Arsenal’s victory over West Ham on Sunday was glorious for several reasons, and Mikel Arteta really made a statement with the win.
The Gunners headed into the game having lost both their encounters with West Ham this season, but ran out 6-0 winners, with Declan Rice dropping a masterclass against his former team.
The last few results have seen Arsenal claw their way back into the title race, and improve their goal difference significantly, with Arteta’s side just two points off the top, and one strike behind Liverpool on goal difference.
The result and performance at the London Stadium was impressive from the players, and it was a win which also showed that Arteta himself has learned from his biggest mistake from last season.
Mikel Arteta’s previous mistakes
Arteta has been revolutionary at Arsenal, but this does not mean he has been flawless, and critics highlighted some of his errors last season as his side collapsed in the title race.
A lack of rotation harmed the team, with William Saliba’s injury ending any chances they had of a first title since 2004, and this could have been avoided given that his season ended in the Europa League.
Rob Holding could not adequately replace him, and his lack of adaptability to try and use Jakub Kiwior or Thomas Partey in defensive positions instead, as he has done since, killed off his team’s title chances.
The manager has also been slammed at times this season for failing to give youth players opportunities when there has been several chances to do so.
His substitutions, particularly when it comes to resting Bukayo Saka, have also been questioned, but everything seemed to be selected perfectly against West Ham.
Mikel Arteta’s perfect decisions against West Ham
Arsenal were missing several players including Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe, but Arteta’s management against West Ham was so perfect that their absences were barely noticed.
Kiwior put in another impressive display at left-back, and this was helped by Ben White adapting to a different inverted role on the right, showing a more flexible approach by Arteta than has been seen before.
Arsenal were 4-0 up by half time, and were cruising at 6-0 up with plenty of time left on the clock. This time, Arteta took no risks.
Saka, Rice and White were all withdrawn, with Reiss Nelson, Mohamed Elneny and Cedric Soares all being given rare opportunities to replace them. This smarter rotation will hold Arsenal in better stead for the rest of the season as starters will be well-rested and bench players will have more minutes under their belts.
Ethan Nwaneri was also given a run-out, after months of clamour for the youngster to be given a chance, and Arteta finally took a good opportunity for him to gain senior minutes.
Despite injuries forcing rotation, the squad did not look as thin as a result of Arteta using all five substitutes, with youngsters appearing and injuries avoided. If Arsenal can continue to perform so well, with the squad being managed as well as it was on Sunday, then they may have a slim chance of Premier League glory.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
