Questioning Arteta by Dan Smith
Ever since Arteta claimed he planned to rotate his keepers I asked the question, what do you call someone who says things that are not true?
It got me thinking that our manager in fact lies to us quite a lot.
The issue with our fanbase is if I had written this article when the team is winning, I’m accused of negativity. If I submit it after a defeat, I’m apparently just waiting.
The reality is it doesn’t have to be one or the other. The truth is you can rate the Spaniard but acknowledge a lot of things he says don’t always happen.
Please try to consider this when reading. Put any bias to one side and be the judge.
Here are the times Arteta has lied to us ….
Pepe
In 4 years as a manager, it’s insane how many players Arteta has washed his hands of the moment he decides they don’t suit his ethos.
I blame his employers for not setting the job criteria, being that you attempt to get the best out of the resources you inherit.
You could make a whole XI of talent who had contracts ripped up, became free agents or were loaned out to reduce the wage bill. Compare that to how many players Mr Wenger did that to in over two decades.
The latest was Pepe who we essentially paid to walk away from the last 12 months of his deal.
That’s because zero suitors were willing to pay a fee knowing Arteta’s fondness for giving up on talent.
Yet the player himself was led to believe he was valued by his boss,
‘When he spoke to me, he said he counted on me, he wanted me to do this or that, and you have to focus on that. He improved me in every way. He spoke to me the whole time; I watched videos with his assistants all the time. He really believed in me. “He said I had incredible potential, so we need to extract that potential.
A”t the end of the first season, he spoke with me and told me to do this or that. The second season comes along, I was a substitute. I was going mad. How could I be a substitute when he said he counted on me? Everything is spinning in your head. I was a substitute. It was at the time when they signed Willian. He is a number 10 or a winger. But he plays on the wing for like 11 or 12 matches in a row.”
Several ex-Gunners have said it’s not Arteta’s style to put an arm round a shoulder and explain his thought process.
Raya v Man City
Having finally beaten Man City after 15 attempts in the league, of all the players Arteta could have praised he picked our worse one. On another day Raya kicking the ball right against Alvarez could have ended up in the back of our net.
Maybe this was a lie with good intentions trying to protect his keeper’s confidence?
Yet, pretending that his goalies performance was tactical was an insult to an audience nervous every time he was in possession.
Our manager instead praised the bravery of his countryman, saying it took courage to wait that long to release the ball.
Given that his ability with his feet is supposed to be his strength it’s hard to believe Arteta believed what he was saying.
Guendouzi
Guendouzi’s response to losing at Brighton was to boast to the opposition how much more money he earnt then them. An ugly character trait which led to him being one of the first targets of Mikel Arteta’s ‘non-negotiable principles’. Many hold the theory to this day that our manager sacrificed the French youngster to send a subtle message to his dressing room, with the midfielder looking up to Lacazette and Aubameyang.
It’s reported the 21-year-old ripped down barriers and fences at the Amex Stadium. When he refused to take the club’s advice and apologise, little did he know he would never wear an Arsenal shirt again. Yet we were told by our manager that wasn’t the case.
The player was frozen out of the rest of all match day squad’s that season. He wasn’t even invited to join his teammates to celebrate lifting the FA Cup despite qualifying for a medal.
The club’s official stance was that COVID protocols meant it was safer for non-playing staff to stay away from Wembley.
Yet in the summer we were told that everyone had a fresh chance by the boss
‘ I have been really clear that everybody starts from zero. He is going to be part of the team and at the moment he is like any other player in our squad ‘.
Yet it became clear the Spaniard had zero interest in reintegrating the player back into the first team.
For two years he would be loaned to Germany and France, an asset once with huge value now reduced.
Wage Cuts
When the UK went into lockdown all clubs were left unaware for how long they would be without matchday revenue.
When you have budgeted for 60,000 people to be spending money at your stadium every other week that’s a huge loss.
So, our squad were asked to accept a 12.5 wage cut (7.5 when qualification for Europe was confirmed)
It was leaked that originally 14 first team players rejected the proposal.
