Mikel Arteta has faced a plethora of obstacles since his arrival at Arsenal. He himself has made mistakes and the risk the club took in appointing him still remains with the current campaign’s conclusion going a long way to answer those very questions laid out upon his arrival.
However, it cannot be underestimated the position that he came into. The state in which he found Arsenal was frankly a mess and this is why the words of his predecessor were such a shock to read through.
Unai Emery’s exclusive conversation with The Athletic revealed a number of interesting talking points. However, I want to address one part in particular that certainly piqued my interest and that of much of the fan base.
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When asked about how he felt Mikel Arteta was doing, his response was very interesting. Perhaps that is the wrong word because, personally, my reaction was one of stunned confusion.
“They have put together a group who are all going in the same direction, working together, showing respect,” he says. “I knew that whoever began after Wenger, it was difficult for people to understand the changes that had to be made.
“Arteta is doing a good job, continuing what I began. He has had that patience from the fans, the patience they did not have with me. But I understand that.”
It is the words ‘Continuing what I began’ that I am struggling with. For me, Mikel Arteta has not carried on the work but instead has sought to overhaul many of the issues which Emery created prior to his overdue sacking in 2019.
Emery cost Arsenal a place in the Champions League by prioritising the Europa League run, rotating at home to Crystal Palace and Brighton and dropping five points. Subsequently, Arsenal finished one point behind fourth despite the opportunity being in the club's hands.
The Europa League final was then lost with one of the worst displays in a tournament climax the side has witnessed. Emery was, in my view, fortunate to stay but what followed in 2019/20 was a complete breakdown of the relationship between the players and the head coach.
The football was dire, the motivation of the players on the floor and eventually he left the club hierarchy with little choice. Mikel Arteta has seen some low points in his Arsenal career but has never lost the dressing room quite like Emery did.
Arteta has changed so much about the club since Emery departed. Not only solving problems instilled during the Spaniard’s short reign but even fixing issues that grew towards the end of Arsene Wenger’s tenure.
Recruitment has a fresh feel focused on youth. The link between the players and the fans has never been stronger with the supporters, on the most part, genuinely enjoying watching this young group flourish.
Arteta has established a principled approach to management and moved on players who fell out of line and failed to reach the expectations he has for the club. No matter the stature of the player, Arteta has ensured that the club remains number one and that if an employee is not ready to give what is required or behave in line with those non-negotiables they will be moved on.
The wage bill has been dramatically cut after further increasing during the Emery reign. The defensive performances have dramatically improved through coaching and recruitment. The openness to signing Premier League proven talent not already deemed surplus to requirements of the parent club has been reestablished.
Mikel Arteta has forged his own tenure. He is not Unai Emery the sequel. It is far from a perfect project and the end-of-season position will give plenty to reflect upon.
However, for Emery to claim that what is happening at Arsenal is a continuation of his work is an attempt to undermine the successes of what Arteta has brought to the club after his rightful sacking. Emery is doing a good job with Villarreal, no one can deny that. But the job at Arsenal was ultimately a failure and continued the club’s regression rather than working towards a resurgence that can be seen now.
