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Mikel Arteta: Top Of The Klopps

Penn_

Established Member
Trusted ⭐
Once again: We want him to see his own responsibility. I would say that the Villarreal fiasco is at least 99,9% on him for example but he refuse to see that.

It is but I don’t see how that relevant not wanting a better squad.

Most on here have said the same but when our manager does it’s suddenly wrong? Arteta wanting to rip the squad apart should be one of his pros on a pile of cons.
 

Pyres7

Well-Known Member
It is but I don’t see how that relevant not wanting a better squad.

Most on here have said the same but when our manager does it’s suddenly wrong? Arteta wanting to rip the squad apart should be one of his pros on a pile of cons.
Arteta has horribly mismanaged this squad, and now he's throwing the players under the bus instead of taking responsibility for his own failure.

Not to mention that he's partly at fault for our squad. He signed Willian, Cedric, Mari, he convinced Elneny and Bellerin to stay instead of selling last summer. Same with Xhaka last year. He has no right to cry about the quality of our squad after making it worse himself.
 

Tir Na Nog

Changes Opinion Every 5 Minutes

Country: Ireland
I think Auba is a great player but he is a clown, he could have been elite if he had a better mentality.

It's weird with him, there's times when it looks like the only thing he does well is score but then there's other times when he's almost unplayable when he's really on it. I watched his highlights from our win in Valencia under Emery and he was out of this world, played more wide than central but honestly looked Ronaldo level. Similar to our FA Cup run last year where he beat Chelsea and City almost on his own from an attacking point of view.

Other times it's almost like he's just strolling around sulking. I think if things aren't going his way and the team is playing really bad then he's next to useless in general play. But if the team is playing well then he seems to really thrive and go up a few levels. In essence what Tuchel is saying is right. Put him in City or Chelsea and he'd be putting up crazy numbers.
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
The red is the trend line and shows that overall in totality over those periods we haven't progressed at all. Literally. The line is virtually static. In terms of the individual points/phases you can clearly see that:

  • The the good Dec-Jan run deviates from the linear trend line by far the furthest, cementing my point that it was purple patch, an outlier. Not indicative of long terms success/performances/progression.
  • The current 13 game run we're on is actually worse PPM than what Arteta was manging last season, so currently on a trend of declining even based on last season
  • The current 13 game is faaaaaaaaar closer form wise to the first abject 14 games of this season then it is the Dec-Jan run (it also appears to closer than Arteta's initial 20 games which is even more distressing). Again supporting my point that whilst I concede those 14 games were a mild outlier themselves, they are still overall a fairly close representation of our true form and were indicative of where we'd end up performing going forward.

We've been over this, we're not talking about results only, we're talking about performance level. Hence the citing of xG. If you don't like xG and want to use other statistics, talk to me about shot attempts vs. conceded, in conjunction with on target, big chances created vs. conceded, possession, etc.

Again, the trend in terms of performance since late December is generally positive, when paying attention to performance level. Another question is if that level is good enough or if we should be seeing an even better level to make up for the early season ****ness.

We're actually exceeding your coveted xPTS since Dec 26. We've been poor but we're still doing better these random model thinks your so enamoured with think we should be, that's damning.
Again, I use xPTS because it's a better indicator of actual performance level. Through the Everton game, from the first time ESR was in the XI, we had a half-season sample of 32 pt pace and a 31.88 xPTS. I remind you about what this argument was about: Arteta vs. Em*ry. You claimed that it was stupid and incoherent to rate Arteta more than Em*ry, I put my arguments forth for why it wasn't. As stated, Em*ry never achieved that kind of performance level (29.53 xPTS in first 19 games, 29.44 xPTS in second half...we need not talk about his second season) even in a weaker league environment, even if Arteta's level still isn't really that inspiring.

As I've said in another post, a manager can not have "promise" or "potential". He's not teenager winger that you can play in dead rubber games, or give 10 minute cameos to or send out on loan to get experience and develop. He's a consistent major factor, arguably the major factor, that's there 24/7. If a young CB was "promising" but consistently making mistakes game after game and costing us goals and points would you argue that we should keep playing him? No of course not. So why should a manager be allowed to consistently cost us points game after game? It's beyond irrational and frankly an extremely bizarre concept.