That’s when Arteta stepped in. It’s been said that he inspired his team with a speech convincing all but three players to change their minds.
Gunners were therefore felt lied too when 55 staff were made redundant having been led to believe the whole point of giving up part of their earnings was to protect the jobs of non-playing staff.
Only Arteta knows if he was part of the cover up.
Yet once the Kroenke Family had saved their money, players were thrown under the bus.
Our manager said: “The players were happy to help the club in this difficult financial position,”
“That doesn’t mean that afterwards you are going to have a say in every decision made by the club. It can’t work like that. At the end of the day, it wasn’t an obligation, it was a choice whether you wanted to do it or not.”
Ozil
The lies might here be for the right intentions.
From a PR perspective (and most likely legally) Arsenal couldn’t admit they were freezing out Ozil due to his refusal to take a salary cut and/or his political stance.
Yet the facts tells us that in our last match before the pandemic the German had assisted our winner.
That he would never play for us again suggests something must have happened during lockdown?
We know he was one of three players to turn down referral on his wages, questioning what the Kroenke Family planned to do to support cost cutting?
It seems an insult to Gooners intelligence to suggest you would pay a World Cup winner to sit at home based purely for ‘footballing reasons’.
Yet that’s what Arteta maintained,
‘Honestly, I take full responsibility. I have to be the one getting the best out of the players. It is my responsibility. It is nothing related to any behaviour or, like I read, the pay cuts.
“What I can say from my side is that it is just a football decision’.
In his first full season as a manager, Arteta didn’t register Ozil to play domestically or in Europe. We would go on to finish 8th, failing to qualify for European competition for the first time in quarter of a century.
Ramsdale / Raya
I wrote this at the time, this decision might cost Arteta everything long term.
Having been allowed to wash his hands of so many talents, dropping Ramsdale came across as being too clever.
A worrying sign that he was believing his own hype this seemed to over complicating things.
Only Alisson got more clean sheets than Ramsdale last season, yet he was being dropped having played his part in helping us return to the Champions League.
Not being able to give a reason why he was fixing something not broken, our manager claimed he didn’t view either as his Number One, that competition would get the best out of both and that he would select his keeper game by game based on form and tactics.
He even insulted our intelligence by saying he plans to sub his goalie as a tactical option.
That’s yet to happen.
The Spaniard’s biggest supporters praised him for his visions and revolutionary idea of not having a Number One.
He’s made those people look silly.
Lens scored based on Raya giving away possession, he nearly did the same against City and Chelsea.
Goals have come from him being too far to one side at the Bridge and Saint James Park. An issue he had at Brentford.
That’s a lot of errors having only played 9 times for us. That Ramsdale still can’t get recalled confirms Arteta had zero intention of ever rotating in that position.
Matt Smith in FA Cup Final
So, Arsenal legally had to ensure they were not doing anything that could be viewed as breaching Ozil’s contract.
That’s why despite paying him to sit at home Arteta always publicly stressed the midfielder was training well and was acting as a professional.
In reality it was clear the club regretted the salary they were paying the German, so were doing everything they could to make him feel so miserable he would accept a transfer away.
The latest ploy was to put Matt Smith on the bench in the Cup Final despite the teenager never having played a second for the senior team.
This was when you could have 9 players on the bench and make 5 subs.
Arteta with a straight face tried to say that the 19-year-old was being picked ahead of Ozil for ‘footballing reasons’.
Because we beat Chelsea our manager got away with it, but if we had needed creativity having Smith as an option could have been costly.
In reality Arteta’s true faith in Smith’s ability was to release him three years later. The midfielder with a unique stat of an FA Cup winners medal from his Gunners career having not played for the senior team.
Ozil wasn’t even invited to Wembley to celebrate with the team.
Again, what do you call someone who says things that don’t happen?
You be the judge!
Dan
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Soz guys mistake
Alisson got more clean sheets last season lol
Dan I see a storm incoming for you 😅
And to anyone that disagrees with Dan, that’s perfectly fine but please use facts as the basis of your rebuttal.
