Mikel Arteta has moved Arsenal to the next level; they are now the model club, and everyone wants to be like them. However, some who want to be like the Gunners are unaware that getting there is a process. When Mikel Arteta took midway through the 2019/20 season at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal were 15th in the Premier League table, with 22 points from 18 games. Under Arteta, the Gunners lost only one of his first 11 Premier League games in charge, and they finished the season with 34 points from 21 games, the seventh-best record in the league since the Spaniard took over. Arsenal finished eighth.
Arteta was determined to play in a 3-4-3 system in the 2020–21 season, but it was unclear if it was what was going to earn him success. The former midfielder struggled with his project, reaching a low point in Christmas 2020, when they had only managed to accumulate 14 points from 14 matches and scored only four goals in their last ten Premier League fixtures. After freezing out Mesut Ozil in the summer, and with new acquisitions Thomas Partey and Gabriel Magalhaes struggling to adjust, Arteta’s tactics began to appear excessively tight and demanding.
In January 2021, Martin Odegaard arrived on loan to reinforce the assault even more, and while what followed was a little wild—more of a kitchen sink approach from Arteta after all that laborious planning—the season ended with 19 points from the final eight matches. Arsenal finished eighth again, but Arteta had earned a reprieve from his team’s great season-ending form. The trust in the process project now appeared to be coming together, but something odd happened at the start of the 2021/2022 season: Arsenal lost the first three (3) games, and the “Arteta must go” chants began.
Well determined not to fail, Mikel Arteta adopted the 4-3-3 formation, featuring Martin Ødegaard, Thomas Partey, and Granit Xhaka in midfield, which was a game changer for the project. After signing Aaron Ramsdale, he was confident in his defense, and Ben White helped patch things up. Unfortunately, Arsenal did not have much to celebrate that season, as they finished fifth.
Other than the changes in Arsenal’s game, Arteta was merciless in transitioning the Gunners away from an era of player power and overpaid stars. His new team—young, eager, and disciplined—was finally coming together. It took six transfer windows and a few formation adjustments, but at the start of the 2022–23 season, Arteta’s Arsenal had found their footing; it was clear what they were doing. That became evident after Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko quit Guardiola’s Manchester City to move to North London.
For most of the 2023–24 season, it looked like they’d win the league. When Saliba sustained an injury in March 2023, Arsenal held a five-point lead with 11 games remaining. Unfortunately, things fell apart, and they won only five of their final 11 games without him, conceding two-goal leads in 2-2 ties with Liverpool and West Ham United, as well as a 3-3 home draw with Southampton.
Enter 2023-24. Arsenal, eager to make amends for their title-race disappointments, made extensive use of the summer window. David Raya, Declan Rice, and Kai Havertz were three revolutionary signings. The recruits’ and Gunners’ stepping up saw them go on a fantastic league run. They held 18 clean sheets in the Premier League and only conceded 29 goals, demonstrating that they had complete control.
Arteta’s team finished second in the league with 89 points; they would have won if they had not struggled in front of goal earlier in the season and if they had beat City at the Etihad.
Arteta’s Arsenal has made gradual progress in each season, from 56, 61, 69, 84, and now 89 points. That’s all the information a Gooner needs to believe the Arsenal team will return stronger in 2024/25. I suppose some opponents may never have had the same patience as Arsenal supporters had to finally enjoy Arteta’s project.
Jack Anderson
Great point of view Admin Pat. Arsenals squad as a whole, has also improved as well as a change in tactical options.
The addition of Trossard has created more flare in front of goal with the addition of a new formation in tactics, i.e. “The false number 9” and also in defence with “The inverted fullback”. plus the security in defence with consistent performances and Declan Rices all round energy and play.
The next stage would be to bring in a striker of world class quality. It is a shame about Mbappe not liking the British weather, but the next best striker compared to Mbappe would be “FLORIAN WIRTZ”. Check him out on Sofascore and YouTube, an unbelievable striker. He is a replica of Neymar in his early 20s.
He would take Arsenal to the next level above ManCity. Unbelievable footage on YouTube. Watch that name “Florian WIRTZ” go from strength to strength. Arsenal should invest £100 million as his price and ratings will surpass anyone in world football, I kid you not.