We largely agree here, hence me saying that we can do better than Arteta both in the short and long term with options like Potter and Gallardo. That said, we all understand the concept of promise and potential, and that sometimes it comes with a short-term sacrifice, even if that is not preferable. If Arteta were showing the kind of promise that suggested there was real reason to believe he was going to be a top, top, manager (say if we had been much more unlucky this season than we have been, and had a performance level much higher with the same results), the current sacrifice level would be okay. The problem is that it is hard to justify that promise level based on the performance level.

You're adulation for Arteta juxtapositioned against you seething hatred for Emery despite Emery doing significantly better than Arteta currently was/is without question cultish and massively unreasonable.
Again, this just isn't true, and your desire to twist this narrative by painting me as cultish and unreasonable, (while even going so far as to invent stats as you did with fbref) when that in fact applies more to your position, is telling.

What are you on about :lol: You were still vehemently defending Arteta in our discussion even after the 1st leg defeat. Their was no let up or adjustment of your stances, the posts are there to prove it. You've now conceded it's "obvious" Arteta isn't the right man for the job, after that 0-0 draw. So yes it was formed on the basis of ONE games.

I am not responsible for your interpretations of my posts. If indeed it is true that I was confident Arteta would turn it around in the second leg after a poor first leg performance and was wrong about that and did not have my faith rewarded, it is also true that your depiction of my stance is not accurate, and at no point have I been *vehemently* defending Arteta, indeed I have questioned him throughout (that can be seen in my posts, nice thing about a forum is that the record is all there--here's a sample from about a month ago, there are many posts like this, including many where I was even more skeptical of Arteta last season--when I actually fell on the more pessimistic side than a great number of posters--or this autumn: Mikel Arteta: Mid-table Mikel). Just because I was more interested in a reasonable discussion than appealing to the rabid dog mentality and fervent, hyperbolic, some might say even childish atmosphere here, as you are, does not make your interpretations true.

I addressed all these points pathetic points numerous. It's braindead irrationality to keep blaming Emery for Arteta's poor performances when Arteta himself is DOING WORSE than when he started.

It's not, and no, you have not. I have put forth a coherent and fundamented argument for why Arteta has done a better job than Em*ry, and tbh, you have not addressed that in any material fashion.
No, I primarily said it was stupid to be critical of Emery but not Arteta.
I am critical of both. Consistently. Another thing is having some reason and analysis and realising that Arteta is still better than Em*ry, and that certain posts (such as those that claim that Arteta is even worse than Em*ry) are hyperbolic and nonsensical, and pay no attention to any context or analysis whatsoever.

That "new evidence" being 1 game. Lmao. You contradict and refute yourself in your own post.

While others may not realise it, I see the way you are playing to the stands / for the likes (I am not so thick as to not see someone interested in disingenuous argument and pandering to approval / likes). You know full well, I am sure, my position is not based off of one game. :) Carry on, but I will continue to debate my way, and we can both reserve our opinions of what each rhetorical strategy says about the other's maturity level. 👍
 

Rimaal

Mesmerised By Raccoons
Trusted ⭐
*sigh*

This mindset worries me. Arteta needs some serious introspection, I'm not seeing the honest desire from him to get the most out of what he has here - that's what truly makes a great manager imo.

He's moving like @Football Manager in disguise :lol:

He doesn't have the requisite skills or the requisite gravitas to get the best out of them and he knows it.
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
Even ignoring that he’s the biggest problem here, he’s not even close to getting the best out of this squad. He’s going to keep chatting **** every week now isn’t he.
Football manager / player in backing himself shocker. I suppose Arteta should just come out and say he is a **** manager, Elneny should say he is a **** passer, Ceballos should say he is a brainless, slow piece of ****, etc.

