Lacks class' - Tottenham and Everton fans can't believe what Mikel Arteta did in FA Cup final

The Arsenal boss was seen gesturing during the first half at Wembley

The FA Cup final has been an entertaining affair in the first half.

The big London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea has not disappointed so far, despite Wembley Stadium being empty because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Christian Pulisic lit up the national stadium finishing off a stunning move to give Chelsea the lead.

But Arsenal grew into the match as the half wore on and they deservedly levelled from the penalty spot after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was hauled down on his way into the box by Cesar Azpilicueta.

And in that moment for the penalty, Arsenal boss MIkel Arteta did something that annoyed a number of football supporters.

Azpilicueta was booked for the challenge, with Antonio Rudiger the covering defender, although with no real attempt made to win the ball there is an argument that Azpilicueta could have been sent off.

It is something that really grates with supporters when players call for other players to be sent off, and Arteta gesutring on the sidelines was not missed by fans on Twitter.

Among a great number of people responding to the pictures, many were Tottenham - natural for rivals of Arsenal - and Everton for whom Arteta actually played in his career.

Arteta did redeem himself later on when Azpilicueta went off injured, patting him as he went past to make sure he was okay.

Arsenal reap rewards of Mikel Arteta's special project to unleash real Nicolas Pepe

Mikel Arteta has succeeded in his plans to make Nicolas Pepe the Gunners' ultimate threat

Exactly a year on August 1 2020, Pepe produced his best performance in red and white to bring the FA Cup home for a record 14th time in the club's history and prove just why the Gunners were so keen to announce that " #PepeIsHere " 365 days prior.

The afternoon got off to a sticky start with Christian Pulisic putting Chelsea ahead in the fifth minute of the game. Rallying a few more Blues attacks, it wasn't long before Arsenal grew into the game and while Kieran Tierney, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were key to this, Pepe was even more influential in ensuring the side were a force going forward.

Over the course of his debut season, the 25-year-old has been accused of being too predictable. At Wembley, he was anything but predictable and massive credit has to go to Mikel Arteta for this, as well as Pepe himself.

"It's clear that his consistency has not been at the level he can produce. He's the first to accept that. That's what I'm going to demand of a player of his level and calibre," the head coach said about him on June 19.

"He knows that. He's such a nice kid. He's trying really hard. You have to accept as well, the timing and the way he has adapted for the first year.

"It's taking the flash moments into a consistent mode. That, for a creative wide player to do it, is a big task.

"Every detail has to be taken into account because it makes a huge difference. His mentality as well, his mindset has to all the time be like that; to win the game for the team. He's one of the players in the squad that can do it and must take the responsibility."

The shift in demand put on Pepe to try and make his game less predictable post-lockdown were clear instantly. Too often before the restart would he cut onto his left foot and to the detriment of the team, which was evident in the shock Europa League defeat to Olympiacos.

Arsenal reap rewards of Mikel Arteta's special project to unleash real Nicolas Pepe

Mikel Arteta has succeeded in his plans to make Nicolas Pepe the Gunners' ultimate threat

Nicolas Pepe was exceptional in Arsenal's 2-1 FA Cup final win over Chelsea. (Image: Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

It was the afternoon of August 1 2019 when Arsenal smashed their record transfer fee to bring Nicolas Pepe to north London for £72million.

Exactly a year on August 1 2020, Pepe produced his best performance in red and white to bring the FA Cup home for a record 14th time in the club's history and prove just why the Gunners were so keen to announce that " #PepeIsHere " 365 days prior.

The afternoon got off to a sticky start with Christian Pulisic putting Chelsea ahead in the fifth minute of the game. Rallying a few more Blues attacks, it wasn't long before Arsenal grew into the game and while Kieran Tierney, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were key to this, Pepe was even more influential in ensuring the side were a force going forward.

Over the course of his debut season, the 25-year-old has been accused of being too predictable. At Wembley, he was anything but predictable and massive credit has to go to Mikel Arteta for this, as well as Pepe himself.

