Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has proved both Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher wrong following the Gunners' amazing start to the 2022/23 campaign.
After just two months of the new season, Arsenal find themselves in the best position possible as they top both the Premier League and their Europa League group. The north London outfit have lost just one game in all competitions, which came against fierce rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Picking up crucial wins against Liverpool and Tottenham in the North London Derby has kept the Gunners ahead of reigning champions Manchester City by a single point. Arsenal can take a huge step towards qualifying for the Europa League knockout rounds with a win against Bodo/Glimt tonight, with Arteta expected to rotate his squad once again as he balances his players fitness through a hectic schedule of fixtures.
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After failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League at the end of last season at the expense of their north London rivals Spurs, SkySports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher thought it would be the end for Arteta at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners showed faith in the Spaniard, backing him in the transfer market once again, and it is paying off this season.
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville said: "I've always had respect for Arsenal as a football club. They're one of the great traditional clubs in this country. However, the last few years have been a struggle. I remember at the end of last season, me and Jamie Carragher thought that it could be terminal for Mikel Arteta."
After their amazing start to the new season, Neville has lauded the Spaniard for turning things around at the Emirates Stadium and labelled his Arsenal side as 'brilliant'. Neville continued: "I was at the Emirates stadium for the first time on Sunday against Liverpool.
"I watched Arsenal away at Old Trafford and at Brentford, and they played well at Old Trafford – even though they lost – and they were brilliant at Brentford, but the atmosphere felt a little bit different on Sunday – it was unbelievable. I want Arsenal to do well. I want Mikel Arteta to do well because he's a young manager.
"The managers he's up against – Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, before he got sacked, they're animals to be up against. You're talking about machines and even though there's been a lot of investment, breaking into that group of managers is just difficult to do.
"That's why it didn't surprise me at the end of last season that Conte did what he did, in pipping Arsenal to fourth place, purely because of his experience. I remember being harsh on Arsenal fans – the protest against Arsene Wenger around that time was toxic, it was awful.
"On Sunday, it just felt a million miles away from that. Arsenal's ground has never really been that hotbed of an atmosphere, but even Liverpool must have felt that on Sunday because the noise was absolutely off the scale.
"You can't not like [Mikel] Arteta from a respect point of view, as a person and the way he handles himself."
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