Martin Keown says Arsenal has to keep the faith with Mikel Arteta because tough times always precedes good times.
Arsenal enjoyed Arteta’s start to his managerial career as he helped them to win the FA Cup and the Community Shield in August.
They beat the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea on their way to winning those trophies.
However, they haven’t started this season well, and after 13 games, it seems that they will even be lucky to finish inside the top 10.
They are currently languishing in the 15th position on the league table and their poor form has seen some people call for Arteta to be fired.
The club is ready to stick with the Spaniard for now it seems, but football management doesn’t come with much guarantee and Arsenal might be forced to fire him soon.
However, Keown says they shouldn’t do that. He urges them to keep the Spaniard and back him in the next transfer window instead.
“I think it is not a time for panic,” said the former England defender via Mirror Football.
“Arteta has shown he can win. People would always say: ‘Trust in Wenger’. Now we need to do that with Arteta.
“He wants to make changes and sometimes, when you make changes, you go backwards first before you can go forwards.
“Meanwhile the confidence has been massively dented by results so it is a difficult time now. I think that came as a bit of a shock to the manager how they were dismantled by Aston Villa and they haven’t really recovered.
“He needs to be backed. I am really pleased (technical director) Edu is speaking now in support of the manager – he should have spoken far sooner.
“I think if the fans were all allowed back in by some miracle next week, they would be behind the manager.”
Question to all, do you think Arteta is a better manager than Rogers, Ancelloti, Lampard, Mourinio, Nunez, Hassenhutl, Bielsa or Dean Smith. Or another question would you want any of them at Arsenal today. Note i havent included the two teams we are nowhere near as far as super managers. There are some very successful managers there we have to compete with and so far we have got nowhere near them.
Reggie a more pertinent question would have been “Do you think we have as good a team of players as all those manager clubs you listed”? Answer is clearly, NO WE DON’T”!
Jon, yes i do, i dont think the squad is anywhere near as bad as people are making out and the position that we are in. IF and it is opinions, anyone thinks our squad isn’t as good as many of the others, then big questions need asking because we have spent more than most on players.
Ohhh our team is only good enough to drag 15/16 with Brighton? Well its still Wenger’s fault for leaving dross platers like ,Ramsey,cazorla,nacho Mon real,koscienly,mhikitarian,aubumeyang,lacca,etc yea a blame Wenger for not buying messi,c ronaldo etc
“Arteta has shown he can win. People would always say: ‘Trust in Wenger’. Now we need to do that with Arteta”.
At no point during Wenger’s tenure were we at 15th on the log after 13 matches. If Keown wants to support Arteta, that’s alright but he should not use Wenger as an example, because if Wenger had been at this position after 13 matches, “Wenger Out” would even be child’s play.
Question for you Reggie, which of the Managers listed won the last FA Cup final?Do you really think any of these Managers could turn some of our mediocre, experienced players into excellent performers? if you do, you are deluding yourself.I admire the likes of Rogers,Nunez and Bielsa, but they were happily employed elsewhere when the Managerial position arose at Arsenal.Do you think they would leave their Clubs to take charge of a team on the slide, with a modest transfer budget when they are with sides on the up?Arsenal may have a great history, but in the past decade opposite Managers have regarded us as a ‘soft touch” on the wane and that is where we still are under Arteta.Until he, or any Manager is relieved of the highly paid redwood he inherited we are going nowhere.
Grandad your comments dont make sense and you are dismissing managers who have won CL and leagues. I was ecstatic we won the FA cup but that has no bearing whatsoever on our league form and never has. The point of my post is that all the teams/managers i mentioned have been improved and doing better on similar or in most cases, less resourses than we have. I dont know any of the managers or teams mentioned in the last 18 months have had to drop 10 places to recover. I dont adhere to the, you must go down before you come up comment of Keown.
Reggie You are fast becoming tiresome with your refusal to see the truth . Grandad is exactly right and anyone with a keen intellect can easily see where the overriding problem is at our club, from which ALL other problems stem. Kroenke!
