Don't give Arteta any funds in January imo

[IUFG]

The primary function for establishing control is retaining possession. This requires movement off the ball and the creation of angles. That movement involves people leaving their position. The first thing that happens when a team gets tense and concerned is players stop moving and stay in their position, concerning themselves with ensuring that if it goes tits up it wont be down their flank.

This is also what people mean when they speak of bravery. Our constant time wasting at all restarts, 'game management' , niggle and wind up doesnt speak of control or bravery. It is fear and concern.

Our problem is that when Arteta tries to bring these additional things into our game they come in at the expense of something else. And that isn't what he intends. I do wonder if it down to over coaching- attempting to script passages of play and reducing the sense of judgement that players need to employ in a game. We see it a lot these days.

At won point yesterday, I said to the kids that we were having too many touches of the ball. I started counting and most had 3 touches before going backwards or sideways. Merino then had 8 touches, to pass about 3 yards backwards.

No-one moving in front of him, mind.

It is all a leeeeetle bit sheeeeeeit.

[Peter]

At won point yesterday, I said to the kids that we were having too many touches of the ball. I started counting and most had 3 touches before going backwards or sideways. Merino then had 8 touches, to pass about 3 yards backwards.

No-one moving in front of him, mind.

It is all a leeeeetle bit sheeeeeeit.

You see it constantly. No movement ahead of them, nobody to pass to.

I remember not long after Ben White arrived he gave an interview about adjusting to Arsenal. He said one of his instructions was to only ever pass the ball from centre back to full back as a last resort. It cuts off half the pitch and invariably ends up with you knocking the ball back to the keeper. Watch how often we do it now. It is constant.

And you are right about the touches. I think a lot of it is confidence, or the lack of it. Not just in themselves but in their team mate being where they think he will be.