Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has three problems to solve as Spaniard takes on Chelsea test

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta takes charge of the Gunners on home soil for the first time against Chelsea.

Posted Sunday, December 29, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has three problems to solve as Spaniard takes on Chelsea test (Image: GETTY)

Mikel Arteta has a daunting list of problems to solve as manager of Arsenal - among them forging a reliable defence, trying to reinvigorate the fading ambition of Mesut Ozil, and acquiring an experienced central midfielder to replace Granit Xhaka.

These are all huge tests for a rookie manager at a major club with great expectations. There may not be swift or easy answers.

What we can expect from Arteta immediately is an intense drive to develop the cast of talented young attacking players among the Gunners' squad.

It will come with the use of tough love - in the manner of his great mentor Pep Guardiola.

Arsenal's expensive young French winger Nicolas Pepe has been the first to discover it.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has three problems to solve as Spaniard takes on Chelsea test (Image: GETTY)

In Arteta's first match in charge, a mostly encouraging 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth, he picked Reiss Nelson in the starting line-up ahead of Pepe.

The Spanish boss has promised a clean slate at Arsenal, and selection was prompted by what he had seen on the training ground.

Pepe was only used as a late substitute, and the manager said: “I think it was obviously a big change for him to come here from France.

"He found a team at that moment which wasn't performing at their best. The environment for him to settle wasn't ideal. It's not only about him. We are here to help him.

"If he's willing to learn, if he's willing to work hard, I am sure he has the potential to be top, absolutely top.

"Today he showed in two or three actions (as a sub) how good he can be, But he has to be consistent.

"The problem with confidence is that the confidence is only good if he plays. If he trains well enough to convince me, then I have confidence in him. There has to be a mix between the two.”

Arteta was highly praised at Manchester City for his significant personal input on the training ground to fashion vast improvements in the style and performance of stars like Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane.

Pepe, Nelson and others like Joe Willock and Bakary Saka should relish the opportunity and challenge which lies ahead.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has three problems to solve as Spaniard takes on Chelsea test (Image: GETTY)

Arsenal's new boss also insisted that the rest of the team have a responsibility to provide the platform for Pepe and company to flourish. They can't shine in a vacuum.

"The overall structure, the way we play and approach the game, and the things that we do on the pitch have to be right,” he said.

"We can't demand attacking players to generate things just like this. We have to have the play sustained behind them, to tie everything together.

"We need to arrive in many better positions as many times as possible for them to be able to create as many situations as we want.”

Arsenal, who are still languishing 11th in the Premier League table, play at home to London rivals Chelsea on Sunday (2pm), which is likely to be a stern test of their fragile defence.

They kept a high-line at free-kicks against Bournemouth, making them vulnerable to balls drifted in behind the defenders. It is not a strategy that Arteta is planning to change just yet, though.

"The deeper we go, the closer we are to the box,” he said.

"We are not the biggest team in the Premier League, so we have to try to defend as far as possible from our box, knowing and having a structure that can support these scenarios.”