Great scouting source…YouTube🙄
Until the trophies start pouring in, Arteta would still be in the critical jury’s book. Those trophies need to start coming in as early as next season otherwise even his most ardent allies would start scratching their heads in doubts.
Arteta has got one trophy in the cabinet which he won with a bunch of stragglers people seem to gloss over So he’s nine behind Arsene COYG
I’m not one of those fans who would swap positions with UTD because of the FA trophy I much prefer all those happy weekends and weekdays during a long season over having one jubilant weekend right at the death. I wouldn’t want to be miserable for so many weekends like Manu put their fans through
Very well said mate. I totally agree with you.
At the end- what matters for me is how many weekends I was happy during the season.
Using the points total as a sign of improvement is wrong, as I pointed out in a earlier article.
The season that The Arsenal finished second under AW was his lowest point total in the four previous seasons, where they finished 4th twice and 3rd.
Progress has to be measured in many ways, points and trophies are just a part of the progression.
The article mentions the excellent signings, but not the bad ones. It also forgets to mention the enormous part played by the Kronkies and / or the fans.
Ozil is mentioned in passing, but the names of other players, such as Aubameyang, Guendouzi, Tierney, Kolasinac and Torreria, who were nigh on given away with golden handshakes go under the radar.
If we are going to be 100% honest, those first three years, for whatever reason one wants to give, were not successfull in any shape or form and the football displayed was mind numbing in the extreme.
What the club has done in the last two seasons, is remarkable from every point of view and this is where I disagree with those who look at points gained or trophies won.
Our finances are second to none, we have a squad of players deemed to be the second most valuable in Europe I believe, we are in the CL for the second successive season and The Emirates has, finally, become home to players and supporters alike.
Long may it continue, with Mikel Arteta at the helm… and the real plus is that he, himself, recognises the early mistakes, even if some fans don’t want to and THAT is also a reason why he will become a manager who is compared to the greats before him.
Your find paragraph kind of contradicts your second. You say there are many ways of measuring progress but at the same time say it’s wrong to use points total as a sign of improvement. Personally, I see point totals as one of the signs of improvement/progression. We can’t celebrate the last two seasons without acknowledging the foundations that were laid in the prior seasons.
Actually, Onyango, I said that point totals and finishing places are just PART of the process in looking at progression in my third paragraph.
If we are to acknowledge the foundations laid in the first three seasons, then we should also acknowledge the mistakes made in those seasons as well.
At the moment, it seems that an airbrush is being used to cover up those mistakes, while a trumpet is being used to fanfare the opposite!!
Great last paragraph Ken .
Correct ken.
Ken 1945
Apart from Loose Canon, who appears to have moved on, I cannot think of another contributor who thought Arteta was blameless.
Of course, there has generally been a recognition that all was not well at the club. Senior executives were far from faultless and the club has undergone a massive change since then. Arteta was cutting his teeth and unfortunately for many who put their two pence worth on JA back then, there was precious little appetite for patience.
Personally, I think that the Christmas of his second year was the time that tangible improvement needed to be made, and thankfully that happened as I do believe that more calls for a change would have gained traction if the opposite had occurred. I was beginning to think that I had misplaced my confidence in his ability.
I just don’t think that it can be overstated that the combination of an un-tested manager and a change of direction for the club with rebuilding after the departure of two experienced managers, as well as the effects of Covid, had a big effect on Arsenal’s progress at the time.
The main thing is that Arteta established a process which was a blueprint for improvement and hopefully eventual sustained success. The focus on “mistakes” really misses the point in this discourse. What you want to do is learn what works and what doesn’t when you have ideas and implement change. Arteta has demonstrated this as well as any manager in world football.
What is also interesting is that Arteta has made some extremely bold moves. Some of these are moves that many more experienced managers would not have made. Yet in many cases he has eventually been proven correct.
David,
Your point about wanting to learn what works and what doesn’t must come in no small measure from Arteta’s lack of experience. Perhaps this learning process was at the root of the less than stellar decisions from time to time. What I do agree with, is Arteta having the intelligence to reconsider.
Your last paragraph could have have had an example or two to help me understand better
SueP, the point that MA was untested is, surely, a mute point?
The club appointed him, knowing his history and that is a given.
