If we are being honest Arsenal has been handed a very favourable Europa League draw and they really should make the final at least.
This is a golden opportunity to enter the Champions League via the back door and for the Mikel Arteta critics to be put in their place.
However, failure to lift the trophy and to miss out on Champions League football once again has to bring Arteta’s position into question.
Mathematically, Arsenal can still make the top-four but the reality is that it is extremely unlikely, in fact, making the top six is also unlikely to happen.
By any metric, that would be a failure and that has to lie at the feet of the manager, no matter the circumstances that he has had to deal with this season.
We can get into what sort of squad he inherited, what players he has signed and so on but football is a result-driven business and most managers live or die by results and Arteta should be held to that standard.
I have not done any articles calling for Arteta to go, I have kept my opinion to myself on that, however, I am not an Arteta fan, never have been, I have always felt that Arsenal should have an elite coach in charge but like most Gooners, I was happy to give him a chance to prove himself.
He did very well last season lifting a trophy and getting us into the Europa League, now the next step has to be the Champions League and more competitive in the Premier League, otherwise, where is the progress?
Arteta is on target for Champions League football via the Europa League and that is a job saver but the minute qualification has gone then I simply cannot any longer give Arteta support, Arsenal deserves better and so do we fans.
So, there it is, failure to lift the Europa League and finish outside the top-four is enough for me to come out vocally and call for Arteta to go.
I really deep down hope that day never comes.
Love the honesty in this article. I mean I agree I am not a arteta fan and never have been. However, the time to go was before Xmas. Another new manager would mean another new transition phase. Unless it was a top manager who is already well versed and established listed and can bring immediate results.
The good thing about arteta is he loves the club and wants to be here for more than just the money. I think if he doesn’t get tk the europa finals we should 100% look at an elite option. But in all honesty he probably needs 1 more season at the helm.
I too do believe that he is honest when he say he loves the club and it was his dream to go back there. But based on what I have seen I think it was too early for him to go back.
Just say that Arteta has to go.
I agree with every written admart 👍
Everything you have written *
I disagree with you- no surprise of course- and with all Ad Martin writes. To judge any managers future on whether he wins a trophy in the final 6 weeks of a season is stupid beyond words. Wiser fans look at far wider matters to rate or not rate a manager.
Cheers for that advice Jonny boy ,I’ll take that on board next time I’m having a chat with a wiser fan .
But Jon- he hasn’t got 6 weeks to win a trophy. He HAS HAD all season. It’s just that he finds himself with only 6 weeks left to do this.
And let’s get real here as well shall we. A SEVENTH PLACE finish in the League will be classed as a Trophy for Arteta as it will give the Club a Europa League spot for next season. And to think I was one of the masses who wanted Wenger out as he could no longer guarantee finishing in the Top 4.
How times change.
yeah like those seasons Wenger went without silverware and retained his big fat pay cheque. I know you will speak of top 4, blah blah, but what did he achieve from being top 4? UCL cash for his masters? Never had the intent to win it, just make numbers to collect the participation money and increase his retainer maybe.
Bright young managers need 2 years to steady the ship and Mikel has proved it by tossing out the cranky kids (sadly someone’s superhero was tossed out too hence the grudge maybe?).That itself us enough for me to prove his worthy credentials.Had Unai done it after the EL finals he too would have tasted success with us, but he had no guts like Mikel and the rest is history.
@Loose Cannon- I was one of Wengers biggest critics and still am so you have the wrong guy PAL.
My point is simple- without any Europa League income we will have next to no money to work with in the transfer market. If this is so then whoever is manager next season will have to use the fringe players to raise the revenue to get new players into the Club. When we were Top 4 every season we never had to worry about CL football and the guaranteed £40m plus gate receipts that gave us.
We are now NINTH. Those days seem so far away
Somone needs a trip down memory lane!
On Wenger…. yes continually 4th place, on a lower budget than some of the teams mid-table due to the stadium costs. Combined with an aging squad he had to replace on the cheap….
On this season. Yeah its not been great, but how much of that is down to Areta.
We’ve had quite a few players who have been off form, Auba, William, Luiz, Bellarin, Pepe and Cellibos have all been off-form for long stretches this season, not much a manager can do about that and they are some of our best players.
To top that off, Partey has missed a big chunk of the season as well.
To top it off, we’ve not exactly had great luck either, I still don’t understand how that wasn’t a penalty vs Burnley (i think it was? The handball in the box when his hand was way out from his body).
I think ANY manager would have struggled to some degree.
On what he has actual control over:
Squad management – Pretty good I’d say. Finally got rid of the deadwood we needed to get rid of and some players who just didn’t fit with the squad needs.
Man management – Again pretty good, seems like most of the important players are happy and supporting him.
Tactics – Probably the weakest, hes produced some masterclasses but also some big mistakes. Overall its OK, but needs to work out how to deal with high press better.
Coaching – Probably his strongest, many players have spoken out on this, how well he has prepared them for who they are facing on the pitch and their weakness e.t.c.
Honest truth is, can we realistically get a better manager? And can we afford ANOTHER transition period?
I’m with you 💯 man, well said to add to that Arsenal at the moment are not at the level to compete with the likes of City, Liverpool, United, Chelsea, etc because we’re on a different phase to those clubs. Time and financial backing is still needed.
exactly…..
to build a new squad needs time
we have a number of young players and the writer expect miracles in arteta first full season?
if this is Arteta 3rd season then i would agree
Thank you sir. UCL or not. For me its still early to crucify the Manager, give him atleast a season more allow him to complete his rebuild so he can start with the proper implementation and most importantly back him financially . Only then we can all go “Arteta Out” should he not deliver.
jon fox look at the bigger picture has he done better than Emery results wise and it is results that decide your future
I agree 💯 with Ad cause look at the mess he caused the team recently
I don’t think it’s an easy draw at all, but in any case, if we lose and finish outside the top four, I don’t want him sacked or think he will be. I believe he has already been given next season to finish the project he pitched to get the job, on limited funds, without any financial backing from the owner.
By the way, excellent assist from Cedric yesterday for Portugal.