If you guys get annoyed by seeing footballers and managers back themselves--something absolutely requisite for their job--I suggest not reading their quotes on things.

It's like when people got mad at everything Arsène said and called him delusional and clueless every time a quote came out. While that may have been true to a certain extent, it is a question of seriously misdirected venom. That needs to go to the decision makers who put and keep them in their jobs. Them backing themselves is just like a bear ****ting in the woods.
 
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krengon

One Arsène Wenger
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Football manager / player in backing himself shocker. I suppose Arteta should just come out and say he is a **** manager, Elneny should say he is a **** passer, Ceballos should say he is a brainless, slow piece of ****, etc.

If you guys get annoyed by seeing footballers and managers back themselves--something absolutely requisite for their job--I suggest not reading their quotes on things.

It's like when people got mad at everything Arsène said and called him delusional and clueless every time a quote came out. While that may have been true to a certain extent, it is a question of seriously misdirected venom. That needs to go to the decision makers who put and keep them in their jobs. Them backing themselves is just like a bear ****ting in the woods.

He's not backing himself though, he's throwing others under the bus to make excuses for himself.

People always love bringing up the Pep and Klopp comparisons, so here..

Pep during his disappointing run in his first season:

He said: "They are good players. I have respect for the guys, so why would I say the guys are not good?

"So I don't understand the lack of respect for the professionals when they have been amazing players, and [people saying] they are not good enough for me. Maybe I am not good enough for them.

"They are Manchester City players, top players. They have a lot of quality. They have shown that many times in the past and this season."

"It is the first time I have been in this situation and I want to handle it, but I am not going to say my players are no good," he said.

"I want to be top but we are not."


Klopp:

How do you assess the squad that you're inheriting here at Liverpool?

It's good, it's good. I'm here because I believe in the potential of the team. If Liverpool ask me and I see the team and think 'oh my God'... no, no, no. In this moment, we are not the best team in the world - who cares? Who wants to be the best team in the world today? We want to be the best team tomorrow or another day. That's all. What I saw from outside is absolutely OK. I saw some good matches and some not so good but it's normal in football you have some problems, you have to solve them. The important thing is we have speed, we have technical skills, we have tactical skills, we have good defenders, good midfielders, good strikers, wingers. Now we have to see who is fit for the first game against Tottenham and then we have to make a team for this game, then we can start. I'm not a dream man, I don't want to have Cristiano [Ronaldo] or Lionel [Messi] and all these players in one team. I want these guys [the current squad], it was a decision for these guys. Now we start working.

The 49-year-old is thoroughly enthused by overseeing his first full campaign at the club, his effervescence activated by what he believes the squad are capable of. “The skills and the character of my players - I really, really like it,” Klopp tells Goal in an exclusive interview as he contemplates the 2016-17 season. “They want to learn, they want to improve, they want to work together, they believe in what we are doing, and I am lucky to have this.”

“We’ve already had a few good moments,” Klopp says. “I’ve seen my players in some games where I’ve thought: ‘Oooof!’

“There were days last season that no-one would have been able to play against us, where nobody would have liked to play against us.”

Both went on to make big changes to those squads, but never once did they try to shift the blame away from themselves onto the squad or other things. In fact I can't think of one instance where a manager publicly starts moaning about his squad end up well.
 

AbouCuéllar

Author of A-M essays 📚
He's not backing himself though, he's throwing others under the bus to make excuses for himself.

People always love bringing up the Pep and Klopp comparisons, so here..

Pep during his disappointing run in his first season:




Klopp:





Both went on to make big changes to those squads, but never once did they try to shift the blame away from themselves onto the squad or other things. In fact I can't think of one instance where a manager publicly starts moaning about his squad end up well.

Fair points, he could certainly be more classy in his acceptance of blame and attacking of his players publicly. I prefer the approaches of the Klopp and Guardiola you show there. He's being (overly) honest though, and in the end what he says doesn't matter too much, it's more about what he produces.
 

