Mikel Arteta has deployed a ‘dark arts’ style mastered by Jose Mourinho in some Arsenal games which has won praise from football.london readers, but those methods could also have a time limit.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have developed a reputation for their streetwise tactics.
Arsenal have been accused of the so-called ‘dark arts’ on the pitch of late – but is that a fair assessment? Bernardo Silva and John Stones complained about the Gunners ‘time-wasting’ and ‘dirty’ tactics during their 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium last month, while Mikel Arteta has come under criticism for the style in which his side are deploying in certain matches.
The Gunners, who have finished in second place in each of the last two seasons, have made a positive start to this campaign as they bid to win their first Premier League title in 21 years. Arteta’s side have picked up 17 points from their opening seven matches and have recorded some impressive victories, none more so than away at Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, they almost earned an historic win at City before conceding a stoppage-time equaliser after Leandro Trossard’s controversial first-half red card.
It has been a positive start, but the manner in which Arsenal have secured some of these results have come under the spotlight, with the Gunners not afraid to use ‘darts arts’ – a tactic that former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has often used during his managerial career. After the draw at City, Arteta admitted he had been more than influenced by Mourinho and his way to be successful and win, with Arsenal taking their time over stoppages in play, restart times and players needing treatment on the pitch.
But is Arsenal’s employment of the ‘dark arts’ a good thing? A high percentage of football.london readers seem to think so, as per a recent survey of over 1,600 readers. When asked what they made of Arteta’s use of the ‘dark arts’, 68 per cent of voters believe that ‘it’s great, there’s nothing wrong with it’.
While those figures appear to show emphatic support for Arsenal’s current tactics, the other responses suggest there could be a time limit on Arteta’s methods; 21 per cent of voters felt the tactics were ‘fine but I rather we didn’t use it’; 8 per cent are in the camp of ‘I don’t like to see us using dark arts to win games’, while 3 per cent claim ‘it’s awful and referees should clamp down on it’.
Although there is a big backing for Arsenal to keep going along the same track, the fact that 32 per cent of readers have something against the ‘dark acts’ could serve as a warning for Arteta not to stray too far from the Gunners’ core principles. The poll results suggest that while the ‘dark arts’ are being embraced for now as Arteta tries to wrestle the Premier League title off of City, they may not be seen as a long-term solution among certain sections of the fanbase – especially if they don’t result in silverware.
Mourinho, the master of the dark arts, has increasingly found that once he stops delivering results then players and fans soon tire of his methods. There is no suggestion of that happening with Arteta, but it’s a lesson worth heeding in the cut-throat nature of the modern game.
In the same football.london survey, readers also voiced their concerns that Arsenal are being treated unfairly by referees; the vast majority of voters (82 cent) feel City benefit most from refereeing decisions compared with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham, with an overwhelming amount of voters also of the opinion that VAR decisions could cost the Gunners the title.
Should Arsenal continue to tread a fine disciplinary line with the ‘dark arts’, then it appears as though there are fears among the fanbase that those tactics could come back to haunt the Gunners if they receive an unwanted reputation within officiating circles.
Peoplesmind
