The Premier League is over and Arsenal have just finished in their lowest position since 1995. Even without the devastating impact of the corona virus, which infected their new manager, it has been a season of instability at Arsenal. Few could argue with the decision to relieve Unai Emery of his duties back in November. In fact, according to some, the call was made far too late. A number of names were linked with the job, from Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers to the former Swansea, Leicester and current Bordeaux coach Paulo Sousa. Carlo Ancelotti was also suggested as a potential replacement for Emery and despite the general popularity for this particular choice, Arsenal opted for the more inexperienced Arteta . Its fair to say that there was a fairly mixed reaction to the announcement that the former Gunners player and F.A cup winner would be the new manager. Some felt a more accomplished coach such as Ancelotti would have been a better choice to take them forward. Others were excited at the prospect of this young, highly rated coach coming in and restoring an identity Arsenal have been sorely lacking for several years now.
Arsenal had initially approached Mikel Arteta for the job after Arsene Wenger’s time at the club came to an end in the Summer of 2018 before they eventually opted for Emery. Perhaps Arteta’s lack of experience counted against him when this decision was made. However, less than 18 months later, the Spaniard finally got his chance. It was a big risk from Arsenal who had a disastrous start to the season. Afterall, this was Arteta’s first job as manager of a football club. While, he will have gained invaluable insight into the managerial career through working as the understudy to Pep Guardiola, this was always going to be a challenge for Arteta, as well as Arsenal. If Arteta’s age and experience make him a novice in the field, his conduct and manner in his first conference made him look like a seasoned veteran. He spoke like someone with a clear plan and idea. If his new players were under any doubt of their responsibilities as footballers for Arsenal football club, they were made very clear in his first press conference. People will understandably point out that this was just a press conference and doesn’t tell us anything about Arteta’s tactical knowledge. However, what Arteta did show was that he is a good communicator. This may sound like a pretty basic requisite for a manager but Emery’s broken English made it difficult to decipher what he means at times. Remember, this is the person who is giving the players the team talk and instructions before games. Without wanting to make assumptions, it often seemed like this struggle to communicate his ideals clearly translated to the pitch in the case of Unai Emery, where players looked unsure of what they were supposed to be doing and where they were supposed to be.
On the pitch, Arteta’s Arsenal have hardly been spectacular. Results haven’t been significantly better under the new manager than they were under Emery. However, there have been definite signs of improvement. Arsenal have conceded fewer goals and fewer chances despite a distinct lack of quality at the back. Individuals such as Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos have shown significant improvement and there appears to be a better general structure under Arteta’s management. There has been moments to remember fondly too, albeit they have been relatively rare. The premier league homes victories over Manchester United and Liverpool and the F.A Cup semi final win over Areta’s former club Manchester City stand out as concrete proof of the improvement under Arteta. Moral is up-that is quite clear. Speaking after the win over Manchester United at the Emirates back in Janaury, David Luiz and Sokratis spoke in glowing terms about their new boss to BT. ‘The fun is back’ said the big Greek centre back as a rare grin emerged across his face. ‘In life when you’re happy-the results can be totally different.’ echoed Luiz. This was over 6 months ago but remains relevant now. The scenes after the F.A Cup semi final win over City were not just the celebrations of a team that had just reached the FA cup final but one that was fully behind their manager and believed in his philosophy. Dani Ceballos looked like destined to be a failed loanee and was likely heading back to Madrid with his tail between his legs in January. Now, we are looking at ways to keep him here permanently. Similarly, Granit Xhaka, after his conduct in the Crystal Palace home game back in October , was on his way to Hertha Berlin. Since then, he has rehabilited his relationship with the fans and is a staple in the starting line up under the new management. These things don’t happen when players don’t respect or believe in their manager.
While it’s important to recognise the difference Mikel Arteta has made both on and off the field, there is only so much he can do with the squad Arsenal have. Significant and ruthless change is necessary if they are to achieve their goals. There’s players currently at the club who simply aren’t good enough and others that just aren’t compatible with Arteta’s philosophy. There’s a huge amount of work to do in the upcoming transfer windows. It is quite obvious that there won’t exactly be a war chest ready for Arteta and co to splash out. However, there is other ways to support him. A lack of coordination when it comes to recruitment has lead to a largely dysfunctional team where a lack of fluidity has been a major issue. If we are to truly address that issue, we need to change the way we bring in players going forward. We need players who suit the style of play Arteta is trying to implement and who have the specific assets which we need to improve the team. Signing players because they are represented by Kia Joorabchian won’t cut it and is no way to support a new manager in what they are trying to do. Unai Emery was clearly not a good fit as Arsenal manager and his management in the final few months of the season was disastrous. However, it’s worth remembering that Arsenal remained quiet in the previous January transfer window when it was blatantly obvious that they needed reinforcements. In this regard, Arteta should be at the heart of transfer and contract decisions going forward. The project will take time and investment but if we truly believe Arteta is the right man to take us forward, then we have back him with both money and patience.
TheGoonerStation 