A load of outdated balls

It’s very chilly right here in Dublin this morning. You already know who I blame? The Carabao Cup ball.

Actually, I do know we dwell in an age the place clickbait guidelines, however a number of the stuff round Mikel Arteta’s post-match feedback has been dismal to say the least. In case you suppose he’s actually blaming the ball, you didn’t watch what he stated, and it’s a measure of the place we’re on this media world that his phrases have been twisted the best way they’ve.

Remarking on one thing shouldn’t be the identical as complaining about it. And it’s undoubtedly not the identical as blaming it. If anybody actually thinks that when the supervisor and his workers sit across the video screens to analyse the sport once more they’ll come to the conclusion that it was the fault of the ball, they’re nuts.

Right here’s the place I feel the ball may lie within the listing of ‘culprits’, for need of a greater phrase:

1 – Jurrien Timber miss
2 – Gabriel Martinelli’s miss
3 – Kai Havertz’s miss
4 – Poor defending for each targets
5 – 845 [A load of other things that we can do better when facing a team in a low block]846 – One thing else
847 – The ball (perhaps).

It additionally ignores his post-game remarks when he made it clear what the large difficulty was:

It’s about scoring targets. Once we miss the possibilities that we missed after which concede a purpose, it’s at all times robust.

BuT thE BallS!!!!

Scoring targets. Being medical. I discover this dialogue so attention-grabbing, as a result of I don’t suppose there’s any doubt we will do higher in that regard – however once you take a look at the Premier League desk solely Liverpool have scored extra they usually have one of the best participant on this planet in a number of the finest type of his profession to make them that bit stronger. Now we have scored the identical as Chelsea, they usually have a participant in Cole Palmer who’s producing with unbelievable consistency.

Salah has scored 38% of Liverpool’s Premier League targets this season; Palmer is liable for 33% of Chelsea’s targets; whereas our highest scorer within the league is Kai Havertz with 7 which is 17% of our whole. Is that higher as a result of we’re much less reliable on one man, or will we miss that one man to present us the sting? I suppose it’s value stating that we’re lacking Bukayo Saka whose 10 assists make up 25% of that whole for us this season, and his 5 targets cement his contribution additional. When it boils all the way down to it, Saka is for us what Salah and Palmer are for Chelsea – you’ll be able to’t assist however surprise/hope how they’d deal with their absences.

Within the Champions League, we’ve 11 targets from our 6 video games, a good distance behind a number of the main scorers, however having conceded simply twice we sit in third place in that individual desk proper now – and it does generally really feel like defensive parsimony is an effective factor to have in Europe. Which isn’t to say you wouldn’t need extra up entrance, however that defensive solidity stays an essential platform.

My intestine feeling on this, and it simply that, is that we’ve hit one thing of a ceiling in terms of what these gamers can produce from an attacking foundation. That doesn’t imply it’s throughout, nor does it imply we will’t get a bit extra out of sure people. I feel it’s apparent that Leandro Trossard is able to extra, Gabriel Jesus has solely simply began scoring once more after a interval within the barren wastelands, and if Gabriel Martinelli might produce numbers akin to his finest season, we’d be in higher form up entrance.

The massive query of whether or not we add to the attacking roster earlier than the tip of the month is the one that’s on everybody’s lips. Proper now, it doesn’t sound like there’s something imminent, though Arteta insists we’re open to creating that occur if the precise alternative comes alongside. I hope it does. We’ve come such a good distance and made such wonderful progress, and it now seems like we’ve simply plateaued just a little bit. An injection of one thing new and contemporary feels just like the factor we have to kick on once more.

It additionally seems like one thing everyone wants proper now. Not simply the supporters, however the gamers themselves, and even the supervisor. A brand new face can have a big effect by way of the dynamic and what they will deliver to the crew. If the fires are beginning to dwindle, pour just a little petrol on them within the form of a brand new participant. I hope the possession are paying consideration, as a result of whereas it’s not a 100% assured repair, you’ll be able to breathe life again right into a crew with the correct of addition.

Past that although, I nonetheless suppose we’ve issues we will do to make us a bit simpler. As I wrote yesterday, pace of thought, passing and motion can enhance. I’d prefer to see a bit extra danger taking with passing from deep when ahead gamers make actions that are too typically ignored. If we lose the ball, we’ve gamers who can win it again, we shouldn’t be so afraid of transition moments. Sacrifice just a little management, and maybe the reward is the chance to go at a crew who’ve to come back ahead and go away a little bit of house for us to assault.

Anyway, I’m positive after he performs a coaching floor ritual through which he burns a load of Carabao Cup balls in entrance of the gamers utilizing an historical Latin incarnation to alleviate of us its curse, these are issues Mikel Arteta can be engaged on forward of the FA Cup tie towards Man Utd on Sunday.

For now, keep heat, except you’re someplace heat already through which case I’m jealous. Until tomorrow.