As much as we love to predict what we think will happen in a football season, the 2020/21 season promised to be the most unpredictable yet. With the Premier League having begun just 15 days after the 2020 Champions League Final, our own prediction of unpredictability has proven correct.
As the season heads into winter, the twists and turns will continue. Predictions will be dragged through the mud, shocks will occur, football will continue to captivate. This article, however, will outline a few things that we have noticed about this season so far…
Mikel Arteta has not fixed Arsenal (yet)
Arsenal have looked incredibly lax subsequent to the October international break, and have notably been devoid of any attacking inspiration. The three matches in this timeframe – an unconvincing 2-1 win against Austria’s Rapid Vienna in the Europa League, sandwiched in-between two 1-0 losses against Man City and Leicester – have led to doubts resurfacing about the hunger and desire of the Arsenal squad.
While the defensive issues that have characterised Arsenal’s recent history have been negotiated well by Arteta (Arsenal have the second best defence in the Premier League this season), it seems that this achievement has come at the expense of attacking inspiration. The switch to a 5-2-3 formation has undoubtedly made Arsenal a more solid outfit: Tierney is an excellent out-and-out defender, capable of playing at centre-back or full-back; Gabriel has been incredibly reliable defensively; David Luiz’s shortcomings have been effectively sidestepped.
However, Arsenal have managed to score just eight league goals this season (four of which came in their opener against Fulham), fewer than 11 other teams. The new formation relies on quality in the width, with wing-backs expected to cover ground and support the outside-forwards in attack. This can easily be countered by a low-block 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 (like Leicester played), but also by a high pressing 4-3-3 (like Man City). The lone-striker is often isolated too, as the central midfielders remain deep and seek to protect the back four.
At the moment, the pure lack of attacking class and desire does not look good for Arsenal. The excitement of the Partey signing will fade away and offensive inadequacies will surface: Aubameyang has looked nowhere near the same player since the signing of his new contract; injury issues for Willian have already begun; Lacazette is simply not good enough to play alone up-front; Pepe looks nothing like a £72m player. Dare we say that Arsenal need someone like Mesut Özil to kickstart their attack and build on recent defensive success?
Arteta has proven that he deserves to be trusted, and his success so far should not be overlooked. But the recent performances from the Gunners suggest nothing other than offensive stagnation.
As the season heads into winter, the twists and turns will continue. Predictions will be dragged through the mud, shocks will occur, football will continue to captivate. This article, however, will outline a few things that we have noticed about this season so far…
Mikel Arteta has not fixed Arsenal (yet)
Arsenal have looked incredibly lax subsequent to the October international break, and have notably been devoid of any attacking inspiration. The three matches in this timeframe – an unconvincing 2-1 win against Austria’s Rapid Vienna in the Europa League, sandwiched in-between two 1-0 losses against Man City and Leicester – have led to doubts resurfacing about the hunger and desire of the Arsenal squad.
While the defensive issues that have characterised Arsenal’s recent history have been negotiated well by Arteta (Arsenal have the second best defence in the Premier League this season), it seems that this achievement has come at the expense of attacking inspiration. The switch to a 5-2-3 formation has undoubtedly made Arsenal a more solid outfit: Tierney is an excellent out-and-out defender, capable of playing at centre-back or full-back; Gabriel has been incredibly reliable defensively; David Luiz’s shortcomings have been effectively sidestepped.
However, Arsenal have managed to score just eight league goals this season (four of which came in their opener against Fulham), fewer than 11 other teams. The new formation relies on quality in the width, with wing-backs expected to cover ground and support the outside-forwards in attack. This can easily be countered by a low-block 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 (like Leicester played), but also by a high pressing 4-3-3 (like Man City). The lone-striker is often isolated too, as the central midfielders remain deep and seek to protect the back four.
At the moment, the pure lack of attacking class and desire does not look good for Arsenal. The excitement of the Partey signing will fade away and offensive inadequacies will surface: Aubameyang has looked nowhere near the same player since the signing of his new contract; injury issues for Willian have already begun; Lacazette is simply not good enough to play alone up-front; Pepe looks nothing like a £72m player. Dare we say that Arsenal need someone like Mesut Özil to kickstart their attack and build on recent defensive success?
