Morning all.
Today marks five years for Mikel Arteta as Arsenal manager. He arrived when Arsenal were pretty much in the gutter. The fans had been boycotting The Emirates, the players on the pitch looked like loss souls and the mood around the blog world was somber. The club lacked direction, imagination and purpose with a board at odds with the manager over which players to sign. Or at least that’s how the story goes. Unai Emery wanted Zaha, he got Pepe, he wanted N’Zonzi, he got Torreira but at least someone had the vision to snap up William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli.
Arteta had seen Arsenal in action just a few days before he made the move from Man City but that day, he was of course sat alongside Guardiola as City breezed to a 3-0 victory. After being confirmed as the new head coach at Arsenal, he watched on from the stands as Arsenal played Everton. A boring 0-0 draw was the final game before Arteta took over the following week. His first match was away against Bournemouth which again, ended in a draw.
That first season, well, half of it with Arteta in charge ended with an FA Cup trophy. More to the point though, it was the beginning of the end of a number of players. It could so easily been the end of Arteta’s Arsenal career too when just seven months after winning the FA Cup, Arsenal were flirting with relegation just one win in the previous ten games.
Covid and empty stadiums kept any potential fan disgruntlement away from the pitch. We’d been beaten by Leicester City, Aston Villa, Wolves, Totts Everton and Burnley. We’d drawn against Southampton and Leeds.
Then on Boxing Day, we faced Chelsea at home.
Arsenal defeated Chelsea 3-1 and then things started to improve. We ended up missing out on a European competition place for the first time in many many years but at least we’d strung together a run of form and good results. After finishing in 5th place the following season and another busy summer in the transfer window, exits as well as new arrivals, Arteta’s Arsenal finished the season runners up to Man City, something the team/squad repeated last season. So close and yet so far.
During the five years of steady Arsenal improvement, the only thing missing really has been a piece or two of silverware. We could win both domestic cups this season but it still wouldn’t satisfy every fan and certainly not the media. After all, Arsenal have never won the Champions League and haven’t won the Premier League for twenty years. They forget though that many other clubs who’ve been a constant in the Premier League haven’t won it either.
Despite the signings and the money spent, I don’t think Arteta has the squad he’d truly like. This is a man who learned from Guardiola, a manager who has pretty much gone through his managerial career being able to sign who he wants without really worrying about finances. He’s never really walked into a club and had to build from the bottom, in fact I think this current period in his career is the toughest he’s faced. As far as management goes, Guardiola has pretty much gone through clubs with a silver spoon in his mouth. Arteta a squad of players which no other club were willing to part with cash for, especially through the Covid period. We’ve seen players which Arsenal spent big on, leave for nothing. I think only Xhaka, Nketiah, Ramsdale and Smith Rowe left for a reasonable fee.
On paper, Arteta’s time at Arsenal is already long but his first few years were tough because of what he inherited. He didn’t even have one of the best back five’s in the world to help his career kick off or a level financial playing field.
Perhaps he’s not doing so bad after all. Lol
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico and all. Nice write up Rico,
What’s that old saying, you are only as good as your last match.
Arteta has done well since taking over, thanks to the owners not panicking and showing him support while improving how much he can spend, where his record at other clubs would have seen him given a tap on the should and a kick up the arse and told not to return.
The question is who feels he has what it takes to win the premier league and I for one don’t feel over confident he can, unless he has a plan B as it seems to me the other clubs have us worked.
Morning Geoff, thanks.
My own thought is that if we could win a cup, the feeling and experience of winning would increase. I’m not convinced we’re out of this years PL race just yet either. Arteta knows what it takes to win it imo because he’s experienced it at City.
I sort of agree Rico but he doesn’t have Pep or his money to bail him out.
I can’t wait to see how Edu’s replacement works with Arteta and if we change our style of play / players.
Hopefully he’ll be in as soon as the season ends Geoff..
Five years is quite some achievement,out of those players mentioned a few have retired or disappeared without a trace. Xhaka and Torreria at least have gone on to win trophies. I think Lacazzette and AMN are still playing at Lyon. Arsenal are very different though,Saka just goes from strength to strength.
Looking ahead I think we’ve got a good chance over 2 legs against Newcastle,it probably would have been better to have the away leg first but we owe them.
Palace away won’t be easy but at least we should be back to full strength.
I fancy us to go through to the final too Limey. Had it been a one off game at their place, I’d be less confident.
Saka, Tierney, Martinelli and Saliba are the only players to survive the chop. Incredible turnaround in just five years and without CL money for half of it.
