Despite the assurances from Edu that Arsenal are going to be patient and stick to Mikel Arteta’s vision of the future, there is no doubt that the Spaniard is under great pressure to get the players back on track and turn around our abysmal form.
Many readers consider Arteta to be too inexperienced for such a high pressure job at Arsenal, and with Arsenal just 5 points ahead of the relegation zone, things could easily escalate quickly during the congested Xmas fixture list, and the support for Arteta could easily take a turn for the worst.
The Gunners legend Michael Thomes (who could ever forget THAT goal), believes that Arsenal should go for an “experienced manager to steady the ship” if they have no choice but to sack Arteta. “It’s going to be tough for Arteta,” Thomas said in an exclusive interview in CaughtOffside.
“Managers in this day and age don’t get any time and they’re on a real bad run in the Premier League, so Arsenal may act, but he’s got to be given a chance to turn it around.
“I think if Arteta is sacked then Arsenal should go for an experienced manager to steady the ship as such – the likes of Massimiliano Allegri or Thomas Tuchel.”
He also hinted that perhaps the Gunners may now be regretting getting rid of Arsene Wenger when they did, as mentioned by quite a few readers on this site lately. “Hindsight is a beautiful thing and if the fans knew then, what they know now would they have called for Arsene to leave?” He added. “I think it was time to move on from Wenger but it’s not straightforward getting it right afterwards, you just have to look at Man Utd to see that.”
So Thomas is suggested an experienced Italian could help steady the ship if Arteta goes, but who would be your (sensible) suggestion?
Tuchel could worth the gamble, but taking him from PSG would cost a lot of money
Allegri’s playing style is too safe for my liking and I can’t forget how Pochettino’s Spurs pinned Allegri’s down in UCL games. Allegri was fortunate to escape from those UCL matches
Pochettino’s style was too pragmatic at the end of his tenure, but I believe he’s figured out his mistakes and he’d most likely want to show Spurs what they’ve lost. Ljungberg’s tactics were too predictable, but he might have learned from that short managerial experience and he’s an Arsenal legend
Remember what happened the last time we got a manager from PSG 😂
Tuchel??
I haven’t really given it much thought if I’m honest. A lot of names are being thrown around as you’d expect…. it isn’t time for Big Sam just yet, is it?! 😂
As ever from Sue, just jocularity and she ducks any serious discussion. Sigh!
Seeing as you’ve rammed down our throats at every given opportunity how wonderful MA is, surely we don’t need another manager?? And let’s face it, you’ve never been wrong before, have you?! 😂
I would even waste your time with him sue ,he’s the biggest fair weather fan I’ve come across ,writes only what he thinks everybody else wants to hear .
I blame both of you for his rants. Why? You long engaged an obviously “egopathic” maniac who should have been thoroughly ignored.
Cheers mate 😂
😂😂😂 Nice one, Dan!
TH14-TW14… egopathic and not narcissistic?!! Tut tut to Dan and I then 😄
Sue, there are many adjectives (some you may or may not find in the dictionary) that can describe that personality. But I can assure you that none will be of positive reflection.
Pochettino is the right as he’s been in EPL. We don’t want coaches who’ll tell us to be patient because they want to adapt to EPL
No to Allegri.There would be no place for Saka or even maybe Gabriel + Tierney.He favours aged players (and costly ones).
I would rather give Arteta the chance to fulfill his contract.
Don’t panic mr Mannering
I agree – dont panic just yet. there is time. we need to give Arteta time. And the managment structure needs to support him in the transfer window.
AFCam, Captain Mainwaring usually actually, but ALL the rest of your post was superb and SOUND SENSE.
However, Corporal Jones did on occasion use MR not CAPTAIN. And even I can’t believe I AM CARING ABOUT THIS AT ALL but that’s an irritating pedant for you.
I would like an English coach.
Eddie Howe.
One question. Why? If you speak good English what on earth does it matter where you were born? Thats two questions, so apologies !