Arteta has proven that he deserves to be trusted, and his success so far should not be overlooked. But the recent performances from the Gunners suggest nothing other than offensive stagnation.
José Mourinho is not “past it”
With the emergence and perceived dominance of a new style of football, characterised by high-pressing without the ball and a high-tempo with it, pioneered by the likes of Klopp, Guardiola and Bielsa, many believed that Tottenham’s appointment of Mourinho would take the club backwards. Miguel Delaney of the independent argued just that in July, but the start that Tottenham have made this season has proved that Mourinho still has a part to play in football’s tactical sphere.
With the media and fans alike obsessing over the romanticism of Lampard, Arteta and Solskjær managing their old clubs, many overlooked Tottenham and would’ve predicted them to finish sixth at the start of the season. Yet, in their final nine league games last season, Spurs accrued 18 points, including wins against Leicester and Arsenal that were masterminded by Mourinho. However, many chose to dwell on matches like the unconvincing 0-0 draw against Bournemouth, or the 1-1 with Crystal Palace, instead of acknowledging the impressive progress Tottenham were making at both ends of the pitch.
Now, Tottenham are sitting pretty in fifth with just one loss all season (which came on the first day against Everton) and only eight goals against. While the recent win against Burnley was one for the purists, it served as evidence for the continued potence of the way Mourinho approaches football matches. He even went as far to say in his post-match press conference that he preferred the win against Burnley to the startling 6-1 win against United a few weeks prior.
Boosted by the intelligent signings of players with Premier League experience – Højbjerg and Doherty – Spurs are now the most defensively efficient they have been in a long time. And, when things are solid at the back, things tend to click up front. The strike partnership of Kane and Son (who are both exploring new roles) has been devastating this season, with the pair combining to score 10 goals already.
Mourinho’s Tottenham therefore aren’t only solid, but they can be ruthless going forward too. It seems that The Special One is beginning to work his magic once more, and as a result, there have been some early shouts that Tottenham are now one of the favourites to win the Premier League this season.
With the emergence and perceived dominance of a new style of football, characterised by high-pressing without the ball and a high-tempo with it, pioneered by the likes of Klopp, Guardiola and Bielsa, many believed that Tottenham’s appointment of Mourinho would take the club backwards. Miguel Delaney of the independent argued just that in July, but the start that Tottenham have made this season has proved that Mourinho still has a part to play in football’s tactical sphere.
With the media and fans alike obsessing over the romanticism of Lampard, Arteta and Solskjær managing their old clubs, many overlooked Tottenham and would’ve predicted them to finish sixth at the start of the season. Yet, in their final nine league games last season, Spurs accrued 18 points, including wins against Leicester and Arsenal that were masterminded by Mourinho. However, many chose to dwell on matches like the unconvincing 0-0 draw against Bournemouth, or the 1-1 with Crystal Palace, instead of acknowledging the impressive progress Tottenham were making at both ends of the pitch.
Now, Tottenham are sitting pretty in fifth with just one loss all season (which came on the first day against Everton) and only eight goals against. While the recent win against Burnley was one for the purists, it served as evidence for the continued potence of the way Mourinho approaches football matches. He even went as far to say in his post-match press conference that he preferred the win against Burnley to the startling 6-1 win against United a few weeks prior.
Boosted by the intelligent signings of players with Premier League experience – Højbjerg and Doherty – Spurs are now the most defensively efficient they have been in a long time. And, when things are solid at the back, things tend to click up front. The strike partnership of Kane and Son (who are both exploring new roles) has been devastating this season, with the pair combining to score 10 goals already.
Mourinho’s Tottenham therefore aren’t only solid, but they can be ruthless going forward too. It seems that The Special One is beginning to work his magic once more, and as a result, there have been some early shouts that Tottenham are now one of the favourites to win the Premier League this season.
The “managers just need time” argument is not universally applicable
‘I just need time’ were the comments of Steve Bruce at the beginning of the season after widespread criticism from various sections of the Newcastle fan base about his negative style of play. Bruce has continued to play the five-at-the back that was the favoured system of his predecessor, Rafa Benitez, who was adored by the Geordies. This has been criticised by Newcastle fans who have now become accustomed to seeing their team concede large amounts of possession and defend extremely deep to grind out results. Bruce’s Newcastle were able to pick up 44 points last season and finish a respectable 13th.