He must be our first choice right back, moving forward.
We’ve never had an elite manager/coach…yes Wenger became one but wasn’t one when he arrived!
So where is there any substance to suggest an elite coach/ manager would be able to do any better?
We’ve got a great crop of young players coming through that those types will more than likely stunt by not giving them a chance!
My take has always been improvement in the league position and CL football. If neither is achieved then there is evidence that Arteta is not the man for the job. If he gets CL football by the EL and finish outside top 6, then he gets 3 months next season to prove we can challenge top 4. At this moment in time we dont look like a top 4 team at all.
Totally agree with this article
Think logically about our financial situation before forcing Arteta to leave. It will be much cheaper to sack him in December than in the summer, then we could use the money to buy popular players like Odegaard
Lampard was given one and half seasons + 200+ M transfer budget without any trophy in return, so Arteta should’ve been given at least two years for his two trophies. Arsenal aren’t an oil club like Man City and Chelsea, so we can’t afford sacking our manager every season
Even Man United and Liverpool as the richest clubs in world were patient with Ferguson/ Solskjaer/ Klopp and look at the result now. Besides, if Arteta can make Arsenal finish in top seven, it will be a progress
“Arsenal aren’t an oil club like Man City and Chelsea, so we can’t afford sacking our manager every season”
Then we should make sure we get it right the first time.
“Even Man United and Liverpool as the richest clubs in world were patient with Ferguson/ Solskjaer/ Klopp”
Moyes, van Gaal and Mourinho don’t count?
And it’s way easier to have patience with those managers because they finished in the top 4.
Arsenal got Emery, an EL and Ligue 1 winner. But it didn’t work, so they tried an ex-Gunner who had experienced Wenger’s problems himself
Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho have never worked with Ferguson, so Man United tried an ex-Red Devil who could still remember what made Ferguson’s system so strong
Ferguson finished in the eleventh position when he joined Man United, Solskjaer was sixth and Klopp was eighth
Solskjaer finished 6th while joining mid season. In his first full season he finished 3rd and currently 2nd.
Klopp finished 8th when joined mid season but in his first full season he finished 4th. He went on to improve on that position up to being champion. Not forgetting two champions league finals winning one of them.
I will not comment on the great Alex first season as I believe football now is very different from 1986.
This season is also different than usual because of the pandemic, so expect some strange results. Who would’ve thought Liverpool would fall to 7th and West Ham would climb to 5th?
Why is West Ham doing so great in spite of the pandemic? They were fighting for relegation just last season.
West Ham rely on their players’ physicalities, such as Soucek, Rice, Dawson, Antonio and Diop. Had Arsenal hired more pragmatic manager and collected tall players who’re excellent in aerial duels, we might be able to score more from set-pieces in this weird season
What is the relationship between West Ham players physicality and the pandemic? You dodged the question there GAI I am afraid.
Relying on aerial abilities to create chances and to score could work and not work, depending on luck
All of those teams spent massive sums to rebuild.
Klopp has added Thiago Silva ($24 million) and Diego Jota ($49 million) this term to his title winning side to finish a likely seventh. He added Minamino ($9 million) and Adrian (free) last term, and Nabu Kieta ($66 million) Alisson Becker (68 million), Fabinho ($49 million) and Xerdan Shaqiri ($16 million) to a team with Joel Matip (free transfer), Van Dijk ($96 million), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ($41 million), Mohamed Salah ($46 million), and Andrew Robertson ($9 million), Giorginio Wiijnaldum ($30 million) and Sadio Mane ($45 million); to a very good team.
That is $548 million to a team that was 2nd and 5th in the two years prior to his arrival. Double what Arsenal spent post-Wenger.
Man United signed Edinson Cavani, Wan Bisaka, Maguire, Fernandes, Daniel James, Donny van Beek, and Alex Telles; close to $350 million in new players. That is after Mourinho brought in Fred, Victor Lindeloff, Romelu Lukaku, Diego Dalot, Nemanja Matic, Alexis Sanchez, Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly, and Heinrikh Mkhitaryan. That was after Louis van Gaal brought in Anthony Martial, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay, Mateo Damian, and Bastien Schweinsteiger, Moyed brought in Maruoane Fellani and Juan Mata
That’s close to 900 million in acquisitions.
Pgoba ($115 million), Matic ($49 million), Fred ($64 million), Martial ($66 million), Bailly ($41 million), Lindeloff ($38 million, Maguire ($95 million), Wan Bissaka ($60 million), Fernandes (60 million), James (19 million), van Beek ($42 million), Mata ($49 Million), and Cavani (free) are all still part of the team. That is $698 million in talent in addition to what was already there – DeGea, Henderson, Jones, Shaw, McTomminay, Rashford, and Greenwood.
Arsenal, by contrast, have signed three first XI players this term:
Willian (free), Thomas Partey ($45 million) and Gabriel (28 million).
Under Emery Arsenal brought in Pepe ($88 million), William Saliba ($33 million), Kieran Tierney (29 million), David Luiz (free), and Bernd Leno ($37 million) that are still with the club.
By contrast, that is $261 million in talent acquired that is still with the club. About 1/3 of what United spent on its existing acquired talent and half of what Liverpool spent on its existing talent.
And Klopp is marginally out performing Arteta this season with a team that won the title running away last year.
“Then we should make sure we get it right the first time.”
Please tell me the magical device you know of that will guarantee a manager delivering an expected result. This is the kind of nonsense mentality that plagues fans of this club.
People spouting pure BS, with infantile magical thinking that just firing a manager and handing an incomplete project to another manager who also won’t be given time to complete is a sure fire way to guarantee winning the PL.
Laughable.
Spot on, we must have the most pathetic so-called fan base in the PL, shocking ignorant to be honest…
The club with Arsenal status going for totally inexperienced manager who this is the first time managing a club and his task is to rebuild?
And then he went on to have one of the worst results in club history and you want me to be okay with that? And to at least not show a concern?
I would rather be pathetic my friends.
Highbury Hero – many was sceptical when we hired Merci Wenger as well, no proven PL manager, French and recruited from the Japanese J-League.
