Cascarino says Arsenal haven’t yet produced a strong full 90 minute performance under Arteta yet.
Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino believes Arsenal are moving in the right direction under Mikel Arteta but now need to go on and produce a full 90 minute performance under his management.
Speaking in the Times after Arsenal beat Newcastle 4-0 yesterday, Cascarino feels that Arteta can guide Arsenal in the same direction as his former club Manchester City if they make certain improvements.
He said: “Arsenal have yet to produce a good performance for a whole 90 minutes under Mikel Arteta, which will be worrying for the new head coach. But he is having an effect, and it is evident in the way in which his team come out and transform games after half-time.
“They looked a different team in the second half of their 4-0 win against Newcastle United. It is as if Arteta tells them to maintain the discipline he has instilled but also to add some expression, instinct and individuality to their play. Manchester City have perfected how to do this for an entire game. Arsenal must learn that trick, too.”
Yesterday’s win was just Arteta’s second league victory in charge of Arsenal and in the first one, the 2-0 win over Manchester United on New Year’s Day, the Gunners dominated the first half before dropping too far back in the second.
Their FA Cup win over Leeds was also a game of two halves, with Arsenal being utterly dominated in the first half before clinching a 1-0 victory thanks to an improvement after the break.
It’s clear to see the impact Arteta is having but it will take time to create the improvement required. The fact that they can be accused of not putting in a strong 90 minutes during his reign is testament to that.
Arteta may well be concerned about that, but he should also be heartened by the way that whatever he said at half time on Sunday did the trick.
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