STAN COLLYMORE Frankly, Arteta won’t crack it
COLLY
IT’S Arsenal versus Chelsea this afternoon – a big London derby.
Or, as I like to bill it, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ against ‘The Real Deal’.
Yes, sitting in the dugouts are two managers who will take their respective clubs in different directions this season.
Frank Lampard is an upwardlymobile boss who is on the cusp of exciting times at Stamford Bridge.
Whereas I couldn’t be less enthused about Mikel Arteta’s appointment at Arsenal if I tried.
There is a vast difference between the two men – and one is the right man at the right time. The other, I’m not sure he will ever be either of those things.
Of course, I know that Chelsea have just lost at home to Southampton.
But the bigger picture with Lampard is that he’s taken on a Blues team without Eden Hazard – who has made every single boss at the Bridge look far better than they are – and he’s been handcuffed by a transfer embargo he had nothing to do with.
And, OK, I accept that the Chelsea boss had several gifted kids to choose from – but he didn’t have to play Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount or Fikayo Tomori.
But he’s backed them – and himself – and it’s paying off.
He’s a solid communicator, doesn’t shirk his press duties and there’s no flannel, either.
The sheet of fines showed he’s a disciplinarian and, given the fact he’s got a year’s worth of experience at Derby County, he at least has a bank of knowledge to fall back on.
Yes, it is accepted that Chelsea have been inconsistent this season – when was the last time they lost at home to the likes of the Saints, West Ham and Bournemouth?
But they have produced in the Champions League and last week Lampard was being lauded as the apprentice putting the master – Jose Mourinho – in his place after a brave tactical move at Spurs.
Struggling
What I do think will be interesting is how he handles a big signing – and he should be knocking down the door to get a couple next month.
It will be intriguing to see who he chooses and how he handles them – he’s never handled a marquee name, or gone out and bought one. That aside, Frank has all the ingredients to be a top boss.
But I’m struggling to see exactly why it is that Arteta (left) is so highly regarded that he can be the No.1 choice to take over a club of Arsenal’s pedigree. As I touched upon last week, his exit from Manchester City could hurt them more than it benefits the Gunners.
And where I see a steel underpinning Lampard, how can Arsenal’s decision-makers see the same when Arteta has been working under Pep Guardiola for years?
I’m not saying Arteta didn’t perform a vital role but City have been built in Guardiola’s image.
Arsenal is in a royal mess – and until they get in a no-nonsense dictator to sort it out, the stench of mediocrity will stink out the home dressing room at the Emirates.
It’s difficult to know how Arteta will change it in the new year – he’s not had any time to weigh up what he’s got to work with. He’s got no managerial experience in his own right, no charisma and a club at sixes and sevens with itself.
It’s going to take someone special to sort out that mess.
Chelsea needed some work but that was trivial in comparison. And, regardless of today’s outcome, I bet the Premier League table backs me up at the end of the season.