Arteta isn’t the reason for our sustainable business model, he hasn’t been responsible for our player recruitment last decade either. How many of our players would have been good enough for Man City or Liverpool in December 2019, not many, perhaps one. Looks better now, certainly more than one. Arsenal will never be a regular top team with our sustainable business model, the football business are totally changed during the last decade.
We can sack Arteta to morrow and try to hire a top manager, but first we need to tell him that his transfer budget is less than £20 million. If he’s stupid enough he might sign…
Mourinho and Ancelloti struggled to get their clubs in top 4
this is only Arteta first full season
If we don’t win Europa or finish in top 6 to qualify for Europa at least, then Arteta should be on notice.
2 years is enough time to AT LEAST MATCH the “unacceptable” finishes Wenger and Emery delivered.
If we are outside top 6 in December next year then Arteta should be sacked. 2 years is enough time to show progress with the control he has been given.
Arteta has brought in 7 players of his choosing during his tenure; and been given tremendous control.
Emery did not have final say or the power Arteta had, yet finished 5th and reached Europa final.
Players revolted because Emery had no power, a coach not a manager. He lacked the say to sell, loan, or cut players like Arteta has.
Shocking how 9th is somehow acceptable for anyone managing Arsenal, how double digit loss total at midseason is shrugged off.
Do we ignore standards now? Hold Wenger and Emery accountable, but Arteta gets a free pass? Why, what makes the distinction?
Not results, Arteta is lowest of the 3.
Trophies? Wenger won FA Cup too.
Youth? We know Wenger’s record, Saka came online under Emery, when did Martinelli flourish?
Only Wenger played attractive attacking football; Emery & Arteta play such negative, dreary, uncreative football.
What reason besides defense can truly be defended?
Why is Arteta defended so feverishly?
Are patience and time the standard replacing top 4 and CL qualification?
If so, shouldn’t his focus be on youth for next year? Gabriel over Luiz? Saliba getting minutes under Arteta?Martinelli or Nelson over Willian?
Balogun or Martinelli as backup ST options, or is he looking to buy rather than test drive in house options?
Youth barely gets sub minutes, no one is calling to have an U-23 team.
When did Nelson play last? How many minutes?
Martinelli been 100% for weeks, there isn’t 5 or 10 minutes to bring him on?
We should be developing our talents over another club’s. ESR should be favored as a 10 over a loaned player.
Is ESR that poor? next year, Who’s development would have mattered more?
Some forceful points you make Durand, not sure anyone can argue against them – unless of course, the “blame AW for everything” brigade turn up again.
The funny thing is though Durand, there is something that niggles away at me regarding MA.
I’m really not sure what it is and you know that we have always held the same views regarding comparisons and capability.
However, the truth of the matter seems to be that, barring a total collapse, our owner is prepared to back him 100%…whatever that might mean in Silent Stanley’s world.
Until fans are allowed back to show their feelings, we are in a catch 22 situation, as I believe the football being served up during this season,, would have resulted in a lot more pressure on the hierarchy.
Ken for me every club is suffering from conditions resulting from covid.
Moving to Emirates stadium only restricted Arsenal and Wenger. Selling players for money & replacing with cheaper options or academy.
Yet Wenger kept us in top 4 and CL. Amazing feat for 20 years and spoiling me I admit. We don’t have a divine right, but with global branding & fanbase, massive commercial deals, and a billionaire owner we SHOULD be competing for top 4 every year.
That is a realistic standard, a big enough club to slip to top 6 maybe when retooling. It never should have reached a rebuild stage where we’re talking an overhaul of 7-10 new players still.
Bring in 2 or 3 a year to either compete for starting 11 or for depth plus academy should be enough to avoid an overhaul.
Unfortunately ownership failed in this, kept players too long, let talent leave for free, and made horrible deals like swapping not selling Sanchez.
Rinse and repeat over several years and this is a failure on ownership. Compound that with an inexperienced coach who never managed or built anything being given total control now to boot.
Too much too fast, and Arteta doesn’t like delegating, prefers to do it himself; player decisions and all else.
Durand, your last paragraph probably sums up the reason why Arsene finally left… just too much for any single person to do.
He left because Arsenal have the most ignorant fan-base in the PL.
Arsenal’s main problem is the our sustainable business model. A business model I respect very much, but the football business have changed during the last decade and we need a new strategy. Our manager, who ever he is need more resources to sign the best players available. We can’t compete with Man City, Liverpool, Man United or Chelsea. We are even struggling to compete with Leicester, Everton or Tottenham. Mediocre is a result of our economic situation and not because of Wenger or Arteta.
There’s no guarantee that a new manager will do better, because our pathetic fan base have totally unrealistic expectations, based on fantasies and cheap opinions 🔴⚪️
Plus the little matter of him being told to resign or be sacked, which you conveniently chose not to mention Ken and which happened.
Defending Arteta does not mean that 9th is acceptable, assuming of course Arsenal can hold onto the position. The question is: Does changing the manager automatically mean improvement. The answer is, unless the team improves, no. So why fire the guy who is doing everything that can be done?
Emery was worse than Wenger. So far, Arteta is worse than Emery or Wenger. The club has to consider, can he be better than both? Right now, the answer is… maybe. So, the future is unsettled. Arteta will and probably shuld, be given until next year, mid-seaosn. If the club is not competing for top four by the opening of the January window in 2022, Arteta will likely be fired.
What Arteta is doing now is balancing the need to maintain the league position (to keep his job and the rebuilding project on track) and work in young players. There is a definite plan in place, observable if you look.
Emile Smith-Rowe is being given time to develop and not overplayed because he has had injury issues and another major set-back could end his chances to play for Arsenal’s first team.
Aubameyang was just given a new contract, clamored for by all and sundry – it makes no sense to bench him or piss him off with such a massive commitment made. We did that once with Ozil and look how that turned out.
Gabriel Martinelli is just coming back from a massive injury. It takes two years to return to full fitness of the kind of surgery he had, there is no rush. He will not make a difference, but his minutes will have to come form somewhere, and pissing off Aubameyang and doing the same or devaluing Lacazette do bring him into the side now is a risk not worth taking.
