Mikel Arteta is making same mistake at Arsenal as Unai Emery of constantly changing system, warns Keown after defeat
ARSENAL legend Martin Keown has told Mikel Arteta to stop repeatedly tinkering his formation like Unai Emery following the defeat to Leicester.
The Gunners lost 1-0 against the Foxes on Sunday – their third defeat already in the Premier League this season.
After a bright start to the campaign, Arsenal have now been beaten in their last two top-flight outings ahead of their trip to Manchester United on Sunday.
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Once again Arteta, 38, reshuffled his side as he opted to play a hybrid of a 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 with Granit Xhaka dropping back as the third centre-back.
This led the Gunners to be open in midfield and toothless in attack as they lacked the creativity in the final third of the pitch.
Arteta may have improved Arsenal defensively, but they are struggling to create chances as the Spaniard refuses to play a No 10 behind the main striker.
And Keown believes Arteta should stick to one system as he stated that his predecessor Emery suffered from the same problem.
Speaking to Stadium Astro via the Metro, Keown said: “They keep changing from one system to another and they did this with Emery.
“That’s what I would like to see now, the same pictures, the same triangles, the same movements, the same partnerships, the same relationships.
“If you keep changing it, you don’t find a rhythm, and that’s something that I found in a very successful team. It was like putting an old pair of slippers on for a game.
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“Everything was there. You’d fire it into midfield to Patrick Vieira, into Dennis Bergkamp, [Thierry] Henry into the channel; it was three passes.
“These players now are getting the ball now and it’s jamming a little bit, so I think keep it simple and start building from this team.
“If this is the way he wants to play, keep with it, and try to put the people in it and get the messages right and work on it.
“It was very static, the front three never really moved from positions, they didn’t make themselves available. This is a brand new project for the manager.
“We don’t want to be over critical. I believe he’s the right man for the job 100 per cent, super bright manager and he’s going to have setbacks, it’s how he responds to this now.”
Fans have already questioned the tactics of their former club skipper, with ‘Arteta Out’ trending on Twitter on Sunday night.