Mikel Arteta does not seem to have a plan of attack, Everton’s defence must improve and Jürgen Klopp should pick his battles
Mikel Arteta has been the Arsenal manager for just under a year, and though some things have improved under him – attitude, intensity, FA Cup tally – it’s still not clear what the plan is, especially going forward. And while it’s important to emphasise how much Thomas Partey is being missed, the feeling persists that it really doesn’t have to be like this. When Arteta was appointed, he was gifted half a season of minimal expectations, meaning he could experiment in order to find the personnel and formation best able to execute his ideals. But though he did brilliantly to win a trophy, he settled on very little, so his current position is not dissimilar to the one in which he began – except now, he’s under pressure. Maybe it is time to give Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock extended runs because really, how much worse – and more tedious – could things get? Daniel Harris
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