Good afternoon Rico, fifth anniversary eh? The traditional gift is wood, I trust he doesn’t end up with the wooden spoon. 😉
I said earlier today that Reisse Nelson would be let go in the summer and, I suggest, so will Sterling. In hindsight, would we have been better off keeping Nelson in the squad and not taking Sterling on loan?
Getting shot of Arteta would be throwing the baby out with the bath water. Not only would he go but no doubt the back room staff and of course many of his players would want out as well.
After 5 years we need to take stock , he came into a sh*t show and has turned it round . Now we need to plan from where we stand today .
I saw this morning one of our overseas sites analysing the squad and making it clear who they think we should keep and those to go . It just goes to show that different people see things from different perspectives. Some of us get to see games live and when we do we see things that we don’t on TV . We see work rates , we see how players react in certain situations , we see how some players get support and others are left to their own devises .
The tactics are down to Arteta and his coaches but the players are responsible for implementing them , if they can’t or won’t then their days are numbered. I believe that there is a camaraderie in the club but losing the leader will shoot that to pieces.
5 years eh?
We should get him a book
…from Wetherspoons? Kev. 😉
Good afternoon Rico and all
I am really enjoying myself reading your post Rico, while stuffing myself with slices of Christmas logs while washing it down with a glass of mulled wine. hic. ‘ave yourshelf a merry chrishmash. Washed down with wine. Neksht year your troubles will be outta shiight’
hic
5 years of Arteta already. Jeez how time flies
The worst thing the Arsenal board will do is sack Arteta. its not easy emerging from the doldrums without having a sugar daddy. City and Pep have had an easy life (we’ll see about that), Liverpool were the media and ref darlings, while we had to face many things including bent refs, decisions beyond belief and a mountain of injuries (we are top of the division with regards injuries this season)
Arteta has already won an FA Cup and two charity shields (equivalent of super cups). It took SAF 4.5 years to win his first piece of silverware. the only two managers who won the EPL in their first full season were Wenger and Mourinho and one of them didnt have a sugar daddy. He had a board full of scrooges imo instead.
the best compliment I can pay to Arteta??? The games which we dropped points the last three seasons occurred because we did not play and shot ourselves in the foot. Not because the other teams were better than us. Simply because we allowed them to be better.
I have just read this on Arsenal Fanatics News……
Man City have filed court papers against the Independent panel making an official announcement if they are found guilty of some and not ALL of the charges.
They state if even one charge is proven the the image of the Club would be tarnished so harshly that the label alone would wipe hundreds of millions of revenue from the business, costing jobs to hundreds locally and the wider community. They go further in stating that the Panel should work with them and release the charges they are not found guilty of in 2025 but keep in house any potential adverse outcome and they are trying to come to an agreement on the 20 plus charges of “no compliance ” that they didn’t offer a defence too in the hearing as they put forward they had nothing to hide and it was a third party that went out of business and the paper work was lost .
Talks continue while at the same time Man City take legal action.
Afternoon Devil, Cicero, said the same on the old post about Nelson and Sterling. Great minds isn’t it.. lol
Couldn’t agree more Potter.
We’ve not had City or Chelsea’s finances, nor have we a player sold for £150 million or whatever amount it was Liverpool received for Courtino (spelling) Totts sold Kane for £100m too.
On the contrary, most of the players who’ve left Arsenal since Arteta arrived have gone for free, or paid off.
Re Man City, tough I say. If they’re found guilty then it’s in the publics interest to know they have. In any case, they won’t be able to keep things hidden IF they are penalised appropriately.
Rice and Calafiori are back tomorrow…
You read my mind Cicero 😁
City already know the result and are trying to mitigate the punishment . If their position is that if they are guilty it would affect their business , then so be it .
Inevitably they will continue to muddy the waters , getting the sentence lessened as they go .It seems that they are not worried about their ill gotten gains from being guilty but how their future prospects will look .
They are looking for a rap over the knuckles , a fine , and then carry on regardless.
Finally a sit down to read HH, after getting Barbara home from 2nd replacement knee Op. Marmalade on toast made, washing up done, walked her up and down stairs to Bathroom, letter taken to Doctors…….
Good post rico, although on reading headline, I thought we had an article on David Bowie, one of first singles bought 🙂
Thinking we sometimes too hard on Arteta, he’s done a great job, loves the club through and through, and 2 years of coming second have raised expectations a little high. So close to a very good team now, just need Jesus to not be a flash in the pan, another wide or CF bought, and Kiwior not making me hide behind fingers with his defending.
Agreed, hope the footballing powers don’t surrender to their wishes.
Ha ha Andrew, and thanks.
Arteta admits he gets things wrong, that’s one of the things I admire about him. He was very honest in his press conference.
A busy Christmas for you you then whilst your wife puts her feet up. 😂