Exactly mate
They won’t though
They will attack me personally because they can’t make a point based on footballing knowledge
These are the things that are played out in every Premiership club sometimes to keep squad harmony intact and sometimes to remove people who would disrupt that.
The club always comes first, and Arsenal is no exception.
Got it in one!
Raya replacing Ramsdale is putting the club first ?
Paying to rip up Ozil and Pepe contact is putting the club first ?
Sacking 55 staff is putting the club first ?
Yes it is.
It is the cutthroat business world that they find themselves in. Do the decent thing and you go under.
That is why CEO’s are paid so much to make those tough decisions.
It is working life where if you have job security you are in the vast minority.
20 years since we last won title
So business is failing?
@Dan ,did arteta let the 55 staff go ? sheez he has got some clout, on the ozil situation he clearly did that for the club as China had basically blacklisted arsenal and that was unacceptable to arsenal . If arteta thinks Raya is better or the competition is helpful to ramsdale then this would be classed as putting the club first (weather he is wrong or right ). The pepe and other contract terminations bug me too but I do feel you get so caught up in yr hyperbole, that you start blaming arteta for things he doesn’t control.
I agree with you 100%
It’s not about the facts of football but the characters and professionalism brought. I think let us allow Arteta to lie to us because of that!
Many fans used to be very concerned with Martinelli benched for a long time, yet look at his place in Arteta’s starting line-up nowadays
They also questioned Arteta’s decisions, but he brought us to the second place with those actions and he will also be responsible of those decisions at the end of this season
Here’s an idea for the next article, Dan. Who do you think should replace Arteta in January?
Well no Ozil and Guendozi decision contributed to two 8th place finishes
I wouldn’t replace him in January mate
He’s doing a good job
I believe it was the ineffective players who made us finish outside Europe zone, because of wrong assignments and unsuitable playing styles/ abilities
Arteta’s major flaw is his ego.
Ramsdale needs to replace Raya immediately.
Havertz needs to be taken out of the team for anyone else cos there’s nothing he’s doing that our academy boys cannot do and even more.
Currently, there isn’t any proper replacement for Nketiah at CF but that issue needs sorting out in January. Is it any coincidence that both Vieira and Havertz were out-of-the-blue signings? £100m down the toilet bowl. Sigh
Dan
It’s almost as though you have been clinging onto an opportunity to try and paint a less than pleasant side to Arteta for ages
You can write any number of times that MA us doing better than before or that Wenger did make mistakes as well, but it has only taken a couple of bad results for you to throw the book at Arteta with an article (despite what you wrote above in reply to PJ-SA ) that aims to discredit him. I knew almost every aspect of what your article would contain because you can’t let go. It’s like the proverbial dog with a bone.
Who cares about Guendouzi’s fate? He brought it all on himself. Who cares if Arteta froze him out and may have fibbed a bit in the process?
Who actually gives a @£& now about any of it? It’s in the past and that’s where it belongs
I’ve seen terrible sadness within families that can’t let a prejudice go. You need to free yourself because that’s what it looks like from here.
Last sentence made me laugh
Way too deep lol
This is football
Really? lol
Yes lo
When you say
I’ve seen terrible sadness within families that can’t let a prejudice go.
Something tells me the issue is a bit stronger then an opinion on a football manager lol.
Dan
I was tongue in cheek but with a sprinkle of how it looked to me🙂
Well me and my family will be okay lol
Excellent
Dan, I really enjoy your articles, some of which I agree with and some I don’t, so don’t take this the wrong way, but people in greenhouses….
Were we lied to when an article blaming Liverpool fans for the CL disturbances appeared on JA, with no follow up apologising for the obvious error?
As for this article, I can’t disagree at all and I’m sure no apology will follow from MA either… likewise AW never apologised when he said he didn’t see the incident time after time after time.
It happens.
Guess the difference is mate
I don’t get paid thousands of pounds a week
I write for free lol
Pretty sure those Liverpool fans weren’t being paid thousands of pounds per week either.