Lacazette is a very good player and whether Arsenal want to keep him (my vote) or sell him; he needs to play to keep him from asking to leave or to demonstrate his value and secure a decent fee.
Arsenal just let five very good players walk for free because the club was too stubborn and too stupid to preserve their value. Sokratis, Ozil, Kolasinac, Ramsey, and Mustafi all left for nothing after not playing for weeks if not months.
The same could happen with Elneny, Chambers, etc. If you want to sell players to bring in revenue, they have to be coveted by someone. Martinez brought in 20 million because he played half the season last year. Be fore that, he was valued at around 2 million.
Gabriel is young and again, protecting him from undue criticism is probably more important than giving him more minutes. He’s proven he can play at this level. If I were betting, I would say that he and either Holding or Mari will be the pairing to start next season, with Luiz, Saliba, Chambers, and Mavropanos in the running to rotate. One or possibly two of the younger center backs seem likely to be sold. My bet is Chambers and Mavropanos or Saliba and Mavropanos.
As far as credit for the youth players; remember, every single player being touted as the future of the club (except Gabriel Martinelli) was brought into the team by Arsene Wenger; not Unai Emery or Mikel Arteta. Balogun, Saka, Smith-Rowe, Reiss Nelson, Willock, Maitland-niles, Nketiah… these are Arsene Wenger’s signings; so credit where credit is due. Emery provided chances and so has Arteta, but the talent was already there to be developed.
Personally, I would not fire the manager regardless of results. Not until Christmas next season, and probably not even then. After two and a half seasons, we will know if Mikel Arteta can do the job or not; before then, we’ll be guessing and so will the Arsenal brass.
My feeling is, Arsenal will finish next year in fourth or fifth, close to or in the top four, as the young stars develop and Tottenham, Liverpool, and Leicester slide back as their stars decline or leave and the club’s ability to replace them is hindered by financial and other issues. In 2022
Face it, Kane and perhaps Song will likely leave, Mourinho looks like he’s trying ot get sacked, again. Vardy is aging, and Liverpool showed how thin they are this year. Two injuries (Matip and Van Dijk) and they were screwed. They could lose Salah or Mane or both. Firmino is slipping and the Reds could lose one or two of their midfielders as well, with no windfall from selling Coutinho and Suarez to provide the massive cash infusion needed to replace those players.
Next season the top four will be Man City, Man United, Chelsea, and Arsenal. West Ham will be fifth. That’s my bet.
Fair points I’ll say, but why reduce the standard? £60 million spent on Gabriel and Saliba; one rarely plays and other on loan, not even given a chance.
That is poor management I feel, his job is to develop players and maximize assets, not freeze out and rebuild a current defense that doesn’t need a rebuild.
Replace Bellerin and a good manager has a back 4 set for 6-8 years, yet Gabriel & Saliba losing development time.
What youth is Arteta bringing along? Saka was already a beast, Nelson basically done with his Willian favoritism. Willian has no future at the club, yet Pepe and Nelson get dropped in a flash for a retread project.
Willock & Saliba sent off for someone else to develop, Balogun one foot out the door, Odegaard favored over ESR, and Nketiah the same hot mess 14 months under Arteta’s tutelage.
It’s too much too fast for Arteta or any inexperienced manager.
I’ve said before not to sack him this year. However in December of 2021 is 2 years as the boss. If he can’t at least match Emery and Wenger by then he has to go.
With this Summer’s business he will have 7 of his choosing plus additions; nearly a complete 11 of his choice. If he can’t be competitive with that, then when?
If he wants time, then manager Newcastle or Burnley.
Big clubs need big results, step up or step off. It’s a big tough job, and big expectations.
Rise to the standard, not lower club and fans to Arteta’s.
Do you expect Arsenal to be a top four team with players that aren’t good enough for any top four team?
Players we don’t need should be sold or go on loan, which will happen next summer. When Man City needed a CB they bought Laporte (£57 million). When they needed a new they bought Dias (£79,2 million) they do also have Stones (£50 million). When Liverpool needed a CB they bought Van Dijk (£75 million), when they needed a new keeper they bought Alison (£67 million). When Chelsea needed a new keeper they bought Kepa (£80 million), when they needed a new they bought Mendy. Last summer did Chelsea spend almost £210million on new players.
We are a mediocre club because of our sustainable business model, and lack of quality in our player recruitment. Raul spent £100 million on Pépé and Saliba in 2018, could the money have been invested better, or shall we hope they have needed quality?
You don’t think any of the top 4 teams would take Auba, Saka, or Partey in a heartbeat? If you don’t think they would, then there is no point to further discussion, we shall just agree to disagree.
Durand, where did I wrote that? I agree with you that we now have three our four very good players, or with with exciting talent.
In December 2018 we had one, Auba. From my point of view are we moving slowly in the right direction. Our last 15 games have the following results.: W8, D4, L3, which are top three or four in the league. Our results from Christmas to April are significant better than our results from September to Christmas.
Despite all our internal and external obstacles are we getting better…
Saliba lost both his parents when he was in London. 19 years old in a foreign country with a sorrow hard for most people to handle. I believe it was good management to send him I
on loan, he wasn’t ready to play in the PL for several reasons. Arsenal kept him in London to look after him and give him professional help.
https://tribuna.com/en/arsenal/news/2020-11-13-william-saliba-has-recently-lost-both-his-parents-and-was-heavily-affected-emotionally-ki/
Saliba himself debunked that and claimed Arteta didn’t give him the opportunity to show his worth.
Many clubs run self sustenance model and it’s the best
Apart from city,Chelsea and to an extent United virtually most clubs run this model
Liverpool ,Bayern Munich ,Leicester to name a few so there’s no reason a self sustaining model can’t be successful if run properly like knowing when to sell players and buying smart
Pepe, I watch him play for our U23 team several times, and he wasn’t ready for the most competitive league in the world. I believe he’s a great prospect but shouldn’t play for Arsenal before he’s ready. Playing CB in PL is a demanding task, playing for a team with top four ambitions even worse.
