Arsenal have missed out on European football for the first time in 25 years after a disastrous campaign that would have tested the patience of everyone related to the club.
Mikel Arteta took over the managerial reins from Unai Emery back in December 2019. Previously, the Spaniard was an understudy to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. There was a lot of optimism surrounding his appointment as fans hoped the former player could replicate the success of Guardiola.
Though the north Londoners finished in the eighth spot that season, their lowest finish since 1995, they managed to finish the campaign on a bright note by winning their 14th FA cup beating their London rivals Chelsea giving them an automatic qualification spot in the Europa League.
But fast forward less than a year, that record FA cup triumph seems to be a distant memory as the Gunners have yet again finished eighth in the Premier League and have gone trophyless.
The former Arsenal midfielder was appointed as part of a long-term rebuild process. The FA Cup triumph has certainly encouraged the Arsenal hierarchy and fans to believe in the Spaniard and that belief will be put to a test now.
Although the results on the pitch have been poor, some reasons are indicating that the Spaniard could succeed at the Emirates. Here are some of these reasons:
Record against the big six
One of the biggest criticism of the club over the past decade has been their substandard performances against the big six.
Under Arteta, the Gunners have managed to beat all the other big six clubs. They have also managed a double over Chelsea and remain unbeaten against Manchester United this season.
Development of young players
Under Arteta’s tenure, the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli have all flourished. They have played a combined 8900 plus minutes[via transfermarket] for the north London club. That is a staggering number for teenagers.
They were not just involved in games but also significantly impacted those games with a combined 43 goal contribution.
Strengthening of defence:
The Spaniard’s primary objective was to strengthen the defence that was leaking goals left, right, and center under former boss Unai Emery. The Gunners have only conceded 39 goals in Premier League games this season.
To put that into perspective, the recently crowned champions, Manchester City have conceded 32 goals this season. The Emirates club also rank third in the least number of goals conceded this season.
Although these reasons don’t justify Arsenal’s current predicament, they prove there is light at the end of the tunnel. It seems there is confidence among the club’s hierarchy that the Spaniard is the right man for the job but from a fan’s perspective, they need to see the improvement in terms of trophies and competing in the biggest of competitions.
Only time will tell if the club took the right decision in trusting Arteta’s ‘process’, but there is definitely some improvement and hopefully, the team can build on this next season.
