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Troy Deeney says Mikel Arteta is doing something at Arsenal that was once ‘the worst thing in the world’

Charles Jones

Thu 7 November 2024 11:15, UK

Mikel Arteta has really evolved as a manager at Arsenal.

The Spaniard has taken Arsenal from being pretenders to contenders in recent years as the Gunners have gone from being a mid-table side to being bona fide title challengers.

As the north London club have improved, their style has also changed, and it’s fair to say Arsenal have become more defensively sound.

Sam Allardyce noted that Arsenal have become more defensive as of late, and speaking on the Up Front Podcast, Troy Deeney has been discussing this change at Arsenal.

Deeney noted that Arsenal are more defensive these days, and he’s been a little bit surprised by how Arsenal’s evolution has been greeted, claiming that Tony Pulis was critcised for implementing a very similar style in previous years.

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Troy Deeney says Arsenal’s defensive style is perceived differently

Deeney spoke about how Arsenal are perceived and how they defend.

The pundit says that the use of four centre-backs in a back four used to be heavily criticised when Tony Pulis would use that system, but now, Mikel Arteta isn’t receiving the same sort of critique.

“You say that as well, just to that point. Arsenal now playing four centre-halves when everyone’s fit, and when Tony Pulis was doing that, it was the worst thing in the world. I don’t know different types,” Deeney said.

Arsenal compared to Stoke City

Arsenal are often praised for their defensive abilities, while Tony Pulis was critcised for playing poor football.

Arsene Wenger once called Pulis’ Stoke City side a rugby team, and while Arsenal do defend in a very structured manner, to compare these two teams is to compare apples and oranges.

As you can see, Arsenal are infinitely more expansive than Pulis’ team ever were, scoring almost 60 more goals last season compared to Stoke’s best finish under Pulis.

Yes, Arsenal use four natural centre-backs in their back four, but it’s remiss to pretend there isn’t a huge difference between using Riccardo Calafiori as a full-back and Ryan Shotton as a full-back.

Arsenal’s defenders are way more technical than most teams’ creative players, and in an era where full-backs are expected to invert and play almost in midfield, this style lends itself to great play and plenty of goals rather than simply grinding out 1-0 wins and stifling opposition.

Football has changed, and to compare Mikel Arteta to Tony Pulis is well wide of the mark.