What I’m saying is that, despite all that, MA made some errors that he then continued to make.
The signings that he made up and until two seasons ago, have been, in most cases, poor.
He renewed players contracts with some mind blowing salaries (Aubameyang, Nketiah, Nelson) and we now have Havertz on a reported £350,000 a week.
He refused to sell players, then stopped playing them, we watched their value in the market place tumble, until we had to give them away or their contracts expired.
Dan produced an excellent article showing how some of those players are still winning trophies away from the club
I could go on, but I don’t think anyone can argue with the above and that’s the point I’m making with my “airbrush” comment.
MA, in my opinion, turned the situation around at the start of last season and, again, I don’t think anyone can argue about that statement either.
One can discuss the situation that MA walked into and what he did, but I think that the two and a half seasons before that cannot be explained away by blaming covid, UE, AW, “deadwood players” or his inexperience.
The man himself has said he made mistakes, so why are we not agreeing with him?
Ken1945
Why are you suggesting that Arteta being untested was a moot point? I’d have thought that being untested was a crucial factor. He was learning as he went along so mistakes were going to happen. You and I are unlikely to agree on the subject of Arteta getting out what I and a few others considered to be a bad core. I thought that took guts – although undoubtedly, with the support from upstairs to enable it.
You have questioned the Auba pay rise, but the man was scoring goals until that point and ultimately forced a move away because he couldn’t follow the non negotiables. I think HD has answered what I had thought to be the reasons why Nketiah and Reiss Nelson got ludicrous pay rises. I would have thought that side of things was down to the contracts department and Edu even if Arteta was happy to keep them as squad players
I read Dan’s article about how a number of ex Arsenal players have done since leaving. It was an interesting article for discussion but what does it prove? That Arteta got it wrong to sell Kolasinac? That he was hasty in letting Martinez leave because Ramsdale and Raya are worse? Ceballos doing well on his return to Spain? Maitland Niles was a mistake on the face of it and Willian too but he realised he didn’t fancy the upheaval of a team in transition. Our transfers out provided precious little revenue but you and I see that through different eyes. Firstly, there weren’t players who could command a big fee and secondly, Covid did impact transfer fees at the time. They have been steadily creeping up since then and Rice’s transfer proves that
Whatever it was that the Board and Arteta agreed upon at the start of his Arsenal journey, it took time to work and of course, is still a work in progress. The only analogy I can think of to describe my view is seeing an old steam train departing from the station. A slow start with the fireman behind the driver rapidly loading the coal until cruising speed is reached and there is momentum.
I would say that the whole club was on a learning curve with enormous changes going on behind the scenes. Perhaps those changes came too late for Emery but some of the movers and shakers at the beginning of Arteta’s time had a lot to answer for as well and have certainly held the club back. It appears that the rising influence of Josh Kroenke has had a highly positive effect and long may the present harmony continue
It’s a moot point SueP, because we all know he was untested and accepted that fact – that’s why he was given so much more leeway than UE.
Likewise, I and a few others, would have expected to see MA to, at the very least, have alternatives in place (who were of the same calibre if not better) before letting people go.
That’s not down to inexperience, as it is common sense.
As a manager on a, reportedly, £8 million yearly salary, if he saw players he didn’t rate, for whatever reason, why do you think it took guts to make the decision to send them packing?
Surely that’s part of his job?
As is his decision to what players he brings in and what salaries he feels they are worth.
The purpose of Dan’s article, as I saw it, was to show that the players mentioned, who were castigated as dross, deadwood, waste of money and bleeding the club dry (despite winning the cup it has to be said) were not of that ilk and those who said such rubbish, needed to reminded of that.
Unlike you and others who opinions I rssoect, I do not see MA as a Teflon manager and will not use others as an excuse to airbrush his mistakes.
I will continue to judge him as AW was judged, especially as they both have the same level of power within the club.
That’s why I support him 100% over his incredible work these last two seasons, both on and off the pitch and we both agree that it is something that we would want to continue, along with the support of the Kronkie family.