I am very confident that Arteta will be at the helm for another season, and I feel very good about that. Yes, he is a relatively new manager and lacks a bit of experience, but I am sure he will become one of the best in time. Even Pep Guardiola agrees with me on that. 😉
I don’t agree with all his decisions, but then again I don’t know the reasons for all of them and overall I think we are becoming better.
While I would like to see Balogun and Martinelli, in particular, afforded more playtime I am sure that will change next season. Arteta has said nothing to suggest that he doesn’t rate both highly.
I really don’t want us to become one of those clubs who change managers all the time. Besides for an elite manager to take over he would have to be interested first and foremost.
Think still give MA till next season.
Dun Forget New Manager replacement again will bring his own staffs and new set of policies and his new ideal players team lists.
So it became a never ending story again and restart the whole process again.
so the solution is the stick with a manager who isn’t cut out for the job because finding the right solution just takes up too much time? I think it’s fair to expect some real results and progress from what Arteta has done. If he cannot get the europa league then I have to ask where the improvement is?
So if he reaches the final there is no improvement, but based on one more win it would mean he had improved the team?
Genious…
I never paid much attention to Kroenke. It never occurred to me that he didn’t have a good reason for owning Arsenal other than to ultimately profit from it.
Leicester is owned by a family that care deeply about the club and its fanbase. Chelsea is owned by a man who wants to win, win win. City is owned by a country that wants to develop its profile. Other clubs are owned by people with ambition or for love of the club.
Newcastle, ManU and Arsenal as examples have a different type of owner.
Kroenke supports the self sustaining model and has no understanding of football, so if the executives he put in charge make a pig’s ear of it he is unlikely to appreciate the problem until serious damage is done.
The fact of the matter is that for whatever reason, AW was unable to maintain the expected top4 position during his last two years. Another successful manager in UE got the job and he fared no better in part due to what was going on upstairs. This left the self sustaining model without CL money for at least 3 years and a history of poor contracts and recruitment.
Enter Arteta, hired in the knowledge that he was a rookie and that having sunk so low, the job of returning Arsenal to its former glory was not going to happen overnight. This is where we are now. The club did not attract or think an elite manager was the answer so they are responsible for what is happening now.
Of course it is a results based business but there is more to consider than getting rid of yet another manager. The cost of paying off Arteta and his staff, as well as the cost of hiring an elite manager and his entourage would deplete a miserly transfer fund and mean another period of uncertainty as the new man beds in. Of course there is the possibility that he can’t do any better and then what happens after that?
If Arteta fails to improve on the last few months and the team falls off a cliff by the end of the season then questions do have to be asked, but failure to win the EL is not in itself a reason to look for a new man. It was never going to be a quick fix
SueP I just saw your response to my comment on your article yesterday. I just saw it and I left you a response there too
Sue P the wisest post on this whole thread, though compared to a number of the pathetic pots , that would not be difficult. However, you were better than some fine posts too. Such regular wisdom and I regard YOU as among the very wisest on JA, along with Grandad.
@SueP
Very well put Goonerette….👍🏿
Love that !!
Spot on Sue, many was sceptical when we recruited Merci Wenger as well, from the Japanese league. Not a well known manager, not a proven PL manager, but he did much more than most of us could dream about. I stick with Arteta and are willing to give him at least one more year. In addition, this season isn’t finished and could very well be a late success.
I repeat………..
How many of our current XI walk into the top sides battling it out today?
This is a monumental job and this season has to be about getting rid of the dross(definitely made good headway with this), working out who is good enough/has the potential to become good enough to represent our Club and in-still better team spirit and tactics(I for one can see this happening……. we hardly ever take a battering nowadays even if some of the performances have been underwhelming).
If these comments were written in 2005 or 2006 I would understand the gripes.
I would agree with more of the negative remarks and comments on Arteta if I felt we already had a lot of high calibre personnel and a strong bunch of characters at the core.
Arsenal have a top-quality team. What they need is to add quality and depth, and settle on a rotation.
Aubameyang is a 20 goal striker, Saka one of the top young attacking players in world football, it took a record fee to land Tierney from Celtic, and Bellerin… Oddly enough, Arsenal fans want Bellerin gone, and the team that wants him, Barcelona… suggests if we sell him, we’re idiots.
Alexandre Lacazette would have a line to teams eager to have him if Arsenal sold him. Again, one of his suitors is Atletico Madrid, currently… wait for it, first in La Liga. Again suggesting a team dumb enough to move him on is probably too dumb to replace him with someone better.
Willian, David Luiz… these are top players. Chelsea wanted to keep both Luiz and Willian, but would not give them multi-year deals, so Arsenal were able to sign them.
Thomas Partey was playing for Atletico Madrid last year, the team currently four points clear at the top of the La Liga table. The Atleticos finished third last season, behind, you guessed it, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Odegaard is a Real Madrid player with real promise.
The Gunners do have weaknesses. Leno is an above average keeper, but not a difference maker. His poor judgement cost the club goals (blamed on Xhaka and Ceballos) in back-to-back games. Arsenal will not challenge for a title with him defending the goal. Ceballos is a decent player, but the team need goals form central midfield and he does not score. He is a loanee who should return home next season. Elneny is a squad player that probably is not good enough. Ditto for Maitland-Niles and Willock, both currently out on loan. Both have done well in cameos, but regular minutes show their weaknesses. Neither scores enough to be an every day player at their preferred positions and Maitland0Niles is a serviceable squad player at either fullback, but not good enough to play there regularly for a top four team.
At center back it seems likely that from the current crop, we have the makings of a solid rotation. Holding, Gabriel, Mari, Chambers, Saliba, Mavropanos… Luiz will stay for another season, but that will be it. The future belongs to four of those six players.
Pepe is hot and cold, but 5 league goals (8 in all competitions) is not bad for a winger that is not an every-game player. His assists, 1 so far, are low. Saka has five goals and three assists and is considered one of Arsenal’s best players this term. Hmmmm…
Emile Smith-Rowe shows promise, Reiss-Nelson, Gabriel Martinelli, and one or two other young players also look close to competing for time in the first team.
