Arteta’s got a lot of work ahead

by imothyt

Arsenal are going to announce Mikel Arteta today and I don’t envy him the job that lays ahead.

The squad of players at his disposal are part of the problem. Some of them are ageing and comfortable in their dotage. Others are raw and undisciplined in their youth. And still others may simply be so shell-shocked by their last two years at Arsenal that they can no longer perform at the level needed.

Just dropping players or yelling at them at half-time doesn’t work. Whatever changes Arteta makes need to be backed up with results. One of the key mistakes Emery made was dropping Ozil only to have to reinstate him when he found that he needed more offense, more control of games. And then even that backfired when he didn’t win games.

And the corporate structure above him is similarly unsettled. They went through a period of rapid change, during which many of the heads either left or were pushed out. Some of the players at the club were pet projects of now-long-gone executives. And a lot of money has evaporated from the clubs fabled “warchest” as those execs picked players that looked great on paper but might not have fit so well into a coherent vision for the team.

And let’s face it, the fanbase is “impatient”. Fueled by social media and the fact that outrage sells, many fans took a cue from The Sun and The Daily Mail and now earn a living as outrage merchants on their YouTube Tabloids. But the asshole is always the loudest in a room. The problem is that even the so-called normal supporters have been infighting at Arsenal so long that it feels like a civil war that will never end: the Hatfields and McCoys, Democrats and Republicans, WOBs and AKBs. And in our post-modern, post-fact world it’s difficult to find common ground. Everyone has entrenched opinions, based on their own set of facts which contradict the opposition’s set of facts.

Even as I write this, the two sides have lineup up their talking points. On the one side, “Arteta is a manger with no experience, this is a terrible appointment” and on the other side “Arsenal have a history of making novice and novel appointments and then winning the League”. And as the season unfolds, if Arteta stumbles (even one game) the “no experience” people will jump out of bed, light a candle, go down to their basement and score points on the internet with “I told you so’s”. And so will their opponents after every brilliant match. On and on, the same two groups arguing forever.

Arteta’s interview from 2014 shows a man who is well aware of the challenges facing a new manager. He knows Arsenal and that he can’t just buy 10 new players that fit exactly what he wants. He knows that his job is also to find ways to maximize certain players talents and minimize others faults. He has to know that certain players are basically immovable. He heard the boos when Ozil was subbed, he saw Ozil kick his gloves. Just last week Arteta got a close up look at exactly how much work he has to do with the squad, the management, and the fans.

Arteta steps into a big club with a great history and a lot of resources to get back to the top. But if the current atmosphere at the club is any indication, he’s got a lot of work to do to get us back there.

Good luck, Mikel.

Qq

51 comments

  1. Today I am happy and proud of my country for standing up and showing its true spirit still lives and will not easily succumb to fascism.

    Today I do not worry about the job Arteta has to do. It would be a lot better if he’d been hired 18 months ago. We were less disjointed then, and not as low in confidence. We’d maybe have a few of Santi, Jack, Ramsey, Iwobi, and Jeff and Bielik. Even the fans would be more patient like they were with Emery, far more than he deserved.

    I won’t even feel bad for Freddie today. I think he’s been treated poorly by the club after initially promising him some staff. I hope he stays with us for now.

    I hope we can start playing well. Recruiting well. Selling well. I hope we can get rid of Raul Sanllehi. It might be possible after all.

      1. I knew you’d take that line. I won’t even care about that today.

        Merry Christmas to you too, Claude.

  2. The debate around Arteta’s bona fides isn’t black and white, although I fear you are right in saying that some people will barely give him time. The reaction has been overwhelming positive. Those most enthusiastic about his appointment acknowledge his lack of experience. Some of those somewhat more cautious about it are excited. From what I can see, he is getting a ton of goodwill.

    I take 3 positions, and don’t consider them contradictory.