Ken about your last paragraph,you could just say the opposite and it would be true as well.There are those who are just looking at the mistakes but never give credit where it’s due. Fair play to you because you usually try to give balanced opinions as it should be. I’m a big fan of Arteta and the work he’s done. Obviously he’s made mistakes and it’s to be expected. I was a big fan of Arsene as well-he’s the main reason I became a fan of Arsenal. He’s a legend not only for the club, but the game of football. He too made his mistakes. All that matters is learning from the mistakes.
The problem we have as fans is that sometimes we like a player or a coach to the extent that we become blind to their faults. On the other hand, we can dislike a player or coach to the extent that we become blind to their strengths. To be truly objective is rare.
Onyango, there are only two players that I can honestly say I disliked to the point of refusing to acknowledge ANY strengths they may of had :
Nasri and Van Persie.
So I guess I’m not one of those rare animals. 🤔😕
Ken, why RVP and Nasri ?
RVP because he turned his back on the club after they supported him from the very first minute he arrived, amid accusations in his personal life and through his injury hit career at the club.
The only season he repaid that support, was the one before he forced the club to sell him, after keeping the club dangling over signing a new contract.
Since leaving, he has dissed the club and the supporters.
Nasri because he also forced his exit, after promising the club he was staying.
When city came calling, he turned his back on the club and, just like the judas above, then turned on The Arsenal and the supporters.
Ken, the club had a duty to support RVP while he was injured, just like all clubs do to their injured players. I’m hardly surprised he dissed the supporters after the song they sang to him. I remember his first game against us at Old Trafford. He didn’t even celebrate after scoring. That changed after that song.
As for Nasri, at least he played up until his move to City, and was our best player in his last game, a home defeat to Liverpool.
Surely then you must hold the same feelings towards Henry, who after signing his new contract in ’06, said on the clubs website that he never wants to sign for Barcelona and that he wants to finish his career with us.
Fabregas for me was a rat, for the way he went about his move to Barcelona. As the captain, he should’ve been at Fulham for the last game of the season, even though he was injured, where we needed to get a result to qualify for the following seasons CL. But no, he was in Spain for the GP. He then went on strike to force his move to Barcelona 😡
There we go HD – two differing views on Arsenal players… that’s what makes the world go around 😂🌍
Now, imagine where we would be had we given Emery the very same amount of time support and financial backing. Just sayin…
NYG
At the time, I don’t think that was possible. He went back to Spain, did well and on his return to England came with a better grasp of the situation than when he left it.
I cannot gloss over the fact that UE had a very creditable CV. Several European titles and the former manager of PSG, managing some of the biggest names in football must have been the reason why he got the job at Arsenal. All was hunky dory until the disastrous end to the season and his inability to get the squad up for the remaining opportunity to get CL football. Money was spent, but probably not on the players he wanted. However, how did he then manage to pick Aston Villa up by their bootlaces with the team that Gerrard left behind?
The second season was as bad as the end of the first and for a manager with that level of CV, then he was fairly given the sack, imo.
@Sue P
Now take into consideration, that he was a toothless coach, with next to no support/backing or control over player acquisitions etc. And, believe it or not, he had the 3rd best win rate of AFC mangers behind AW and Arteta. Jus sayin…🤔
My theory is that it’s the Arsenal players that got Emery sacked.It was clear that they had stopped playing for the man and whenever that happens, the board usually has no choice.It happens everyday in the premier league.It’s one of the consequences of the excessive power and influence players have these days. The same thing probably happened to Emery at PSG. The star players like Neymar wanted him gone. The difference with Arteta is that even at the worst,the players still wanted to play for him.
@Onyango
Those very same players who were considered “deadwood”, who Arteta was able to get rid of at the drop of a hat, once the started defying him. Just sayin…
NYG
His win rate etc all happened before the slide down the league. It was impressive, ;but then look at what happened.
@Sue P
Emery lost 25.6% and Arteta 28.4% of their matches under the same period…Hmmmmm!
You are missing my point NYG Up until the downturn in the Spring, Emery had a very good record Top 4 was looking nailed on. Then the inexplicable happened and we had a terrible end to the season both at home and in Europe.
HD, would you have awarded them the reported £100k a week?
Ken, that’s a hard one. I’ve never rated Nketiah, but liked Nelson. I can see why the club paid the reported £100k a week, which is £80k basic wage plus £20k signing on fee for both of the players. If they stay for the whole duration of their 5 year contracts, that would amount to £26m. To buy replacements would surely cost more in just the transfer fees alone. If we sell them, then we would surely make a profit.
