Arteta arrived at Arsenal with a five-phase plan to turn the club around. The Spaniard has always been fussy about the details but the final step is definitely winning the big trophies. It will mark the end of half a decade of work, and Arteta explained on Tuesday how he will reflect on the milestone.
“I don’t drink alcohol but it will be a special day, five years at a club of this size is huge so I’m very grateful,” he said. “I won’t have a celebration but I will reflect on it, and we will have some memories and look at the pictures and the comments and the few moments we had together and remember and cherish it. Because that’s a long time.”
Arteta’s first foray into management has been a dramatic rollercoaster, dealing with complications from the COVID-19 pandemic during his first season, instigating a radical squad overhaul and with Pep Guardiola all triumphant. Go toe to toe. Manchester City Here are the highlights of his tenure so far.
August 2020: Win the FA Cup
Nothing can validate a young manager’s debut like delivering silverware to a club bereft of success less than nine months into the job. While Arsenal’s 2017 triumph resembled a last hurray for Arsene Wenger, the Gunners’ win at Wembley three years later felt like a positive sign for the future.
Arsenal went down as a club in Wenger’s final years and it was a slide that his successor Unai Emery failed to arrest. Arteta began to reverse that momentum by creating a structure and discipline that saw him become the first Arsenal manager since George Graham in 1986-87 to win a major trophy in his first season in charge.
They did it the hard way, beating Manchester City in the semi-finals and then Chelsea Against City in the final, they had 30% possession, four shots the whole game and won 2–0. Against Chelsea, they registered 41% possession, had three shots on target and scored twice in a 2–1 win. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Scored them all.
September 2020: Arteta is made manager.
Arteta was retained with the job title of head coach, reflecting a desire to move away from the apparent autocracy that many within the club felt had led to latter-day stagnation under Wenger. After adding football expertise to the club, nine new heads of department were hired and responsibilities created to create a new structure.
However, Arteta admitted the club’s culture needed to change amid concerns about dressing room dynamics and a drop in standards as Arsenal slipped from a top-four regular to an even run.
Explaining the decision at the time, then-chief executive Vinay Venkatesham said: “It’s recognition of what he’s been doing since the day he walked in the door, but also that we see his potential. . The team and that’s his primary responsibility, but there’s a lot more he can bring and that’s why we’re making this change.”
Sources have told ESPN that the move was designed to bolster Arteta’s authority before what would, in time, become a brutal and uncompromising squad overhaul.
December 2020: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
Empty stadiums and, subsequently, limited attendances due to COVID-19 further strained the relationship between Arsenal supporters and Arteta’s team. Arsenal went into the game in 15th place and went seven games without a win.
Despite his performance in that FA Cup win, social media was filled with frustration at the futile nature of Arteta’s approach. The wider mood at the start of the year was not helped by the club announcing plans to make 55 staff redundant as a result of the financial impact of the pandemic.
Played on the anniversary of his first game as manager, it was the kids who joined the party. Bukayo Saka And Gabriel Martinelliboth are aged 19, and 20 years. Emil Smith Rowe A 3-1 win over Arsenal showed the potential of the club’s next generation.
January 2021: Ozil is forced out.
Arteta spoke in his first news conference about changing Arsenal’s culture, and over time he began to question the character of several senior members of the squad.
News of the training ground bust-up between David Luiz and Danny Ceballos Leaked to the press and Arteta vowed to find the mole, warning that “there will be consequences.” It was one of many incidents where Arteta questioned the motivation and desire of his players and the Spaniard sought approval from the club’s owners, Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE), to release players from the club.
The mole’s identity was never made public but in January, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Ozil became the first of a total of nine players to have their contracts expire over the next two years. It didn’t come cheap — sources told ESPN that Ozil received around 90% of the £7 million remaining on his deal — and KSE’s owners have privately acknowledged the pain of his time at the club. Got a bad side. But it was another sign of Arteta’s steadfastness in his decision.
Since arriving, Ozil has been heralded as the new Dennis Bergkamp. Real Madrid At the time in 2013 the club’s record fee was £42.4 million. He became the highest paid player on £350,000 a week but, as a result of Arteta’s decision, Left the club in disgrace.
August 2021: Worst start ever… but the big costs begin.
Arsenal ended August with a 5–0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City, and for the first time in their history they had lost their opening three matches without scoring a single goal. But in the middle of that run, the midfielder Martin Odegaard Joined the club from Real Madrid for £30 million. The protector Ben White And the goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdell Arsenal also managed to follow a policy of signing talented players under the age of 23. They finished 2021 as the biggest spenders in the Premier League.