    (1) there isn’t much to go on in his resume to suggest that he can manage a big, fallen club that is defensively frail and has a lot of off-field problems, back into Top 4 contention… but

    (2) enough people at Arsenal have seen him and his qualities close up to be convinced that he’s headed for the top as a head coach. Pep apparently couldn’t wait to snap him up… and

    (3) I will try my best to be patient and give him time, because notwithstanding (1) the appointment excites me and I want him to succeed and be in the Arsenal dugout for a long, long time

    I like the guy. According to the stories from Arsene’s time, he’s tougher than he looks, and has a sharp, caustic wit. His press conferences will be worth watching.

    He also… fits. Know what I mean?

    1. I agree with all of this. I suspect most Gooners do as well? It’s kind of exciting, it feels right, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t obvious concerns about the lack of experience and that we’ll need to show him some patience.

      I’ve also taken some comfort at City’s apparent anger over all this. They clearly value him a great deal, and (perhaps?) saw him as Pep’s successor.

      1. From what I understand, Arteta is going to bring Rodolfo Borrell along with him from Man City. Borrell is described on the City web site as:

        “Rodolfo Borrell will also join Pep’s backroom staff and has a reputation of nurturing some of football’s most precocious talents. It was Borrell who was Lionel Messi’s first coach at Barca and he also helped the development of Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta during his time at the Camp Nou. He was Technical Director and Head of Coaching for Liverpool FC’s Academy after Rafa Benitez brought him to England in 2009. While on Merseyside, he helped bring through players like Raheem Sterling, Jon Flanagan and Jordan Ibe, but he left the club in 2014 and joined City.”

        This is super exciting.

        1. I’m always wary of these. So he was Messi’s first coach? Great, but Messi is the best player who ever lived. Alan Pardew could’ve been his first coach and he probably would’ve turned out ok. Or maybe not. The point is, who knows? Same with Cesc and Iniesta. How do you give him credit for them?

  3. As you alluded to yesterday, Tim, success in the modern game requires 100% (or more!) effort and commitment from the players. We’ve been shown up by the likes of Norwich and Brighton simply because they played with more heart. Unfortunately that’s not something you can teach, it’s something you have to inspire. Klopp’s players WANT to play hard for him. It starts with respect. Clearly, when players are openly taking the piss out of the way the manager talks, they aren’t about to leave it all on the field for him. Arteta is faced with a team that’s low on confidence and has forgotten how to be passionate about their performance. It may be the case that this group of players are beyond fixing and a big clearout is necessary, but in the long run his personality is going to be far more important than his formations and signings in turning the sinking ship around.

    I totally agree with your comments about the outraged fan base too. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but constant abuse aimed at whoever happens to be today’s whipping boy isn’t going to make anyone play harder for the shirt.

    1. Some good points made.
      I’d like to take a different angle on the one about ‘playing with heart’. There’s some degree of truth to that. But also, I feel, those teams (Norwich and Brighton) were far better organized– and coached. There’s ample talent at Arsenal. But missing a measure of consistency for parts or better parts of entire matches. That when a lesser-talented team can keep their shape defensively– and be persistent in locating a weakness? They have usually done so.

      If MA can simply keep the effort level consistently up– for an entire 90 minutes? Many of the issues versus bottom-half teams can be overcome.

  4. There might be a clear out, an exodus of some senior players to effect the changes necessary.

    Can Arteta make a Sterling out of Nelson? Can he make a Sane out of Pepe? Will he persist with older players or will he bring in some loan players in January to produce results ?

    Interesting times are here.

  5. What Arsenal need first and foremost in a new player come January?
    Is a connector/creator in midfield. A Santi Cazorla-type. Yeah, not many around.

    Couple of names I’d heard bandied? Donny van de Beek. Kai Havertz.

    Then again? Santi himself has 5G/4A in 14 La Liga apps this season. He might be had cheaper than anyone. And certainly as a short-term option. Pair him up with David Luiz at DM. Might be a way to bolt-down the MF issues until Summer– without much cash outlaid.

  6. I think the 10,000 hour rule is a pretty good guideline as to how long to expect it to take for a person to master something.