Not sure who would be prepared to match those reported salaries HD and I really can’t see who would buy them anyway, as MA has virtually given them no chance to play and show any kind of form.
Replacements would cost us money of course, but they would, hopefully, be better.
In my view, Arsenal is not yet the model club. There are still some areas where Arteta needs improvement, chiefly in nurturing and incorporating academy players into the team. I doubt if Arteta would have granted Kobe Mainoo regular playing time if he were at Arsenal. Look at Nwaneri, Patino, Duberry, and other talented academy players. None of them have played any meaningful senior minutes. Currently, the club is struggling to convince most of these players, along with other talented academy prospects, to remain at the club. It’s unbelievable that in the last five years, no academy player has broken into the first team.
Therefore, I feel Arsenal is still not a model to be proud of. We’ve mostly relied on financial power to reach our current position. The purchases themselves have been a hit and miss. Despite spending £600 million, we still lack a reliable bench. We don’t know when to sell; for example, we turned down £20 million for Maitland-Niles only for him to leave for free the following season. Nelson scored a last-minute goal and was suddenly given £100,000 per week but without any trust or game time. Look at Nketiah’s situation. The same could happen to Smith Rowe. It’s as if Edu and Arteta are not accountable for the loss or reduction in player value.
@SS
Real Talk…👍🏾
So SS, would you rather have let Nelson and Nketiah leave on a free ?
Yes. My ideal would be sell them before their contracts are up and if renewing, renew with a plan to have them involved. As it is, we are spending more without gaining any benefit from them.
Yet if we sell them we’ll now make a profit on them.
A model club? We are spending fortunes and bringing in very little as far as transfers are concerned. We haven’t blooded a single graduate under Arteta. We haven’t won a single trophy with this “model” club. I would NOT describe us as a model club. We are now established once again as a top 4 club, that is something that hasn’t happened for a long time. From my perspective the money we have poured in has helped that enormously. Surely a managers job at a top, model club is to then use his skill to win us trophies, that is what top managers do. We have got back to where we belong but to be a model club and actually start winning trophies a lot more needs to be done and actually achieved.
Reggie, would you class Fergie as a top manager ?
He was, he won many leagues, European cups at different clubs and many cups. What he did at Aberdeen was legendary, for that size of club.
And obviously he was a top manager. Plus he used youth.
It took Fergie about 5 years to bring through youths that had come through their youth ranks. The previous seasons he brought ready made 1st team players.
We’ve got some really good youngsters coming through the ranks, but at 16 and 17 years of age they don’t need the pressure of expectations.
Nothing would please me more than seeing youngsters, that have come all the way through the youth ranks, make it into the 1st team and win silverware with us.
Ok, what has that got to do with the article and the aspersions that we are now a model club, everyone want to follow?
Well you brought it up when mentioning top managers and promoting youth players. I just showed you that it took a few years for the greatest manager in this country to win trophies and blood youth team players.
Btw, Arteta has already blooded 2 academy players. Patino and Nwaneri.
Which Patino and Nwaneri? By God I can’t remember seeing any of them play for us.
Patino made his debut against Sunderland in the League Cup and played in the FA Cup defeat at Nottingham Forest. Nwaneri came on as a sub the other year against Brentford, making him the youngest player to play in the PL.
A wrong move by Arteta I would say, to introduce Nwaneri that early without a proper plan to integrate him into the first team. He holds the record of the youngest player to debut in EPL with nothing else but unnecessary pressure. The expectations are high yet the opportunity is so limited. If that cameo was solely to have him sign, then it’s very wrong, and should be frowned at.
dgr….. then refresh your memory or buy new glasses.
As for the trophies , Arteta won 1 FA cup and 2 community shield cups against city and Pool.
FA Cup was won 100% with Emerys team, all of the players MA said he couldn’t work with and shipped out so can hardly call it his. Hows the FA Cup been since MA got his own team?
Shields aren’t real trophies,they barely matter if we are being honest
Clutching at straws HD regarding youngsters,haven’t seen any player you’ve mentioned this season in the squad .
Wenger used to blood in a whole team and get to semis and quarter finals in the EL .
