Arsenal v Leeds and the halftime chat

Mikel Arteta beautifully summed up the Gunners performance v Leeds United on Monday.
“Absolutely, we need to show more consistency because they haven’t done it for many, many months. So, it has to be a process, but that’s why I think tonight is a really good lesson for them. So, they can live their profession and suffer on the pitch like they did for 30 or 35 minutes, or they can enjoy and feel proud of what they do if they play like they did in the second half. It’s their choice.”
He also said about his halftime talk: “I wasn’t happy at all. If you’re not ready for their game you get exposed and you get done. When I see what I don’t want to see, and I’m not talking technically and tactically, I cannot be happy and I have to let them know. I think we saw two different teams tonight. When we changed our attitude and desire, we were a totally different team.”

Alexandre Lacazette also said about Arteta at halftime: “He shouted a lot! He was not happy because we knew they were going to play like this and we didn’t respect what he said. The second half was better and thank you Reiss for the goal!”

It sounds like the Gunners new boss might have struck a match or two in the Arsenal changing room at halftime. We watched a sloppy and uninspired first half performance by the team in red and white, while the Championship leaders came in ready to prove why they should be back in the Premier League next season. Arsenal was outplayed, out shot, out defended, and if not for some great Emiliano Martinez saves, the hosts would have been down several goals at halftime.

But then, after Arteta’s halftime chat, we saw a much better second half display. Their pace, their passing, their commitment, and even their defending improved. Then, Reiss Nelson was in the right spot at the right time in the box to knock one home to give the Gunners all they would need to secure a spot in the FA Cup 4th Round. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t pretty, but the lads got the job done in the end.

What impresses me most is that Arteta has the bar much higher for his players. He demands 110%, 110% of the time in commitment, in spirit, in work rate, and in teamwork. This is something we haven’t seen in such a long time. It’s really a breath of fresh air as the club heads into a list of fixtures that we could, and should accumulate some points. As Gooners, we need to believe in our new boss and what he is trying to do, both on the pitch, and off the pitch. He seems to have the right mentality, and is quickly earning both his players respect and his supporters respect, too. Sure, we will have games when we question his line-up or tactical approach, however, we really need to give him all the support we can muster. He has a lot of talent to currently work with, and hopefully, the squad will be improved defensively in the January transfer window.

But for now, the ship seems to be upright and back on course. Arteta could still make this season an interesting one to watch.

COYG!

Cheers. Gunner1953