Revealed: What was written on Mikel Arteta’s ‘dark arts’ notepad after Arsenal boss was spotted checking over tactics during Southampton win
- Arsenal accused of using ‘dark arts’ throughout campaign
- Now Mikel Arteta has been spotted checking the three principles in their tactics
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Three tenets of Arsenal’s ‘dark arts’ tactics have seemingly been revealed after Mikel Arteta looked at his notepad on Saturday afternoon.
Throughout the season the Gunners have been accused of wasting time due to dead-ball situations and many have suggested that Arteta’s side are using the ‘dark arts’ of football.
It has generated a raft of opinions from pundits such as Ian Wright, who approved of the approach, while Roy Keane rated Arsenal negatively after their draw against Man City last month.
Now, following Arsenal’s recent 3-1 win over Southampton, some of the principles of Arteta’s tactics have been revealed after his notes were caught on camera.
One sheet of paper, with a red header and footer, appeared to indicate positions on the field with different instructions.
The principles of Arsenal’s ‘dark arts’ tactics have been revealed after Mikel Arteta was spotted checking his notepad
The Spaniard had written three principles on his notepad during the victory in Southampton
However, the exact notes on that sheet of paper were difficult to decipher.
On the other sheet, one of the three principles read: ‘Force AR 6 meters’.
This probably refers to former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and a plan to have him play from his six-yard box.
Beneath it read: ‘Force our…’, with the rest of the message hidden by Arteta’s hand.
A third and final point was: ‘Avoid transferring…’
Apparently, Arteta’s tactical approach paid off as the Gunners walked away with all three points thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal’s tactics during the second half of last month’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City continued to divide opinion.
After Leandro Trossard was sent off just before the break when the Gunners were 2-1 up, Mikel Arteta was widely praised for frustrating City, who only managed to score an equalizer in the 98th minute.
Others, however, were less impressed by what they described as time-wasting and even ‘dark arts’.
Former England manager Sam Allardyce was asked during an appearance for his opinion on Arsenal’s tactics talkSPORT.
Allardyce clearly agreed with the way Arteta’s men stifled City’s flow, having deployed similar tactics against some of the Premier League’s biggest teams when they were in charge of Bolton Wanderers in the 2000s.
During their clash with City, Arsenal were accused of using ‘dark arts’ and wasting time
Gabriel Martinelli was among the players treated as Arsenal tried to hold on for a famous win
When asked if he was a ‘master of the dark arts’ during his managerial career, Allardyce replied: ‘Aren’t we all when the need arises?
‘Depending on the situation, I think if you play with ten men you have the right to do what you think is necessary to get a result against the best team in Europe, if not the world.
‘What a great job they do [Arsenal] did it. There will always be wasted time.”
After the Gunners were accused of using ‘dark arts’ in their draw against City, footage re-emerged of Arsenal appearing to deliberately waste time during a crucial match with Liverpool at Anfield last year.