I agree but Bielsa doesn’t even speak english and look at what he’s been doing his players run non stop for 90 minutes and would go through a brick wall for him they’ve bought into his philosophy and that he knows what he’s doing, the same thing with Poch who had a translater at Southampton and then at spurs they say sport (football) is an universal language if you keep it simple and straight to the point no problem it’s only when you complicate things and start overloading players with unnecessary informations or trying to be too clever that things can go wrong but a manager also needs charisma, strong personality and conviction.
Rafa Benitez, top class.
Would love Rafa to take over, hadn’t thought of him. Good shout.
I am an Arteta out fan, if he lost dressing room. You cannot win without players obviously and results-wise we are doing terrible. Performance is not that good either. And made some stupid decisions imo.
No gurantees that next coach will lead to direct glory and attracting a top coach to the team in 15th in league would not be quite easy.
Rafa would be nice I guess.
Not great talking about a position that already has someone in situ, but that’s football.
We all know Arsenal are known to often go for the “cheap option”
If anywhere near accurate, here is what it takes to land any one of the five listed (just indicating examples of required outlay, not my preferences)
The top five highest paid football managers in the world:
Diego Simeone – Atletico Madrid – €43.6m
Pep Guardiola – Man City – €23.28m
Jose Mourinho – Spurs – €17.52m
Jurgen Klopp – Liverpool – €17.52m
Zinedine Zidane – Real Madrid – €16.8m
I suspect each can increase the figures above by achieving targets set.
I understand Arteta to be on circa 5M
Let’s take a random who I think is doing a great job at his current club, and whose side plays good football ;
Marcelo Bielsa’s salary package is understood to be worth in excess of £6 million, a fee which covers not only his wage but those of his assistants and backroom staff.
No good for us though as everyone would get bent out of shape, as the guy uses a translator.
Doesn’t seem to effect the Leeds players !
I believe Wolves play a style that is very much akin to the “Arsenal of old ” ???? – direct, pacey on the deck.
NES is on roughly the same as M A.
Why bang on about money ?
Sadly I believe that is very high up on our criteria when selecting personal at any level at our club.
My sensible suggestion would be to think properly and recognise what a potentially great manager we have in Arteta and stick with him, to support him fully and to forget hasty and ill conceived talk of experenced managers such as Allegri or Tuchel(who in any case would never agree to work under the non spending conditions Kroenke imposes, as some fondly and illogicallly imagine to be the case).
In other words, to GET REAL!
I would love to see MA turn things around but for that he needs to put his hands up and recognise he got it wrong, I don’t know if it is his pride, stubbornness but his unwillingness to ring the changes is what frustrates me, how long is he going to stick with the same underperforming players? What about the younger players who have been performing well in the El should I can only imagine what they are thinking what is it gonna take for them to get a shot? Not only that but we’re trying to convince some of them to stay, MA keeps talking about the process and building for the future but his actions/sélections are telling à différent story we’re not asking to field 11 young ones but players like AMN Willock Nelson ESR they couldn’t do much worse than Auba Laca Wilian have and if given a proper run they will improve for sure even play Soares instead of Hector and sacking Arteta is not the solution and like I said before if we sack him we will not manage to get the managers of the calibre needed not because of money, salary wise Allegri Poch.. would still earn more than they ever did and transfers wise apart for this summer and covid since AW left we’ve spent hundreds millions on players that same money had it been spent wisely would have got us the right players just look at Gabriel, Tierney, TP.. The reason experienced managers are won’t come is because of the way AW UE were abused before being sacked and if you add MA who won 2 trophies in his first few months forget about it why would these people put themselves through similar experience? They need to believe in the project while knowing they will have the support of the board and fans alike without the fear of being sacked if they go through a bad patch, remember the days when we use to look down on other clubs like the Chealsea and Co for firing their managers right left and center and managers were looking at Arsenal as the perfect manager gig I miss those days don’t you!
Why would a Allegri join Arsenal?
Why would our owner pay the salary that would take ?
Here is what happens if we sacked Arteta
A top class manager wouldn’t join due to lack of transfer budget
That then leaves you with a second.tier of managers – not great , not rubbish – but happy to get such a high profile job they will accept a net spend of say 50- 80 million
So we just repeat that cycle
Just as well.stick to who we have
“Why would our owner pay the salary that would take ”
“A top class manager wouldn’t join due to lack of transfer budget”
Now we’re getting to the nub of things.