So Dan, the guideline is then, you can’t lie if your getting paid, but the world’s your oyster if your not?
No
Can’t believe I have to explain this
I can write an opinion on here and it’s not factual ….it’s my opinion
You can say my opinion regarding Liverpool fans .
Can you name 7 examples where I have lied ?
Mikel Arteta is a manager where his lies impact allot more people and are worth allot more money
Lets start with one in this rticle:
“He even insulted our intelligence by saying he plans to sub his goalie as a tactical option.”
Never said that he plans too. The full quote was:
“I’m a really young manager, I’ve been in the job three and a half years. I have few regrets, but one of them is that on two occasions, I felt after 60 minutes and 85 minutes of two games in this period to change the goalkeeper in that moment.
“I didn’t do it, I didn’t have the courage to do it. But I’m able to take a winger or striker and put a centre-back on to play a back five to hold on to a result. We drew those games, and I was so unhappy.
“Someone is going to do it, and maybe [people will say] that’s strange. But why not? Tell me why not. You have all the qualities in another goalkeeper to do something, you want to change the momentum, do it.”
It doesn’t mention anywhere that he plans to do it, but that he’d thought about it previously and believes that someone will eventually.
This was my first thought personally, but any time it’s brought up we’re told “don’t bring things up from the past that aren’t relevant”.
Seems that this only applies in some cases.
When have I said that
No it’s a deflection tatic isnt it ?
What’s Arteta saying a lie about rotating keepers got to do with Liverpool fans
Good precise and articulate article Dan. I too think the same way even about Lacazette, Martinez and Leno and most recently Keiran Tierney. No satisfactory explanation. We were fed lies and so were the players. Days of a lier are numbered. Something to ponder about.
Mikel is the manager and does things according to what he thinks is best for the club longterm, which has in a slow but steady manner made us the force again we are today. Nothing suggests as proved in midweek that Ramsdale will better what it’s been for us this season so far with Raya between the sticks. I can as well list things he said he will do and ended up fulfilling given it went as planned, So it’s pointless to attack him when reverse seems the case cos that reeks of agenda and lack of perspective.
When you say force ?
Can you elaborate on that ?
We are joint fourth favourites to win the CL, Shows how much we are recognised across europe’s elite despite been away for several years. Teams play against us with respect regardless where they stand on rankings, even pep and jurgen knows this for a fact.
Wenger lied all the time as well. It’s just PR. I don’t particularly mind the lying (spin?) so much per se, it’s just whether the decisions were right/moral.
Not meant as a reply
Though I think our comments align somewhat
Big ups mate.
Can we have examples ?
You apparently wrote an article entitled “Why does Wenger keep telling lies to Arsenal fans?” 6 years ago – plenty of examples in there.
Wenger also admitted to lying regarding the “I didn’t see it” line:
“Asked if he had ever been economical with the truth, the Frenchman told the Daily Mail: “Yes, because you are thinking, ‘Why has he (a player) done that?’ and you know you cannot explain it,’ Wenger said.”
For me, the whole thing about the new stadium meaning it was impossible for us to compete – excuse-making, PR spin. Do you really think wenger believed top 4 was as good as a trophy?
I don’t particularly blame him, it seems you have to tell lies and half truths and spin when you’re in a position like wenger occupied and arteta more occupies.
Also, sometimes decisions are made from above, and the manager has to support the club rather than tell the truth – it is what it is. Hypothetically, had wenger thought the new stadium was a mistake, he couldn’t realistically say it – he would have had to show support whether he felt that way or not. I’m sure there would have been times the club enforced something arteta or wenger disagreed with and they had to tow the line. Maybe some of the points in the article are examples of that.
Arteta now* occupies
You can’t compare the squad of the midweek to that of those playing with Raya,,,, imgne ramsdale was the one who brought us to the cl,,then why isn’t Arteta giving him a chance,,,,I just level Arteta tactics as disgrace
Do you believe Arsenal signed Raya because they were satisfied with Ramsdsale’s footwork? I’m sure they weren’t, and therefore, they grabbed Raya. If Ramsdale can develop his footwork, he will be my #1.