It was also in the summer Arteta convinced set-piece coach Nico Jour to join him from City. Since Jour joined Arsenal, they have scored more goals from corners than any other Premier League club.
December 2021: Aubameyang is stripped of the captaincy.
It was another sign of Arteta’s ruthlessness. He played a key role in convincing Aubameyang to sign a new contract less than 18 months ago and yet, in front of the “all or nothing” documentary cameras, Arteta stripped him of the captaincy. .
There was no big bust-up though A series of problems related to discipline and timekeeping. Sources told ESPN that the final straw was a late return from a club-sanctioned overseas trip to see his mother but it was the latest in a chain of events: missing a COVID-19 test ahead of a Europa League fixture; He was fined. He was “reminded of his responsibilities” after footage emerged of him getting a tattoo despite strict social distancing regulations. He was dropped against the North London derby. Tottenham Hotspur Hours before kickoff after reporting late for a team meeting on game day.
Aubameyang was sent to train away from the first-team squad and will eventually join the list of players whose contracts have expired. Barcelona on a free transfer on February 2 as relations had completely deteriorated.
August 2022: Spending continues as Saka and Ødegaard flourish.
After missing out on Champions League qualification at the end of the 2021–22 season, Arsenal spent once again, notably through the acquisition of both. Gabriel Jesus And Oleksandr Zinchenko Manchester City sources told ESPN at the time that City were prepared to part ways with the pair, not only because they were considered surplus to requirements but also because they did not see Arsenal as a significant threat. were
That would change as the Gunners won 22 of their first 27 games in all competitions to establish themselves, not just as top four challengers, but City’s main title rivals. They did so primarily by the emergence of Saka and Ødegaard as two of the league’s brightest attackers.
March 2023: Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth
The tallest ever Emirates Stadium has been. need a goal to complete their comeback from 2-0 down against BournemouthArteta sent on the wing Reese Nelson For his third league appearance of the season. In the 97th minute, he steadied himself to meet a loose ball and put the shot past. NATO To send the home fans into pure joy.
April 2023: Saliba’s injury exposes squad depth.
Arsenal held an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League when the defender was in charge. William Saliba Suffered a season-ending back injury against Sporting CP. The Gunners were knocked out of the Europa League that night and were eventually beaten by City as Arsenal wilted under the physical and mental pressure.
Saka played 3,131 Premier League minutes across the season, with Ødegaard on 3,068. In attacking areas, City boss Pep Guardiola was able to move around a lot: Bernardo Silva 2,119 minutes accumulated, Jack Grish 2,063, Riaz Mahrez 2,063, Phil Foden 1,702. Even the headline act Kevin De Bruyne (2,368) and Erling Holland (2,686) used far fewer weapons than the two main attackers.
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Arteta hits back at criticism of Arsenal’s open play struggles
Mikel Arteta defended Arsenal’s record for goals from open play after a goalless draw against Everton.
July 2023: Signing Rice for £100m
Arsenal’s aggressiveness in the market to capitalize on its unexpected title push was evident. He broke his own transfer record to make the signing. Declan Rice from West Ham Unitedbut apart from that Kai Howertz Was acquired from Chelsea for £67.5m. Juryen Timber From Ajax for £34m. The change in mentality at the club was clear: Arsenal’s time had come. All three signings also continued the shift towards a more physically strong squad profile. Arsenal’s set-piece prowess owes much to Jour’s brilliance but also the fact that Arsenal are a much stronger and taller team now than when Arteta took over.
October 2023: Finally beat City.
Arteta inherited Arsenal’s poor record against top sides. In November 2020, the Gunners won one Premier League game. Manchester United For the first time in 14 years. In May 2021, they won at Stamford Bridge for the first time in a decade. In January 2023, the Gunners beat Tottenham for the first time in eight years.
They were routinely beaten by City but, finally, in October 2023, Arsenal beat Guardiola’s side at the Emirates Stadium as Martinelli’s 86th-minute deflected winner was enough to win. All four of Arteta’s replacements combined in the move to secure their first league win at the club where he began his coaching career as part of Guardiola’s staff.
April 2024: Lose to Villa and Bayern in four days
Arsenal lost just one league game in the second half of last season but, such was City’s enduring form, their 2-0 home defeat Austin Villa It was enough to give them the title. They were knocked out of the Champions League four days later. Bayern Munich And both results signaled the need for further attacking reinforcements this summer.
Arteta played down the suggestion at a news conference this week that he had only won one trophy. “And Charity Shield twice too, no? So that’s three,” he replied. The Community Shield, as it is now known, is not taken particularly seriously by serial winners. This is the next and final step – Arsenal and Arteta need to step up.