Two title challenges, one fly-on-the-wall documentary, North London Forever, a global pandemic, lightbulbs, a banished captain, pickpockets, fogging standards, late wins, trust the process, Martin Odegaard, all the left-backs, Saka & Smith Rowe, our worst start ever, record signings, Ozil and Gunnersaurus, painful defeats, set piece mastery and an FA Cup triumph.
Five years of Mikel Arteta in charge at Arsenal has seen a bit of everything – and the boss believes “the best is yet to come.”
It feels like only yesterday that 37-year-old Arteta arrived at London Colney with a steely determination to get Arsenal back to the highest level.
While he’s made significant progress in delivering on that promise, a major trophy has remained out of reach for over four years, leaving plenty of room for the next chapter to be even better.
Facing the media on his fifth anniversary, the Spaniard reflected: “I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s gone really, really fast. I’m really grateful to be in the position that I’m in right now. I have a lot to learn, a lot to improve and the best is yet to come.
As for winning trophies, he continued: “This is what we want, to win the big trophies now, without losing the rest of the things that we have built. That’s very important.
“From my point of view, the unity, the connections [with the fans] and the fact that we are competing on big fronts right now [is the biggest change].
“We haven’t managed to do that in the past years. That’s positive, but there’s still a lot to do.”
He added: “I really enjoy working with the people I work with every single day, that we have built something together, and so many people have contributed in a big way to achieve that, and the fact that everybody is hungry and ambitious, that now we have to go to another level.”
As we’ve listed above, it’s not been plain sailing for the manager who has been central to a series of difficult and headline-making decisions on the way to establishing a new club culture focused on respect, commitment and passion for the cause.
Asked if any particular decision stood out as the toughest, he took a moment to think before answering:
It’s a good question. First of all, I don’t make decisions by myself. Always a lot of time we share that with the club, with the people in the past, the people right now, and as well with my coaches when we have to make decisions like that. So it’s very difficult to point to one of those.
“What I would say is that I haven’t regretted decisions, because we have made them with a lot of analysis and after a very thoughtful process with a lot of people, and some were right and many were wrong, unfortunately.”
Remarkably, given the stresses and strains of such a high-profile job, Arteta has done a fine job keeping signs of ageing at bay.
His ‘lego’ hair still looks pitch black and, despite the appearance of a few wrinkles, he’s as handsome as he ever was.
Asked how he’s managed not to change, he laughed: “I have, I have. I think I have changed. Things are different!
“Looking back, it’s gone so, so, so fast, I enjoyed every minute of it – when we have bumps in the road, when we have good moments, and that’s about it.
“I’m here because I’m so passionate about what I do, because I love this football club, and I want the best for it.
“I just try to give my best version every single day, and think about what is the best possible manager for Arsenal Football Club and its players, and try to become that manager.”
As for what areas he feels he can improve himself, he said: “In all of them. Probably when I arrived I was very, very obsessed with the tactical aspect of the game, and then straight away, two or three months after I took the job, I realised that there was no tactics to do, we were at home sitting with COVID, so we had to look after the club and the players in a different way, and the emotional and the physical part was a very important one.
“That evolution, probably putting the priorities in other aspects as well, the focus and spending time in other things, and that’s what I think I try to do.
“I think the team has always certain requirements, but they can change and they can shift in relation to moments, individual players or collective momentum that we have as a team, and the coach has to be able to adapt and prioritise those things to help them as much as possible.”
Mathematically Ten Hag won more trophies than Arteta. He won one Carabao and one FA Cup (2 > 1).
Mathematically (also historically) David Moyes won more European trophies than Ten Hag and Arteta combined. Just trying to help you in your consistent–some might say obsessive–quest to finds sticks to beat Arteta with.
Moyes was very lucky, Mikel hasn’t been. Let’s hope that changes.
You must be the first person in history to think it. And what happened to your man Ten Hag?
Oh please!! What a hideous comment!!! I will admit Ten Hag did a grand job of keeping tradition of crapness at manure!!!
I really don’t care about that narrative. If someone guaranteed me today our odds winning the league would increase 10% but we have to drop out of cups and risk not winning anything, I’d roll the dice again.
I’m happy to criticise arteta on not bringing in a forward but I wont be blaming him for putting all his eggs in the big trophy
Since we are picking up random tidbits to suit a narrative, ten Hag has 100% record over the last month.
Also, MU, thanks to ten Hag, play in Europa League and couldn’t progress past Copenhagen last year.
At least they are charitable, allowing Antony to pretend he is a footballer.
They really are the best fun , Man U. I’ve had so much entertainment at their expense over the last 11 years. I mean , even Spuds had a good couple of seasons, that of course inevitably, ended in failure. But UTD, it’s just hilarious shite and I’m so happy. This is a club that is so disfunctional that they happily paid Sir AF 2. something million per annum up to recently for sitting on his arse and saying things that undermine the club that pays him………like his top 11 doesn’t include Roy Keane. That’d be like Wenger excluding Patrick… Read more »
You are wrong. You left out Arteta’s two Community Shields (3 > 2).
Imagine having to watch that Man U team every week though? Honestly, I am really happy we’ve got Arteta. I’m curious – do you want Ten Hag/a change of management?
And Ten Hag was shit, and Arteta isn’t, which clearly shows that number of trophies won is not a good metric when used in isolation.
We also have 2 community shields. Do your maths right.
Make Arsenal Great Again!
Let’s leave the fascist slogans where they belong- in the trash
We’ve came a long way.
In the last 5 “half-seasons” we had max. 3 losses in each of them. Even if I had my reservations when Arteta was appoineted – I think he did a brilliant job overall.
It seems to me that we have a healthy atmosphere within the club + intelligent, willing and top quality players in the squad.
Hope we fans won’t forget to value it.
COYG!
He needs to cut out losing or drawing games with midtable teams, can’t have Fulham, Newcastle, etc as bogey teams if we are serious about competing for major titles. Each of the last 3 seasons we have dropped points to teams we shouldn’t have and have cost us dearly
If the pgmol hadn’t helped Newcastle cheat in one of those games we’d have won the league, so I don’t know if that qualifies as a bogey team
Overall, a disappointing five years.
Arteta has won just ONE real trophy in all that time. And in the last 4 years he hasn’t even got to a cup final. This season he has almost certainly thrown away the title by not signing a striker in the summer. And his tactics have gone backwards. By now he should be delivering but we are still searching for the players that will make us complete.
The pressure is rising on Arteta.
I haven’t been disappointed Fats, I had years of not competing and the last two years going so close against one of best teams premier league has seen has been one hell of a ride. I loved it. Gutted in the end but loved it. Personally I think it’s insane that any Arsenal fan could want to change Arteta when we are where we are as a club. I guess the historic wounds run really deep.
Trophies won’t be there if you’re not even competing. And we’re competing. It’s just that the team needed to mature a bit. They have now. And we’re just about there.
Fats, who would you be happy with genuinely? You wanted rid of Wenger, now you want rid of Arteta. Do you want Pep? Emery? Ten Haag? If you think Barca or Madrid wouldn’t jump at Arteta your delusional.
I understand your frustration fats, and while the sentiment might meet some reservation, I am simply whelmed. Arteta is fine, the players are fine, the fans are fine (mostly). Ownership needs to step up a little more though and do some forward thinking hiring beyond the first team- it’s all felt a little slap dash in the boardroom and into the u21s and below (even the women’s side now with the lack of clarity around the manager). Without a clear chain of command here no one will commit to a future at the club in any administrative capacity- and that’s… Read more »
Cheers! 🍷