Arteta has no plan B... but plan A is so good he can win title
MANCHESTER City, it was said, were going to run away with the Premier League after signing Erling Haaland. Some feared it would be boring. It does not quite work like that in England. That is why it is the best league in the world.
Entering 2023, I wanted to use this column to take stock of where the big seven are, and I have to include Newcastle given the brilliant job Eddie Howe has done and the form they are in.
Who would have thought we would arrive at New Year’s Eve and City, with Haaland having scored 20 league goals, would be five points off the top? Not only that, but it would be Arsenal setting the pace. We have a genuine title race.
Historically, Pep Guardiola would worry about Liverpool; not this year. Arsenal have a real chance. I don’t think Newcastle, in third, are ready, and the rest behind them will be focused on the top four. The top two, come Easter, I expect will be neck and neck.
Arsenal are playing with freedom, belief and confidence. They believe they can out-football and outscore anyone. That is a tremendous conviction to have. But it can cost you, because I don’t think they have a Plan B. That is not a criticism. It is just that Mikel Arteta has instilled so much belief in his players that they go out and play their own game. It will be fascinating to see how that strategy fares when they meet City in February.
Arsenal’s board deserve credit, too. They have stuck with Arteta through some tough times. They have also got their recruitment right. Martin Odegaard, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Martinelli — they weren’t established stars, but they have identified young players who could be coached and improved, and that is why Arteta is perfect for their model.
For all of that, I still think City will edge them out come May. Their players are serial winners and that belief is an incredible thing to own inside your head. City know they’re good enough.
That will be the challenge for Newcastle, because they have an excellent chance of top four. Are they ready for that pressure at the business end? What an incredible achievement it would be for a team who this time last year were looking over their shoulder. It is no lucky streak, either. They are beating good teams and convincingly.
From one club in third whose supporters are delighted with their manager, to another in fourth where some fans are moaning about the style of football. I would ask Tottenham fans to be patient with Antonio Conte, however. His brand of football is a winning one. He pushes players to the point where you’re almost falling out with him, and I like that. He has a track record like few others. He has had only two transfer windows, and Spurs fans should give him time.
I think Spurs will finish above
Manchester United. I expressed reservations about Erik ten Hag on these pages in August. Since then, he has got more out of those players than the previous manager.
I still think the Cristiano Ronaldo situation could have been handled better, benefiting the player and manager. He scored 18 league goals last season, and when I look at their squad now, I don’t see goals.
Marcus Rashford is their top scorer with five and is playing well.
But he had a sabbatical for two years. Only he could tell you why. The worry for United is it could happen again. If he’s the one you’re relying on to get you goals, that feels like a wing and a prayer to me. And if Ten Hag is also still relying on Anthony Martial to stand up and be counted, then good luck with that.
It is staggering that Liverpool were 15 points off top going into this round of fixtures. The title is gone, but they will still make the top four if Cody Gakpo hits the ground running, along with Darwin Nunez.
Finally, Chelsea. What is going on there? They won’t make the top four. Alarm bells started ringing for me when Todd Boehly came in and took control of football decisions. Everything I see and hear tells me this is going to be a difficult period for Chelsea.
Still, it will be interesting to see how it plays out, and that is another reason to enjoy this brilliant league in 2023.