I suppose that’s the difference between a great manager and a cheque book manager .
Lets be honest without money where would Arteta and the club be .
DK, you must have missed our 6-0 win at West Ham, as Nwaneri came on as a sub in the 2nd half.
As for for Wenger playing full teams of players that have come through the academy in the EL upto the quarter and semi finals, you really must be mistaken.
You aren’t really trying to say, thats counts as bringing graduates into the team are you. REALLY? AND the reason i mentioned the lack of youth was not to compare but to dispel, the model club theory, as well as the rest I highlighted. Thats not a model club.
I ment carling cup or whatever it was called back then
HD, Wenger often played youth and accademy players in the early rounds of the cups, including the EL.
DK, I honestly can’t recall Wenger fielding a team in the League Cup in any round that was solely made of academy players. Could you please name the games and the starting 11’s.
And without money where did wenger led us to? The same fans that accused arguably our greatest manager for not spending enough, being too nice to players and placing blind believe in players are now accusing arteta ofbeing a cheque book manager, washing hand off players and not trusting his players enough. That’s WEIRD
@Reggie
Realness…👍🏾
Emery is a good manager but not the kind that can win us or any team in the premier league the title.
1) Aston villa were in inconsistent during the run-in, I remember someone saying last season, that Emery would’ve won Arsenal the title; if he was still in charge of Arsenal during the 5 point gap over man city.
2) Aston villa were able to collect 13 points in a possible 30 points in their last 10 games.
So tell me William, Emery wouldn’t have won us the league in your opinion but neither has Arteta. What is your point? Villa over achieved this season, they don’t have the budget we have. What Emery has done this season is arguably a better feat than PEP. And definitely Arteta, given the circumstances.
Emery has done well with Aston Villa. Whether what he has done is better than what Arteta has done with Arsenal is arguable given the circumstances. There is no “definitely” about it. Aston Villa are not paupers and have also spent over the last few years.
It can be argued that they benefited from relatively poor seasons by some expected challengers for the top four. As pointed out they have also had some “iffy” results. Also, they failed to reach the final of European Conference League, beaten badly in a tournament they were favourites for.
Are you saying we have also benefitted from poor seasons by expected challengers to finish 2nd two times in a row?
Some of us should just take that Emery egg on the face graciously!
I am not sure what you mean by “Emery egg”. I have never tried to discredit or disparage Emery.
However, that does not mean that I cannot provide my own perspectives on his performances as a a manager. Unlike some I do not feel it is necessary to attempt to discredit our current manager by outlandish claims about other managers.
“I have never tried to discredit or disparage Emery.”
You did just that in your entire post.
His 4th is the biggest achievement of all clubs last season but have you acknowledged that? No. You say it’s because of poor opponents, it’s because they have spent big, also they had iffy results.
What does iffy results have anything to do when they have overachiever their target?
Man city had 7 draws and 3 losses so can we go on and discredit their title win?
And I see the trend in Emery discreditors bringing in his Conference League semi final run as bad results. He reached the semis, that is an achievement, to discredit it is ridiculous!
You didn’t answer my question, have we also benefitted from Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Man utd bad results to finish 2nd?
If we didn’t why should that apply to Aston Villa (who are actually outsiders in top 4 race) and not to us?
You could say that City benefited from the poor season of the clubs you mentioned too.
Yes you could but then you can’t use the excuse that we can’t win the title because they are unbeatable and are the best team in the world.
They will not the best team team in the world and Pep not the best manager in the world if they depend on others to have bad seasons.
You see having bias and facts twisting to discredit Emery or discrediting anything will always lead to one contradicting themselves.
I haven’t used that excuse HH and please see Ken1945’s response below as it concurs with mine.
As for Emery, over the course of last season, he has done very well – nobody would be honest if they said otherwise. It is though, relevant to remember that he has won several European trophies as well as managing PSG. He has a very decent track record but it’s not stellar at the highest level. Therefore, isn’t it reasonable to expect him to improve upon Gerrard’s poor effort? He has done so, and Villa are a well funded club too. What is also a matter of fact is that the gulf in points tally between 2nd and 4th was huge. So whilst I consider his time at Arsenal (one season and a few months) to be disappointing to say the least, it is not a personal attack. I didn’t call him names but I felt justified then and now in criticising his inability to manage his players who very clearly did not respond to or respect his style. The fact that he has come back to England with a better understanding is a testament to his commitment to doing better than he did at Arsenal.
