Oh how the mighty has fallen. One of England’s most prestigious clubs has been flailing for quite some time. Mikel Arteta has had multiple online profiles and media outlets urging Arsenal fans to “trust the process” as they crumble further and further down the Premier League table. After the aggressively welcomed departure of their most successful manager of all time, Arsene Wenger, the club who became so familiar with Champions League contention has now become synonymous with mediocrity, having not qualified for the CL since 2016. Ljungberg, Emery and now Arteta have all (so far) failed to manage Arsenal to a prideful finish. Last season under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, Arsenal finished in 8th, their worst finish since 1995, and as this season comes to a close, it’s appearing to end even worse this time around. But how bad really is it at Arsenal? And is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
What Do The Stats Say?
From the only unbeaten season in Premier league history, having the most FA cups, along with staying in the top flight longer than any other club, Arsenal fans have a lot of historic statistics to be proud of. In recent times however, not so much. Since 2017, they have the most errors leading to goals, most pens conceded and most red cards in the league. Their attack isn’t exactly much better either, being 11th in the table of shots on target and 10th for goals scored, kindly matching their current league position slap bang in the middle of the table. Not a great read for the team with the 5th highest wage bill in the league, including captain and £375k a week attacker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
However, the drastically bad statistics in defence show where their biggest problems are. A decent defender in Gabriel is not enough to make up for the multiple poor performances over the season from regulars David Luiz, Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin. If the Arsenal owners want to see an improvement in league finishes, important investment need to be done in the defensive department. Despite Arsenal`s lack of recent success, the size and history of this once great club still has a strong pull on many top players that would pair well with Gabriel and spring that weak back line into life.
Has Arteta Shown Improvements?
In regards to results and performances, no. And in football, is there too much more to judge managerial ability on? Finishing in a shocking 8th place last season, and a possibly lower position coming to the end of this season, the Spaniard’s first 2 seasons have not shown much of a promising process. Aubameyang is looking a shade of his former self, the defense is leaking goals like a rusty tap and Leno, who at one point was their saving grace in goal, has been experiencing the worst form of his career. Those that praise Pep Guardiola`s former protégé are not without their reasonings however. The young stars in Emile Smith-Rowe, Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka have looked very promising and have found regular playing time in the wake of Arsenal’s older players.
This shows two things. One being Arteta`s ability to push the younger players to be the hungry warriors that the top youth players in football can be stereotyped with, showing the trait of inspirational man management. This is massively opposed to the second inkling in regards to Arsenal’s recent tendencies, which is Arteta`s failure to mirror that same passion with the established players. This skill is shown by the best managers in football, and one that all managers in the most prestigious league in sport should have. Does this mean he never will? Of course it doesn’t, but the longer these sub-par performances go on, the possibility of salvation is becoming bleaker and bleaker by the week.
The Angry Spectator 