Micah Richards has spotted one tactical issue he has with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
The pundit was one of many to heavily analyse Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester United, as the Gunners lost 3-2 at home in a shock defeat.
One of the biggest problems that was visible during the contest was how much creativity Arsenal lack, something that Richards believes Arteta is playing a part in.
Arsenal’s stagnancy going forward has been noticeable for some time in the Premier League, and now, one change Arteta has to make is so clear.
Fill in the blank: I feel ____________ about Arsenal’s Premier League title chances after losing to Man Utd…
Micah Richards thinks Mikel Arteta’s tactics are limiting Arsenal’s wingers
Richards was talking about Arsenal’s defeat with Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast.
It was during the latest episode that the pundit shared his opinion that Arteta’s tactics are limiting Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.
“They’re [Arsenal’s wingers] too deep to start with. If you look at Trossard and look at Saka, when Arsenal lose the ball, they’re in their own half. Then, by the time they build up, it’s taking too long.”
Richards added that this ‘isn’t a new thing’, rather something that has been ‘going on a while’.
Finish the sentence: Arsenal’s attackers are struggling because _______________
Lineker got involved and made the point that Saka and Trossard, who were poor against Man United, were simply doing as they were told.
“Well, I’m sure that’s what they’re told to do. It’s tactical.”
Richards agreed and went into further detail about the problems Arsenal’s wingers face right now.
“I feel as though it’s easy to look at the numbers of the attacking players,” he explained.
“Saka, we always know he plays well or tries to create something, but he’s trying to do it from too deep, and it’s too hard for him to do that.”
To summarise, Richards described Arsenal’s wing play as ‘frustrating’ because of Arteta’s defensive demands.
“At the moment, it’s frustrating to watch your flair players having to do so much defensive work.”
Bukayo Saka’s game feels locked by Arsenal’s tactics
Arteta demanding a lot of defensive work from his offensive players is nothing new, but it’s becoming a problem.
We’ve seen what happens when top-class wingers are relieved of defensive duties, take Mohamed Salah’s 47 goal contributions in the Premier League last season as an example.
Are Mikel Arteta’s tactics negatively impacting Bukayo Saka?
Salah and Saka’s numbers have been compared for that reason, making it no surprise that the Arsenal winger has never even got remotely close to the Liverpool forward’s tally.
The issue is that Saka is a game-changer for Arsenal, but right now, he’s restricted to a degree.
Of course, a player of Saka’s quality should have the answers to make more of an impact when Arsenal are on the front foot, but tactical restraints are taking their toll.
After seeing Arsenal’s damning attacking display against Man United, surely Arteta realises that change is needed.
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