    The average person works 2,000 hours a year, which means about five years and this is something I’ve seen reflected in my career line (civil engineering). It takes about five years to move from engineer to project engineer, then again to project manager, etc.

    It’s going to take Arteta years to learn the job. I’m sure if you ask Guardiola he’d say he’s a much better manager now than when he took the Barca 1st team, the difference there being he had extraordinary players to help paper over his deficiencies while he learned on the job – even though he had two years with the B team already and had taken a journeyman’s path at the end of his career for the opportunity to play under different coaches.

    I would like us to give him lots of time, provided we’re seeing what it is he’s trying to accomplish. That was my biggest problem with Emery – I had no idea what he was trying to do stylistically, philosophy-wise.

  7. The upcoming window may see us defenestrate Ozil. Fenerbahce? Sure! Or how about that supposed interest from DC United? Given how much love he’s getting from Mike Pompeo right now, Ozil might like the scene there. I hear Erdogan likes to visit!

    1. I’d be surprised if Ozil leaves.

      I’d be surprised if Ozil stays.

      I’ve been surprised that he’s lasted this long.

      I’ve not been surprised that he’s lasted this long at Arsenal.

      He was a great player.

      He’s not a great player anymore.

      1. I think he still has the tools: the vision, the speed of thought and the touch of the very best players. For whatever reason, he doesn’t show that very much on the field anymore. It’s a real shame. I STILL think he could be a huge asset for us, even though the realist in me says it ain’t gonna happen..

        1. With Ozil the track record speaks loudest. He is what he is and he’s only going to decline physically from here. If I’m managing Arsenal, he’s a highly situational substitute or backup,

        2. Beyond tracking back he still does all he’s been doing all these years.problem is the team.he drops deep always but no runner.thats why he had a good understanding with ramsey.we are too static for him.either we change our style and let him go or with him we perfect our game with runners.abou and martinelli can offer that if coached into the right set up

          1. Surely the onus should be on individual players, especially the club’s most iconic player, to make his team better when he’s on the pitch and not vice versa.

  8. Just because the Peach has been Impeached, and religion is a hobby, I have this on my mind: Sen. Barry Loudermilk yesterday mentioned the coinciding Christmas season in order to compare Trump’s impeachment debate with the trial of Jesus. That, sadly, sums up the US evangelical movement, whose Savior they somehow conflate with the person in their scripture who bears no resemblance (putting aside the fact that Christmas is when Christians think about birth, not the trial…and now I’m trying to think of what figure from the Christmas stories most resembles Trump…and, ugh…don’t say the baby…Trump wouldn’t be caught dead mucking it in the stables of one of his resorts). Apologies for non-Arsenal content, but, you know, we go there from time to time on this site!

    1. Sorry, obviously the baby.

      “I gave your husband an A+ funeral, and you still voted to impeach me” — The CinC to Deb Dingell.

  9. Arteta is going to fail. I still think he’s the right appointment. I still think he’s going to fail. Success in this game is very hard, because you succeed until you don’t. Emery succeeded for maybe 6 months, then failed. Poch succeeded for 5 years, then failed. I don’t see anyone lasting 5 years at Arsenal. But I still think this is an exciting and forward thinking appointment. And I still think it will fail.

    2. Philosophical question: If you succeed for 5 years and then fail, did you really fail?

      If we take that line of thought to an extreme, every manager is a failure because they all eventually fail. I think most people would say Pochettino was a big success at Spurs, even though he won no trophies and departed from the club after a run of poor form because he took them from decades of B- mediocrity and elevated them, if only briefly, to an A-list club that regularly competed in the CL and even made the finals of that competition. At another club, such as, say, Real Madrid, that would not be considered a successful run. If Spurs themselves were accustomed to caviar and he gave them sausages, he would not be considered successful. Instead, he gave a club that was used to sausages a good helping of [insert delectable Argentinian cuisine, not quite caviar] for several years. Ok, he couldn’t do it indefinitely, but who can? I’d say he departed the club with his reputation and that of the club he managed enhanced, and what is success if not that?

