Opinion: Turning Point for Arteta? Gunners Show Attacking Ambition

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·30 septembre 2025

Opinion: Turning Point for Arteta? Gunners Show Attacking Ambition

At the end of last season I said if Mikel Arteta was going to win a League at the Emirates he needed to go on holiday and be able to reflect on mistakes he had made.While lying on a beach, the Spaniard needed the ability to admit that in his bid to create one of the best defences in the country he had regressed us offensively.He had taken one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Europe and made us quite boring to watch.In management of any industry it is not easy to accept that you have gone wrong. It takes skill to identify the room for improvement and adapt.

Anfield was the first test to see if our manager had altered his ethos and his starting line-up and tactics seemed to suggest his priority was not to lose instead of being brave and trying to win.After letting that moment pass us by, would the 43-year-old self-reflect during the international break.The Man City game was almost part two of why you cannot win a title with this kind of approach.A midfield with barely any creativity started last Sunday as we wasted a first half, despite the likes of Eze, Saka and Martinelli being on the bench.A double substitution was made at half-time which is unusual for our boss to do. That begs the question, was last weekend finally the moment Mikel Arteta realised his current principles were not working.

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Handbrake Off at Last

So was this weekend going to be part three of Mikel Arteta proving he is too negative to win the Premiership.All week long there has been a debate about whether Arsenal would show more ambition at Newcastle, not just on this platform but on various outlets.The Gooners pleading for the handbrake to be taken off were vindicated on Tyneside.No club has a divine right to win any match or trophy.All I ever ask for is that the team I love tries to be the best version of itself on and off the pitch.Even if we had lost today, that is how you want to lose.Compare that away performance to Liverpool.Even if we had been defeated on Sunday you could have walked away with pride knowing everything had been left on the pitch.That was entertaining to watch, we created chances, we forced a keeper into many saves, individuals took responsibility.

Eze as an attacking midfielder played the position differently to Ødegaard, more on the outside of the area, quicker to take a shot or release a pass.Mentally individuals did not hide on the ball.Because certain Geordies have believed their own hype, the atmosphere is toxic when the Gunners visit because of a growing rivalry that exists only in their own minds.

Eze (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Gunners Show Character

Essentially Eddie Howe, one of the nicest guys off the field, has ordered his players over the years to get under our skin in ways that have irritated our coaching staff.He is happy to park the bus and invite the visitors to try and break down his black and white wall, he encourages his men to be physical and try to bully us.This fixture always seems to ride on the Toon Army getting a lift out of some kind of officiating. When our penalty was overturned it gave the home crowd a lift and for a while we were in danger of falling into the trap of letting the encounter morph into a scrap. Previous versions would not have had the character to deal with it.

Some spectators and players at the Ryder Cup have been criticised over the last few days for unsportsmanlike conduct.Did Nick Pope really need to complain that Calafiori used his towel to dry the ball for a throw-in.That is the level they resorted to, making it all the sweeter when we silenced them in stoppage time – beating the Magpies 2-1.

That was the Arsenal I recognise.If Mikel Arteta was still unsure which direction to take his squad in, this should finally make up his mind.This could be our turning point.

Dan Smith

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