IS MIKEL ARTETA PROVING HIS DOUBTERS WRONG, OR IS IT JUST THE KRONKIE’S MONEY PAPERING OVER THE INEXPERIENCE OF OUR MANAGER?
Having recently written an article asking for examples of Arsene Wenger, supposedly, being left behind by younger coaches/managers, I thought it would be sensible to look at how things have changed since our own inexperienced young manager Mikel Arteta came to the club.
He has, essentially the same responsibilities, workload and expectations that his predecessor had, but there are some differences that we should recognise.
Mikel came to the club as a coach, having worked under what some fans describe as the greatest manager ever, but with no managerial experience whatsoever.
The situation was to change quickly for Mikel however, when Gazidis left the club, and he was asked to take over the reins – something that the club had said would never happen again… giving so much power or responsibility to one individual.
Now we’re not talking about any old club (not being biased here!!) but a club recognised throughout the footballing world as one of the finest, with a fan base of millions and a club hungry for success once again.
In his first six months, he did just that, bringing the FA cup back to the club and followed it up with the pre-season CS.
However, our league position of 8th was to be our lowest in over two decades and questions were being asked by the fanbase.
There were internal difficulties, including the coronavirus issue, back-room redundancies, individual player problems and the feeling that there was an enormous divide between the owner and the fans that had been festering for a very long time.
Players contracts were terminated, while other players were brought in that simply weren’t good enough, and a second season of finishing 8th seemed to be the death knell of this inexperienced, but dedicated, manager.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, a fairy godmother appeared, in the shape of Josh Kroenke, following the debacle of the so-called Super league.
He promised to support MA, both with money and in the manager’s plans for the future and the revival began – much, I suggest, to everyone’s surprise.
Transfers with big money purchases were made and have continued to amaze, I believe, every one of the fanbase.
At last, we were competing and winning in the transfer market with the likes of City, Chelsea, United and Liverpool – something that no previous Arsenal manager had been able to do.
But this was not just about money – MA set about bringing everyone connected with the club into the equation and the Emirates responded accordingly.
We had never really managed to capture the soul of our magnificent old ground, Highbury, as Arsene Wenger admitted, but Mikel Arteta began that process as we finished 5th the following season.
There were still problems of course, lack of consistency, ignoring certain players, etc, and we bottled the end of the season, putting even more pressure on MA and, once again, legitimate questions were asked of him.
The Kronkes stood by their word, backed Mikel with eye watering money and he and Edu spent it wisely at last.
Last season began with a bang and continued throughout said season and we saw football that, at last and once again, thrilled us with its precision and entertainment levels.
We all know what happened at the end of course, but even the greatest managers have faltered at the final hurdle, and, on reflection, this was a superb performance.
Back in the top four, into the CL, scintillating football (most of the time), a united club, a manager who lives and breathes The Arsenal and, it’s reported, already turning down opportunities to manage perceived bigger clubs.
So, in answer to my question posed in a previous article when I asked for the name of someone who had shown that Arsene had been overtaken by a younger, more forward-thinking coach/manager, can I suggest it might be our own Mikel Arteta, such is his progress to date?
But the trouble was everyone wanted to talk about Arsene’s perceived failings, rather than think about the question posed…
For example:
money spent – money not spent – time bubbles – bad buys – trolls – quotes about money available – my personal opinion – how much money had been spent renovating Highbury in the 1930’s and the 1980’s – what Mikel inherited – whether he was forced to sell players…all deflections rather than answering the question posed….and lo and behold, not one of the replies gave Mikel Arteta as a future possibility.
OH, YE OF LITTLE FAITH!!!
Let’s all hope we can all watch Mikel Arteta become the most successful Arsenal manager ever – wouldn’t that just be the greatest thing since …. Arsene Wenger?!?!
ken1945