Mikel Arteta loves Arsenal's team spirit

"It's clear that his consistency has not been at the level he can produce. He's the first to accept that. That's what I'm going to demand of a player of his level and calibre," the head coach said about him on June 19.

"He knows that. He's such a nice kid. He's trying really hard. You have to accept as well, the timing and the way he has adapted for the first year.

"Every detail has to be taken into account because it makes a huge difference. His mentality as well, his mindset has to all the time be like that; to win the game for the team. He's one of the players in the squad that can do it and must take the responsibility."

The shift in demand put on Pepe to try and make his game less predictable post-lockdown were clear instantly. Too often before the restart would he cut onto his left foot and to the detriment of the team, which was evident in the shock Europa League defeat to Olympiacos.

How Arteta and Lampard reacted to the 2020 FA Cup final

In his first start back against Brighton, however, he four of his five dribbles were round the outside of the defence. He finally cut onto his left on the fifth dribble and the work done previously had bought him time and space to bend the ball into the far corner - as analysed in more detail here.

Since the restart, the area Pepe has taken longest to develop is what to do when crowded out of his natural position. Against Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, dropping deep resulted in him either being hacked down or losing influence further up field. That was not the case against Chelsea.

Frank Lampard's side began the first half pressing Arsenal extremely high up the pitch, a method which saw them successfully turnover possession and hurt the Gunners

Bellerin quickly moves the ball infield to Pepe who is being closely marked by Antonio Rudiger, one of Chelsea's three centre-backs. With some luck after a miss-kick, the Ivorian retreats into his own box, taking Rudiger with him before passing to David Luiz when Olivier Giroud joins the press.

Pulisic, Kovacic and Alonso had resigned to retreat, with Alonso trying to rejoin the defensive line which is now misshapen because of Rudiger chasing Pepe.

After moving the ball on, Pepe doesn't immediately go back to the right wing. Instead, he follows the ball. Staying low-key, his presence in the highlighted space goes unnoticed by Kovacic and Jorginho while Rudiger's attention switches to rejoining his defence.

While this happens, the ball is played up the left and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang picks him out in midfield and he is now the man driving Arsenal up the pitch from a completely unexpected point of attack

In the early stages of the game, Arsenal used Maitland-Niles to exploit the space between Reece James [right wing-back] and Cesar Azpilicueta [right-sided centre-back]. Now is Pepe's turn to take advantage, as he slides the ball through to the 22-year-old he is able to burst into the final third as a result.

Compared to the early weeks of the restart, the big improvement here was Pepe staying alive to different possibilities. Especially against Southampton and Spurs, when receiving the ball drop deep with his back to goal, he didn't trust himself nearly as much. He'd either try to turn the defender and have a whole midfield to play through or set the ball back.

Going with the flow on this occasion made him less predictable as keeping the ball, shifting the point of attack and shadowing it allowed him to pick up pockets of space he wouldn't usually enter, therefore giving him time and space to hurt teams even more.

Although these spaces were different to those attacked against Brighton, the impact was somewhat similar. When he finally decided to cut onto his left foot to whip crosses to the back post, there was more time to cause chaos with his deliveries.

In fact, when Arsenal finally got to grips with the game, it was Pepe they looked to turn the screw, whipping three crosses to the same area 2 minutes and 31 seconds

The first meets Aubameyang who nods across goal for Alexandre Lacazette.

The second is aimed towards Aubameyang and Maitland-Niles and causes Willy Caballero to rush out of his goal, completely missing the ball while a defender touches it away for a corner.

This is aimed towards Holding and Aubameyang [out of shot] and once again causes problems among the Chelsea defence.

Although these developments in Pepe's game have been crucial in freeing him up more and making him a more threatening player for Arsenal, there's one thing that has always been there, and was present again at Wembley - his trickery.