Rimaal

Mesmerised By Raccoons
Trusted ⭐

* After Morgan left to Liverpool:
Mazziotti has previously worked alongside the Gunners' technical director Edu and it could be that the Brazilian is using his connections to solve a major problem for Arteta. :lol:

* Are they talking about Al-Alhli's O'Leary?

* 5 Senior players want out Bellerin, Luiz, Leno, Xhaka, ? (perhaps Auba).
 

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
James McNicholas, Amy Lawrence and more 1h ago
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With a strained and flawed season almost over, it is no shock to find morale is low among the staff at Arsenal.

Quite apart from what’s happening on the pitch, off it the mood has been badly hit. The 55 redundancies that took place last summer were not the end of that particular story. The threat has been ongoing, and more jobs have been culled recently.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s continuing restructuring sees a headhunting firm employed to recruit for a reshaped scouting team, which was decimated around the time of the first tranche of redundancies. The club seem to be saving money in some departments while spending heavily in others, which is perhaps the way it goes when there is no obvious solid plan to repair some of the damage from the past few years of changeable management.

A lack of expertise with any kind of track record of success behind them is costing Arsenal.

The latest in a series of remodelled executive structures has three men in charge of the main strands of the club operation day-to-day: manager Mikel Arteta looks after the first team and coaching staff; technical director Edu is in charge of recruitment; chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has the reins of the business side of the club. This untried trio have very senior responsibility. By the nature of their appointment — only Edu had any experience of the sharp end of football decision-making, though that was not in European football — their successes or mistakes would all be learned on the job.
That kind of risk might have paid the most sensational dividends. But right now it feels like they could all do with some help, some know-how to lean on, while the pressure mounts.

The alarm bell for many managers — including Arteta’s predecessor and recent Europa League conqueror, Unai Emery — is losing the support of the dressing room. It has not sounded yet: Arteta still retains support from the majority of the squad. Certain individuals have even sought assurances that the Spaniard would be kept on before entering into negotiations on a new contract.

To the surprise and occasional consternation of frustrated entourages and families, many players remain loyal to the manager and continue to hold him in high regard, despite results, including the deflating way they were knocked out of the Europa League semi-final against Emery’s Villarreal.
Some have described Arteta as being able to foster a “cult-like” devotion from certain sections of the squad.

His man-management, however, is beginning to show cracks. When it comes to some of the senior players, the situation is more complex, more delicate.
When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang extended his contract last summer, his affinity with Arteta was one of the key factors in his decision to stay. Aubameyang was said to be under the new manager’s spell — Arteta was even pictured at the striker’s house to mark the contract’s signing. That spell appears to have has lost some of its potency, and this difficult season has seen that relationship tested to a far greater extent.
More broadly, Arteta’s approach to press conferences has occasionally ruffled feathers: there has been a clamour for more honesty, less hubris. “Too much of what Mikel says publicly is not true,” says one Arsenal insider. “We can all see what is happening on the pitch and he should have spoken the truth: we did not deserve to reach the final. That’s the reality.”
There are other rumblings of discontent. Staff are under the impression that at least five senior players — David Luiz, Willian, Bernd Leno, Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin — want to leave the club.

Given the nature of their performances this season, Arsenal fans won’t shed many tears over some of those names. Part of this is a natural, necessary churn — a need to rebuild around a new core of young players. Given the financial constraints the club are operating under, there’s also an economic imperative behind some of these potential exists. These players are among Arsenal’s top earners.
Change is necessary, but so is balance and experience. The departures of the likes of Xhaka, Leno and Bellerin and Luiz would mean the loss of some of the more prominent dressing-room voices. A squad already criticised for lacking in leaders might look even more callow after the summer.

