It has been a rollercoaster ride for Mikel Arteta as the Arsenal manager and there have been moments when he has been very close to the exit door but not no more.
Those that have supported Arteta will feel some vindication in their backing of the manager and are now the more vocal fan grouping and rightfully so.
Arteta’s way is proving to be the right way and the fact that we are fourth and in a cup semi-final gives him credit in the bank but that is so fragile and the fans will turn if things go pear-shaped.
Now, the loudest fans are stating with their chests that Arsenal will finish top four, that we will be challengers for major silverware sooner than later and that we have a group of players that are among the best in their positions or age group within the league.
Everything is now very positive and hope for a better future is becoming infectious.
This is now a critical moment for Arteta because hope is now alive, we are starting to believe once again.
But therein lies the huge risk for the manager.
If we fail to finish top four and win no silverware, even worse if Tottenham grabs that top-four spot and they win the Carabao Cup, possibly beating us in the final, where will those that support Arteta be?
They will be a lot quieter and the Arteta out brigade will be back in full force once again.
Losing hope is catastrophic for any fan base and failure this season, considering where we are now, could have a devastating effect on the fan base and that could tear the club apart.
That may sound an exaggeration but we all know what it was like under Wenger at the end, we have experienced it at different points under Arteta.
Hopefully, Arteta will continue as he has been doing and prove his doubters wrong but if he does not then the toxicity will make a reappearance and I am not sure that the Spaniard will survive that.
The moment you give the fan base hope, you had better deliver because if you do not then forgiveness is in short supply.
THE JUST ARSENAL SHOW – Dan Smith has a rant over Arteta and ‘Players Welfare”
There are outliers on both ends of the supporter spectrum – folks who will want Arteta out if we lose a few games in a row and don’t get top four and folks who will be happy with any improvement from the last couple of seasons of 8th place finishes and rather uninspiring performances.
I’ll be in the middle group which I suspect is the majority. Happy this year with being in the conversation for fourth, disappointed if we don’t get top six and excited if we continue to see our young manager and young players leading the way in giving us exciting football again. Happy mainly because this gives a solid platform to be challenging for the title in one or two years.
Nice one…please be a little more ambitious, it is what the manager and players demand of us…to push them to do more.
While I understand that many of us are afraid of shattered hopes again, they deserve our benefit of doubt because we can all see that something good is beginning to happen.
Kind regards
Many football fans have at most a three week memory. In the summer no one predicted top 4 and after the 0-3 start absolutely nobody , I swear nobody “expected” top 4.
I predicted 5/6 by May in the summer and maintained that view through out.
Any one who now expects top 4 after never having predicted top 4 in the summer is a complete and utter idiotic hypocrite.
You just called practically everyone on here and most pundits and sports writers idiotic hypocrites. You certainly don’t live up to your name!
DECLAN have you never noticed, as I HAVE, MOST OF MY LONG LIFE, that all humans are hypocritical!
It is a normal and natural part of our shared human condition. Only those who deny this evident truth are being hypocritical in THIS matter.
I donrt say that we are idiotic though as FF does! Hypocrisy is in everyone and theonly difference is in degree, not in its existence.
I criticise no one for being what is natural to us all. I accept the humn condition for good and for bad. It applies equally to me of course.
I don’t agree with your pessimism, there is nothing wrong with being hopeful, only a blind would ignore all the positives that are there to be built upon and it has nothing to do with the Boss’s job. A true fan shall rally around the troop and push them the greater heights which is what they are demanding of us.
Even the players themselves dream of finishing higher than fourth and it is not a crime, slightly disappointed in your opinion, it is unlike you.
Under that scenario this is a no win situation!
Trust the process and stop whinging!
There will still be ups and downs!
CAN WE HAVE SOME POSITIVE ARTICLES INSTEAD OF DRAB LIKE THIS FFS.
BACK THE TEAM, CLUB AND MANAGER AND SEE WHERE AND HOW IT GOES BY THE END OF THE SEASON.
WE’RE IN THE BEST FORM WE HAVE BEEN IN FOR A LONG ASS TIME, YET ITS ALL DOOM AND GLOOM CRAP
Doom and gloom sells it’s a known fact.
Positive news is bad business for the media.
When Arsenal wins the comments section goes quiet. When Arsenal loses the comments section goes berserk. As the old media maxim goes “if it bleeds it leads”
I agree with Val!! Val for President
According to The Athletic UK, Manchester City have been keeping tabs on Mikel Arteta’s progress at Arsenal, as he is thought to be a potential successor to Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has already suggested he could leave Manchester City, when his current contract runs out in 2023. So do not make any unconstructive comments or articles about Arteta, otherwise he could be fed up with the Gooners’ negativity and immaturity
Let me get this right, Arteta could leave Arsenal because of negative comments and articles written about him for Manchester city 😂. You are the funniest contributor on this site. Are we now supposed to watch what we say ? Haha.