      1. It’s simple.
        Klopp took the Liverpool job with clear goals and timelines.
        I’m too lazy to look it up but I’m pretty sure he said PL title within the next four years or he would’ve failed.
        No excuses.
        That’s one of the reasons I admire him.
        Whether Arteta sets his own goals to achieve outside of the style of play remains to be seen.
        From when I’m sitting Klopp’s job was easier than the mess Arteta is walking into.

      2. You’re right of course. Poch left after an awful run but immediately became the hottest property available because over the long term, he transformed them.

        I guess that means for Arteta, make it to the end of your contract. Or at least transform the expectation around the club. We’re currently a Europa team. Turn us into a regular CL team, that’s success even if you get fired at the end of it. Get fired because you’ve raised expectations and run out of steam. Poch did that, Emery certainly did not.

  10. I’m really excited for Arteta to get started. I hope he brings in assistants with big experience who also continue on the theme of Arsenal men who can be exemplars of what it means to represent this club for the youngsters coming through. Thierry Henry anyone? Dennis Bergkamp? Maybe not such big names that they overshadow the authority of the new manager, who is not an Arsenal legend to that scale. Martin Keown comes to mind as a fiery character who loves this club with all his heart… I think, and played during the heady days of the early 00’s but also in the lean, latter Graham years so he knows what it’s like to be up or down in a locker room. Not that I want him setting us up tactically, that should be Miki’s job. But it seems like he could bring an emotional leadership with the type of passion that might complement a more cerebral, perfectionistic type of manager well. I know he has his match of the day gig now but perhaps the club could tempt him back.

    Besides Keown (or someone like him) I’d like to see him paired up with an old dog who has been managing in the premier league (and abroad) for a long time, someone with wisdom to share and not much left to prove. Not exactly Roy Hodgson per se but someone of that ilk would suit Arteta well as part of a well-rounded backroom staff.

    1. I really liked Steve McLaren’s clear-eyed and brilliant dissection of the next head coach’s task. He’s a good Number 2 too. What say you?

    2. Thiery is the new manager of Montreal Impact as of last month. And from what I’ve read of Bergkamp, he’s not interested in leaving Amsterdam until his children are older & he prefers working within the academy rather than the first team.

      Steve McLaren did make his name as Sir Alex’s assistant during the treble season. I’d support it wholeheartedly!

  11. In my imagined version of how this played out, I can see Mikel going to Pep, looking him straight in the eye and telling him that it was time to go, and go now. The thing Arsene loved and one of the reasons that he made him captain was his straightforwardness. Arteta respected authority, but did not fear it. He took no sh*t. He ran the dressing room and training ground discipline, enforcing timekeeping and fines. We joke about not a hair being out of place. That was the way he approached training and club activities, as an utter professional. When his legs went, he took his place on the bench as a non-playing captain, and throwing a fit at riding the pine or being subbed off would never have occurred to him. Ivan, Arsene et al adored him. They knew of his depth. They knew he was special, even if he will ultimately be judged on results. Tough and straight, without being a soft touch or a suck up.

    And moreover I can see Pep, another football man and a gentleman of the sport, hugging him and telling him that he understood. I would be surprised if any of the miffedness from City is coming from Pep himself. Pep knows. Pep knows too, what Arsenal and the opportunity to coach there means to him.

    This is a homecoming.

    1. Nicely put Claud.

      This is going to a mammoth Monster of a task not because we’re a fearsome club that scares the crap and wrecks havoc on others who play us, but we’re one ugly thing that self destructs at the tiniest and finest of opportunities.

      Nevertheless, I still hope that Arteta does well and shepherd us out of this post Arsene gloom before we end up as relegation sacrificial lambs. Ironically the much criticised mediocre for now will be much better to ingest than abysmal.

      Never mind what Pep knows, but most importantly Arteta knows too 🙂 !

    2. That miffedness?
      As none seemed to be coming from anyone known– nor ‘at’ Mikel? Seems the City method of jacking up the release fee. Raul– doing what Raul does– balking.