Blending these more refined aspects of the game with the ability to embarrass Rudiger with two outrageous backheeled nutmegs took his performance to another level. The silkiness of his dribbling on the edge of the box before nutmegging Andreas Christensen to win a free kick was also indicative of the truly special moments that Arsenal shelled out all that money for last summer

Had his goal ridiculously well-taken goal - which proved the importance of Maitland-Niles positioning yet again - stood, it would have capped off a perfect performance but an assist for the winner will serve just as well.

Like with Kieran Tierney, Dani Ceballos, Luiz and Arteta it's been a tough first season for Pepe. Having to adapt to a new league under three different head coaches while being without a proper supporting right-back for most of the year, he has figuratively fought a battle with an arm tied behind his back.

365 days after signing, however, he gave his best example yet for why Premier League defences should fear him next season.

The most important transfer Arsenal will make for Mikel Arteta and it's not Thomas Partey

Mikel Arteta will be keen to bolster his midfield options during the summer transfer window

A 2-1 victory in the FA Cup final ended a rather eventful domestic campaign for Arsenal.

After two head coaches and unforeseen levels of disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Gunners finished with another FA Cup trophy and a feeling that things are heading in the right direction under Mikel Arteta.

However, attention will quickly turn to the transfer market with Arsenal needing to address a number of areas across the pitch.

An early piece of good news ahead of an action-packed transfer window was Dani Ceballos outlining that he would like to stay at the club for the 2020/21 campaign.

A decision is yet to be made by his parent club Real Madrid but the 23-year-old appears to be happy in north London.

He told El Pais: "If I had to choose Arsenal again, I would.

"When I have had continuity, like now at Arsenal, I have been enjoying and developing good football. My hope is to continue at this level: right now I feel like the leader of this important team, a player with stripes.

"Surrounded by people who believe in you, it is easier to believe in people. When you play like this and you also have the confidence of the coach everything is easier."

Ceballos’ willingness to stay at Arsenal this summer points towards a promising future for the club, but one that will undoubtedly demand several pieces of good transfer business.

In the case of Ceballos, as well as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club’s top priority should be trying to keep this group of players together before thinking about potential new arrivals.

The Spanish midfielder has been excellent in the second half of the campaign and his man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea on Saturday showed why the Gunners should do everything they can to keep him for at least one more season.

Continued links to Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey suggest Arsenal may be looking to bolster the long-term midfield options in the transfer market, but there are a number of reasons to suggest that Ceballos should be the number one target.

Since Arteta arrived at the Emirates back in December, the majority of his work with the current squad has been about getting the very best from each player in different tactical systems.

The Arsenal head coach has favoured a more possession-based style of play than Unai Emery but a clear shift in the balance of the team has been an important factor.

Ceballos has arguably been the most crucial element of adding a balance between defence and attack since Arteta’s arrival.

The 23-year-old’s ability to retain possession in key areas and progress into the final third has helped the likes of Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette receive more opportunities in front of goal.

In addition, his impressive performance against Chelsea on Saturday highly contrasted the lack of defensive structure and penetration in the Blues’ midfield which proved to be a decisive factor in the match – and one that has traditionally gone against Arsenal’s midfield.

Those factors are worth bearing in mind when the Gunners’ hierarchy discuss transfer plans this summer.

Ceballos is a player who has already proven to be a success under Arteta and his increasing importance towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign highlights why he should be a top priority.

Partey, of course, remains an attractive proposition if signing him is financially viable.

But the domestic campaign being just six weeks away suggests that trusting in tried and trusted players would be a big sign of the club’s belief in Arteta to take Arsenal forward.

Mikel Arteta confirms he has already laid out his Arsenal transfer plans to Raul Sanllehi(SEE HIS PLANS)

After beating Chelsea in the FA Cup Final Arsenal now set out on the rebuild Arteta is planning

Once more Arsenal entered the final day of their season knowing that their future plans were dependent on the outcome of one match. This time, 14 months on from the gut-punch of Baku, they got what they needed.