Defenders of Bruce advocate his defensive style of play with similar phrases like ‘he needs time’ and ‘it doesn’t happen overnight.’ They even point to the fact that Benitez finished in the exact same position in the season before with one extra point. Bruce eluded to the critics of his formation and tactics in a recent interview by saying that he is ‘trying to change Newcastle from a team that plays a back five and sitting deep into a more-forward thinking back four and playing from there.’
Many managers use Klopp as an example to justify their tenure, given that it took him four years to secure his first trophy for Liverpool and turn them into the relentless juggernaut they are today. Yet, they are skipping over the gradual progression that characterised Klopp’s earlier years at Anfied. Right from Klopp’s first game in the Premier League, Liverpool developed a clear style of gegenpressing, which excited the fans from the outset. Not only was the style exciting but the results were beginning to come together as he lost two cup finals in the second half of a season where he wasn’t even in charge for its entirety. This was followed up by their first top-four finish since 2014-15.
The two Champions League finals that followed with the success in Madrid and the Premier League win to follow in the latest campaign was proof that Klopp was always going to be the man to lead Liverpool back to glory. Klopp’s ability to work on a budget that doesn’t match his top six rivals while maintaining a natural progression are the key reasons why he was allowed so much time. So, can Bruce feasibly use Klopp as an example for the time he needs to create a truly competitive Newcastle side?
Bruce was appointed in July 2019 and to this day has had a net spend of £100 million. Perhaps the frustrations of Geordies come from the fact that Benitez’ net spend at Newcastle was minus £11 million, after limited backing by Ashley throughout his tenure. Given that Benitez is a man of Champions League pedigree and has a revered managerial CV, many Newcastle fans are left to ponder on what Benitez could have done with similar injections of cash that Bruce has enjoyed.
Bruce has been heavily backed by Mike Ashley but the same concerns from Newcastle faithful still exist. They remain playing with a rigid five at the back system and were labelled as ‘boring to watch’ by Kieron Dyer after their 1-1 draw with Wolves on Sunday. Although eight points from six games hardly represents a catastrophic start to the season, the way they have done it has been hardly enterprising and patience is starting to run out among Newcastle supporters. Clearly there has been limited tactical progression by Bruce and with a big transfer backing already behind him can he really compare the time he needs to the time Klopp was given at Liverpool?
‘I just need time’ were the comments of Steve Bruce at the beginning of the season after widespread criticism from various sections of the Newcastle fan base about his negative style of play. Bruce has continued to play the five-at-the back that was the favoured system of his predecessor, Rafa Benitez, who was adored by the Geordies. This has been criticised by Newcastle fans who have now become accustomed to seeing their team concede large amounts of possession and defend extremely deep to grind out results. Bruce’s Newcastle were able to pick up 44 points last season and finish a respectable 13th.
Defenders of Bruce advocate his defensive style of play with similar phrases like ‘he needs time’ and ‘it doesn’t happen overnight.’ They even point to the fact that Benitez finished in the exact same position in the season before with one extra point. Bruce eluded to the critics of his formation and tactics in a recent interview by saying that he is ‘trying to change Newcastle from a team that plays a back five and sitting deep into a more-forward thinking back four and playing from there.’
Many managers use Klopp as an example to justify their tenure, given that it took him four years to secure his first trophy for Liverpool and turn them into the relentless juggernaut they are today. Yet, they are skipping over the gradual progression that characterised Klopp’s earlier years at Anfied. Right from Klopp’s first game in the Premier League, Liverpool developed a clear style of gegenpressing, which excited the fans from the outset. Not only was the style exciting but the results were beginning to come together as he lost two cup finals in the second half of a season where he wasn’t even in charge for its entirety. This was followed up by their first top-four finish since 2014-15.
The two Champions League finals that followed with the success in Madrid and the Premier League win to follow in the latest campaign was proof that Klopp was always going to be the man to lead Liverpool back to glory. Klopp’s ability to work on a budget that doesn’t match his top six rivals while maintaining a natural progression are the key reasons why he was allowed so much time. So, can Bruce feasibly use Klopp as an example for the time he needs to create a truly competitive Newcastle side?