      Never heard any attributed quotes.
      Just Manchester headline writers huffing&puffing. 🙄

      1. No club likes losing a key member of their coaching staff, midway through the season, to another club. If Arteta is as good as people say he is, the money won’t be compensation enough.

        1. Do agree with that.
          Then again? MA had to OK those meetings with Raul, then Vinai and Huss. Arteta wasn’t a bystander. Yet all the huffing-puffing was directed at Arsenal in the online press. Kinda’ clicky-baity.

  13. what if Arteta is successful and man city want him back..
    be prepared.
    coz that what ‘ll happen.

  14. This appointment is interesting and exciting at so many levels. Arteta gets a chance to start at a big club. As a club, we are in a total mess. The task is enormous, management is still finding their feet, players are feeling lost, our results are dismal, fans are fed up and impatient.

    Arteta obviously knows that. He is intelligent enough to know that he is walking into a sh**storm. But it is also a great opportunity to make his mark. He gets to implement his ideas at a big club where the management is now in a weaker position compared to 18 months ago. They are still licking their wounds from the Emery disaster. Arteta will get time. This is a win-win for both sides. If it works out everybody gets happy. If Arteta ends up being our “Poch”, we might win some trophies. He enhances his reputation and who know Barca may come calling in the future. Raul wins for taking a gamble on a rookie coach. Arsenal and fans win too.

    If it doesn’t work out (remember Henry’s disaster at Monaco) then everybody can at least say we tried. Personally, I would like Arteta to put all the divas in the team on alert. Work for the team ALL the time or ship out. This malaise started during Wenger’s time. I remember Arshavin being given special treatment. Modern game has changed and the best coaches don’t tolerate this kind of behaviour any more.

    So all in all, I am really excited about Arteta.

  15. I can’t remember an occasion when Arsenal fans have been so divided over an appointment. For my part I welcome Arteta and think he’ll continue the close working relationship he had with Mertesacker. Freddie hopefully will also remain as part of the coaching set up and if they all get sacked next May when we get relegated…so be it.

  16. I missed a couple of days so thanks to you Tim for taking the time to put together those posts. Great stuff.

    Regarding Ozil. He has never been and never will be a very good defensive player or a high energy pressing midfielder but a few years ago his ability to make things happen on the attacking end outweighed the negatives. Unfortunately Father Time catches up with everyone and his ability to influence the game has clearly faded and the positives no longer outweigh the negatives.

    Pep and Klopp’s players seem to maintain high energy and a superior work ethic especially when it comes to the forwards and midfielders pressing. That positive work ethic and group culture has really faded away at Arsenal during the latter Wenger years and its not improved under Emery. Pep and Klopp both completely rebuilt their teams after they came and changing Arsenals group culture is going to be difficult for Arteta without a major squad overhaul.

    1. I disagree with you on ozil.pressing defense yes could be off but attacking no.its down to team set up.he drops deep no one runs in.everyone remains static.so what should he do dribble all.our players don’t make runs they don’t free themselves.watch man city Liverpool how their players attack space.even their fullbacks do that

  17. Very few coaches stay are able to maintain long term success with the same club in today’s environment. A big part of the success for pep and Klopp is the work ethic they instill. However it seems like it’s difficult for any manager to maintain that group culture for more then a few seasons. Pep has not stayed in either of his first 2 jobs despite his success and I think he is smart enough to move to his next job before his players mental energy starts to fade. Dortmund was struggling a lot more in Klopp’s last couple seasons and he recognized it was time for a change. Poch’s message seemed to be going stale at Spurs probably for the same reason

  18. Correction Poch’s message had gone stale at Spurs which is why he was sacked.

    I would not be surprised if Pep decided to take a season off after this year or may be next year and then moved to a new job

  20. Finally reason to be excited. Hopefully our players will play with some sense tomorrow to audition to the new coach. A win at Everton to sign off Freddie’s short lived reign is the least these players can do.

  21. Let’s give credit to the owners here. Which top club in England has appointed a rookie as their manager? Looks like Arsenal is first again. #trendsetters

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