If arteta does leave it will be due to money and ambition I’m sure.
There are too many unconstructive comments and articles about him on the net, so he could’ve left if he wasn’t fond of Arsenal
And where would he have gone GAI? He would be at Hartlepool or somewhere like that. Arteta was very very fortunate to be offered the job. Arteta is very very fortunate to still be in a job bearing in mind the shambolic performances of last season.
He could’ve got a job in Spain or England, because of his work experience under Moyes, Wenger and Guardiola
Really?.
You overestimate his value far too much
Now I’m not sure how true this is,
But I don’t think a club would let a manger dictate his own style give the independence to sign any player he wants back him during one if its worst phase n then let him leave. I certainly think he will be offered a new contract if he manages a top 6
That was Arsenal’s POV
Coming to man city’s POV it makes sense why they are targeting Arteta
An assistant to the current manager who was a part of how the team tactically was transformed
They would want a long term replacement an Arteta certainly is one of the best young managers (not best)
Well respected among the players so makes sense
Coming to Arteta’s POV I think he would stay at arsenal
While no doubt he spent 3 and ½ years at Man city
He played at arsenal for 5 years he was our captain guided us to an fa cup ending our trophy drought if I’m not wrong
During his playing years his passion was undoubted he promised the fans to return to club again n he kept that promise even right now he might not do everything to perfection but his dedication love commitment n passion is 100% he has a project long term one n I’m sure he us fully focused in that
Conclusion unlikely to happen and I hope he stays n brings success to this club
I’m worried Man City approach Arteta first before this season ends. Arsenal had better extend his contract as soon as possible
Gai,
I believe Arsenal board believes in Arteta, they have stuck with him even when the results was not forth coming. Arteta would not leave for City he is building something for Arsenal and his own career in Arsenal. Not all fans are against him. People are gradually seeing what he’s doing. City too have got their own problems
I hope so
I think they would show there loyalty to Pep by not doing this
There first priority would be to convince him to stay
Secondly Arteta lives this club more he played captained it ended trophy drought returned as manager again won trophies
Was backed during the worst run allowed to spend as much as he wants now he has a project he has HIS OWN team he has a lively long tern project he said earlier he wants to coach PSG but unlikely for a long time because when he cane to arsenal he had a aim
And as long as I remember as a player he was extremely loyal
So on
How would you expect any manager to start on our road back to the top, without giving hope to the fans????
There is always hope, and of course there will be more hope, when there are signs of improvement.
Put it into perspective. It’s about the overall game. Decision making in games, tactics, team selection, substitutions. The buying and selling of players. The atmosphere in and around the club.
Let me first say I am happy with where we are right now and it was great to see the way we played against city, the hunger, desire and belief.
Although I and others believed that auba should have been bench a long time ago to give opportunities. It was very clear that he was struggling and we needed to try something different, give gabi a real run in the team. Pepe was another player that needed to be benched, he was scoring goals and making assists but not consistently and we needed something different in that position. Think if the incident with auba had not happened, he was still captain and he was still playing where the team might be in the table.
Didn’t like the way he dealt with saliba, guendozi or mavropanos. I think they will all go on to be very good players.
I hope now he’s got into his groove, found his feet and we only get better from here. I think it’s really special when you can have an ex player managing the club that he played for, even captained and I really hope he does well! But his decision making has to be right in games. The areas he decides to strengthen in this window and next needs to be right do we believe xhaka can do the job in the middle for us or should we upgrade.
When you look around the team what player would you change/upgrade?
Remember we have a Xhaker that would consistently costs us points in every game. Be pessimistic
If you never expected a top four finish, why then, should you be so mad if Arsenal ended the season 5th or 6th? Arsenal have certainly shown vast improvements since the exile of Aubameyang from the squad, as they are now playing with eleven players once again. The commitment, unity and joy of playing together is their strength, as is their lack of fear and determination to take the fight to top teams is their ambition. Arsenal is on the right trajectory, but, their biggest set back has been for many years is the biased agenda of these writers and commentators, who, influences match officials ,as the team continue to be the victim of very poor decisions that have affected them negatively over time. It is claimed that Arsenal is miles apart from the top four teams, yet, when they play with those teams, the majority of the bad refereeing decisions go against Arsenal. They are so much better than Arsenal, but, they still cheat Arsenal to win. Arsenal is a soft banter team without spine, but, the first team to reach 100 red cards in premier league history. Did you guys notice how the pundits were laughing and enjoying the occasion? It’s time to ponder on ex-factors Arsenal faces in their quest for a top four finish. One can see this young team believe that they can, as they are determined, but, it’s a challenge of confidence ,fitness and consistency to the end. Arsenal must therefore, strengthen in the January transfer window and buy a young quality striker like
Alexander Isak or Jonathan David , an attacking midfielder that scores goals like Dominik Szoboszlai and a defensive midfielder in the mold of Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara ,Yves Bissouma or Bruno Guimaraes, to help keep the top four finish chances alive. Finally, Arsenal should forget Vlahovic, who’s NOT keen on joining. Irling Haaland is available in the summer, especially if Odegaard is named new captain of the team.