Arsenal have four needs. A quality reserve left back, a goalkeeper capable of developing into a #1 for a top team within three years, a central midfield who can defend and score, and a #10 who can score and act as a play maker.
If the team can sign Odegaard permanently, Marcel Sabizter for the central midfield role, Nick Pope might be worth signing, or Karl Darlow, at keeper; and at left back, Owen Wijndal or Adrien Truffert
I agree with a lot, but how was the state of our club and our squad quality when Emery got sacked? From my point of view Edu and Arteta has made a few interesting recruitments and also made some of our players better. Arteta got much cred for his work with Man City’s players, and this work seems to be fruitful once again. Gooner since 1971
I am pretty sure the Board of our Club will give Arteta at least another season in the hot seat regardless of where we finish in the League or whether or not we win the Europa Cup.They see him as a long term solution who can operate within their self sustaining model and modest transfer budget which has of course been exacerbated by the financial effects of the Pandemic.During the past 5/6 years, our recruitment record has been poor culminating in the huge premium paid for Pepe, and the decision to engage Willian on huge wages for someone clearly on his last legs.Arsenal is no longer a Club which can compete with the likes of the Manchester giants and Chelsea financially and if fans feel we can attract experienced, high maintenance Managers, who are used to open cheque books they are mistaken.Arteta has a lot to learn, but unlike Emery he has the full support of his players, who all speak highly of him.If we are able to move on certain players and manage to recruit 2/3 upgrades , with the integration of Saliba and perhaps Mavroponas we can become a force to be reckoned with next season.To those fans who think Arteta should be sacked this season,I would ask you to consider the damage this would do to the image of our Club which would be faced with appointing our fourth Manager in five years.We are not a Chelsea with unlimited funds, and we need stability if we are to have any chance of becoming a force in the land again.
As usual, agree 100% GD
Spot on again Grandad, reading your comments are always interesting, based of knowledge and understanding 👍
Mikel Arteta will not be sacked anytime soon. Anyway why should he? When he was hired all and sundry knew that he was a new man in top football management with no previous experience. These failings were, therefore, bound to happen.
I believe he was given the job because Arsenal is a club that believes in stability. Even the sacking of Unai Emery happened because it was extremely inevitable. Unlike Arteta he had no excuse since he was a senior manager.
Any person in his right mind can see that Arteta is trying his best for the team. Many of us never expected him to win any trophy in his first three months as head coach but he won FA and the Community shield. He might win the Europa league. Even if he doesn’t win he will still not be sacked because we can’t get rid of a promising young manager. The only people who want Arteta sacked are the impatient ones and those for whom the future is not important. Their world starts and ends today! Any talk of the future is regarded anachronistic and mere folly. Fortunately for us they are in a minority. We, therefore, expect to have Arteta next season regardless of how we perform.
No matter how many articles we write about sacking MA, or how much we hate or abuse him on this site, we can’t change the position of the board. MA will be our manager next season even if we finish 17th on the table. I’m glad people on this site are not responsible for managing Arsenal, else the club will cease to exist. So many myopic views. For more than 5 Years now, we have not been competitive against the big sides but now when we play them, bar a stupid mistake, we are confident of getting a result. We’re losing games not because the opponent is better than us but by our own doing. This clearly shows a team trying to adapt to the managers style. Once they master it and cut out the mistakes, we’ll be very consistent. This is what I believe the board sees and people that understand football and management in general. So keep on writing your articles for the sake of it. But MA won’t be sacked regardless of where we finish the season.
Lol… I love this
Well said.
If Arsenal were run by the fans we’d be a Championship side now.
These people just react hysterically to any setback and call to sack/sell everyone, then parrot a headline they saw somewhere as if they came up with it, and spread it as gospel until the next shiny new headline pops up. They have the attention span of fish and the mental acuity of toilet paper.
The more vocal/visible this negative fan base has been, the worse we do. I love how there is no real support. Only conditional support if the team wins. Spineless, not steadfast. If we win Europa and get into CL next season, the people calling for Arteta’s head should take their own advice, and, as failed “fans”, go support Tottenham where this fair weather fan BS is de rigueur. Goodbye and good riddance in advance.
Actually the fans were right about Emery and if the club didn’t take notice we would be playing in the championship if he was still in charge so to say fans don’t have an idea is off the Mark .
Excellent point Dan kit, but it will be ignored because it doesn’t fit the narrative that fans are stupid.
Most agree Xhaka is not good enough for our midfield needs, so are fans stupid on this as well?
Or when Wenger got GK Cech and no one else thinking team was good enough; were fans right or wrong.
Fact is, fans may be arrogant and stupid sometimes, but don’t ever dismiss their knowledge.
Second no one is right all the time not even managers. They should be questioned and critiqued, not blindly followed just because.
Dan, when will you ever make a fair comment about Emery? When he was sacked Arsenal was in 8th place, having lost 3 games in 8. That is where Arsenal finished that season. This season Arsenal has lost 10 games under Arteta and is still a long way from relegation, yet you still believe Arsenal would have been relegated under Emery. That is drawing a long straw.
Never Ozzie ,so I’m not sure why you keep asking me .
Yes I believe we would be heading for league one now if Frank Spencer was still in charge
Music to my ears Stephan Larose straight to the point!
A Europa League win is meaningless, or should be, when it comes to the fate of the manager. League position is the single accurate arbiter of how good the team is and Arsenal are, right now, a going to finish in either seventh or eighth place.
The questions is, does that qualify as progress?
If the answer is ‘yes’ then Arteta should remain and the team should continue to rebuild as they are. If the answer is ‘no’ then he should be replaced.
Winning a second-tier trophy, and yes, the Europa League is a second-tier trophy, is proof of very little other than the poor quality of the opposition and a bit of luck.
Arsenal won every game in the group stage against such daunting opponents as Dundalk, Rapid Wien, and Molde. The Gunners squeaked by Benfica on a 4-3 aggregate, and did the same with Olympiacos, 3-2. With Mighty Slavia Prague up nexy, progression seems assured, but the thing is, Arsenal 2020/2021 are an ninth place Premier League team; not the top four Arsenal teams of Arsene Wenger. There is no way to reasonably assume Arsenal will win the Europa League.