Bruce was appointed in July 2019 and to this day has had a net spend of £100 million. Perhaps the frustrations of Geordies come from the fact that Benitez’ net spend at Newcastle was minus £11 million, after limited backing by Ashley throughout his tenure. Given that Benitez is a man of Champions League pedigree and has a revered managerial CV, many Newcastle fans are left to ponder on what Benitez could have done with similar injections of cash that Bruce has enjoyed.
Bruce has been heavily backed by Mike Ashley but the same concerns from Newcastle faithful still exist. They remain playing with a rigid five at the back system and were labelled as ‘boring to watch’ by Kieron Dyer after their 1-1 draw with Wolves on Sunday. Although eight points from six games hardly represents a catastrophic start to the season, the way they have done it has been hardly enterprising and patience is starting to run out among Newcastle supporters. Clearly there has been limited tactical progression by Bruce and with a big transfer backing already behind him can he really compare the time he needs to the time Klopp was given at Liverpool?
We need to stop talking about VAR
VAR has continued to dominate the headlines this season with marginal offsides, consistent inconsistency and outright errors all making newspapers’ back pages. Many fans, like last season, are calling for video reviews to be scrapped. This year, though, it’s the decisions themselves – not the time taken to make said decisions – that people are frustrated with.
If we were expecting VAR to solve all refereeing mistakes, we were wholly misinformed. That is simply impossible. Humans, by nature make mistakes and referees are only human. Also, conceivably more importantly, the rules of the beautiful game are subjective. If you show the same foul to three different people, you could arguably get three different responses to the according punishment (no card, yellow card, red card). So, it makes sense that VAR decisions will have a contentious element – with some glaring exceptions.
Whilst inconsistency is understandably a great source of exasperation, we have to give VAR some leeway. Every situation is different, and everyone interprets any one situation differently, too. By setting the bar unrealistically high for officials, VAR is doomed to fail from the outset. We must allow for inconsistencies; only then will we appreciate the number of ‘correct’ calls that has risen dramatically since its introduction.
Obviously, out-and-out mistakes should be noted in order to help officials improve, but this process should by no means be a witch-hunt and is probably best left to those at St George’s Park (Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s training base) who, frankly, are the most qualified people in the country when it comes to the laws of the game.
For VAR to remove debate, the human aspect of football would also have to be removed. And, if that goes, then the game is well and truly gone (as opposed to Jamie Redknapp’s view that the game has gone for Lucas Digne’s sending-off against Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters). Rather, because we can argue for and against Digne’s dismissal, the game is alive as ever. It’s about time we gave VAR a break and got back to talking about the football.
VAR has continued to dominate the headlines this season with marginal offsides, consistent inconsistency and outright errors all making newspapers’ back pages. Many fans, like last season, are calling for video reviews to be scrapped. This year, though, it’s the decisions themselves – not the time taken to make said decisions – that people are frustrated with.
If we were expecting VAR to solve all refereeing mistakes, we were wholly misinformed. That is simply impossible. Humans, by nature make mistakes and referees are only human. Also, conceivably more importantly, the rules of the beautiful game are subjective. If you show the same foul to three different people, you could arguably get three different responses to the according punishment (no card, yellow card, red card). So, it makes sense that VAR decisions will have a contentious element – with some glaring exceptions.
Whilst inconsistency is understandably a great source of exasperation, we have to give VAR some leeway. Every situation is different, and everyone interprets any one situation differently, too. By setting the bar unrealistically high for officials, VAR is doomed to fail from the outset. We must allow for inconsistencies; only then will we appreciate the number of ‘correct’ calls that has risen dramatically since its introduction.
Obviously, out-and-out mistakes should be noted in order to help officials improve, but this process should by no means be a witch-hunt and is probably best left to those at St George’s Park (Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s training base) who, frankly, are the most qualified people in the country when it comes to the laws of the game.
For VAR to remove debate, the human aspect of football would also have to be removed. And, if that goes, then the game is well and truly gone (as opposed to Jamie Redknapp’s view that the game has gone for Lucas Digne’s sending-off against Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters). Rather, because we can argue for and against Digne’s dismissal, the game is alive as ever. It’s about time we gave VAR a break and got back to talking about the football.
Written and edited by - 3-At-The-Back