Arteta and Edu view the “Hale End generation”, along with more experienced professionals such as Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers, as key elements of their future squad. Tierney is likely to be rewarded with a new contract soon to reflect that. There are other young players, however, who are likely to leave: Reiss Nelson seems primed for a departure and Eddie Nketiah’s contract situation is also no closer to being resolved, with the deal due to expire next year, meaning he may be sold.
On the technical side, some of Arteta’s decisions have prompted surprise, such as using Emile Smith Rowe as a “false nine” in the first leg against Villarreal and not substituting Dani Ceballos after he was booked in the same game, only for the Spaniard to be sent off shortly after. When it came to last week’s European exit in the second leg, the dependency on Xhaka in the left-back role was concerning. What’s more, if he was so important, why was he not rested in the preceding game against Newcastle? Xhaka was the only player to play 90 minutes away to both Villarreal and Newcastle. Citing his absence as the crucial factor in Arsenal’s Europa League exit felt like another example of Arteta muddying the waters in front of the media.

Questions are also being asked of Arteta’s coaching appointments.
The credibility of his goalkeeping coach, Inaki Cana, was damaged by his recommendation of the little-used, so far unimpressive Alex Runarsson. With Leno’s form also now dipping, there is concern among the playing staff about Cana’s suitability for the role.

Two other popular goalkeeping coaches, Sal Bibbo and Andy Woodman, have been moved on, seemingly to grant Cana license to remodel the department. Given the concerns over Runarsson and other aspects, affording a coach that degree of autonomy has raised alarm.

Last summer, Arteta was provided resources to bring in two additional first-team coaches. While fans hoped he might add more experience to his backroom team, he opted for two junior coaches in Carlos Cuesta and Miguel Molina. It was effectively a vote of confidence from Arteta in his original staff; a statement that ensured the hierarchy remained unchallenged. It was perhaps an opportunity missed.

Perhaps Arteta’s decision to appoint younger coaches was informed by his desire to consolidate power. Having worked under Arsène Wenger, and then alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, he is said to have an intuitive understanding of what is required to grow authority in a football club. Arteta knows that having a wide set of responsibilities is what enables a coach to wield influence. Ultimately, that’s why the promotion from head coach to manager appealed — Arteta did not want to be managed, he wanted to manage.

Even at the time, fresh off the back of last season’s FA Cup final win, the decision to change Arteta’s job title was met with some internal opposition. While some regarded it as a mere formality, others saw it as a regressive step. After Wenger’s 2018 departure, Arsenal had tried to move away from a model which was overly dependent on any one individual. That is partly why, under head of football Raul Sanllehi, they adopted a continental-style structure with a technical director and head coach. Sanllehi and Edu were both big advocates of this progressive hierarchy, and Arteta’s job title would not have been changed if Sanllehi had remained at the helm.

Arsenal, Europa League


Defeat to Villarreal put the lid on a dismal, trophyless season for Arsenal (Photo: John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)

It’s difficult to know how much, if at all, Arteta’s de facto promotion may have inadvertently impacted the team. It’s unlikely to have had a direct effect on results, even if the “head coach” role is designed to allow the team’s trainer to focus predominantly on the short-term — matches and results.
Perhaps the biggest issue is where it leaves the club.

The post-Wenger organisational structure was designed partly to make coaches more expendable — to ensure continuity and long-term planning survived managerial change. The more power Arteta consolidates, the more daunting a task the board may consider replacing him to be.
When it comes to managerial influence, the club are in danger of going full circle. Arsenal may well end up back where they started.

Fixing Arsenal is likely to be expensive.
If the club are to spend in the upcoming summer transfer window, the likelihood is they will require the support of the owners. While it’s hoped Arsenal can raise funds through player trading, it is expected to be a difficult market. After a year of devastating financial losses due to the pandemic, and in the wake of irate fan protests, it is perhaps more imperative than ever that the Kroenkes invest.

The issue, then, is whether it’s right to entrust whatever funds can be made available to the manager and technical director. Thus far, Edu’s squad-building strategy has yet to convince.

Last summer’s was a difficult window. Arsenal suffered the financial impact of COVID-19, as well as a bout of instability at executive level. There were, however, conspicuous failures: for much of the season, the three-year contract awarded to a 32-year-old Willian has felt about three years too long. The failure to organise young defender William Saliba’s loan back to France created an unnecessary issue between club and player. Their €50 million marquee signing Thomas Partey has impressed in spells, but niggling injuries have prevented the club from extracting full value.

