The inevitable has finally happened. A year and a half after they should’ve done, Arsenal have finally appointed Mikel Arteta. After Unai Emery’s short and we’ll say unsuccessful spell. And poor Freddie’s even shorter and even less successful spell. Arteta, the man many thought should’ve been given the job in the first place, is in the hot seat.
It’s almost the fashion these days to appoint an ex-player who has previously won trophies with the club. Lampard at Chelsea. Solsjaer at United. There’s a reason why Tottenham had to look elsewhere, they never win anything! Both of those ex-player appointments are slowly beginning to look like reasonable decisions. While neither team has pulled up trees this season they’ve both been decent. They just seem to be showing signs of inexperience in all departments. Which is translating to wild form on the pitch. United beat City one week and draw to struggling Everton (who also have an ex-player in temporary charge) the next. Chelsea won 6 league games in a row. Then lose to Everton and Bournemouth! This is to be expected with young squads and managers and both teams are showing Arsenal what could’ve been.
Luckily for Arsenal, the board acted pretty decisively and after an acceptable season last year, they have removed Emery quickly this season. The club are currently languishing in mid-table and it will be Arteta’s job to turn that around. It won’t be an easy job though. Freddie Ljungberg’s face against City said it all. Just look at his face as Chambers tried to dribble out of defence, past 3 oncoming players. It’s the face of a man thinking “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Taking the words straight out of our mouths.
The appointment comes just days after he assisted Pep in taking Arsenal apart yet again. Can he get them challenging for the top 4 and even the title? Will he even get the time to? Is he the right choice for Arsenal?
Will Arteta get Arsenal into the top 4 this season?
Is Arteta Arsenal’s hero?
Arsenal sit very mid-table right now. As far from the relegation zone as the top 4. Let’s not even consider how far they are from a title challenge. Could they make the top 4? Stranger things have happened. Leicester were 5000/1 when they won the league. Bet you Arsenal’s top 4 odds are much less than that! It will take a huge turn around in form though. And we wonder whether they actually have the squad to turn it around.
Their defence is like a sieve. Their midfield offers as much protection as a holey condom. Going forward there is hope, they have 2 top strikers and a few attacking players that can do a bit. But it’s going to take some absolute managerial genius to turn this season around. We think the board will be happy to write this one off and call it one big pre-season tinkering and getting things right for next season. This season will also give Arteta the opportunity to assess all the players. Then if he does get any money in the summer transfer window, he knows where he wants to spend it.
Will Arteta be given time?
Flying into the job like
It’s the key question here. Arsenal almost need to write themselves off for a while. Put all their trust in Arteta and work with him to build the team up again. The only thing is, fans and the board want instant success. You just know that a dodgy run of 10 games and Arsenal TV will be kicking off. Troopz and DT will be calling for Arteta’s head before he’s even changed the sign on his office door. And that’s the problem these days. Without sounding like boring old Graeme Souness. Managers just aren’t given the time! United are trying to give Ole time but it seems the fans want him out after every game they lose. Chelsea seem to be giving Frank a bit of leeway but we know how ruthless Roman Abramovic can be.
So we truly hope Arteta will be given time to bed in and succeed at Arsenal. Because there’s nothing better than having loads of top teams competing every season! And we think that he will be given time as it seems football directors etc seem to be catching on. Catching onto the idea of giving a manager time to create a team and a style is better than instant, often short, success.
Is Arteta the right choice for Arsenal?
Will Arteta lead Arsenal to victory?
If we are looking purely at experience then, no. He has never managed a team before so you would think that he might not be the best choice. But a bit like sex, some people, like us, are just naturals. Some people just have it. And by the sounds of things Arteta is a natural. We’re talking in managerial terms of course. Although we’re sure he’s ace in the sack.
Arteta has plenty of advocates who know their stuff. Firstly, Arsene Wenger claimed Arteta would be more than capable of taking over when he left. If Arsenal’s most successful manager doesn’t know best then we’re not sure who does. Perhaps Arsenal were wary that Sir Alex chose David Moyes and we all know how that went.
If Arsene Wenger’s endorsement wasn’t enough for the Arsenal board they only had to speak to Pep. Arteta has worked under Pep as his assistant coach for 3 years now and Pep clearly rates him. There are rumours that Pep has let Arteta take almost complete control of games in those 3 years. Pep has gone as far as to say he could be his potential successor. He also says that “He’s helped me a lot… He has an incredible work ethic, and he has a special talent to analyse what happens, and to find the solutions”
For us, if he is given the right conditions, Arteta seems like the perfect choice for Arsenal. He will need time to re-mould the team. A team that is currently terrible with no style of play or confidence. He is in the Pep mould and when Pep left Munich it seemed he would’ve been the perfect choice for Arsenal. His Barcelona team and Arsene Wenger’s heyday Arsenal teams played almost the same style of possession based attacking football. We though Pep would be at Arsenal one day. Clearly that won’t happen now so perhaps Arteta is the solution.
What do you think to Arteta coming aboard? Let us know in the comments!
