EBL Profile picture
Mar 27, 2023 8 tweets 3 min read Read on X
To close the book on what will likely be Antonio Conte's last chapter in the Premier League, I'd like to revisit my analysis of him throughout his time at Spurs in this thread.

Quite literally all of it has proven to be true, and that applies to Arteta's Arsenal too.

👇🧵 Image
June 02, 2021.

Conte, a genius, comes back to the Premier League. However, just because he was revolutionary only very recently in the sense that he brought the back 3 to the Premier League with amazing success, the game moved on very, very quickly since then.

He was outdated.
November 01, 2021.

Despite not trusting the process at Spurs, I acknowledged that they could absolutely finish above Arsenal and were more likely to do so.

They did, but the trajectory of each project was clear (at least to me).
However, despite acknowledging that Spurs could finish above Arsenal in the short-run, I maintained that Spurs were too limited tactically to truly challenge at the top of the Premier League.

(please bear in mind that this analysis was all before Spurs' first game under Conte).
This opinion (based on hard logic and research) was maintained over time.

As you can see below, I said Arteta's Arsenal have no limit, whereas Conte under Spurs do.

It's difficult for fans to see that in the short-term, though, as they're often blinded by game-to-game outcomes.
Then, a year ago, I said this.

Turns out I was correct, as Conte has been sacked and Arsenal are 8 points clear at the top of the Premier League, primarily thanks to Mikel Arteta.
Oh and then there was this when Spurs pipped Arsenal to Champions League qualification, which wasn't received too kindly by either fanbase, really.

However, again, it all proved to be entirely true, yet at the time Carragher, Neville, and fans were lambasting Arteta and Arsenal.
Oh, & then there was this, and I think we can all agree that this has proven to be true as well.

I have nothing personal against Antonio Conte - I am merely analysing the football. I feel sorry for him that he lost his job, but I cannot say I'm surprised about reality right now.

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More from @EBL2017

Jul 10
Christian Nørgaard to Arsenal ✅

This move is smarter than you think.

Let’s break it down through the lens of Mikel Arteta, the man who wanted Nørgaard in the first place.

THREAD! 🚨Image
Christian Nørgaard is a well-rounded midfielder.

A proactive, mobile, and attentive defender with aerial qualities.

Not a natural #6 with the ball as he plays with a right-sided bias, a bit like Jordan Henderson, but is brave to receive, has top range and underrated 'deftness'.
Combine that with the fact that Thomas Frank singled him out for his 'leadership qualities', and it is clear why Arteta likes him.

Oh, and set-pieces.

Top 15% in world football last season for G/A from midfield (aerial prowess), takes a long throw, and defends the front zone 🔝
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Jul 6
But but Viktor Gyökeres doesn’t score vs low blocks!!!

I laugh every time I read it.

An analysis on why Viktor Gyökeres is going to score an obscene amount of goals for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

THREAD! 🚨Image
Remember Luis Suárez in the box?

Like how he barged his way through defenders and the ball somehow stuck to his feet?

Gyökeres is also relentless when dribbling.

Not always squeaky clean, but he has a relentless mindset to create separation & the finishing to capitalise on it.
And, interestingly enough, Suárez was the main creative hub for that Liverpool team, just like Gyökeres was at Sporting.

Then, when he joined a superior Barca team, he adapted his game.

Less touches, similar output.

Just like Haaland at BVB vs City - Gyökeres will do the same.
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Jul 6
Zubimendi's signing has HUGE implications for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal 🔴⚪️

You know how Vitinha rotates with Neves/Ruiz?

Partey & Jorginho were not mobile/technical enough to do that — Zubimendi is!

Arsenal's ability to control games is about to go up another level 🤯
THREAD 🚨Image
Get used to rotations like this (see Oyarzabal and Zubimendi).

Zubimendi will have the license to move high along with the technical quality & mobility to pull it off.

Jorginho was intelligent enough to try it, but lacked the mobility in these areas.

Zubimendi is more dynamic. Image
Image
At his best, Zubimendi can go on and score or create a goal as a consequence of this trait (as he did in The Nations League Final).

But, on a broader level, and an even more important level, Arsenal are going to be even harder to press.

Rotations will be constant EVERYWHERE. Image
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Jun 29
Chelsea under Enzo Maresca — the bigger picture.

🇧🇷 João Pedro
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jamie Gittens
✅ They have the quality to dominate with the ball
🔐 But if they want to win, the culture has to change

Let’s break it down.
A thread 👇 Image
João Pedro is an exceptional footballer, and Jame Gittens has the potential to be one.

But the key for Chelsea and Maresca is to address their lack of physicality and entire culture which is not obsessed with defending the way it needs to be to compete with the elites.
João Pedro will offer better pressing as a second-striker than Cole Palmer. By how much, I am not entirely sure.

He strikes me as the kind of player who will press if the collective mentality to do it is present, but if it is not there they he can be passive & laid-back himself.
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Jun 23
Cesc Fàbregas might be football’s next elite manager.

Relentless pressing. Clear principles. Tactical detail you rarely see this early in coaching.

But his idea is not flawless — his defensive model still has cracks.

What sets him apart — and what he must refine 👇

THREAD! 🧠Image
Cesc Fàbregas' main idea in the defensive moment is to press with maximum aggression within a 4-2-3-1 base.

Man-to-man — even releasing to press the goalkeeper.

Ultra-aggressive!

You can also see how Como sensibly adjust the structure to match up with back 3's, for example. Image
Image
However, Fàbregas is one of the most adaptable coaches I have seen.

His teams defend zonally too.

We can see that 4-2-3-1 zonal block very clearly here.

The idea is to force the opposition to one side, use the far-side winger to 'dig in', and use diagonal passes in transition. Image
Image
Image
Image
Read 24 tweets
Jun 23
Cesc Fàbregas isn’t just a name from the past — he might be Spain’s next elite coach 🇪🇸

La Masia DNA. Mentored by Pep, Wenger, Mourinho, Del Bosque, and Conte 🧠

Now shaping something serious at Como 🇮🇹 — like Mikel Arteta or Luis Enrique before their rise...

MEGA-THREAD! 🚨Image
Unsurprisingly, with that background, Fàbregas has had a successful first season as a coach with Como.

In an interview with @IJaSport, Cesc reveals his philosophy.

Instead of committing to one way, he wants his team to have as many solutions as possible.
Fàbregas speaks highly of Conte, but is not aligned with his philosophy "I'm 29 years old in that moment, I've already played for 13 years, I played in every final, I won a lot of things and this guy is telling me where I need to pass the ball."

Cesc has a less rigid philosophy. Image
Read 30 tweets

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