Call it bitterness if you like, but there was an inescapable sentiment of frustration brewing across the final few weeks of this season’s Premier League. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were on the verge of sealing their first Premier League title in 22 years, but at times, it felt like it may take another 22 years for the Gunners to finish a match.
Whether it was David Raya feigning injury and deciding that hobbling over to the other side of the 6-yard box was preferential for his goal kick, Myles Lewis-Skelly pretending he can’t catch a ball or Martin Ødegaard applauding every fan individually as he was substituted off the pitch, it became a hard watch. Unless, of course, you are affiliated to The Arsenal, then it was simply game management.
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For years, successful teams such as Jose Mourinho’s 2004-07 pragmatic, confrontational and frugal Chelsea, have been accused of making matches feel smaller. Even Mourinho’s second spell — leading Chelsea to the 2014-15 title — drew criticism for being boring. But was it really ever like this?
It’s hard to say. But it’s impossible to deny that Arteta has opted for a style of play that prioritizes control over chaos — particularly this season. And it is one that has been extremely successful.
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The 44-year-old was scrupulous in his approach to winning this season and deserves unwavering respect for ending a drought that was beginning to define Arsenal as a club. Physicality at set pieces has become a key part of Arsenal’s, well, arsenal.
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This slowing down of the game and shift toward a more robust style of play has been extremely noticeable. And it’s a tactic that has swept across the division. This past season’s Premier League saw more goals from corners, more long throws (averaging 3.99 per match — a massive 162% increase from the previous campaign) and even an NFL-style punt up the pitch at kickoff, surrendering the ball in exchange for yards of territory.
“We had to be patient when playing against a team like Arsenal,” PSG‘s midfield conductor, Vitinha, said after edging Arsenal to the UEFA Champions League final. “They take a lot of time in everything; throw-ins, goal kicks, everything. Especially as Arsenal were leading at one point, it’s difficult. Arsenal waste a lot of time at every opportunity.”
Portugal‘s Vitinha heads the ball next to Morocco‘s Achraf Hakimi during the Qatar 2022 World Cup quarterfinal match at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha on Dec. 10, 2022.
(NELSON ALMEIDA via Getty Images)
It became laborious. Stop-start. Unwatchable? No — but I could count on one hand the number of times I leapt out of my seat due to memorable run-in moments.
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That’s where international tournament soccer thrives. It brings out a special kind of madness; a unique brand of unpredictability. There are more uncontrollables than controllables. It’s not test-tube soccer. What do you mean you can still qualify third out of the group? Wait, you could either land in Miami or Vancouver in the Round of 32? Where on a map is Curaçao? You can lose to Saudi Arabia and then go on to win the World Cup if you want — it’s just not advised, Argentina.
Teams, managers and players are forced into instinctive decisions. You don’t have 150-plus days on a training field to fine-tune tactics. More like a dozen, a couple of friendlies and endless Whatsapp groups. Mauricio Pochettino has added you to a group called “my five penalty takers <3".
Are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on a quarterfinal collision course? Who will Brazil start up front? Scotland has a 43-year-old goalkeeper. Erling Haaland might be the fun Erling Haaland again for Norway. Gaël Kakuta is 34 years old and plays for DR Congo!
You get the picture.
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We are also witnessing a cultural shift toward international jerseys as fashion statements. You’re allowed to support a nation you have no affiliation for. Maybe you went there on holiday once and picked up a jersey? That doesn’t really work for Brentford.
Maybe it’s always been like this. I have strong nostalgia for collecting Panini stickers for Euro 1996 and watching France vs. Senegal in the school hall in the World Cup 2002 curtain-raiser. It’s easy to get swept up in the furore of an international tournament, especially living in a city as multicultural as London.
So, sorry Arsenal. Maybe it’s not you, maybe it’s me? Maybe I’ve just come down with a severe case of World Cup fever and it’s got nothing to do with the mundane end to the Premier League season?
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We’ll soon find out. Perhaps by the end of Jordan vs. Algeria in Group J you’ll be longing for next season’s Premier League and an Arsenal low-block at home to Coventry City.
Or if you’re like me, perhaps not.