January offered more hope: the sensible addition of Mat Ryan cancelled out the signing of Runarsson. The acquisition of Martin Ødegaard on loan was a considerable coup. Edu worked tirelessly behind the scenes to move players on, agreeing departures for Mesut Özil, Sead Kolasinac and Shkodran Mustafi. A similar task awaits the Brazilian in the forthcoming window.

For now, much of the recruitment happening at Arsenal is taking place behind the scenes.

After the dissolution of the previous scouting regime, Edu is beginning to flesh out his own team. While members of the previous set-up, such as Francis Cagigao, Peter Clark and Brian McDermott, were hired based on reputation or personal connection within football circles, Arsenal have instructed recruitment firm Nolan Partners to help them identify a new generation of scouts.

The intention is to have people on the ground in strategic locations to build contacts and identify talent before it would otherwise be picked by data. Jobs Arsenal are seeking to fill include a UK scout, and European youth scouting roles. Intriguingly, the first stage of the recruitment process saw prospective scouts asked to prepare analysis of Joe Willock’s current successful loan spell at Newcastle, as well as relegated Sheffield United’s Norwegian midfielder Sander Berge.

Any new scouts will come too late to have an impact in the forthcoming transfer window. The summer plans are already in place — and after such a disappointing campaign, Edu finds himself under inevitable scrutiny.

In recent seasons, Arsenal’s squad-building has seen them attempt to offset youthful promise against experience. For every Luiz, there has been a Tierney. For every Willian, a Martinelli. The intention has been to strike a necessary balance — to cover long-term aspirations and short-term priorities. Ultimately, this strategy has proved incoherent. Arsenal have operated like a club hedging their bets, failing to commit properly to the requisite rebuild.

However, the club insist they are working through the remoulding systematically. An Arsenal spokesperson said: “Obviously we’re all disappointed at the way the season has panned out and on missing out on European football for the first time in 25 years. However, when Mikel joined us we knew it would take time to build the squad and get to the levels we all want. We have been working this through methodically and have been clear that this will continue during the summer transfer window. Our ambition and that of our owners is clear — to put Arsenal back at the top of the game.”

This summer, the club intend to predominantly target players in the lower age range. Hamstrung by expensive commitments to the likes of Willian and Aubameyang, that’s partly an act of necessity.

Elsewhere, Edu retains responsibility for overseeing and appointing backroom staff. The addition of Nick Court as a first-team physio, from Bournemouth, has been short-lived — he departed within a matter of months.

Edu’s decision to add Bruno Mazziotti to the performance team has already proved somewhat divisive.

Mazziotti was hired on a short-term, but well-paid contract in late 2020. His addition was designed in part to provide a Latin presence among the medical staff after the departure of Paulo Barreira. His methods and uncompromising manner, however, have not always won favour with existing staff at London Colney. His contract expires at the end of the season, and for now his future is uncertain. Mazziotti would doubtless contend he’s trying to implement cultural change in an environment becoming notable for endemic underperformance.

There is a tension at play between the old Arsenal, and the new.
Edu will soon be able to call upon the support of Richard Garlick, the club’s incoming director of football operations. Garlick, who previously held a similar role at West Bromwich Albion, will provide Edu with support on contractual matters, replacing Huss Fahmy, who left the club late last year. Garlick was actually one of the candidates interviewed for the position when Fahmy joined Arsenal in 2017.
In a club where so many staff have been stripped out in the name of efficiency, Garlick’s addition could be significant. It may be a healthy thing for Arsenal if Edu steps away from the negotiating table — if the club separates the technical decisions from the financial and legal ones.
A word of caution, however: part of the reason Fahmy left was his influence within the club being diminished by Edu’s expanding role. The former Arsenal midfielder is insistent all recruitment conversations flow directly through him. He has placed himself above the parapet.
Edu is the man responsible for reshaping this squad — but must also bear some responsibility for the shape it is currently in.


