Arteta Can’t Give In To Fan Pressure by Dan
Sir Alex Ferguson once said the test of a good manager wasn’t when things are going well but in fact when things are going wrong. Arsene Wenger would often say something similar.
Anyone can handle working with top players, winning trophies and being told how special they are. What separates the good from the great is who handles adversity.
Who has the man management skills to not let a crisis get out of hand?
Who handles himself with integrity no matter what the outside is saying?
Who can handle a little leak without allowing the whole house to crumble?
Ultimately that will be Jose Mourinho’s legacy. Yes, a man who will do anything to win but who didn’t have the skills to halt a slide.
Just a couple of months ago, Gooners were excited by Arteta, They were proud we had a manager who could tactically out think the best in the business. Some were saying he was better than Guardiola!
Better then Wenger!
I was called negative for dismissing talks of a title challenge or lifting the Champions League in three years. That’s because I think we have someone in charge who could be special.
Yet I knew in the world of social media how fickle and reactionary supporters can be.
My fear was that expectations being unrealistic, instead of allowing Arteta the little steps he requires, overreaction will not allow him the time he needs.
That’s why this is a crucial period for the Spaniard. While I have been critical of him freezing out Ozil, I maintain that decision has been made above his head and he’s simply picking his battles. In that sense he’s been let down by his employers.
Every time we lack creativity, Ozil will be brought up. A more experienced boss wouldn’t put themselves in that position.
That’s what we got to remember though. Arteta is still a rookie, he hasn’t yet been a manager for a year. It’s only natural that he’s going to make mistakes. That’s okay.
The likes of Edu would have known when offering him the job, lack of experience would mean learning on the job. If that was an issue we would have hired a more experienced candidate.
There’s a difference between learning from your mistakes and being pressured to change.
Arteta has shown he can improve players and tactically make a team hard to beat. Now though he needs to show he’s got the strength to stand by his convictions.
I believe long term his ethos is to play the attractive brand of football that has long been our DNA. You don’t get mentored by Pep and then decide to play 5 at the back and 2 DM’s.
He’s decided to organize his defence first and maybe feels he hasn’t got the players yet to go on the attack.
When and how the time comes to change tactics needs to come from his beliefs, not pressure from the outside.
A Klopp, A Pep or A Wenger have their vision, and stick to hit even when the world has a different opinion.
That’s why I resist this notion that there are signs of the Unai Emery regime. We never had an identity under Emery. One week it was a back 5, the next it was a back 4. He would freeze out Ozil, then bring him back. He would say Ramsey didn’t fit into his plans, then change his mind.
I feel Arteta has a plan but can’t cave in to peer pressure.
If he thinks being negative gives us the best chance of a result at Old Trafford, If he believes Auba is more effective on the left, he needs to be strong and stick to his vision.
We need to give him time to do that…
Dan Smith