https://www.football365.com/news/mediawatch-man-utd-liverpool-mikel-arteta
Fine Art
Arsenal beat West Ham on Saturday. They were unconvincing and fortunate. But it was precisely the sort of game they would have lost not long ago.
That much is overlooked by former midfielder Stewart Robson, who uses his platform of an interview with The Sun to suggest that Mikel Arteta really isn’t all that.
“I genuinely think Mikel Arteta is getting an easy ride from Arsenal fans and the media.”
He is. Because he’s doing quite well. That’s how this kind of thing works.
“The supporters didn’t like Unai Emery and when Arteta came along he was almost seen as the saviour.
“But do I think Arsenal are now a better side than they were under Emery? Sorry, I don’t think so.”
Even in just the most basic terms, they clearly are. Arsenal had 22 points from 17 games under Emery to start the season, and have 18 from 11 under Arteta. They are scoring at a roughly similar rate and have improved considerably in defence. It’s not even close.
It is far from the finished article – Arteta is not even three months into a three-and-a-half year contract – but it is irrefutably better than what came before.
“They have been outplayed in many matches and seem to have no game plan at all.”
They have been outplayed in many matches…yet have the joint-fewest Premier League defeats since his appointment, along with runaway leaders Liverpool. And the idea that they “have no game plan at all” is patently wrong. You can’t simultaneously “have no game plan at all” and lose just once in 11 games.
“Someone said to me on Saturday that if Arsenal didn’t make the top four a lot of their top players would want to move. My answer was: Which top players? Apart from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, I cannot see teams like Liverpool or Manchester City wanting any of the current Gunners’ squad.”
Let’s pretend that’s true (Gabriel Martinelli might want a word). In that case, Arsenal have a woeful squad yet you claim Arteta “is getting an easy ride” for drawing positive results from them. And that is silly.
Robson goes on to discuss West Ham, for he also played for them and thus is an expert pundit on a meeting between two clubs he played for over 30 years ago.
“Their workrate has been better in their last three games and boss David Moyes will hope this continues for the run-in.”
West Ham win two and lose six of ten league games under Moyes and there are positive signs. Arsenal win four and lose one of 11 league games under Arteta and he and they are sh*te. Sure.