Beating Chelsea at Wembley is above all else a sporting triumph for Arsenal, winners of 10% of FA Cups in the competitions' 139-year history. It is further vindication for Mikel Arteta and those who appointed him, among whom in Raul Sanllehi was one figure who had championed his arrival after Arsene Wenger's exit in 2018 and offers propulsion for a new season that will begin in less than four weeks at Wembley with the Community Shield.

Arteta would be the first to insist that Arsenal should expect far more than Europa League football but it is hard to overstate its importance for the 2020/21 season and beyond. Financially it means at least £30million in payments from UEFA and matchday revenue that comes with reaching the group stage.

If Arteta's side were to repeat their run to the final in Baku in 2018/19 then they could hope to earn £35million solely from UEFA before any other income is considered. It is not Champions League money but in the current climate, it is of vital importance to the Gunners.

Some of the continental bounties will be redirected to players, whose 12.5% pay cut for the 12 months from April will now be reduced to 7.5%. Some will go to the transfer fund, allowing Arteta, head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director to do more in the market than might have otherwise been possible.

Arteta has long been planning for multiple scenarios depending on what form of European football Arsenal find themselves playing in. His vision has, he confirmed in the afterglow of the Wembley triumph, already been presented to those who will be tasked with executing it.

"They know everything, I present everything to them: my vision, what my plans are, why I want to do it," he said. "Then all together we will try our best to be in the best possible position when we start the new season."

Cup glory

Chief among his demands are a dynamic presence in central midfield - Thomas Partey of Atletico Madrid remains their preferred choice - and an injection of further quality in defence with Malang Sarr on their radar. The latter will require players to be offloaded in spite of the greater funds Arsenal now have to work with.

Arteta is also understood to want an injection of greater creativity into his frontline. Arsenal is also optimistic that they will be able to secure the services of Dani Ceballos, excellent once more at Wembley, and, with the player keen to spend more time in north London, it will now be down to the Gunners and Real Madrid to agree on the specifics of a deal where the latter is believed to favour a permanent sale.

How much of this rebuild would have been possible without European football is, Arsenal are relieved to acknowledge, now unknowable. As if beating London rivals at Wembley was not pressure enough the financial ramifications of defeat weighed heavily on the club.

Arteta did all he could to ensure that it was not transmitted to his squad. "I didn’t want to add too much pressure to the players," he said.

"I know how important it was, it was very important because we need to be in Europe. It’s a must for our club as well financially because it’s a big step forward to allow us to do more things in the future and have a better structure financially at the club as well.

"I’m very pleased for both the team winning the trophy and having the option to play in Europe."

Arteta at least has the cornerstone of his rebuild in place and has confirmed that he plans to build his team around Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose two goals brought Arsenal victory after slipping to an early deficit when Christian Pulisic struck. There remains the matter of his contract, in its final 10 months, to sort, though the Arsenal boss hopes the next seven days could bring progress.

Saturday was hardly the first occasion this season in which Aubameyang's goals have dug Arsenal out of a hole whilst the club captain also netted both goals in the semi-final win over Manchester City among his 29 in 44 appearances across all competitions.

That he has done so much despite being pushed into a wide left role by Arteta only serves to burgeon his standing among the many great strikers to have played for Arsenal.

"We always had incredible strikers in this football club, Auba deserves to be compared with the big names," the Arsenal boss said. "By winning trophies he will be closer to that, the longer he stays there as well. Hopefully, we can have him for more years.

"The biggest problem probably was to convince him as well to work the way he is working because he was going to get more rewarded, more respected and then that will go from respect to admiration.

"Admiration from his team-mates, the people who work with him and the fans. Now with the way he’s conducting himself on and off the pitch, he’s got that."

Source: Football.london

REFEREE ANTHONY TAYLOR AND HIS TEAM WILL TAKE CHARGE OF THE HEADS UP FA CUP FINAL

Anthony Taylor will join a unique group of officials to have refereed the FA Cup Final twice

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A REFEREE? FIND OUT MORE

The team of match officials to take charge of the Heads Up FA Cup Final has been announced, with Cheshire FA’s Anthony Taylor being appointed as referee for the showpiece fixture.

