Arsenal picked up a hard-fought 2-0 win against Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup on Sunday and will now face Chelsea in the final at the end of this month.
The Gunners were clearly the underdogs going into this match but Mikel Arteta made sure that all his players worked in tandem to score and then hold onto their lead throughout the 90 minutes.
And speaking on the way Arsenal picked up the emphatic win, pundit Paul Merson has claimed that Mikel Arteta is clearly working on a blueprint at the club.
He wrote for Sky Sports: “Arsenal have a plan, they go and press when they have to, drop off when they don’t, they play with high energy and counter-attack as a team.
“They were outstanding against Man City. That was David Luiz – there’s no grey area – he’s either 9/10 or 4/10. But when he plays like that, he’s brilliant.
“Arteta has done an absolutely phenomenal job. It’s the first time I’ve watched Arsenal in many, many years, and they have a plan.
“Man City were up for it in the second half, and Arsenal put themselves on the line. I honestly think he’s done a brilliant job. I can’t talk highly enough of him.
“Against Liverpool, Arsenal rode their luck, but that’s Arsenal now. They can’t play against Liverpool and Man City as if they are the favourites, they have to grind it out like Sheffield United have to grind it out. That’s what Arsenal must do now.”
The wins against Liverpool and now Man City have made it clear that Arsenal are now depending on pure counter-attacking football in order to ensure that they keep picking up points.
But being a disciple of Pep Guardiola we doubt if Mikel Arteta will want to work with this tactic during the 2019-20 season as well.
The manager is itching to bring in a couple of new players so that he can remould the starting XI in his won image but there’s no way he can complete the overhaul by the end of the summer transfer window. So until the Gunners boss can manage to reshape his side, he will have to make sure that his midfielders and defenders keep doing all the dirty work on the pitch.
Next up, Arsenal will Aston Villa in the Premier League away from home on Tuesday.