GRANDAD and myself have consistently said this but only some have the wit to see how true it is. MA DID NOT APPOINT THE DISASTROUS GAZIDIS, nor leave him there unchallenged for all those years to wreak enormous damage financially.
KROENKE OUGHT TO HAVE SACKED HIM MANY YEARS EARLIER BUT WAS UNINTERESTED AND PREFERRED TO BE HANDS OFF AND LIVE ON A REMOTE CONTINENT THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM HIS BUSINESS AND VIRTUALLY NEVER EVEN VISIT. REALITY REGGIE!
Jon WHAT TRUTH , the jon fox truth, what on earth are you on about. You struggle with opinion that is different than yours and slag people off because you arrogantly think only you are right. Jon it isnt about being wrong or right and for the record, you aren’t right and im not wrong. IS OPINION
ITS OPINION!
Well Reggie
Arteta is unproven; has taken on a massive project with at least as many problems upstairs as on the pitch
As far as FL is concerned the jury is still out for me. He’s had more experience and joined a better organised club with the ability to spend
Rodgers is very experienced at top clubs
and is doing a good job at but results
are still mixed. Leicester are a well run club
Mourinho is clearly a hugely successful manager and is currently doing extremely well at Spurs – more’s the pity. Likely to implode at some point possibly?
Ancelotti’s record is fantastic and he knows the EPL. Has a committed ownership behind him and will do well because he is supported and is able.
Nunez and Bielsa likewise are talented and experienced
Hassenhutl is an interesting proposition because he turned round a very difficult situation last season. I think that Southampton were patient when things were not going well and that was rewarded. More experienced – but not at the top and one to watch IMO
The common denominator is the ownership, whether it is how big the transfer kitty is or how the club is run and this trickles down to the team.
Arteta might not turn it round but of the names you have mentioned how many would take on the poisoned chalice that is Arsenal currently? If one did, under the same circumstances, I’m guessing Ancelotti is the one due to his stature in the game. I’d hate it if JM pitched up at Arsenal so no thanks
Sue, i dont want JM either but that wasn’t my point. Lol
@Reggie
How many top managers have been able to beat Arteta. Arteta vs top 6 managers:
Arteta 3-1 Klopp
Arteta 1-1 Lampard
Arteta 0-2 Maureen
Arteta 2-0 Ole
Arteta 1-2 Guardiola
Is Arteta that bad?
I will trust Arteta in big games than Wenger and Emery. Things ain’t going well but let’s buy him time.
About 90% of city and Liverpool squads were bought by Guardiola and Klopp respectively. He needs to take out the deadwoods and buy the players he needs to evolve. I still trust Arteta.
We lost to klopp, Maureen, Guadiola, drew lampard and beat ole this season, so one win. Your point is?
Excellent SueP.
Thanks Grandad as I thought you and I were singing off the same hymn sheet and somehow we didn’t get Reggie’s point.
Reggie I am not being disrespectful to the Managers you list, in fact I like them all bar one..You are the one who is not living in the real World.Arsenal FC is no longer an attractive proposition to experienced Managers who are in the early stages of projects with Clubs on the upward curve with owners who seem prepared to back them financially.We are no longer a power in the land, never mind Europe, so before you cast doubts as to my sanity, we should look closer to home before you spout forth against Arteta.
So Leicester, Villa, Burnley, Southampton, Leeds are power houses in the prem we cant compete with?
Let’s see what happens by the end of the season and where the teams you have mentioned finish. I’m open minded but it is only possible to judge then.
Im with reggie. We are lowering our standards. Arteta is unproven. And if this is the case why did we sack unai in the first place. Unai’s brand of football was better. Geundouzi was good under him and he signed martenelli and saliba which arteta feels is not ready. Every team has more ball possesion against us and his signing willian has been poor. Mourinhno drops Alli and they are top. He drops ozil and we are 15th only because brighton and the teams lower is not winning.
Unai was also going down and we did not give him time. We have become a very generous team, taking in chelsea old players and taking them of their wage bill and they have the likes of zayek mount pulisic havertz which are all creative midfielders on their books while we house their old players.
How can spurs afford mourinho and we can’t. It is time for kroenke and co to invest in a experience coach.