But @jon fox and I talk “Tosh” apparently !
I don’t have the exact figures but since AW left we’ve spent a decent amount on transfers fees haven’t we? It’s not like we’re a poor club, I’m not blaming Pépé but imagine the players we could have got for 72M probably 2 good to very good players in their early 20’s up to 25/26 years old with experience and room to improve just look at Gabriel 30M,Tierney 25M TP 50M.. I read that Soares Wilian Mari are costing just under 65M in wages a year that’s a lot of money!
I think I forgot to include Auba in it!
Not really mate no I don’t think we have
We have been failing due to years of not spending
Since we finished outside top 4 for first time are you telling me a billionaire owner has done everything to make us better
In discussing this issue, one major aspect which needs to be addressed is the unrealistic expectations of the Club’s fans.As someone who benefited from a good education and a relatively successful career, I often wonder how I would have responded as a young Arsenal supporter had social media been around in the sixties and seventies, if faced with the current “so called” crisis.Youngsters today seem to demand instant success but many, if not a majority have never played the game nor have they any appreciation of the difficulties of Managing a Club which has fallen on hard times after a fruitful period in the first decade of the tenure of AW. Our fans have to realize that we are not a wealthy Club with vast resources like, Chelsea, Man City etc and are owned by an absentee “investor” who has little understanding of the community spirit upon which a football team depends.Bringing in a new Manager is not the answer to the problems of our Club which needs a root and branch review starting in the Board room. A group of younger more dynamic Directors are needed to bring about the material changes needed to replace the incompetence displayed on and off the pitch during the past 7/8 years.Arteta inherited a very mediocre first team squad. To be fair to his critics, he has been his own worst enemy on a number of occasions, with debatable tactics, poor recruitment in the shape of players who were considered expendable by Chelsea, and by being over protective towards our talented youngsters who generally speaking have impressed when given an opportunity.No, he has a lot to learn, and on Sunday he learned that his loyalty to certain players was misplaced.That said the fact that he managed to win the FA Cup in his first season, suggests he can “manage” and in my opinion he deserves time to shore up the creaking ship that needs some major repairs .
You know what Arsenal fans like you don’t fail to amuse me…..
I strongly believe no real fan had these “unrealistic expectations” — which could mean finishing in top 4 and onwards.
However what baffles most people is that after a full year with the team, there should have been some visible improvements in our play, NOTHING!!! For example;
1. We don’t even have a clear, sustainable style of play and this ultimately caught up with the team in form of bad results
2. Instead of pressing, we have people like Nketiah, Lacazette who are branded “hardworking” but in actual sense they all our players just chase people half-heartedly without any conviction of winning the ball back.
3. What of the passing??? How many times do you see forward players like Saka losing the ball cheaply. It’s as if they don’t even train at all!!!!
These three are the basic things that any realistic fan wanted to see as improvement even before the results. But none of them is there.
You are spot-on Grandad. Well done. I sincerely hope our owners are afforded the opportunity to read your thoughtful, logical and well reasoned summary.
Get good and quality players first!. Which ever Coach/ Manager that will come will have something to work on.
Ralph Hasenhuttl of Southampton is my choice to replace Arteta.
Experienced in EPL, used to working with tight budget, plays flamboyant football, good track record with Leipzig in Bundesliga.
arteta is better than those guys, I bet you!
I will go for Poch but I don’t see MA leaving now.
Ralph Hasenhuttl or Allegri I’ll take those 2 over Arteta any day of the week.. my unrealistic choice would be Nagglesmann though!
I want Arteta to lead arsenal team to success but with what I am seeing presently if I have my way today I ll sack him n sign pochetino because the team instead of improving, the team keeps going down, we thought last season was d worst but this season remain the worst. The team has played many matches without scoring not to talk of winning. Emry hasn’t done so poor. It is good to give a manager time that is if the manager is making progress.