Three years of Mikel Arteta’s Process by Goonerboy
When Mikel Arteta was confirmed as Arsenal’s manager, I remember earnestly looking forward to his first interview, I had feelings of adventurous excitement, anxiety, and great fear. I thought Arsenal Football Club would experience the most significant ridicule of our lifetime – we were languishing in the bottom half of the table under a more experienced Unai Emery, and it was difficult to imagine that a complete rookie could turn things around.
Yet, in his third year, Arsenal sits at the top of the league in December.
If you compare where we were before Arteta was appointed and where was are now, you see a club and a team with Arteta’s process and authority from top to bottom. The journey has not been smooth in any way as we went on to make so many unwanted records – I remember the red cards, the losing streak, terrible referee and VAR decisions, and small margins going against us, and it felt like the process was doomed to fail. The disharmony among the supporters became unbearable, as once again, #ArtetaOut was trending almost every match day, it was a really dark time for the club and the fans.
I detest so many things about modern football operations, and one of them is a lack of patience emanating from a huge sense of entitlement, especially from young fans. It is always about the immediate future, a desire for quick success and glory, which means managers and to some extent players are always under immense pressure to deliver. Only a few fans remained objective in their assessment.
Like some thinking fans, Arteta recognized that to get Arsenal back to the top, a lot of things simply have to change; the mentality, the culture, and the connection with the fans must be mended. Now, to change the mentality, we had to change most of the personnel that was part of a rotten culture.
In my opinion, Arteta has gone on to oversee one of the biggest rebuilds from the ground up in recent years. I am glad the club didn’t give in to the impulses of the fans, they instead believed in the process and vision of their man, we now have a clear direction and sit top of the league.
Make no mistake, our recent progress is not just down to the additions of Jesus and Zinchenko, it has been coming, we have gone on winning runs, what we have lacked was consistency and belief, which is to be expected from a young team. I can’t explain how happy I am that people are now praising Mikel who has endured a rollercoaster three years but has held his own, trusted his players, and never shied away from challenges.
The process that was maligned and ridiculed is now being applauded and even emulated. You don’t have to believe me, just go to other fans’ forums and see what is being said about Mikel Arteta’s process. I have seen Chelsea and United fans forums saying their clubs should look at what Arsenal has done with Mikel and follow suit.
Having said all that, if you ask me for my personal major highlight and what I am most impressed with beyond football, I would say the connection between the fans and the players. The fans are consistently transmitting positive energy to the players, and players feel supported even when they struggle or make mistakes, which has created an intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams, I can confidently this is the best atmosphere since the Emirates era, thanks to Mikel Arteta.
Despite this, Arteta is not perfect and still has a lot to learn. The development and progress must not stop now, we are not there yet, but we are certainly on the right path. We have a great opportunity this season and I believe in this team to go all the way. If Arteta has done all this in three years, I just can’t wait to see how far we can go under him, perhaps we can be fortunate enough to lift the EPL this season, what a sight that would be!
Whatever happens, long may the process continues, I am confident Arsenal is quickly going back to the top because we’ve got Super Mik Arteta!
What is your major highlight in Mikel Arteta’s reign so far?
Do you now completely trust the process?
Goonerboy…
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