I don’t think all these analysis is necessary from a normal Arsenal fan.. It’s either such person is going personal on this issue . Why ? MANAGER PLAYS MORE THAN COACHING ROLES THEY’LL PRESENT ISSUES IN WAYS THAT IT WILL NOT FUEL CRISIS OR MAR THE CLUBS IMAGE. MORE SO, HOW WILL A MANAGER CONFIRM HE HAS NO INTEREST IN HIS PLAYERS OPENLY AND STIILL EXPECT CLUBS TO PAY HIGHLY FOR SUCH? OR HE SHOULD SAY RAYA IS HIS FIRST CHOICE WITHOUT DIPLOMACY?
I’m as confused as you are.
DAN I NEVE RTHOUGHT TIL NOW THAT YOU WERE NAIVE.
Of course MA, along with many other rtop managers, prefers to keep what he thinks to himself and not share it with we fans That is nothing out of the ordinary as you try to make it sound. I know you think you have a right to know every little thing that happens in training and within the club.
But YOU DONT and nor does anyone else,who is not inside the club or in MAs confidence.
MA is contracted to speak in press conferences before and after games. But if you really and truly believe he is ever going to let on what he REALLY thinks, when he wishes us NOT to share that knowledge, thee you are being so naive as to be thought gullible, in my view.
Yes he was sincere when he said he thought we were cheated at NEWCASTLE AND MOST OF US AGREE WITH HIM.
But that is not to suggest he intends to share other info which plaingy he wishes to keep to himself He is skilled at sounding amiable during his press conferences without giving away ANY info he wishes to kep private. And so are most managers too.
To expect otherwise is naive beyond imagination.
So yes, he does lie at times THAT IS HIS RIGHT, as he is employed to get the best possible out of our players and team and how he does that is up to him. AND NOT TO YOU DAN!!
Jon you never critiqued Arsene Wenger ?
Irrelevant, and an easily seen through vain attempt to change the subject.
As you normally do when you are found out DAN.
That’s a yes then ? Lol
Still TRYING BUT FAILING to change the subject!
THATunderhand tactic, so often used when you are under attack for writing nonsense, is why so many Gooners think you are biased against MA, no matter what he does. And they are right to think that too.
@JF. Agree whole heartedly many of of the articles submitted by Dan seem to be divisive and do nothing more than highlighting his own issues whether it be with Arsenal as a whole, Arteta or Nketiah. Nothing more than personal biases and hardly ever objective. And like you say, when he’s found out and or chastised, he tries to extracate himself by making some idiotic witicism or referral to something completely irrelevant to deflect attention away from the main issue.
Of course it’s personal.bias ….it’s my opinion lol
Yes I have an agenda
It’s called wanting the best for my club
Eddie Nketiah isn’t the best for my club
Go look at my article after we beat City
When we play well , I’ll say we did
The talking point from Saturday ( across the media ) is Arteta’s rant so I gave my opinion
But that’s just it you write articles that don’t seem to have any substance because they’re based on your personal bias and wrapped up in opinion. They come across as being disgruntled rantings as opposed to someone wanting the best for the club they support as they’re filled with so much negativity and always seem to have a recurring theme. Okay, on occasion when we pull a rabbit out the hat you can be conciliatory at best. I’ve said before you write as if you’re some sort of oficionado and take too much of an interest in matters that are beyond your remit as a supporter. You’ll probably reply with something of the like of ‘you’re a loyal supporter’ and that’s why you write as you do, it’s out of passion and true concern for ‘your club’. But it just seems to be the same old continuous slating of things you personally dislike and come across as more pious than passionate
Yes mate my articles are personal bias and wrapped up my own opinion because …..it’s me writing them on a opinion site lol
Trust me , when Arsenal have done well this season I have praised them
Anyone who is lieing about that as an agenda
It just so happens at moment current taking point is Saturday and Arteta and Arsenal statement
Not just on this site
…BBC , sky sports , radio., etc
No Jon I got allot of respect for you .
