing football last season. Probably the best team to watch last season. Now, just because of two games where Arsenal were down to 10 men and were defending a lead, rival fans are comparing him to Jose. Based off TWO games where Arsenal were 1 man down.

[@MrGoldensoles]

Say what you will but these guys are top about relaying strategies and tactics

[@NotGilmore]

What I’ve observed about Arteta as a spectator is most people might not realize but he’s actually learned from the best managers of our time. He can be clever like Pep in his teams build up play and be defensively sound as the likes of Mourinho and Simeone. And that’s the way he’ll be able to beat Peps Man City team which is arguably the most dominant PL team of all time. You can’t just beat Pep in his own game and copy him, You also have to look at the structure of the managers that has beaten Pep in his career.

[@mattmmk]

I don't see how the tactics are not always subsidiary to the players, regardless of which tactics. But also Pep's tactics require great players to be successful, nothing wrong with that he's a high class manger. Whereas Mourinho won the CL with Porto and its easy to see how a team of lower quality could triumph using Mourinho type tactics but it would be incredibly difficult to win with less quality while using Pep style tactics. Perhaps I've missed the point here.

[@owenrodgers8020]

Pep would be more like Mourinho if he had to play against Pep

[@michaelarmer256]

feel like this should be a podcast

[@renagihitolo5059]

"Arteta is Arteta" he changes tactics based on the opposition and the team he has. He's fluid just like water.

[@sudhanvakashyap2980]

The other way Jose Mourinho was different Arteta is that Mourinho never used to plat in a set grid or like stick a certain formation during a certain phase. Sure, he usually played with a 4-4-2 formation but, there was more relationism involved than in what Arteta does.

[@Sasuke-Dono]

I can't believe this is actually a topic🤣 arsenal have played 5 games and in 2 games with 10 men Now Arteta is suddenly Mourinho???

[@YahyeAbdirahman-l3b]

Arsenal sat back against totenham and atalanta😂😂😂😂😂

[@MsArun20]

One of the biggest skill of Arteta is adapting to situations during the game.

[@KaustubhSharma95]

You guys should do a piece on how Brentford have managed to consistently score early goals. Is it luck or is it rehearsed? What does it do in terms of game state? Why do teams fall for it? When will Brentford win the Premier League?

[@LebbMangenaShow]

The Athletic going through the internet then talking about it like some great idea Arteta was never like Pep, Arsenal never played like Man City to begin with, the comparison was forced. Defensive football has existed before Jose also

[@danogunner]

Given arsenal had more big chances created in the league since 2017, more shots at goal yesterday than any team across Europe’s top 5 leagues. Arsenal can play MANY different ways. What matters is they know how to get a result - even with inconsistent reffing and 2/3rds of their preferred midfield out injured. Arteta is the most pragmatic coach in the league - he does what works for each game according to the players he has.

[@gunnarandersen6570]

10:35 These are the top tier references you don't get in any other football analysis video xD

[@Sui_Generis0]

Such a lazy question. Arteta has many influenfes but he's his own man with his own style

[@newbie4789]

Nowadays, either you have a star studded overpowered squad like Pep's City or adapt to each opponent. Arteta knows with the current squad and injuries, his team is not capable of overpowering City, Bayern or Real Madrid easily, but can overpower most of the other teams if played well. So he tried to with and without ball depending on the opposition. The same philosophy can be seen in his friend's last year team... Alonso's Leverkusen. Alonso picked some incredible players that were went unnoticed by big clubs like Grimaldo, but he not only created a very interesting Style with highly advanced attacking full backs, he also switched around his team and used off the ball tactics against Bayern and all last season. That's the new ball. It's very hard to keep up with the bohemith of Players these Rich , giant clubs have. So instead of dreaming to match the strength physically, managers are thinking about sneaky workarounds to just get those points.

[@benjaminklapproth2913]

And what is the Tifo channel? Your second channel, or is it only with these three guys?

[@supertomjr997]

Mix of both i think, we can play sublime football when we want, but also we are solid at the back and once we get a goal its done

[@LtBoot]

I think what this discussion is missing is an acknowledgement that Arteta is Basque. And that the Basques have a long and proud coaching tradition in a similar but different way that there is a Catalan tradition that Pep is a part of.

[@Miloaistabur41]

Arteta is Arteta, he has his own style

[@Umz808]

One of one of Arteta’s biggest influences has to be Moyes. Moyes at Everton punched well above his weight and not necessarily playing beautifully all of the time.

