Arsenal is an all-around team that has finally found a balance between defence and attack. One may wonder how they did so. Bukayo Saka has explained why their defence is as effective as their assault. He says that the team is very attack-minded, but despite this, the manager, Mikel Arteta, instills an unwavering emphasis on defensive responsibilities.
After we kept a clean sheet against PSG, which now seems more respectable when you know that the French giants have scored at least one goal in their last 51 UCL fictures, the Arsenal star boy hints at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s emphasis on them honouring their defensive duties. “We’re all attacking-minded; we want to go forward, but the manager has emphasised a lot the other part of the game,” Saka explained. “I’m sure if you stand on the sideline, you can hear him a lot when we’re out of possession!”
He further explained the sacrifices required to maintain a balance between the desire to attack and their defensive discipline. “It takes a lot of sacrifice and discipline because, to be honest, I do want to be more forward, but it’s what the team requires,” he said. “When I see the results, we have a lot of clean sheets, so it’s paying off, and it encourages me to keep doing it — me, Gabi, the other players.”
Saka’s statements demonstrate Arteta’s dedication to developing a well-rounded team capable of excelling in both offence and defence. Arsenal is one of the greatest defensive teams in the Champions League, having not conceded a goal in the two games they’ve played this season. They have only kept 17 clean sheets in 32 games in all competitions in 2024.
With defending and attacking as a collaborative effort, there’s every reason to believe this Arsenal team will fight for every point, given their cohesiveness and ability to complement each other in all stages of the game. Obviously keeping clean sheets is Arteta’s first priority in every single game…
Daniel O
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I agree. Many think our impressive defensive performances are just down to our defenders but it’s more of a team effort. Saka,for instance,has made 11 tackles so far in the PL. Only Saliba,Partey and Timber have made more tackles than him.
It’s probably also why Martinelli always plays. For all his struggles going forward,he’s been immense defensively. Also explains why Vieira and ESR were never really trusted. For all they could do with the ball,they weren’t good defensively. Zinchenko is falling into that category as well. The team simply isn’t structured to carry anyone defensively. Everyone contributes.