The morning after the night before, Arsenal’s hierarchy sought to reassure and boost the men in the firing — or more accurately, miles away from the firing — line.
Arteta and Edu both attended meetings intended to lift them in their hour of need. However crushed they might have felt by the Villarreal semi-final defeat the previous evening, the powers that be wanted them to feel wanted and very much central to future plans.

Outside the football club bubble, it is reasonable to wonder about the general sense of accountability at Arsenal and who takes the lead on that. These are not issues that crop up when a team are performing well. But when there is underperformance, it’s necessary to scrutinise. Otherwise, the buck doesn’t stop anywhere and a culture of mediocrity is allowed to aimlessly drift.

At the very top, of course, is owner Stan Kroenke, and his son Josh.
Their approach has always been to put people in place to run the club, and offer the backing and support reasonably expected of them. Most owners nowadays are not significantly more hands-on than that. So it then falls to the senior executives to perform. But where are the checks? Who is vetting big decisions? Is there enough high-calibre know-how to judge the calls being made by Arteta and Edu in terms of team management and recruitment, and Venkatesham in overseeing overall club matters?
That trio all lack a major track record in their own roles, but the structure at the club is designed to take it on trust that they are calling things right. While it is understood that there is a lot more rebuilding to do on the squad and finances are drastically affected by the pandemic, the sporting baseline — the position of the team right now — suggests there should be an inquest.

While it is in a way admirable for Arsenal to provide backing immediately after the season’s ambitions collapsed during a poorly-executed Europa League semi-final, who at the club has the expert football knowledge to properly analyse what went wrong in this campaign, why it did, and how to engineer improvement? Who can assess the reasons, listen to the explanations and plans from Arteta and Edu, and decide the best way to go?
GettyImages-829042324.jpg


Arsenal haven’t won the title since 2004 (Photo: Sean Dempsey – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
CEO Venkatesham does not have the credentials. Nor does Tim Lewis, recently appointed to the board and now the major go-between linking all matters Arsenal to their owners in the US.

It is almost a year since Lewis was brought onto the board. A long-time fan of the club, partner with the law firm Clifford Chance, and trusted representative of Stan Kroenke’s interests in London, Lewis has taken to the role with gusto. His first notable act was to assess the role of Sanllehi as part of a broader examination of recruitment and use of resources. Sanllehi was gone within weeks.

Lewis’s input felt refreshing — instilling a bit of ruthlessness and sending the message that senior figures who were too comfortable in their roles would be unwise to feel so — but the make-up of the current board, allied to the group of inexperienced heads in top positions, still lacks the depth and variety of expertise that Arsenal need to re-spark the club’s operation.

The current, recently compressed, board comprises Kroenke senior and junior, their new appointment Lewis, and Phil Harris, who is the sole link to the old custodian board that predates the Kroenkes’ involvement with the club.

Harris was behind the proposal to bring David O’Leary onto the board not long ago. His wish was to introduce some footballing oversight to have a say and keep an eye on recruitment and O’Leary, who is well connected and brings the football nous and Arsenal heart he accrued while becoming the club’s record appearance holder during 722 games then managing Leeds United and Aston Villa, remains his solid choice, to both support and challenge the men steering the ship.

When O’Leary was first proposed, the idea was knocked back by personnel who were reluctant to have their work scrutinised and preferred more autonomy in terms of decision making. Whether that sentiment prevails now is an interesting point. It is definitely an idea worth revisiting and Harris remains as keen as ever for more football oversight at a time when Arsenal need to be busy — but also very shrewd — in the market. They cannot afford more wastage on expensive fees and salaries for players who struggle to make a consistent impact in the manner of recent years.
This idea has been thrown back into focus by the proposed takeover bid from Spotify mogul Daniel Ek, who has formed an alliance with three Invincibles, with Thierry Henry the most vocal thus far. The longer the club goes on searching for answers, the more momentum the idea of “Arsenal DNA” being part of the running of the club gains. The Kroenkes, meanwhile, are going nowhere: as recently as Monday, Arsenal employees were assured in an all-staff call the owners have no intention of selling. More fan protests are anticipated at the final home game of the season, with staff and families urged not to attempt to drive into the stadium on the day and plans being formulated to ensure their safe exit after the match.