Taylor will be joined by assistant referees Gary Beswick (Durham FA) and Adam Nunn (Wiltshire FA), fourth official Chris Kavanagh (Manchester FA) and reserve assistant referee Lee Betts (Norfolk FA).

Stuart Attwell (Birmingham FA) will be the video assistant referee (VAR), and will be joined at Stockley Park by assistant VAR (AVAR) Steve Child (London FA).

And having previously refereed the 2017 Emirates FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea, Taylor will join a unique group of officials to have taken charge of the Final on two occasions, becoming only the eighth person to do so and the first to repeat the duty since Arthur Kingscott in 1901.

While the appointment to officiate an FA Cup Final usually happens only once in an official’s career, the FA Referees’ Committee decided that, in this unique year, it was necessary to make an exception.

"Refereeing an FA Cup Final is a dream but, unlike the players, a referee usually only does the Final once,” explained FA Referees’ Committee chairman David Elleray.

“This makes the appointment very special and a significant part of the Cup Final appointment is the opportunity to share this – the English refereeing pinnacle – with partners, family, friends and those who have been an important part of their long journey to the Final.

“Sadly, this year’s Final will be very different and will be held without all these elements in an empty stadium. With this in mind, the Committee decided it would be unfair to appoint someone who has not yet done the Final and have, instead, appointed Anthony Taylor to his second FA Cup Final.”

Altrincham-based Taylor, who is regarded as one of Europe’s and England’s top officials, will next month referee in the UEFA Champions League or Europa League with the same team of assistants, Nunn, Beswick and Attwell (VAR).

And he spoke of his honour at being able to take charge of this year’s Final, ironically featuring the same clubs from his last Final appearance in 2017.

“Of course, any Final is obviously a huge honour and privilege for the whole team to be doing and I sincerely mean that about the team because I’m in the fortunate position where I get to work with the same two assistants on every game both at home and abroad,” he said.

“It’s just an iconic occasion at the best of times, but this year is a unique one with no spectators. We know there are different circumstances this year and the 2020 Final will always be remembered because of this.

“But it was a little bit unexpected to get the call, having already refereed the FA Cup Final a couple of years ago, so I’m very humbled and equally honoured to have been asked to take charge of the Final again.

“It’s ironic that it’s the same clubs, but it’s now two different teams. Clubs who reach the Final don’t get there by fluke, and whichever teams end up in the FA Cup Final, it’s always going to be an intense occasion to officiate.

“However, any official who has refereed the FA Cup Final will say that when you’re appointed to the game, it’s not just recognition for you as an individual, it’s a recognition for all of the people who’ve supported you over the years and helped you to reach the elite level.

“That’s what makes the occasion so special, not just the match but that you get to share it with your close friends and family who will be there supporting you. Obviously, that’s not going to be possible this time, but there’s other ways and means that friends and family can be supporting us on the day.”

Source: FA Official Website 

History may repeat itself between Arsenal fc and Chelsea fc in FA Cup final

Lampard's Chelsea football club, got a rare win against Manchester United this season when they played in their FA cup final tie at the Old Trafford. Manchester, has won all their previous meetings this season against Chelsea, which left many Manchester fans believing that it could have been an easy win against Chelsea to book their hopes of winning the Cup 13th times. It was a very poor performance from Manchester players which show them lose 3-1 to Chelsea at their home ground.

"Olivier Giroud and Mason Mount scored the two goals for Chelsea, while Harry Maguire from Manchester United scored own goal. Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty for the Red Devils.

Arsenal in the other hand, showed an excellent job against their big rivals Manchester city a team they have lost against in several occasions. The last time arsenal beat Manchester city, was 2017 when they came across them in the same competition also in the same level, the semifinals. Arsenal won against City and booked a place in the finals when they met their London rivals Chelsea. Arsenal went ahead to win the cup in an exemplary beautiful game they played against Chelsea by wining 2-1.

