Indeed, Mikel Arteta seems to have cracked the code in terms of how to use his talents.
He’s had to shuffle a few pieces around to make things work over time – shifting Bukayo Saka from left-back to right wing and Kai Havertz from central midfield to centre-forward, but, on the whole, Arteta knows how to get his players performing to the best of their abilities.
However, there is one player that Mikel Arteta doesn’t seem to be clicking with at the moment – Raheem Sterling.
Sterling has been heavily criticised this season, and he’s yet to score a single Premier League goal.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Martin Keown has been discussing Sterling’s struggles, and the pundit reckons that Sterling could get back to his best if he’s used in the correct way.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Raheem Sterling could be brilliant if Mikel Arteta uses him correctly
Keown spoke about the £50m man and how he can improve.
Keown says that Sterling is at his best when he doesn’t have as many on-the-ball responsibilities, claiming that he’s better down the left when he’s playing one-twos with his teammates.
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“I’m looking at Sterling and I’m thinking when is he at his best? It’s when he’s wide left and when he gives it and goes, he’s not at his best when he’s running with the ball, he needs to lend it inside and run off the ball,” Keown said.
“That’s what they need to implement to get him at his best. It’s still there, it’s still under the surface, I’m not prepared to give up on him.”
Mikel Arteta knows Raheem Sterling’s strengths
Sterling has struggled this season, and, a lot of the time, he hasn’t looked comfortable in the role he has been given.
That is incredibly frustrating. After all, Mikel Arteta ought to know exactly what Raheem Sterling’s strengths are.
Indeed, these two worked together at Manchester City at a time when Sterling was producing his best form.
Arteta worked very closely with Sterling at City, and he even explained to The Guardian how the player improved.
“He’d picked up a few bad habits along the way. He’d played on the inside a lot or out on the left wing. When you move to the right wing, the direction and angle of possession coming to you is very different. When the ball reached him he really had his gaze fixed on it – rather than half-touch instinctive control and the vision of what’s around him,” Arteta siad.
“If he’s found a space about three metres off his defender but he’s half-turned towards the goal then his sprint takes him much more quickly to a space where he can shoot and that’s going to cause the rival much more damage. It’s also a tactic, dropping off a little, so that your defender gets drawn into a position he mightn’t want to be in. It leaves space behind him and Raheem can attack that space. If it’s close to, or in the penalty area, they also have to hesitate before putting in a challenge.”
Unfortunately, Arteta hasn’t been able to have the same affect on Sterling at Arsenal as he’s regressed rather than improved this season.
Arsenal’s attack is depleted at the moment as Kai Havertz is out for the season, and Sterling needs to step up big time in the coming weeks.
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