• The Arsenal

  • Official: Mikel Arteta is the new Arsenal manager.

Every manager will have his faults and blind spots, the question is how does Mikel's faults compare to his peers. I personally think you'll have a hard time finding a better body of work, especially when it comes to squad building.

If there's anything that proves how fine the margins are and how volatile the world of football management is at the top of the game, it's the fact that Man City, managed by a man who many consider the greatest manager of all time won the league last season with over 90 points but are currently sitting in 5th, a point above a team that was battling relegation last season, who are managed by a guy that failed at Spurs.

There are a range of different variables that contribute to whether or not you meet your goals in a season and some are outside the control of a manager. And before anyone suggests it, this doesn't mean Arteta is infallible.

Long story short, let chill the feck out! 😂

    I think you can appraise where we've got to and recognise that improvement and the fact we are in the group at the top of the table and in the mix again. While still critically looking at how do we get to the top and whether Arteta is able to do that.

    He's a good manager but not in the same league as those that have won titles. In terms of Arteta's peers I'm comparing him to the managers that have won titles because that is the aspiration and what I feel he's targeting so that's the benchmark. If it is against any manager who has looked fairly good without winning the big honours then that's fine but that's what Tottenham, Rogers Liverpool etc did. If you were at that time praising those clubs for running it close being success fair enough but to me those teams had unique windows where they had the platform to do something and they ultimately failed and those opportunities are rare for most teams so you need to maximise them.

    Don Pacifico

    We can’t keep using ‘fine margins’ as justification for not winning honours.

    I think Slot winning the title will make Artera look bad no doubt about it. What will make Artera look even worse is not winning anything.

    Suddenly that league cup quarter final game v Palace is bigger than it should be.

        Sicario2 - Tier 1 If Slot wins the title in his first season it would unfortunately make Artera look very bad.

        Meh. Pool have been lucky so far this season. They haven't reached the levels we've been at past two seasons.

        And Liverpool have just beaten City while not even playing at the level we were at when we played City before we got screwed by a red card.

        If Liverpool win this season by 9 points from here on in, I'll give them plenty of credit, but as it is they're just appealing front runners which is exactly what you'd expect.

          Them winning by less than 9 points would probably be enough for me to credit them tbf.

            Clrnc

            Sicario2 - Tier 1

            I'm not disagreeing that he needs to prove something. I fully agree with that. I just find stances like that expressed by @HomeSteak to be out of touch with reality and completely lop-sided in their appraisal of the work Arteta has done.

                HomeSteak I haven't got the energy for this this week, but as you're not on the Arsenal board, I guess we can safely surmise you won't be asked.

                You want to be upset about our start to the season, that's absolutely your right - as it is to ignore the context around the points we have dropped this season. But I'm old enough to remember last year and everyone having kittens because Spurs were ahead of us after 10 games, or whatever it was.

                I guess the issue here really is trust - as it always has been. You don't trust the manager - that's fine, again it's your right but I'd ask (again), if not Mikel, who are you going to trust?

                    RocktheCasbah

                    Bro you can’t compare this Liverpool side with the shitty flakey cunt losers Spurs. This Liverpool side have a bunch of players that have won leagues, cups, CL’s and even World Cups!

                    I still fancy our chances mind you. I genuinely think Dec is key. Liverpool next two games are away - they will drop points before you know it.

                        QuincyAbeyie We're better than them in truth.

                        Time is a flat circle, but their success is little more than our key injuries, our more difficult fixtures, several outrageous and unrepeated refereeing farces we've suffered, and the good luck which has been seeing them outpoint their performances or face difficult opponents at their moments of weakness.

                        If we can buckle down and produce a string of performances at the level we've shown now, we should have drawn a bit closer to Liverpool by the new year. Hanging in there in this way is the task for us now. Miraculously making up 9 points is not.

                        It's a process, and it's encouraging as a supporter that I've watched us dig in like this before over long stretches with Arteta as manager.

                        That said it is bitterly hilarious that City can't buy a single result at the moment when we just needed them to drop two points over months last season.

                          I don't think Liverpool or Slot over performing has any bearing on Arteta.

                          If we finish with 9 or fewer points than last season we can discuss Arteta's credentials and fit for the job (winning something big). Our performance year to year matters, not what other teams are doing.

                            Sicario2 - Tier 1 I'm saying - as I have repeatedly - that the league table after 13 games is no reason to panic. Of course that's only true if you believe in how good this team and manager are. As I have also said, for me it's a trust issue and I clearly have more trust in team and manager than some of you.

                            And that's absolutely fine. However you feel about the team is how you feel, I'm not here to tell you you're wrong. I'm just quibbling with the very specific assertion that a manager who led a team to a points tally we've only ever bettered once, by one point, could be said to be "not good enough". I don't see that that opposing that view should be controversial.

                              if slot betters our points tally from last season, I'd be stunned and seriously pissed off. the scousers landing 2 oustanding managers back to back is a statistical anomaly that i wouldn't be able to stomach. you're supposed flail in the wildnerness for 3-5 years. those are the rules. the small comfort is that they're due a significant rebuild soon, especially if those contract with salah and co talks keep stalling.