Is Arteta the Right Man to Return Arsenal to Glory Days?
The departure of Arsen Wenger on 20 April 2018 renewed the hope of Arsenal fans across the world. There was a belief that the French man had overstayed at the Emirates, and it was time for new blood and new philosophies. The news of Arsene Wenger’s departure was exciting to the Arsenal fans, and they didn’t care who would take over from him. Since the release of Wenger, Arsenal has had two coaches, and the list could soon increase if Mikel Arteta does not change the club’s fortunes.
Soon after the confirmation of Wenger, many names, including Thiery Henry, Patrick Viera, Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, popped up. News soon came that the Arsenal board had decided on Unai Emery, who only spent 18 months at the helm of Arsenal coaching. It did not take long before Arsenal hired Mikel Arteta, serving as Pep Guardiola Assistant at City.
Even after changing the coaches twice, gunners seem to worsen. Arsenal is losing games to the fringe clubs and conceding many goals to the big clubs. It is now easier for Macau sports betting fans to bet on Arsenal to concede more than three goals when playing against a big club.
What Pundits Are Saying
The thought behind hiring Mikel Arteta was that he understood Arsenal philosophy and had worked under arguably the best manager in the best manager in the world. However, two years after arrival, the situation at the Emirates seemed not to have changed much, and there is talk that Mikel’s time at Arsenal may soon come to an end.
In an interview with goal.com, former Arsenal defender Silvester explained that everyone at the club had high hopes that the young Spanish manager was the right man to take Arsenal back to glory. He, however, attributed the current woes facing the club to Covid 19 effect, too many new signings, and injuries.
Silvester argued that Arteta needed time to bring the club back to glory. The former Arsenal defender says the fans should not expect Arteta sacked anytime soon. Unlike Unai Emery and Arsen Wenger, the current Arsenal coach has had a huge kitty to spend in the past two seasons to spend. Apart from Chelsea, no other club has spent more money on players than Arsenal.
Arsenal Spending Spree
Despite spending a record £145 million ($200m) last season alone, Mikel Arteta has failed to bring the spark back to the Emirates. From player signings to team management, the Arsenal coach seems not to get anything right. Get more news about other top European teams spending here. In the past transfer window, Arsenal brought in several young talents.
- Martin Odegaard
- Nuno Tavares
- Ben White
- Aaron Ramsdale
- Sambi Lukonga
The Arsenal coach currently finds himself under intense pressure after a disappointing season. The Gunners failed to secure a single point in their first three games, only scoring their first goal against the newly promoted Norwich City.
In the past two transfer windows, Arsenal has spent more than any other premier league club but still fails to leave their expectations. While the defeat to Chelsea and Manchester City was expected, the humbling by Brantford in their first game put a lot of questions to whether Arteta is the right man for the job.
This season, Arsenal’s first win came against Norwich at the Emirates Stadium when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang curled in the winning goal shortly after an hour mark. Since then, the gunners have continued to improve, but the speculation about Arteta sack does not seem to go away.
Most football pundits claim that Mikel Arteta cannot turn around the club’s fortunes over the next few months. According to Teamtalk, Arsenal chiefs are looking at the viability of hiring Graham Potter and Thomas Frank. Reports claim the Arsenal hierarchy could let the young coach complete the season.
The Bad Decisions
Since his arrival, the Arsenal coach has made several questionable decisions which many attributes to his inexperience. The handling of the Mesut Ozil saga was certainly below par. Your team is struggling to create chances, yet you choose to sideline arguably the best-attacking midfielder of his generation.
Another bad decision was letting Mattéo Guendouzi and William Saliba out on loan. There is no argument about the quality of the two French players; the decision to send them out to Marseille was based on their relationship with the coach. It’s now emerging that Mikel Arteta’s biggest weakness is the ability to handle players with questionable characters and may contribute to the Arsenal manager sacked at the end of the season.
There is also a case of wrong team selection. Aubameyang has not been in his best form this season. Still, the coach has consistently started him to lead the Arsenal front line despite having players like Martinelli and Alexandre Lacazette on the bench. Another questionable pick is Pepe; the winger has failed to leave expectations since signing for £ 70 million.
Final thoughts
‘Arsenal Sack Manager’ is a headline every Arsenal fan is yearning for before the end of the season. A club of the stature and prestige of Arsenal should never find itself in the position they are now, and they should find a solution sooner than later. Arteta needs to improve the style of play, team selection, leadership skills, most importantly, management of players.
There is no magic in coaching, helping the club win games, and subsequently, trophies and fortunes will change. The January transfer window will soon be open, and whether or not Arsenal sack Arteta will depend on his performance at the end of the season.
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