All or Nothing: Arsenal review - Mikel Arteta’s lovable approach is more entertaining than the series itself

2.5/5

Story: Mikel Arteta is tasked with taking Arsenal F.C back to the top once again and he has to try and do it with the youngest squad in the Premier League. From misbehaving captains to unbelievable pressure, can Arteta take Arsenal one step closer to greatness? 

Review: All or Nothing is a series that fans of the beautiful game are always looking forward to watching. Not many other things can get you riled up and excited as seeing how your favourite players are in the dressing room and how your manager works. After having already made successful projects in the past, Prime Video has now done an All or Nothing series with one of the biggest clubs in English Football, Arsenal. While it is safe to say that the first three episodes cannot clue you in as to how the rest of the series would go, we get hints as to what the makers are trying.

All or Nothing: Arsenal takes us into the heart of the Emirates Stadium, the home of the Gunners. Mikel Arteta, former Arsenal captain, is now the manager. He is tasked by the board to take the club back to its glory days, and he has to try and do it with the youngest squad in the Premier League. One of the youngest managers in European football, Arteta is still learning the trade. And this is one of the things that take away from the allure that the previous editions had to provide. With Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Marcelo Bielsa starring in the previous editions, these were managers that had their techniques and styles down to the teeth. The latest edition on the other hand, has Arteta still trying to figure out how to get the best out of his squad, which includes a variety of interesting methods to say the least. 

While Mourinho and Guardiola had their methods that they have perfected over the years, we see Arteta drawing cartoons on the whiteboard and having speakers blast “You’ll Never Walk Along” in the training grounds. We also see him asking the players to hold hands and manifest the game ahead of kickoff and also allowing a seasoned club cameraman to give the teamtalk (which does end up working). 

While all this is the case, Arteta comes off as a lovable character. While pressure is something that is a given when one takes up the Arsenal job, Arteta has more pressure on him considering that he was also a former captain of the great club. The team also capture some moments alone with the manager, where he can be heard telling what Pep Guardiola had told him in the past. The series always calls on the club managers to carry it, and it looks like Arteta’s shoulders are not as strong as the previous managers that have starred in All or Nothing. 

While All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur had the sacking or Mauricio Pochettino and the ever mercurial Jose Mourinho coming in and All or Nothing: Leeds United captured the raw emotions of a massive fanbase and the atmosphere of Elland Road, the latest edition fails short when it comes to having elements that could really keep the neutral viewers glued to their seats. 

Out of the three episodes that have been released, only the episode which features the North London Derby really stands out, and this is mostly thanks to what the game means in the world of football. While the first three episodes have not had much going for it, viewers can expect it to get better with more drama and tension unfolding as the season goes on, including how and why club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of captaincy. 

Another thing that the series really lacks are interviews that lack any real gravitas. With all due respect, the show ends up interviewing only millennials and young people who might not have witnessed the club at its best. One has to question what the reason for this is because the more experienced fans would have had a lot more to add to the series. We also do not get a lot of interesting interviews from the club’s players, which seems to have been a very conscious decision. For example, we end up getting some wholesome moments with youngster Bukayo Saka and an interview that just gives us an idea why fans love him. While we also get an interview from the new man in the block, we fail to hear from the experienced players like Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette or Granit Xhaka. It almost feels like a decision that was made to try and project an idea or agenda. Popular British entertainer and YouTuber KSI, who is also a fan of the club, makes it into the show with an interview, and this also looks to be done to appeal to its target audience. 

We also hear from Josh Kroenke, son of American businessman and club owner, Stan Kroenke. Even though we heard Stan talk about the club and sports in general and how things work, it would take more than these 30 second interviews to convince Arsenal fans that the owners really care about the club. And one has to also imagine that Josh’s constant appearance on the series is also a shot to try and win the fans over. We have had Andrea Radrizzani, Leeds United’s majority owner and chairman and even Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy speak in previous All or Nothings, and the difference between them and Kroenke in ever so evident. 

For these reasons, one could suspect that the club or its owners are trying to push an agenda into its viewers, but that could still be pushed aside as mere speculations. But despite all its glamour and glitz, Arsenal football club does not come into light completely in the series, which has its fair share of shortcomings when compared to the previous editions. However, for a Gooner, the show is bound to be thoroughly enjoyable and for the neutral football fan, All or Nothing will be as enjoyable as anything else anybody has to offer. 

Verdict: While All or Nothing: Arsenal does look like it lacks a number of elements that made the previous editions stand out, the series is still an entertaining watch for football fans and especially for the fans of Arsenal.