I simply stop engaging once you contradict yourself or make things up .
I was taught to respect my elders so I feel it’s an insult to point out when you are obviously contradicting yourself but here goes ……
You end your comment with the following
So yes, he does lie at times THAT IS HIS RIGHT, as he is employed to get the best possible out of our players and team and how he does that is up to him. AND NOT TO YOU DAN!!
So your saying it’s up to him and implying I should have zero voice on the matter
So I fairly ask…….didn’t you question Wenger , Walcott , Mustafi , Giroud , Ozil…..most who did more for this club then current squad
Not my fault you can’t see that contradiction
DAN, You can ask , as often as you wish, about my views on the long ago past and on AW’s last period.
My views were well known back then, but are now IRRELEVANT, as is the whole period of AW’s reign, esp compared to the need to discuss NOW and the very recent past and our hopes and thoughts for the future.
And though you are entitled to give your opinion, as you do every time you pen an article, it OUGHT to be encumbent on a fair minded writer to give a fuller and fair analysis of whatever he discusses and not to CONSTANTLY present ONLY his own personal opinion.
Or in your case DAN, YOUR PERSONAL AGENDA, to use the correct phrase.
And to be totally clear, I AM SAYING that what MA does in running our club is HIS business and the ONLY right you have is to give your personal opinion. Just as we all do all the time.
But you have NO actual say in how he runs things and nor does any of us. JUST AS IT IS AND AS IT ALWAYS WILL BE AND SHOULD BE TOO.
Whether you like it or not!
Although we all agree that the goal should have been disallowed and that Newcastle should have had 10 men but with all due respect Jon, he wasn’t sincere with what he said after the Newcastle game. He was blatantly disingenuous to take away from the issue that we were pretty toothless throughout the game.
The barcodes goal basically gave him the opportunity to talk about everything except the performance.
I bear in mind that what you say, though clearly your opinion , is NOT a FACT. Opinions are fine and valid but they are not FACTS!
Fair point Jon, but this is a opinion platform so I shared mine, not that I expect anyone to agree with me.
On the flip side, neither is your post a ‘fact’ as what do we know what goes through Arteta’s head?
No opinion on here, whether yours, my own, or anyones, is fact.
As I said, opinions are fine and valid but are not facts, obviously so.
Glad to see that you too, recognise THAT FACT!
Many a manager have gone on to to do post match interviews and have equally been less forthcoming with regards to the facts or truths about their teams performances after a loss. The one that does the rounds most is when a team been on the receiving end of a defeat and the manager says (with a straight face) “we were the better team”. It could be for sincere reasons as protect their team/club from what could be a wave of external criticism and ridicule or for selfish ones ie to protect themselves. In our case, yes the team didn’t perform as they could and Arteta will be culpable with his selection, formation and tactics. But he can’t come out and say that otherwise he might as well be contributing on this site with all the other naysayers. Plus, you can’t get away from the fact that his dismay was fuelled not out of concern for an underperforming team but mainly because the performance was compounded by yet again, terrible infield officiating and VAR. Even with such a sterile performance, Newcastle’s success came about due to an even worse performance of the arbiters of the game. The game seemed to be heading for a stalemate upto that point. So, a lacklustre and underwhelming arsenal still appeared to be coming away from a hostile (player and fans) St James’s Park with a point
I think I have made it quite clear my opinion on Mikel Arteta and if anyone has any doubt, I wouldn’t lose any sleep if he went tomorrow.
But do I need to like him if the performances and results benefit us all?
To be honest, last season I thought we had turned the corner with the proactive attacking football, so I just ignored what he said or did.
Now, I don’t know what has happened but we have reverted back to the horseshoe way of playing with no end product. To be honest… it is a painful watch except for Rice and Saliba.
I can add a couple more to your article where the excuse of buying Havertz was that we could have in game tactical changes. Now, I’m no football manager but as usual, plan b is still plan A. Also, what did he say to Ramsdale last season to get him to sign a new long term contract, knowing that he was going to bring the quarterback in?