This one is great, thanks for good analysis.
You pretty much nailed it there. I totally agree.
Good comments Wayne.
Firstly, Arteta has a far greater affinity to Arsenal then to Man City, and I don’t believe he would leave just for money. Man City’s big pull is to work with his great friend again, and if Guardiola leaves then their appeal to him will largely dissipate. He strikes me as an honest man who loves what Arsenal stand for and results willing will want to build us right back up to the top before moving on.
Totally agree about media agendas – we are criticesd for being too soft, but when we beef up to the same level as other top teams we are often more harshly treated than they are, and are then told that our players are irresponsible. Xhaka needs to go if for no other reason than he has a target 10 feet wide on his back now. So then we dumb down our aggression and get walked all over again.
A viscious circle.
Agree to Vlahovic isn’t for us. We are blindid by his goals, but our success has come from playing a tough, inventive false nine rather than a centre forward.
I still say again we need to get rid of Xhaka in order to avoid losing un expected points, Get another proven DM and a proven goal scorer b4 jan transfer ends. Then i will be sure of fighting for top 4 otherwise the cruel refereeing will still bight us among losing points in other mistakes.
It seems that the “vast majority” want to create a two horse race regarding MA.
I just don’t see it like that.
I have criticised him when he has been wrong and praised him when he has been right.
What I have seen, is a gradual changing of the guards and have witnessed some superb performances (spuds and City) that make me believe we are going back to where we belong.
It is the INCONSISTENCIES that stops me from being 100% behind him..
With this group of players, the city performance should be what we expect every game and MA should be delivering that – he isn’t.
All the off field shenanigans are something we fans have no control or idea about (Aubameyang etc) so we can only truthfully judge him by what we see.
I see a pattern of play emerging, a team spirit emerging and a Emirate crowd fully behind the squad… let’s just have that consistency.
With a relative new team and many inexperienced players there are bound to be inconsistencies in performance. Expecting a team to be put together in the time it has and then to produce world class performances from week to week is unrealistic.
The issue Mikel Arteta has to face is; are two 8th place finishes ‘progress’ when a 5th place got Unai Emery fired, and a 5th and 6th got Arsene Wenger forced out? THe answer, a fair answer, is; if he is in Europe next year, 4th or 5th, with the young players showing improvement, then he can say ‘yes, this is working.’ If Arsenal are anywhere from 6th through 8th, it is impossible to claim, with any credibility, that the team has improved.
Yes, the club has changed players. Yes, the young players are playing key roles. Yes, at the moment, Arsenal are in 4th. Artwta deserves credit for this.
He’s also spent $250 million over two years, struggled to manage his star players like Mesut Ozil and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, as well as young star William Saliba and Mateo Guendouzi. He is being credit for this, which seems bizarre. Public rows with players is generally considered proof of poor management skills. It comes down to winning. If Arsenal keep winning they get away with freezing out players Arteta doesn’t like. Even so, being unable to manage these players points to a problem, not excellence.
It would be great if Arsenal carry on, finish fourth and win a cup. That would put them right back where they were when the Wenger Out mob were screaming that the club had no ambition.
It seems unlikely, given that they are at odds with a star player, are likely to lost at least one more of their experienced forwards and several squad players in January. The Gunners may buy to replace the players how move on, but integrating new players in January is challenging, especially with a thin-skinned manager.
This kind of unbalanced analysis is one of the reasons I would not blame Arteta one bit if he decides to go elsewhere when an opportunity arises.
Wenger’s approach was clearly not getting Arsenal anywhere and the performances and outcomes were gradually worsening. In the meantime other teams were strengthening . Right now the three top teams are as strong as they have ever been in their history. Man U have a very good squad whatever one may say about their performances. Many other teams have improved considerably and there are several challengers for the European places.
Arsenal have made a lot of new changes to the playing squad, most of whom are young promising players rather than established players. To turn them into a top team is bound to take time.
Any arguments around the handling of any of the players mentioned are problematic. With the possible exception of Saliba it is difficult to understand why people continue to feel that Arteta has been unfair to any of these players.
Arteta has shown that he wants committed, disciplined players. How is this bizarre?
In my view, if Arsenal finish 4th this would be an outstanding achievement given where Arsenal were at the beginning of the season.