Arteta needs patience, time.. and better players
CLUB WILL BACK BOSS BUT HE MUST SHOW PROGRESS
THE clock is ticking on Mikel Arteta... but time has not run out.
Arsenal will stick with Arteta into next season despite failing to qualify for Europe and being on course for their worst Premier League finish since 1995.
Whether that is the right decision time will tell, but the club is determined to rebuild this summer and give Arteta time, patience and better players.
The bigger worry for Arsenal fans is whether Arteta will prove to be the right man. Serious questions are being asked of him for the first time and it would be wrong to say there are not doubts in the dressing room.
Arteta can be arrogant, will not admit to being wrong and can be lacking in humility.
As someone with great knowledge of both Arteta and Arsene Wenger pointed out, the ability to be self-effacing, selfcritical and be able to laugh at yourself is a “critical quality.” Wenger had it, Arteta probably not.
Arteta, 39, boasts a reputation as a brilliant coach. He learnt under Pep Guardiola as No.2 at Manchester City and arrived in December 2019 as a popular choice to succeed Unai Emery.
As a former Arsenal captain he had an instant connection with the fans and, in winning the FA Cup in his first season as boss, there was huge optimism.
Everyone accepted it might take time and a few transfer windows to get the club back where they belong. Now, 18 months into his reign, the fans are getting restless.
And that’s understandable because, while no-one expected them to become champions overnight, the very least you expect is some signs of progress. But this season they have gone backwards.
It seems they have flatlined in midtable and the defeat by Villarreal was a lame surrender when they needed a big performance to save their season.
The real worry was the players didn’t look as if they were busting a gut for the manager. Even bigger was that Arteta was outfoxed by Emery and that’s arguably the most damning aspect of all.
Are they right to stick with him? The simple answer is yes. They cannot carry on changing the manager because where would they go next?
Arsenal need to rebuild. And stop doing bad deals. Selling keeper Emiliano Martinez to Aston Villa was a shocker and record signing Nicolas Pepe has not delivered. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s bumper three-year contract doesn’t look so clever now.
You cannot criticise the owners for a lack of investment. They have broken their transfer record year after year., digging deep to buy Thomas Partey on deadline day. So the bigger question must be: is the right structure in place?
Technical director Edu should be under the spotlight as there’s a feeling this summer will be vital. They will need to offload to free space in the squad and also ease the wage bill. Hector Bellerin could be the first to go in a big-name exodus.
But there will be money available to buy and four new faces will allow Arteta to go again. Yet Arsenal are not as good as Manchester City, they do not have such good players and yet to try to get them to play like City is misguided. Work with the tools you have got.
The Kroenkes are going nowhere. They are not interested in selling to Spotify founder Daniel Ek – now or further down the road. The Kroenkes believe in their manager and will support him.