For all the issues around Sanllehi that led to his departure, there is a vacuum now in terms of seniority and know-how around recruitment.
Lewis’s role is an interesting and important one. He has taken over from Sanllehi as the main conduit between Arsenal and the Kroenkes. Matters that need their attention are generally transferred across the Atlantic via him.
For anyone with a business background who suddenly finds themselves at the heart of negotiations on football matters, getting involved and having an opinion can be irresistible, even for those who don’t necessarily have the credentials.
It is worth remembering the iconic chapter in footballer turned journalist Len Shackleton’s autobiography, entitled The Average Director’s Knowledge of Football.
One blank page told the reader everything from the point of view of an England international.

In all seriousness, though, it is foolish of Arsenal to press on without addressing the vacuum of football clout to assess and assist those running the show day-to-day. Whether it is at board level or some other form of director of football to sit above a manager, coach or technical director, that absence is a worry.

Arsenal have every right to stick to the conclusion they have total faith in Arteta, Edu et al, but if they reach that decision it must be very thoroughly made.
Since the Wenger-Ivan Gazidis days, Arsenal do seem to be on a trend of appointing sequentially less experienced people.

It was Gazidis who brought in Sanllehi, then promoted him, with Venkatesham (even though neither had previously been in such a high position before) to replace him as chief executive. Gazidis oversaw the committee that appointed Emery but also was a big supporter of Arteta. Gazidis also during his tenure grew a lot of bloated departments which the club have tried to streamline of late with the redundancies.
He was the man first trusted by the Kroenkes to run the club but a lot of that damage is still being felt. There have been so many variants as Arsenal have restructured again and again at executive level since Gazidis first prepared for the post-Wenger age.
It seems they have still not found the balance they need to be successful. The missing ingredient appears to be elite football experience, with perhaps a sprinkling of understanding of what once made Arsenal great. There are those within the club that are hopeful that message is finally getting through.
 

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
The alarm bell for many managers — including Arteta’s predecessor and recent Europa League conqueror, Unai Emery — is losing the support of the dressing room. It has not sounded yet: Arteta still retains support from the majority of the squad. Certain individuals have even sought assurances that the Spaniard would be kept on before entering into negotiations on a new contract.

To the surprise and occasional consternation of frustrated entourages and families, many players remain loyal to the manager and continue to hold him in high regard, despite results, including the deflating way they were knocked out of the Europa League semi-final against Emery’s Villarreal.

Some have described Arteta as being able to foster a “cult-like” devotion from certain sections of the squad.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
:fibs:
 

Makingtrax

Worships in the house of Wenger 🙏
Trusted ⭐

Country: England

Player:Saliba
Wow Mikel, your buddy's won the league!

That means City have won 5 titles in the last decade under all three different managers. Wonder why they've had such success and Liverpool have only won one title in 30 years. Sp**s not one. What could it be? :lol:
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
It's weird with him, there's times when it looks like the only thing he does well is score but then there's other times when he's almost unplayable when he's really on it. I watched his highlights from our win in Valencia under Emery and he was out of this world, played more wide than central but honestly looked Ronaldo level. Similar to our FA Cup run last year where he beat Chelsea and City almost on his own from an attacking point of view.

Other times it's almost like he's just strolling around sulking. I think if things aren't going his way and the team is playing really bad then he's next to useless in general play. But if the team is playing well then he seems to really thrive and go up a few levels. In essence what Tuchel is saying is right. Put him in City or Chelsea and he'd be putting up crazy numbers.

Imagine if we could have somehow put him in our 2015 team?

Sanchez, Özil, Cazorla, Ramsey etc...all creating for him, in a Wenger team.

Title guaranteed, but more importantly...Mes would have broken the assist record :drool:
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
Is David O'Leary replacing Mikel as manager?
 

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