Going off what I have read and heard, it does seem if our board are insistent on an ex-player then Viera would be preferred over Arteta.
Despite the Man City assistant’s arrival expected to be announced by Thursday, some gooners are holding on to the outside hope that there will be a change of heart like there was last time, with Edu believed to be arguing Viera’s case, while senior players have questioned the choice of Arteta.
I have made my opinion clear; this is the Kroenke’s finding a cheap replacement for Emery.
Yet let’s try and pretend they actually care what happens on the pitch, and this is a footballing decision. Are they expecting their ex-skipper to return to the Emirates with lots of secrets of how Pep Guardiola does things?
Clearly, he wouldn’t have the reputation he does as a coach if he were only handing out bibs and cones at the Etihad, it’s believed his man management is very strong. Yet the fact is he can’t make us London’s version of Man City because we don’t have the squad the champions have assembled.
While you can still teach talent new techniques to play the football Pep has taught, you need a certain level of individual. Not just technique but attitude, desire and personality.
So, unless the American s are going to get serious in the transfer market, which they haven’t in a decade, it’s irrelevant what Arteta learnt In Manchester.
Working with Pep, you need a certain attention to detail. It’s believed he can copy and paste the expectations of standards in North London. That he won’t tolerate certain attitudes having spent the last two years with professionals such as Aguero, David Silva, Kompany, etc.
Yet where were his leadership skills when he was our … leader? He played in humiliations at Anfield , the Bridge, City, etc. It wasn’t in his DNA to shout and communicate with others then, so why would he have changed?
Vieira on the other hand you could imagine kicking the door down, telling his players what the badge means, our values, our ethos.
That’s because the World Cup winner truly is a legend. He has stories of inspiring others to titles, standing up to intimidation and never giving up.
Don’t get me wrong it’s no disgrace to say Arteta wasn’t a legend. Not everyone can be.
He wasn’t bad, was respected by most and lifted two FA cups. In general, he seems a very polite and intellectual thinker. Yet if it’s playing for us which has made him jump the queue then there are other options and probably better options.
Fans respect Arteta – they love Vieira.
It wouldn’t take long for fans to turn on Arteta whereas they would listen to every word Patrick said. It’s also worth bearing in mind; as much as Arteta is part of the City ‘family’ they equally had hopes of developing Vieira into their next manager when he was in charge of their USA franchise.
Now at Nice, that gives the Frenchmen two years’ experience over Arteta, where if nothing else he has gone through the highs and lows of everything that comes with being in sole charge. Who would you have out of these two gooners?
Be kind in the comments…
Dan Smith