All I have seen this season is that his ego, the purchase of Havertz and the loan of Raya has basically taken us 2 steps back. Why try to fix something that wasn’t broken?
I still can’t understand why Trossard isn’t playing as the Midfield left… he did it at Brighton with great effect but yet we have to sacrifice Martinelli for him to get minutes or when we are chasing a game. I always football was about scoring goals, not to take 30 passes so the opposition can get back in to shape.
Something in the performances and urgency to win a game isn’t sitting right with me. We have more reactive games than we do proactive.
But, I suppose after the press release from the club today obviously shows the MA isn’t answerable to anyone, which I find very concerning.
I think it’s naive to think football coaches,and football players for that matter say what they trully mean in press conferences. We fans think of Arsenal as a footballing entity,rarely as a business entity. As a business entity,I’m sure the Arsenal organization has a well oiled Public Relations(PR) machine that controls what their employees(which includes the coach) can and can’t say whenever they are acting on behalf of the club. In press conferences,they are not really coaches/players but more like diplomats/representatives who are limited to various degrees in what they can say.
One of the most famous quotes of Jose Mourinho is ‘if I say the truth,I’m in trouble’. Also one of my recollections of Wenger is that wry smile when you could tell he was being coy about an answer in response to a question. Basically no coach out there says the truth because there’s a lot to lose for all parties involved if something they say comes out the wrong way.You can tell these guys are usually intentionally vague in press conferences: other than updates on player fitness,you typically don’t come out with much info from them. There are multiple tactics I’ve observed that players or coaches use : there is usually deflection,there are moments you get the one word responses,sometimes you get lots of words that mean nothing and other times they use humour to evade questions. Essentially,it’s like what politicians/governments say in press conferences.
Arteta as a coach before the press,has a responsibility towards himself(including his family and career),towards the fans,towards the business entity that employs him and towards his players – one ‘wrong’ word could affect any of these relationships. It’s a tough balancing act and there’s a lot at stake for all parties involved. I actually sympathise with professional athletes and coaches in this position. I reckon most of them don’t like it because it’s not exactly their job-it’s more of an obligation. A few years ago I remember the tennis player Naomi Osaka took a break from playing. She cited media duties and the scrutiny that comes with it as negatively impacting her mental health.Many times we dehumanise athletes ,forgetting that they are just like us – they have feelings and they are capable of making mistakes. If you want to know exactly what Arteta thinks and what his philosophy is ,and any coach really, you’ll probaby have to wait till he retires and writes a memoir or give interviews in a documentary- then there’ll be a lot less at stake.
I have watched a few sports documentaries and read memoirs from retired Sports professionals. One of my favourites is ‘The Last Dance’ which is about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls who dominated the NBA in the 90s. There are also amazing books by Ferguson,Wenger and Andrea Pirlo.One thing you realise after watching or reading them is that there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes that the public is not made aware of for whatever reasons.
Also forgot to mention the “All or nothing” documentary and the recent book “Revolution” by journalist Charles Watts. These are far more reliable sources of information if you are looking for ‘truth’ than whatever is said in front of cameras.
We are in 4th place just 3 points behind Man City. Just Arsenal released a poison that will doom us all.
Sorry, but this must be the most pathetic article I have read about Arsenal this year. By the way, do you have family relations with Gary Neville 🙂
Instead of constantly complaining, please tell us which manager we should sign next. Arteta can very well be the next Real Madrid manager. I guess they eventually signed him because of his shortcomings 🙂
Thank you Dan for your brave article
If he lies for football reasons, then I can accept it but when he tells out & out un-necessary lies this I cannot understand. He re-signed Ramsdale in the Summer big splash about it. Raya was up for sale all summer, when Chelsea chose their 1st choice & not Raya he became free, & then at the end of the window he comes to Arsenal obviously now as no1 GK . We and Ramsdale were told a pack of lies about alternating & having 2 no 1’s
We were told lies week after week re Ozil & Auba …all good players being let go.
I know being a manager is not easy , but to be stubborn and a liar are not two traits I admire