What criteria should Mikel Arteta be judged by at the end of the season?

Mikel Arteta will be judged once the season concludes but what will his tenure be measured by?

Arsenal named Mikel Arteta as their new manager late last year after the Gunners struggled for form under Unai Emery.

The Spaniard has changed the mood around the Emirates and he has also got the team playing with some sense of direction.

However, at the end of this campaign, his tenure will be rated or slated for the things he has achieved and where he has failed.

The question now is, how will his tenure be measured?

When Arteta became Arsenal manager, the Gunners had so many issues. One was the poor state of the relationship between the fans and the players, another was the poor morale of the playing staff.

Additionally, the players seemed to be playing without direction and that bred a lack of motivation among them.

The dressing room also seemed to be divided before Arteta came in, ultimately, the team was lagging in their bid to end inside the top four.

Almost everyone is concerned about where the team finishes at the end of the season, however, would that be the yardstick for measuring success under Arteta?

I don’t think it should be. I believe that fans will have to look beyond the position Arteta manages to help us finish and consider other things like, how much progress was made under the Spaniard and if we are heading towards a better future under him.

For me, even if Arsenal finishes out of a European place and picks up no silverware I would still rate his time a success if the team continues to show progress.

It was never going to be an overnight job for Arteta to turn the teams’ fortunes around, there are deep issues that need to be addressed and he is slowly but surely sorting them out.

So, progress and not necessarily success is the yardstick that I will judge the manager by come the end of the season.

An article by Jacob B

8 Comments

  1. Performance has certainly improved… I am not sure about how to judge him but I think Performance should be one of criteria and another could be on road performance… we still dodgy away from home… that need to improved….
    He has improved Ozil, Mustafi quite a lot…
    Even Pépé has also improved….
    He is very good in tactics…. the way he used Ceballos in 2nd half against New Castle was really good…
    He should work on Xhaka because is still bit indisciplined..

  2. 1. Champion’s League qualification via winning the Europa League Cup: fantastic, job well done.

    2. The above plus Champion’s League qualification via PL standing as well: incredible – we’re back.

    3. Both of the above plus winning the FA Cup: unbelieveably good – the icing on the cake. We’re back with style.

    4. Winning the FA Cup but not qualifying for the Champion’s League: morale-booster but still a little disappointing.

    5. No Champion’s League qualification, no FA Cup: Frustrating. Not encouraging, not morale-boosting. Just another massive disappointment.

    1. Arsenal were in total disarray under Emery and I could see the club only going one way under him – into a full on relegation slide

      Whilst Arteta has been working behind the scenes in training, a new Arsenal is beginning to rise like the Phoenix and he has shown what can be achieved with a fresh approach.

      We are all impatient for success to return regularly but your point 5 shows you don’t have enough patience. Arteta should be praised for his approach and the encouragement he has given to players who looked hopeless on the pitch and without hope in the ability of Emery

      Regular success will take time and the faint hope of a top six finish on my wish list. Cup games have luck as a feature so we could win one of them but no certainty

  3. I agree, we can’t demand CL qualification. it would be a real success if it is achieved.
    I think the minimum we can demand is:
    1) We don’t fall further behind teams like Spurs, Man U, and Chelsea
    +
    2) There are clear signs we are a Top 6 club in the future and with “drawings” of a team, that can do even better

  4. It started with, first wining the changing room then wining over the fans, then he sorted out our defending and now most important and lot more difficult its time for midfield and once that is done our forwards wont need to much tinkering to bring home the three points, i’m sure he/we will have a few obstacle along the way but i’m very happy so far

  5. Arteta has certainly brought in both progress and performance. If we make it to the CL either by the top4(top5?) or by winning the EUL, good enough. If not, Arteta should still be rated as a success by his bringing about complete change in mindset of the players, the player-fan connection and giving a direction for the future.

  6. This season was already a write-off so Arteta gets a free pass from me. However, if he doesn’t get us back into the champions league at the end of next season then he’s not good enough! Didn’t get rid of Wenger just to wonder in the desert for 40 years!

  7. Get us playing like a competent side and finish as high as he can. If we get UCL spot, it is a miracle. There are so many problems with this squad that I dont think it will happen even though there is a slight chance. He is doing a good job so far and I think most Gooners would agree about that.

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