[@tahsinsajid8672]

He need to win big trophies first to be considered among the greatest. But he is a top manager without a doubt. He needs to win the league and ucl to even get compared to pep and mourinho.

[@rikachu571]

A great manager, like a great general, recognises that if you are outgunned it is a bad idea to take on your opponent head on. Mourinho when faced with one of the all time great teams in Arsenals invincibles, didn’t try to out pass them, he sat deep and exploited the spaces they left on the counter with precision, pace and power. Players like Drogba and Robben were tailor made for this style of play. Likewise Arteta learned the hard way that trying to out Pep Pep is a terrible idea over the course of a season. City have the best players and deepest squad plus more than that they have the only player in the league capable of playing as a single pivot to a world class standard meaning they can commit more players forward safely. All I will add is that those same Arsenal fans who were all about beautiful football and were dismissive of Mourinho as “boring” are looking a little hypocritical these days.

[@matheuscastro5254]

Democracia Corinthiana 🖤

[@shivasmaranreddy8573]

Comparing to jose and pep where he didn't win anything except a fa cup and two bottle jobs

[@mutant__4174]

did they mention in this season we played with 10 men in 2 games so far which might be the reason for low possession?

[@KavalierII]

Key point too is that he’s currently without his captain and playmaker so they can’t play the same way. Great analysis though

[@mihacebin4341]

The Big Three is back

[@missing_score2]

he played under moyes so maybe it would be better to examine what he learned from moyes?

[@GreenSaxon]

No David Moyes influence?

[@iazan]

Shoutout Jon's "Democracia Corinthiana" sweater. If you know, you know

[@antoniobrandao7139]

The ultimate betrayal.😅

[@Shorts1_0_1]

Ooohh yess....this should be interesting

[@frandsensoerren9673]

Beautiful

[@Esco-lq4rb]

The way Joe said weather 😂 10:35

[@ZPSBestProfileName]

Plays defensively against spurs and whilst down to 10 men against city and brighton. Dominated brighton in first half. Is The Athletic becoming trash journalism?

[@MiskerSeleshe]

In my opinion mourinho real madrid are the greatest transitional counter attacking team football has ever seen

[@catinsidethehead]

My favorite trio

[@Bright259]

Arteta spent almost 16 years playing Scotland and England, no way he was going to be a pep clone but you will see bits of pep in his system, he's a manager who respects all styles of football, he's always full of praise for teams who unfairly get points out of him, he usually just criticizes the ref never the opponents, he thinks all systems are brilliant, he's openly talked about learning so much from moyes and you can see those traits in his system

[@ironicvirus1496]

I guess it's a modern thing where people think you just have to take one thing from one manager and that's it. He's played under many managers. Why can't he have taken things from all of them and used certain things. Sure, he has some stuff from Pep, but the moving to physical players and being good in one on one duels and being good at set pieces I'm sure is from Moyes

[@IamPrxmetheus]

Mourinho won a UCL after just two years managing a big team. Arteta has been at arsenal for 5 years now. Its an insult comparing Artaters to the Special One

[@Deadlus-p3m]

Sounds to me like somebody doesn't know that teams play differently depending on the opposition. Not knowing that indicates not having played much football at any level.

[@Steglasaurus]

The real answer is that he is his own man. Like any craft or industry, you will have mentors and draws of inspiration, but I don't understand this obsessive need to categorise Mikel Arteta into a particular box. He isn't team Pep or team Jose, he doesn't fly the mes que un club banners aloft from his tower... he is his own man. Think of your own life and who are today, you became that person through countless interactions with people who are or are no longer your friend, teacher, confidant or lover. All because Mikel was his assistant for 4 years doesn't mean he's a Pep clone, we need to have more nuance with these conversations. I hope that ends up happening at some point but it doesn't look likely.

[@Khannonball]

To compete with City, you either buy top attackers that cost a lot and is more rare to find. Look at the Stirker market. Easier to get a better defence and improve there. Now if Arsenal buy a top attacker...

[@djorgen]

These guys!

[@bradley4706]

Bit harsh to say that Mourinho plays ‘bad football’ if I understand them correctly. I can tell you for certain that when we (chelsea) had him, we thought it was very good football. It’s very fun to win 😀

[@davemccann900]

Everyone’s forgotten how Arsenal scored 35 goals in 7 games last year.