Over the past year or so Mikel Arteta hasn’t got a long wrong at Arsenal. They may have lost last season’s title battle, but if truth be told, I don’t think many people (Mikel included) really expected them to be involved in it in the first place.

In previous years there have been plenty of doubters in Arteta’s ‘process’ and many others who quite liked what he was doing but were increasingly annoyed that it was taking so long. But in the past 12 months it all seems to have come together, and a superbly gelled team now seems destined for a bright future, which includes winning titles sooner rather than later.

Which all makes me wonder why he has given himself an unnecessary headache with this swapping goalkeeper nonsense.

Of course, I could fully understand him bringing in a player of David Raya’s undoubted ability if that was a position they were struggling with. But they weren’t. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Aaron Ramsdale has probably been one of the top two or three goalkeepers in the Premier League over the last couple of years. Yet Arteta felt compelled to not only sign Raya on a season-long loan but actually dropped Ramsdale in favour of the Spaniard for the last two games.

The mind boggles.

Goalkeepers are a unique breed that need an established hierarchy to perform to their best

I mean, why on earth would you want to rock a boat that didn’t need – and is highly unlikely to benefit from – rocking? Why would you want to add unrest and uncertainty in a position where consistency is key?

I suspect we may now be seeing a scenario where Arteta is trying to be too big and too clever. In fact, he tried to justify his decision by saying there have been times when he wanted to swap goalkeepers in the middle of games but didn’t have the courage to do so.

But that, I am afraid, is utter tripe.

Arteta may think he sounds like a tactical visionary by saying that sort of thing. But in reality he just comes across as someone desperate to prove he is capable of thinking outside the box. Or, in this case, inside the box. However, what he is failing to take into consideration is that goalkeepers are not like other players. They are a unique breed that need an established hierarchy to perform to their best.

Being focussed between the sticks requires a level of confidence that you simply don’t need in other positions where making a mistake doesn’t necessarily mean conceding a goal. And that confidence comes from knowing you are either: a) undisputed first choice, or b) good enough to fill the boots of the first-choice keeper if a crisis arises.

In other words, a pecking order.

If Arteta had brought in Raya to play the role of a brilliant number two, then that would have been understandable. Having a backup keeper of arguably the same standard as your first choice is rare but makes sense if you want the perfect insurance policy.

But I am fairly sure Raya would not have joined on that basis, which means he must have been persuaded to move to London after being told he would be at least an equal.

Then again, all this talk about swapping keepers mid-match and saying he has two great keepers and needs to play them both suggests Arteta really does think that rotating Ramsdale and Raya is the way forward.

Maybe time will prove him right and me wrong. But I very much doubt it. All the greatest teams in history have been built on the back of a strong, assertive, confident and consistent goalkeeper. Messing with that proven recipe of success to try and prove you are some sort of tactical visionary is just plain daft.

Time wasters don’t prosper

Well, it didn’t take long for that to come back and bite me in the arse.

Just a couple of weeks ago I was saying how I agree with the new rules that see referees adding on huge amounts of added time in an effort to stamp out time wasting.

Cue Sheffield United taking a shock 1-0 lead over Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday and then finding new and interesting ways to run down the clock for the rest of the match. The referee, true to the new rules, added on 12 minutes of injury time in which United not only conceded two goals but also had a man sent off.

A proper, professional collapse.

“Bet you don’t like this extra extra time now” was one message I received just after the final whistle went.

Well, you know what? I do.

I still believe it is exactly right, and the only way teams will play full matches and supporters will get their money’s worth.

Sheffield United’s tactics – taking an age for goal kicks and suffering prolonged bouts of cramp at every available opportunity – are exactly what is wrong with the modern game. And those 12 minutes of extra time, which saw the Blades defending wave after wave of attack when they were too tired to do so, should at least make them think twice about doing it again.

I said it before, but I don’t mind saying it again: ‘game management’ does absolutely nothing for the sport other than drive supporters totally nuts.

It is frustrating and tedious and needs to be reduced as much as possible. Otherwise, teams will continue to do it and the sport will get gradually more boring until there is nobody left to watch it.

E-mail: James@Quizando.com

Twitter: @Maltablade