Yes, the opposition is diminished by some of the tougher opposition playing each other and thinning the field. A.C. Milan is out. Either Ajax or Roma will be out in the next round. Villareal or the team that knocked out Tottenham, Dinamo Zagreb, will be out in the next round.
The most likely scenario, based on League competitiveness suggests an Arsenal Villareal match up, with a Manchester United-Arsenal final. Who sees the Gunners as the favorites there? If you do, please remove your Arsenal tinted sunglasses and stop hitting the hash pipe so hard.
Yes, winning the Europa League represents the only chance the Gunners have to make Champions League next season, but the truth is, Arsenal are not good enough to play Champions League football. Last season Chelsea spent 200 million and are finishing fourth after firing their manager. Arsenal will not be spending 200 million, so does firing the manager make sense?
This is not a team battling for top four right now, it is a team struggling to stay in the top half of the league. Even if Arsenal do win the Europa League, that is not an indicator of the team’s quality! The current league table tells anyone and everyone where Arsenal is; in terms of quality. Ninth.
The most likely scenario right now is for Arsenal to finish eighth for the second year in a row and end the Europa League campaign as semi-finalists or runners up. The club needs to decide the future of its rebuilding project or future as a Premier League team based on that scenario, not on silly speculati0on and unrealistic, non-indicators of team progress.
We haven’t lost to Man U in a while. Your pessimism is cringe-worthy. We’ve been winning or drawing vs Man U since Arteta took over. Just another spineless, negative Arsenal fan 🙁
But we have got one point from six against Burnley, Villa did the double over us, as have Wolves – manure are not the yardstick to measure our club against, it’s where we finish the season and what silverware we have accumulated.
But Ken, when it came to Wenger you said silverware wasn’t important, only league position. Why is it always different set of rules when it comes to Wenger with you?
In our last 15 league games do we have the following results W8, D4, L3, which is top three or four in the league.
Our league results from Christmas to now have been significant better than our league results from September to Christmas. I expect that we will finish the season the same way, and finish between fifth and seven. We are in better form than Villa, Everton and West Ham.
I’m not sure that Liverpool or Tottenham are in better form than us, but I do expect Liverpool to have a good finish…
Mate, If you were judged by the standards you apply to Arteta, you’d be out of a job.
What you have written is hard to disagree per se. In places you refer to the here and now not being good enough but then follow on with the Chelsea £200m transfer business which shows Arsenal are lightyears behind financially. In addition to that, RA sacks and pays off Lampard and brings in Tuchel. Very Chelsea but unfortunately not so for Arsenal
Paul35mm, Who decreed that success in football is judged based only on the Premier league? You must be greatly mistaken because only Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Blackburn and Leicester have ever won the Premier league since 1992. Does it mean that all the other teams are useless? Be a little more open minded.
David, a very valid point. All the supporters of other clubs probably think Arsenal supporters are glory hunters, because they follow their teams through thick and thin, with no expectation of ever winning anything.
Arsenal fans are so stupid. Changing managers is never a guarantee of results. It just causes chaos as players adapt to a new system. If you change managers every year, your team is basically always adapting and never excelling. You might think it “ruthless” and therefore positive that this chaos is introduced into the system. Sadly cool-sounding words are not the answer here, neither is the brainlessness behind the suggestion.
Fans always assume they know better than managers and players. You don’t. We’ve been changing managers more and more frequently, and the results have been mixed, but generally worse and worse. It’ll be worse with a new manager, especially since the club is self-sustaining. We’ve lost money this year, we’re going to go back to being a selling club to wipe out the losses. Mid-table or lower is the future.
The players all rave about Arteta, he’s shown himself to be tactically astute. Unfortunately, Auba has been terrible this year, and most lost points come down to bizarre individual errors and red cards. Solve those problems and Arsenal are a top 4 side again.
It’s nonsense to blame Arteta for individual errors, he obviously does not teach players to make these bizarre errors. It’s the players that have let us down this season. With Emery, the tactics were chaos and the players clearly confused and very demoralized thanks to the negativity and personal threats made against players and their families by so-called “fans” – who should be more appropriately labeled “human excrement”.
Any manager needs at least 2-3 seasons to make a team “theirs”. My advice: stop panicking Arsenal fans—you collectively are no better than chickens running around with their heads cut off. You always emphasize the negative and react to micro details and never the big picture. In short, you’re idiots. If you want to win, help make the situation more stable, not more chaotic, be positive instead of negative all the time, and be patient. In all of PL history, how many times does a new manager immediately win cups? Not often. Arteta did. Give him time.
That came from the heart.
You used the word patient. Some are not
Sue we have been patient ,since mr snake told us we would be competing against the top teams after we moved stadiums the fans are still waiting ,be it managers ,owner whatever the club are not where we should be .
Also patient’s is one thing a lot of footballers don’t have do you think are best players are going to wait around while we play no European football and sit mid table
No they won’t and I understand our years of not truly competing and believing for too many years that top4 was like a trophy ( in my case anyway)
I can only be patient because I have no power over how Kroenke runs his club. What will impatience give me? Sorry Dan kit, I’m not happy about the situation any more than you are but we have no choice
SueP, unfortunately it is Kroenke’s Club, to do with as he sees fit.
