Is it time to part ways?
Arteta might not be the man that can win the league for Arsenal.
There is no job more difficult in football than being the manager. They praise you today and crucify you the next day. With all the love, comes the hate. Fans are fickle and you cannot take what they say to heart. No manager was more loved than Mikel Arteta a few weeks ago. Top of the league with a team on form, it felt as if he was in the driving seat of the title charge.
His luck turned and the results have not gone his way. One victory in seven games, two draws and three losses in a row, dropping from first to fourth. He’s fallen out of favour with this poor form and the fans are tired of waiting to win major silverware. They feel that his tactics are conservative, and the attack is lacklustre, resulting in the poor form. However, the fans do not forget how much Arteta has improved the squad over the seasons.
As his first managerial job, he has taken a struggling Arsenal to being title contenders over four years and is seen as one of the favourites to win it this season. He has introduced a new culture to the club, improved the team’s style of play and guided the team to higher finishes for the past two seasons.
The team has grown in leaps and bounds but has not overcome the last hurdle. If Arsenal don’t win a major trophy this year, how long until he does. Do they renew his contract and hope he is able to win a trophy. It’s sounds harsh, but is he able to win a major trophy so early in his career? Does he have the mentality to be a winner? The owners have a difficult decision, do they keep on with Arteta until he wins – or do they look for the next manager to take over.
Is Arsenal willing to start over with a new manager, establishing their own culture and style of play? Investing in a new set of players, spending more money on rebuilding the squad over. The other issue is if the club can get the right character that can improve the mentality of the team.
The market for managers at the moment is rough. The project at the club is attractive and could lure big managers to apply. The other option is sticking to Arteta. He has brought major changes to the club, but he has crumbled at the business end of the season. The team are very defensive and that takes away from the attack. Most of the attack is on the right and has become predictable, making it easy for teams to defend against. The quality of players allows them to beat teams but when it is better opposition, the result is harder to come by.
No matter what the decision is, there is no guarantee of any success. For most of the fans, that is all they want. Going 20 years without winning the league has fans feeling flustered. Coming close over the years but falling at the end, seeing rivals win it on a regular basis. It’s a level of disappointment no words can describe. The fans want the success that they missed out on for so long.
Mikel has brought us close to the summit. He should be given the opportunity to win it all. He’s earnt the opportunity for an extension with what he has done so far. If he fails to win at the end of the next contract, it’s time to try another manager. It is a results business, and with a club with our history, we want nothing less than success.
Vuyo Mataka
Here is the latest DUBLIN ARSENAL video reviewing our latest defeat in the FA Cup against Liverpool
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