Aubameyang scored both goals for Arsenal in his first appearance in the competition this year while Manchester city failed to see the back of the net.

In this year's Emirates FA cup, the same has happened. This is a repeat of what happened in the last 3 years, but we will have to wait and see if Arsenal wins the cup again.

The most interesting part, Arsenal have rarely lost in the Emirates FA cup which puts them with much hope of winning the cup once again. Considering their position in the premier league, Arsenal have minimal chances of qualifying for Europer league ahead of Sheffield United, wholves, Burney and their north London rivals Spurs.

Chances are, if Arsenal are going to win this Emirates FA cup this year, they will automatically qualify for Europer league next season despite their league position.

Arsenal have missed champions league for consecutive years and they have been left praying in the Europer league instead, in all those years. Last year, it's the year they almost qualified to champions league, when they reached in their Europer league final but lost the chance against Chelsea.

History may repeat itself once again. This is the reason; if Arsenal can not qualify for Europer league by finishing in a good league position, they will be left with only one option of qualifying for Europer league, and that's Winning their FA cup final against Chelsea. But if they fail to win, and lose to Chelsea, it will be the second time Arsenal are denied the European championship by Chelsea after they were denied the same chance last year when Chelsea won their Europer league final. If Arsenal could have won, they could have played in this year's champions league.

It will go in history that Arsenal, for the first time in years, have not qualified for a European competition. Though Arsenal have a chance to redeem themselves. They have shown that they can beat any team in English premier league by beating Pep's City and Liverpool in the same week.

Arsenal is the only team that has qualified in the most FA cup finals with a 21 times record wining the cup 13 times lossing 6 times in their finals. They have a chance to extend their win record if they win it 14th times. Meanwhile, Chelsea qualified for the finals in the 14th round and they have won the competition 7 times lossing in their 6 finals.

What's your opinion in this year's Emirates FA cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea?

Leave a comment below.

PREVIEW Sheffield United vs Arsenal: Match details, team news and probable lineups

Arsenal face Sheffield United in the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup

Arsenal will be in action on Sunday afternoon as they take on Sheffield United in the quarterfinals of the Emirates FA Cup.

After a disappointing season, Arsenal has just the FA Cup as their only source of silverware and glory and will be hoping to win it for a record 14th time.

Match Details;

Kick-Off: 13:00 GMT

Venue: Bramall Lane

Referee: Paul Tierney

Last two meetings: Arsenal 1-1 Sheffield Utd, Sheffield Utd 1-0 Arsenal

Teams News;

Arsenal will have David Luiz back available after serving his two-match ban for his red card received in a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City.

Bernd Leno, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari are all ruled out with injuries.

 

Gabriel Martinelli has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a knee injury, while Lucas Torreira and Cedric Soares are back in training but remain doubts.

Head to Head facts;

This will be the 116th meeting between the two clubs, with Arsenal winning 48 of those meetings. Sheffield United have 40 wins of their own, alongside 27 draws.

Sheffield United and Arsenal last met in the FA Cup in March 2005 in a fifth-round replay; after a goalless draw, the Gunners won 4-2 on penalties at Bramall Lane.

Arsenal have won the most FA Cup trophies

Probable lineup;

Martinez;

Sokratis, Mustafi, Holding, Kolasinac;

Ceballos, Xhaka, Saka;

Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang

Prediction:

Arsenal got back to winning ways on Thursday with a 2-0 victory at Southampton and that should boost their morale.

Arsenal has a very good record in this competition and is the record holders.

 

Sheffield has looked poor ever since the league resumed unlike before, they have failed to score a goal in three matches and have been leaking goals at the back.

Mikel Arteta is expected to field a strong side that should see Arsenal progress to the semis

Sheffield United 0-1 Arsenal