It’s been a dire start to the season for Arsenal, and the temptation to change managers for the second time in the space of a year will no doubt be increasingly tempting.
There’s no denying it – Mikel Arteta is not doing himself any favours at the moment, with the Gunners’ performances making them look like the lower-mid-table team they’ve become; there is not enough creativity in the team, none of that old Arsenal swagger, and their failure to make the most of the talents of an elite striker like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is criminal.
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Still, it’s not immediately obvious that a change in manager will fix things either, such are the deep-rooted problems at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta, inexperienced coach that he is, may have his flaws, but we think he deserves time to continue building in these challenging circumstances.
Here are five reasons the struggling Spaniard has earned more patience from Arsenal…
He inherited a difficult job
Let’s not forget what a mess Arsenal were in when he took over, with Unai Emery’s results and performances this time last year also far from good enough.
It’s been clear for many years now that Arsenal were on the way down. Even if the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign now seems glorious by comparison, there can be no doubt the Frenchman was losing his grip on the side as they dropped out of the top four on his watch.
Arteta took on his first job in management at an extremely challenging time, and even a more experienced and proven winner would be struggling in this situation.
He instantly delivered a trophy
Despite all that, Arteta quickly led Arsenal to FA Cup glory, which was no mean feat considering he had to take on Manchester City in the semi-final and Chelsea in the final. This was no fluke, this was no fortuitous cup run against a string of weaker teams, this was a hugely impressive and deserved victory.
Those who now point to the league table will be the very same people who say football is all about winning trophies. Arteta has done that with a pretty poor side, and it surely shows what he’s capable of in management.
Transfer issues
Arteta is still largely working with a string of poor signings made under the old regime, and it will take time for him to put his own stamp on this squad.
Clearly, the likes of Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe, to name just a few, are the kind of players he’ll want to see the back of, but it’s also not certain that he’ll be backed to get the players he needs under the current regime.
Jamie Carragher summed it up neatly on Monday Night Football, as quoted by the Metro, when he said: “I think some signings were a joke. In terms or bringing Willian in, Luiz in, Cedric in. Is Kia Joorabchian making signings at the club?”
Bad luck with injuries
Of course, no manager can solely point the finger at this, but Arteta has had some unfortunate struggles in this department, which is something previous Arsenal managers will know all about.
Most notably, Thomas Partey’s start to life at Arsenal has been a frustrating one, with the Ghana international looking a superb talent who’s been unable to get into full flow due to repeated knocks keeping him out of the team and killing his momentum.
There have also been long-term blows to exciting young forward Gabriel Martinelli, and impressive defender Pablo Mari – two players you’d expect to be playing more of a part if they were fit.
Learn from Liverpool
Finally, Arsenal need to accept that they’re in for a long rebuilding job and look at how Liverpool have gone about this in recent times.
Jurgen Klopp was not an instant success at Anfield: they finished 8th in his first season in charge, and it took him a lot longer to win a trophy than Arteta did at Arsenal. Now his team are a force in both the Premier League and Europe, playing some of the most exhilarating football on the planet.
Legitimate questions were asked of Klopp early on as well; were his teams good enough defensively? Did they use up too much energy, leading to end-of-season burn-out?
Questions are also rightly being asked of Arteta right now, but he’s also shown plenty of promise in difficult circumstances. There’s a reason he was so highly rated as a coach at Manchester City, and Arsenal shouldn’t kid themselves that they’re good enough to tempt a bigger name, or that a Pochettino or Allegri would instantly be able to do much more with this squad of players and this board behind them.