Mikel Arteta shows relentless dominance as Arsenal plans come together

Mikel Arteta pulled up the image on the whiteboard behind his desk and asked what he could see. Some see ducks , others see rabbits, but what Arteta sees is a metaphor for the journey of theArsenal team. This is very Arteta's exercise, but he uses it to describe the "hardest" aspects of being a manager, and whether a player chooses to embrace his own very particular style. As an example of.. The point was that if Arteta saw a duck, he wanted his players to see a duck too, but at this point in Arsenal's season, his group had rabbits in his liking.

Illusion is a test of perception, and in some ways it applies to Arteta's image as well. Many people take a look at the work he does at Arsenal and how it's reflected in the latest episode of All Or Nothingand decide what they want to see. prize. Is it a fiercely dedicated and driven young manager with a "crazy" tactical mind who will emotionally go all-in on building a connection with his team? Or are they left with a man who sees through it and is on the edge of a parody with a game set ofseemingly endless gimmicks and pictionaries?

Ducks and rabbits, you can see two sides at once. Arteta says, "It's hard to describe a manager without that person," especially in open moments. “I am honest, outspoken and very demanding.In this industry respect is not unconditional.Respect is only determined by results.People start blaming right away. Sometimes I see my manager in a non-personal way: I suffer, I have feelings, I have children, I make mistakes, I cry, I laugh. There's someone else in that person who's dealing with something and isn't immune to what's going on."

All or Nothing: Arsenal Episodes 4 through 6 of . Arteta ruthlessly froze Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, showing a stony edge of authority. There was tension at a team meeting where Arteta called to announce that Aubameyang had been stripped of his captaincy and was no longer involved with the team. “We need to set even bigger goals and standards,” he tells them. "If there is any point in changing our culture, we must stand by the word for any action, for anyone."

He's a straight person," says Arteta. “I was raised to have certain values ​​that were non-negotiable, so I have to apply them within the team.” There was a callousness in the way he did - even admitting to keeping papers of his late arrival time - but when he looked into the captain's eyes, "trust" When you see it's gone, there's no way back. Respect, dedication and passion are key to Arteta's values ​​and while Aubameyang remained on the sidelines throughout, the club's London side saw his Colney in his training final days on his ground, with the striker isolated from the group. The lingering shots he was doing showed, in Arteta's eyes, that it was lost.

This decision puts additional pressure on Arteta, the intensity of which is felt when his voice strains and cracks in the dressing room. "f**ing soft, soft as f***" is one blast. FA Nottingham in his third round of his cup he said "it's nowhere, guys, it's f***ing s***" after losing to Forest. Arteta sees an opportunity to take full control when Aubameyang is kicked out and he denies having it.A deal is made so that his exit is sealed in the last hour . It was an important step for Arteta to narrow down the group on his terms, even though Arsenal were running out of area at the end of last season. He's under pressure to stop waiting for qualification because now it's his undisputed team. Apart from all or nothing, another image of Arteta is now running in parallel and running in real time.His league opener on Friday marked an early achievement with a victory over Crystal his Palace at Selhurst's Park.

Eight months later, a group that tightened up in the second half of last season was boosted by the addition of depth and quality that stood out in their win at Selhurst Park. To that end, we had a new character who played an important role. From the 'electric' Gabriel Jesus and measured Oleksandr Zinchenko to William Saliba's outstanding defensive presence, this was a different side of Arsenal than the one flipped by Crystal Palace in his April .

The speed and thoughtfulness of Arsenal's front line in the opening game speaks to the work he has done on the ground in training, and that the intensity demanded by Arteta is now being achieved at his Colney in London. suggesting. Martin Odegaard made his first official appearance as Arsenal's permanent captain, and on the pitch he naturally assumed the role of a player who promotes Arteta's values. Emile Smith-Lowe is yet to return, Kieran Tierney's introduction highlights options on the bench, and new signing Fabio Vieira is expected to contribute as well.

It all points in a positive direction.All or Nothing, which unfolds again, is a reminder that last season had as many bad moments as its best. But when it comes to Arteta's journey, he finds a group that seems to have accepted his request.Maybe now only ducks and no rabbits.