Is Mikel Arteta Falling Short? Arsenal Boss Faces Tough Questions

With Arsenal’s rise into being contenders in the Premier League, the main man, Mikel Arteta, comes into heat. The Gunners were supposed to challenge for the title once more this season but find themselves at a lag.

They lie fourth in the league at present, nine points off leaders Liverpool, and the fans, along with the pundits, start asking several questions.

Defeats like against Newcastle in the Premier League by 1-0 and Inter Milan by 1-0 in Champions League did expose some fissures within the attack of Arsenal. Now, some are questioning how better Arteta is than what he had made them believe against other top managers such as Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery.

Arteta Criticized over Player’s Development

Among those skeptical is ex-Liverpool striker Stan Collymore. Writing in CaughtOffside, Collymore claims the Spaniard has done nothing to improve his players thus far.

“This is Mikel Arteta’s team now,” Collymore wrote. “He spent big money on players like Declan Rice, but Rice hasn’t been at his best. Others like Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who came from Manchester City, haven’t made a big impact either.”

He drew an example from managers like Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, and Emery, who are credited for making players better. “How many players has Arteta turned from average to good or good to great?” he asked. “You put him against Klopp, Pep, or even Emery; he doesn’t come out looking good.”

The Players Who Have Improved Under Arteta

While Collymore is critical, some Arsenal players have improved under Arteta:

Ben White: A center-back by nature, White has easily transformed into a right-back. His ability to do so has made him one of the important members of Arsenal.

William Saliba: He is one of those whose development was spearheaded by the decisions of Arteta early in his life through loaning. He returned as one of the best young defenders in Europe, with Real Madrid reportedly circling.

Martin Ødegaard: Labeled as a failed talent in the Real Madrid books, he has taken over the leading role under Arteta by creating goals and controlling the tempo to lead this North London outfit.

What is wrong with Arsenal?

The problems for Arsenal this season have been a mixture, with big signings such as Declan Rice and Kai Havertz not reaching top gear, while there have been injuries and inconsistency in some positions.

Arteta has imposed an obvious style of play on Arsenal, from the school of Pep Guardiola, but this team still lacks the depth and killing spirit of the champions like Manchester City.

What next, Arteta and Arsenal?

The next few weeks will be extremely important for Arsenal, and an immediate response is required since at hand are daunting Premier League matches and Champions League games. January could be a massive month, with links coming in for West Ham star Mohamed Kudus to Arsenal. Arteta has already taken Arsenal a long way since his appointment in 2019, turning them into title contenders while building an exciting young team. Yet, for him to take them to the real heights-to properly challenge the likes of Guardiola he must prove capable of developing the players and delivering the goods. For now, though, the pressure is on, and the Arsenal faithful will be monitoring to see whether Arteta can turn things around.

Source: CaughtOffside, tbrfootball