Mikel Arteta: Managerial Royalty

[Blood on the Tracks]

It's human nature.

We are improving currently so 4th place ( potentially) is something to get pretty excited about with CL football and the revenue it brings.

If we get 4th this season though, that isn't the end goal, it's just a step in the right direction. The end goal has to be challenging for titles and major honours on a fairly basis.

If we end up finishing 4th for a number of seasons, or just challenging for it I won't be able to judge Arteta's tenure here a success.

Emotions are much more important than anything else as a football fan. We've seen Liverpool get where they are now after being at a bit of a nadir. If they can do it why shouldn't we?

 

[Oxeki]

We've seen Liverpool get where they are now after being at a bit of a nadir. If they can do it why shouldn't we?

Because they have a genuine world class manager but we don't even know what we yet.

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

The Guendouzi sale will bite us in the buttocks in a few years, absolute quality talent and starting to mature, UTG magic eightball tells me he will be at Utd or the likes in three years

 

[14Henry]

Maybe it's hindsight looking back now but the decision not to bring in one or two players on loan in Jan has been costly. Injuries were always going to happen. Can't expect to get through a season with very few injuries.

Sp**s 2 new boys have significantly improved their starting 11.

Liverpool signing Diaz despite having 3 or 4 brilliant attackers has also boosted their push for the title.

City didn't move and neither did United and both haven't improved much from before. At one point City were home and hosed and United have been poor. Looked flat all season.

Maybe I'm just depressed still after Palace but to get 4th we needed our perfect starting 11 all season. 2 or 3 injuries and we struggle. You only have to look at Burnley without Partey and Xhaka.

 

[Makingtrax]

Not sure why people are discussing injuries on here. This has been one of best seasons for a long while. Liverpool have had 1032 injury days logged by the Prem as of March 22, Arsenal only 357. Currently we’re 2nd from bottom of the injury league table, other teams have had a lot more to cope with, Liverpool top of the league.

 

[14Henry]

Not sure why people are discussing injuries on here. This has been one of best seasons for a long while. Liverpool have had 1032 injury days logged by the Prem as of March 22, Arsenal only 357. Currently we’re 2nd from bottom of the injury league table, other teams have had a lot more to cope with, Liverpool top of the league.

Injuries become a talking point when you have them. Not when you don't.

For us to finish top 4 we pretty much needed an injury free season or as close to being able to field our first 11 every game.

It was always going to be an issue if we were missing 2 or 3 first teamers.

So far this season it hasn't been an issue but now, in the run in, we now have what we needed not to have.

If Tomi, Tierney (all season) and Partey are missing 3-4 games we will really struggle.

 

[Makingtrax]

As for when Arteta will be judged "properly"? Probably never there will always be something until he decides to leave. We're a Saka or Ramsdale injury away (God forbid) from this entire season becoming a free hit tbh.

It’s going to be a tight run in. But yeah, even if it all falls apart and he ends up 5th or 6th there’ll be no pressure on him to leave.

 

[Makingtrax]

But there's such a monumental difference in both of these things?

If Arteta finished 3rd and 4th for 8 years straight without doing anything else or pushing further to actually win the CL/PL he would also be absolutely bashed at some point towards the end. (I'm saying 8 years because of Wengers final 8 years which were fairly poor given the money spent)

Its because Mikel is still a new manager, he's had 2 full seasons and could get CL football in his second season after we haven't been in it for years. If we get top 4 again next season and don't challenge you'll start getting rumbles from people. If we do that again under Mikel the year after, then most people will be saying he isn't good enough we need a change.

That’s the same delusional stuff that people used to chat on here. Arsenal are currently investing 5th on players behind City, Chelsea, United and Liverpool. Apart from the Leicester fluke, no team in the history of the prem has won the title investing 5th. 3rd or 4th is overperforming. And continuous top 4 is exceptional. If Arteta can do that he‘s twice the manager I think he is and I won’t be stupid enough to grumble about it.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

The thing is if we suffer results wise due to injury issues but Arteta has created the circumstances where these problems are going to be felt most severely, due to bare bonesing the squad. Arteta can't really use it as an excuse.

It was a calculated gamble and I can definitely see the logic behind it but the chance of it backfiring was always there.

 

[14Henry]

The thing is if we suffer results wise due to injury issues but Arteta has created the circumstances where these problems are going to be felt most severely, due to bare bonesing the squad, Arteta can't really use it as an excuse.

It was a calculated gamble and I can definitely see the logic behind it but the chance of it backfiring was always there.

I think what we needed was a few signings in Jan rather than keeping players. The likes of AMN and Mari don't make our situation any better really.

We needed 1 or 2 quality loan players in who 100% made the squad better. Not just bigger.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

I think what we needed was a few signings in Jan rather than keeping players. The likes of AMN and Mari don't make our situation any better really.

We needed 1 or 2 quality loan players in who 100% made the squad better. Not just bigger.

The thing is you're probably not going to get quality loan players, particularly in January.

I think we've all learnt that buying players in January to cover for an injury crisis or add squad depth is not a good idea long term so I'm fine with buying no-one then.

Even a couple of Ceballos level loans in a few positions would have at least added a bit of depth.

There's no way there wasn't a striker available on loan somewhere in the world in January that wouldn't be more suitable back up than Eddie up top, for example.

