Coombs wrote:
It can only be blamed on the manager? Why? Jones just hates Arteta irrationally, but this kind if thinking is very confusing. If we win, someone has always "bailed him out", but if we lose, it's because of tactics or selection. It's just nonsensical.
The responsibilities of a good manager are to:
1) Clearly identify your team’s strengths and weaknesses, and quickly do the work needed to emphasize the former while minimizing the latter.
2) Extract consistent high level performances from the talent at his disposal.
3) make tactical changes and adapt as needed in game and from game to game as necessary.
Arteta feels like a 50% coach on all those attributes. I don’t hate Arteta, and I don’t love him either. I just look at what he serves, and so far it has brought us to firm mid table, with very frequent insipid performances. The consensus is we are a great central midfielder from being able to solidify our top 4 place. However, we do have a decent enough midfield as currently constituted that we should be better than 9th with less goals scored than Leeds United. Every other “big team” below Man U - Chelsea, Liverpool - they recognize that they are underachieving and under performing, and are / will make moves to come back stronger next season. We don’t have their financial muscle, so the one thing we must have is an excellent manager if we are to compete with what we’ve got. Does Arteta strike you as an excellent manager? Do you think he can take us to the next level - constant champions league qualification with the resources at his disposal? If so, why do you think that? What are your metrics for judging him? When will you draw the line, after all we’ve seen this season? The only aspect of our game which is improved is in defence, where we are now up to the lofty standards of Tottenham and Aston Villa.
I mean, the stats speak for themselves, even if we don’t recollect performances and games perfectly. Arteta isn’t the messiah.
