Mikel Arteta offered an insightful reflection on modern management and the evolution of English football, amid growing media criticism of Arsenal’s tactical approach this season.
The Gunners travel to the south coast on Wednesday evening with a five-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City, who host relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest at the same time.
There is little margin for error, with Arsenal’s previous visit to the Amex Stadium last season ending in a stalemate, and a repeat would hand the initiative back to Manchester City at a critical point in the campaign.
Brighton appear to be gathering momentum under Fabian Hurzeler, with back-to-back wins against Brentford and Nottingham Forest restoring belief and setting up a stern test for the league leaders.
Hurzeler, like many others, has been vocal about his thoughts on Arsenal’s use of set-pieces, suggesting that the Gunners exploit dead-ball situations as a way of managing the clock.
Set-pieces once again proved pivotal in Arsenal’s victory over Chelsea on Sunday. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber both struck from corners, cancelling out Piero Hincapie’s own goal – ironically from a corner too – securing another crucial three points.
However, Arteta says the evolution of the game has led teams to adapt in search of fine margins to gain an advantage, and that the reality of modern football is that effective football works better than aesthetically-pleasing football.
“I am upset that we don’t score more and that we concede as well. We want to be the best and the most dominant team in every aspect of the game. That is the trajectory and aim of this team, and as a club, we want to be the same,” he explained.
“As an opponent, you get upset when you concede a goal. I was really upset [with] the way we conceded our goal against Chelsea.
“There are phases, and there are moments when a team has an opportunity to do certain things, and the game is evolving and becoming more and more difficult,” he continued.
“Before, when you used to do a gameplan, and you just invert a full-back and bring an extra player into midfield or a false nine, the opponent is ‘Fini!’.
“[There is a] big overload, 4v3 inside, 2v1 inside, time on the ball. So dominant. 70/80% of possession, the other opponent has two counter-attacks and a set-piece and the game is done.
“Now, teams are adapting. Teams know after every sequence of play whether it is a throw-in, a restart of play, an open-play situation, or after direct play, exactly what they have to do, and everything is almost man-to-man.
“It’s going to be a different game unless we change the rules because the evolution of the game is that.”
Arteta also expanded on how he would ideally like his team to play, but acknowledged that the demands and constraints of football means that his vision cannot be a reality.
“I would like to play with three players extra in my own half to get some beautiful football and play always against a free man.
“This is not the reality of football. You want to watch that football, you have to go to a different country because in the Premier League, for the last two seasons or three seasons, this is not the case.”
On the team news front, Arteta confirmed that decisions still need to be made on Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard, while Ben White remains unavailable.
David Raya is “good to go” following the knock he sustained in the second half against Chelsea, while he is hopeful that Declan Rice will be fit to feature.