Cheers mate 👍
Absolute rubbish…I simply don’t have the time nor energy to properly address every misguided statement found within your amateur-hour tirade, as such I’ll arbitrarily start around the halfway point and work my way down towards your ridiculous summation
Firsty, all the players DON’T rave about Arteta, in fact as soon as anyone was seemingly out of harm’s way, yet still under contract, their respective commentaries regarding the manager certainly weren’t flattering to the man, at least not at first…those who have offered their praises are not surprisingly either from within his “inner circle” of favourites or those who have come to realize that speaking out of school will only lead to a prolonged benching or worse…you have simply proved yourself to be the perfect pawn for what has been clearly a PR/damage control campaign that was almost assuredly crafted to both dissuade potential dissenters while at the same time providing some much-needed solace for those who had put all their proverbial eggs in Arteta’s basket…that said, please remember that this was only deemed necessary due to Arteta’s failed first course of action, which involved playing primarily veteran players due to his misplaced belief that we could challenge for things
Secondly, your mindboggling assessment of Arteta’s supposed tactical astuteness is so laughable that I found myself briefly at a loss for words…I can’t remember a time when someone displayed less astuteness from a tactical standpoint as we’ve simply cut and pasted the same formation for the better part of the season, minus those games when mass substitutions were required when we found ourselves trailing later in games…a high school kid with a level 1 coaching certificate could have continually chosen a double pivot 4-3-2-1, with sideways passing and 10 men behind the ball whenever leading in the 2nd half…not to mention his glaring lack of astuteness when it came his stubborn overreliance on the whole “play from the back” scenario or the shoehorning of players when better options were readily available or when a player would discover his form in a particular position then find himself in a different position immediately following, (or even worse, warming the bench) or maybe you were a big proponent of the tactical masterclass on display when we failed to properly defend our FA Cup title and went out in the 4th round…remember how our opponents, who were higher up the table, starters their regulars, yet we didn’t do likewise…instead we saved our regulars for a League game with far less significance…you would think someone who had likely acquired his managerial moniker, and all that this implied, by winning that very Cup in the previous season, would clearly understand the significance of this pursuit
Thirdly, no one is necessarily blaming Arteta for individual errors, or at least I’m not, but where his responsibility comes into play is when he decides to continually play those individuals most at fault for said comical errors…in fact, he’s not just playing them on occasion, it appears like two of them, and we all know whom I’m speaking of, are the first two on the team selection sheet week-in and week-out
Finally, you had the nerve to attack those fans who seemed to be incredibly short-sighted when it came to their analysis about our current manager…as you would suggest, most lacked the cerebral faculties to grasp the big picture, unlike your inimitable self…yet you chose to cherry-pick one particular event, our rather unlikely FA Cup victory, as the lynchpin to your argument regarding the justification of maintaining one’s faith in our manager…just so you know, this really doesn’t qualify as a big picture argument, unless we actually used this as a stepping stone in the subsequent season, which of course didn’t happen…instead Arteta used this victory as a means to start his ill-timed vanity project which would see him pursue Willian, put him on an untenable wage, with assurances to boot, and when his short-sighted plan didn’t materialize he quickly adopted the all-too-convenient “patience” narrative…now that’s BIG PICTURE, but thanks for the insight IDIOT
Great post TRVL you cant argue with what you have put, true and to the point.
Thanks Reggie….of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but when someone seemingly appears out of the blue and calls ALL Arsenal fans idiots, it’s not going to go unchecked…Cheers
TRVL, unfortunately given the past behaviour of some of the Arsenal players under Wenger and Emery, a manager depending on their continued loyalty and support may be misguided.
Straight talking and to the point! . Wonderful! I would only add that you should qualify your “our fans” and say “SOME of our fans” We have a number of bright ones, besides the thickos and hasty self entitled kids.
My post was in reply to Stephan Larose!
Arteta is staying here as long as we remain in the premier league so why I’m I stressing myself been bothered he has Devine rights and no accountability whatsoever so I only support the team and careless about the manager as to me he is bang average
I prefer to play Champions League through EPL top 4 100 times more than through back door. Because I don’t watch Europa League.
Articles i read here are more of protest and opinion against the manager team and manager. Simple change the name of this page to Anti Arteta.
Protest against the manager and the team i meant to write.
The Europa league final doesn’t have to decide the future for Arteta. You better start writing some good things and unite the fans that always read your posts here.
Here’s a novel idea! What about keeping Arteta and getting rid of all our over the hill and inconsistent players. Arteta can talk tactics until the cows come home, but once the players get on the pitch he can do very little. Why won’t any of the idiots who write these “Opinion Pieces” recognize that Arsenal currently have a middle of the table team. If we do get to the final of the Europa League, it will be a major achievement, but I fear we will not reach that level.
I agree! So many of our goals conceded have been individual brain farts, not tactical. And our finishing has been costing us as well. Pre Xmas we weren’t creating at all, and that was on Arteta, but since then, we create so many glaring opportunities, and Arteta can’t do anything about his players constantly missing easy chances. Even in games where we haven’t looked great, like the Olympiakos game, we still had enough chances to win that. What can Arteta do about Auba not even hitting the target one-on-one?
Becoming less and less of an Arteta fan. Don’t trust his judgement, but think it ain’t going to happen regardless. The management would continue with him because they can’t find better alternatives, have invested too much in this process and simply just don’t have the ambition to demand better.
As I strongly believe a manager that can turn things around won’t accept the terms that KSE would offer him, there’s absolutely no better option than Arteta at the moment.
Regardless of how we fare this season, we’d still be able to buy a few players, especially if we farm them from Norwich and Brighton. They wouldn’t mind switching to Arsenal, no matter the position and they’re actually quality players.
Also, ESR has risen, we might get Odegaard for another loan. Saliba and Mavropanos are doing wonders on their loans. The only 2 uncertainties are proper competitors for Tierney and Xhaka.
I’d very much give Arteta another season and then start talking about sacking. The second half of the season has shown what this squad can do and I’d love to see them next season with the same manager.
Arrest Stays, Top four or no top four. He’s proved to me that he’s the manager that will take Arsenal to where we used to be : Classy and successful. Arsenal never bought trophies. ARTETA STAYS.
This is my opinion though!
I would say reaching the finals and finishing 6th would be acceptable given where we were at the start of the season. Of course i would love for us to finally win a european trophy and get that CL spot at the same time but Manu/Ajax/As Roma will be a tough opposition.
you shouldn t assume that ” most gooners are happy to give arteta a chance ” because Arsenal is not a Championship team were you ll gain experience but a team playing in one of the hardest league in the world and deserves a world class coach, not just someone who has never been in charge before, this just shows the lack of interest by the board about the quality of players (Holding and Chambers should’ve never been playing here ) and the management .