Former Arsenal star Paul Merson on the job Mikel Arteta faces.
Paul Merson has given his verdict on why Mikel Arteta could do well given the low expectations at Arsenal at the moment.
The inexperienced Spanish tactician replaced Unai Emery back in December and has made a promising start at the Emirates Stadium, even if we’re still a long way from being where we want to be.
Still, Merson feels Arteta could do well in these circumstances, as it gives him the time to overhaul this struggling squad and put together his own team without too much pressure on him to get it right immediately.
“Every manager is different. I’ve worked under some great coaches who weren’t good managers, and I’ve worked under some great managers who weren’t good coaches,” he told Sky Sports. “You need the team around you, the coaches around you to challenge you. When you have a coaching staff around you who don’t, and are just yes men, that can be a problem.
“But I think this situation helps someone like Mikel Arteta. Arsenal need such an overhaul of players that it’s actually almost impossible to get that many players in. There’s now an opportunity for him to work with the current crop, and I think it actually takes the pressure off of Arteta, and now anything is a bonus.
“Arsenal’s expectations will be nowhere near as high as they were a few months ago. I think he’ll now be given loads and loads of time to build. He’s young, he’s enthusiastic, and he’ll want to work with younger players.
“He’s not a Mourinho or Pep Guardiola, who I’d call your Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroys, they’re just dealing in majors, nothing else! Arteta is the type who might work from the ground up with lesser players.”
There’s no doubt Arsenal fans will need to be patient and that we are playing the long game by gambling on rookie coach Arteta.
The 38-year-old should have a bright future in management, and we’ll have to hope he is allowed to really find his feet with the setup at Arsenal.
so we need our club to finish on top 4 in premier league table this season despite of our position 9.
so our club need two central defenders and one central Midfielder and coming season will beat each team of premier league.
You said it, he has no experience at all as a head coach but cheaper replacement.
He may become a great one but he should experiment, lose and win in a midtable club, work hard, show what he can do with a Benz before to give him a Ferrari.
He hasn’t show anything before, if not an ex club player it would be shocking to see a club as Arsenal go for an assistant coach.
We really look like a ship with no captain, lost, no sense, dramas all the time, not settled at all, shaky & scary, we almost fell under 15th spot and so much drama to be 9th spot.
We do not feel secure, majority game been scary, no pleasure or excitement but fear to mess up even leading with 2 goals.
Conceed one and here we go…We fight to not lose a game, not to win it. Always dramatic, not in control.
A coach players behavior and spirit are the reflection of the coach in charge.
You see it on the pitch, players are fighting as a unit but many are not happy because of poor management.
If you have Auba, Laca, Ozil, Xhaka, Torreira supposedly first team players all unhappy and confused, it tells a lot.
If even baby gunners as Saka do not want to extend his deal; it confirms that we have a major management issue.
It reflects coach, part of his job but Arteta can not be blamed; cheap tricky Kroenke hiring him to save money and be in control…
With all due respect to Arteta, after a coach as Wenger, a club as Arsenal is supposed to go after best coach in market. Not a matter of how old is he but what he has showed.
This is just common sense. I should not even break it down as done, this is football.
You don’t go from academy to first team without steps, gradually, build up. Same for a coach.
Arteta is good choice to take us to end of season without fighting for relegation, 9th to 7th place be great, can’t expect more.
Reality, we should be in advanced talks with Allegri or top coach and Koulibaly as we are with Partey. Show ambition to Auba and Saka and they will extend.
The other option is to bring back Wenger to head Arsenal FC:
1)He will help Arteta to a top coach.
2) Put back players on right track, not just fighting spirit but secured & focused.
3) We will attract top players & youth as we used to.
4) He will be on Kronke’s balls and any owner for Arsenal, players and fans before all. Bring that ambition back!
Have a great day everyone !
At the moment, Arsenal has good players but Arteta uses his heart instead of his head. Arteta wont make it. He’s just destroying Arsenal silently