Of course, Arteta is yet to topple City, but neither has anyone else over the last 4 seasons. The gulf between 2nd and 4th place was enormous to put it into some perspective. If Villa continue to improve and not fade as they did in the latter stages of the season they will be a force to be reckoned with next season
“I felt justified then and now in criticising his inability to manage his players who very clearly did not respond to or respect his style.”
Would you agree then that Arteta has that inability too since the same players did not respond or respect his style hence the clearance at any cost?
And the next batch of signings he made proved his inability to make players respond and respect his style again because we went on to have the worst results in recent history?
And how did the players not respond or respect Emery style when they went in 22 unbeaten run in his first few months at the club?
He could be understood perfectly well when he arrived but he couldn’t after he had spent nearly a year in England? Shouldn’t that be the opposite? Unbelievable!!
I had no idea that you were an apologist Emery who had managed at a very high level and was unable to take Arsenal to an almost nailed on 4th place. So they collapsed at the end of the season in the league and when Chelsea were already guaranteed a CL place, Arsenal collapsed again in Baku. Is that a creditable performance or can you come up with an excuse?. Was it not getting all that he wanted in season one for just being the coach? I find the comparison between a seasoned coach/manager and Arteta who was completely inexperienced to be unfair, especially as it has turned out that there is more to Arteta than many expected.
The rest of your arguments are not worth the effort in replying to as you seem hell bent on finding absolutely anything to disagree with me on at all times. So be it. I rate Arteta and what he has accomplished so far. So be it You blow hot and cold on his achievements so far. So be it
When you can’t answer the questions it’s always not worth the effort.
4th was a good achievement for Aston Villa. However, whether it was better than others is down to opinion which is my point.
You cannot insist that Emery’s achievement must be the best just because you and some others say so.
And yes, semi-final in the conference was not a good result given that they were amongst the favourites.
I reiterate, I have not discredited Emery.
Of course, the top two, Arsenal and MC, have benefited from the relative underperformance of some other traditional top teams. However, Aston Villa have been the greatest beneficiaries.
David, why are city and The Arsenal not the greatest beneficiaries?
After all, they finished 1st and 2nd.
Agreeing that the club made a mistake in not supporting Emery is not an attack on Arteta. Arteta has nothing to do with it.
Saying the club should have supported Emery is not an attack against Arteta. Again, he has nothing to with it. Evidence shows they learnt their lesson hence the support Arteta has been given.
Because of the direction the club was going Arsenal supporters wanted Emery gone because we didn’t know he was not the problem. But the management must have known.
We knew players were the problem only when their issues surfaced again under Arteta and the management instead of firing the manager again decided to deal with the actual problem.
If you treated Emery wrong belittling his achievements won’t wash away the guilt.
He was just doing his job but the players, management and some fans (or all fans) did not let him. Strangely, he might be the only innocent party of that dreadful period.
HH, your first 2 paragraphs said it very well but some here just won’t accept that giving Emery a fair assessment is not belittling Arteta
Who, top4, has belittled Emery for his role at Aston Villa? What I struggle to comprehend is why so much typing time is given to him now when he didn’t bring about a return to CL football, after 2 golden opportunities. HH is making excuses for the fact that we have apparently let him down and that somehow or other he is an innocent party. Now that I cannot accept. Emery was highly experienced and had multiple European trophies and for some reason the players downed tools on him. That is surely down to him
@HH do you think we have a better season in the previous season than the recent concluded one? Because nobody expect us to challenge for the trophy but we did exactly that. And for the claim of Aston villa having the biggest achievement that’s false that claim belongs to man city. four in a row is the biggest achievement of the season as it’s unprecedented.
David, so we didn’t benifit from some teams under performing but Villa did. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 you are a one.
David, David, David! You speak with fork tongue🤣🤣🤣🤣
There’s nothing like under performing they are just not good enough . And as for emery good season at aaton villa, really impressive and that’s it. The decision to sack him have been a win win decision. We’re happy we now have arteta and he’s happy with Aston villa.