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Mikel Arteta says he has had to adapt his tactical approach “much more” than he expected since taking over as Arsenal boss, due to the composition of his team.
Arteta left his role as assistant coach in Pep Guardiola’s highly offensive Manchester City squad to take over Arsenal in December 2019, and enjoyed a successful start to his tenure, including victory in the FA Cup.
However, a seven-game winless streak had led to increased pressure on the Spaniard and his approach was called into question, before a 3-1 win over Chelsea on Boxing Day provided much-needed respite for the Spaniards. Emirates.
“I question myself every day,” Arteta said. “But since I got here, first I had to analyze very well what is happening, what we can and cannot do.
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FREE TO SEE: Highlights from Arsenal’s victory over Chelsea in the Premier League.
And I’ve adapted a lot more than I probably thought I would when I took over the team, because there are certain things that I think are much better because of the qualities of the players that we have, and other things that we are probably not ready to do yet.
“Obviously we have to adapt because at the end of the day we have to make life as simple, clear and efficient as possible for our players when they enter that field.”
It was an Arsenal youth team that topped Chelsea on Boxing Day, with a combination of injuries and absences imposed by the coronavirus that forced Arteta to make several changes to the team that had been failing him in recent weeks.
Scorer Bukayo Saka impressed alongside Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli when Arsenal’s intensity overwhelmed a faded Chelsea.
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Alex Scott believes that Arsenal must build on the victory over Chelsea and identify a strategy that uses their young players in the future.
There had been debate going into the game over whether Arsenal were in a relegation battle, but Arteta’s team can now move out of the drop zone with away games against fighters Brighton and West Brom.
Arteta was coy about whether the youngsters were likely to keep their place on the squad for Tuesday’s trip to Brighton, but was pleased to have additional options as one of the busiest periods of the Premier League season continues.
“I think there is a message within the team that everyone is important here, everyone is here to contribute and everyone is helpful,” said Arteta.
“It doesn’t matter if you are young or a veteran player, everyone is here to contribute.
“And I think it’s a great message to everyone that when we have to trust them, we know we can trust them and we have no doubts about them.”
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