 

[14Henry]

The thing is you're probably not going to get quality loan players, particularly in January.

I think we've all learnt that buying players in January to cover for an injury crisis or add squad depth is not a good idea long term so I'm fine with buying no-one then.

Even a couple of Ceballos level loans in a few positions would have at least added a bit of depth.

There's no way there wasn't a striker available on loan somewhere in the world in January that wouldn't be more suitable back up than Eddie up top, for example.

Sp**s found 1 loan and 1 relatively cheap signing. Both have boosted them significantly. I do agree it is difficult. But that's where you have to maybe pay a higher loan fee etc.

Like you said there definitely had to be a signing available in forward positions. Someone knocking about the bench in Italy, Spain, France who just wasn't getting game time but could do a job.

Lack of options are a problem. However the drop of in quality from first 11 to subs is pretty significant. Even with the players we let go.

People talked about Isak being not worth the risk risk £65m. Right now it probably was worth the risk. We need 2 strikers anyway in the summer. But could have helped this year too. **** knows. Even the guy that went to Foirentina from basle.

This season has all the makings of being great or ****. Need another lasagne gate and someone taking Kane out ASAP.

 

[grange]

That’s the same delusional stuff that people used to chat on here. Arsenal are currently investing 5th on players behind City, Chelsea, United and Liverpool. Apart from the Leicester fluke, no team in the history of the prem has won the title investing 5th. 3rd or 4th is overperforming. And continuous top 4 is exceptional. If Arteta can do that he‘s twice the manager I think he is and I won’t be stupid enough to grumble about it.

What if we finish 5th this season? How will you feel?

 

[Oxeki]

We've been very lucky this season injury wise. Arteta could have leveraged that by keeping some of our important squad members instead of giving them away for a bag of chips. Auba and AMN being in the squad would have proven invaluable in our quest for CL football. AMN could covered the LB position while Auba would have address our goalscoring issues. But it's too late to cry now.

Anyone blaming injuries on our poor form must be giving one hell of a cunnilingus to Arteta.

If we miss the CL this season, it won't have been because of injuries.

 

[Oxeki]

The thing is you're probably not going to get quality loan players, particularly in January.

I think we've all learnt that buying players in January to cover for an injury crisis or add squad depth is not a good idea long term so I'm fine with buying no-one then.

Even a couple of Ceballos level loans in a few positions would have at least added a bit of depth.

There's no way there wasn't a striker available on loan somewhere in the world in January that wouldn't be more suitable back up than Eddie up top, for example.

No one is talking about loans. You'd be hardly pressed to find an Arsenal fan who thought we should have dived blindly i to the market in January. But keeping AMN and Auba would protected us against this eventuality to some extent anyway. Now team is ever immune to an injury crisis anyway.

 

[2Smokeyy]

We've been very lucky this season injury wise. Arteta could have leveraged that by keeping some of our important squad members instead of giving them away for a bag of chips. Auba and AMN being in the squad would have proven invaluable in our quest for CL football. AMN could covered the LB position while Auba would have address our goalscoring issues. But it's too late to cry now.

Anyone blaming injuries on our poor form must be giving one hell of a cunnilingus to Arteta.

If we miss the CL this season, it won't have been because of injuries.

You just reminded me about AMN totally forgot about him.

I was happy for him to get his move but what was Arteta thinking letting him go out on loan in January? Definitely would have trusted him to cover at fullback ahead of Tavares.

 

[Macho]

What if we finish 5th this season? How will you feel?

I wasn't asked but no complaints personally.

Questions would have to be asked about the Auba/Laca decision but that's as far as it would go for me.

 

[El Duderino]

No one is talking about loans. You'd be hardly pressed to find an Arsenal fan who thought we should have dived blindly i to the market in January. But keeping AMN and Auba would protected us against this eventuality to some extent anyway. Now team is ever immune to an injury crisis anyway.

Playing devil's advocate for a bit, AMN was likely promised by management he could go. Was it twice we kept him and just didn't give him the time of day on the pitch?

 

[Makingtrax]

What if we finish 5th this season? How will you feel?

Why are asking me that? 5th would be bang on par. To get top 4 he’s got to over perform. And to get top 4 every year with Europe as well, and deep cup runs, all with the usual tiredness and injuries that come with that . . , would be special. I’ve been consistent about this since I came to AM. It’s you guys flip flopping, ‘Top 4 is terrible’, ‘Yeah, top 4 is brilliant’. Lol.

 

[2Smokeyy]

Playing devil's advocate for a bit, AMN was likely promised by management he could go. Was it twice we kept him and just didn't give him the time of day on the pitch?

As much as I like AMN, I knew it was going to be a recipe for disaster whenever he returned.

Teta knew he couldn’t afford to let him and his ting make him look like the villain with their outbursts on social media, so he shipped him out. He had every right to be disappointed after he got a MOTM performance in midfield against Watford this season then he got dropped for the following game and the one after that.

The lack of options in our squad is all on him as the best managers are able to keep everyone happy regardless of their personality traits and willing to give everyone a fair chance. Just look at how Klopp is managing the likes of Diaz, Jota, Firmino, Salah, Mane and Origi all battling for 3 positions. Of course, success plays a huge part but I haven’t really seen him fall out with any of his players.