Culture. That’s what it comes down to. When considering the first two years of Mikel Arteta’s reign as Arsenal Head Coach/Manager, the biggest change is the culture.
The later years of the Wenger era were defined by complacency. The complacency of the club in an ever improving league, the complacency of the players in their performance level and the complacency of a manager who no longer had an Adams or Vieria to be the iron rod required alongside his artist’s paintbrush. You can ask any Man Utd fan about replacing a long-serving titan of almost mythical status, they will tell you it is an impossible position to replace. In Unai Emery, it was certainly proved an impossible task. Emery came with a reputation for being a weak character in a dressing room full of superstar players at PSG and ultimately, his inability to back himself on decisions, failing to rule by either carrot or stick, lost him the dressing room, a European final and his job.
During the Emery regime, the general standards of the club continued to slide. Ill discipline and poor performances on the pitch were commonplace and turmoil at the executive level resulted in a club and a fanbase craving a change. Craving a club with vision, conviction and a plan to improve. Enter: Arteta.
With Arteta now being at the club two years, and another familiar public discussion regarding a drop of standards by a star player being in the headlines, it is a good point to look back on what Arteta set out to do on Day One and how far along he is.
When asked about what Arteta would change during his first press conference, he replied:
‘If you don’t have the right culture, in the difficult moments, the tree is going to shake, so my job is to convince everybody that this is how we are going to live, and if you are going to be part of this organisation it has to be in these terms and in this way. ‘
He later described the outline of the culture he wished to foster, and what he expected as his non-negotiables:
“Everybody has to respect each other first of all, and I want people who are accountable for what I’m asking for them to do. I don’t want them hiding, I want people to take responsibility for their jobs and I want people who deliver passion and energy in the football club. Anyone who doesn’t buy into this, or that has a negative effect or whatever, is not good enough for this environment or this culture.”
Very strong words by a man wanting to clearly articulate his expectations. A refreshing change from the previous manager.
There has been an overhaul in the playing squad and the executive level since Arteta arrived. His ideas have convinced KSE to give him more responsibility, promoting him from Head Coach to Manager and encouraging a tight partnership with Edu, the clubs Director of Football. The players are aware that if they aren’t on board the Mikel Train, they are left at the platform. Some even chucked out onto the tracks mid-trip.
Areta wants respectful, accountable and responsible players on the pitch to enact his instruction and to improve the feeling between the club and the fans. Players will come and go as the level of football ability increases under smart transfer activity. Not all players who leave will leave because they went against the manager. Sokratis was praised for his professionalism and Bellerin needed a change of scenery, both left on good terms with Arteta. So who are the victims and beneficiaries of the dragging up of standards?
The victims are clear. Mattéo Guendouzi & Mesut Ozil. Both clearly did not impress Arteta with their attitude and eventually were shown the door. Guendouzi has great ability and got plenty of minutes under Emery and Arteta. Then he showed an ugly side to his personality which was beneath the class of an Arsenal man. Arrogant and unrepentant, he was shown the door.
Arteta regularly talks about the need to ‘suffer together’ and wants his squad to be a unified unit. Ozil started the first ten games under Arteta but then Covid hit and the rift started.First Ozil refused to take a paycut along with every other senior player at the club. Arteta was central to convincing the squad to take this paycut however Ozil isolated himself and said no. As Arteta intervened to negotiate between the players and the board, Ozil wanted more information about where the money would go, which whilst being a legitimate concern, only caused to segregate himself further and in Arteta’s eye, divided them. As the first wave of Covid-19 subsided football returned, Ozil did not. In the end he was paid off to leave – Arteta wanted a clean slate and another Wenger-era millstone was removed from Arteta’s neck.
It appears the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang situation is mirroring the Ozil scenario. Several disciplinary issues regarding timekeeping have come to light and Auba has been stripped of the captaincy and unceremoniously dropped from the squad. He is currently ‘unavailable for selection’ with no additional explanation offered by Arteta. Have Arsenal learned from Ozil and will they attempt to sell, either in January or the Summer? Does Auba have it in him to undergo a Xhaka-esque rehabilitation into the first team? Only time will tell.
Finally, onto how the team has flourished today under Arteta’s guidance and beliefs. A group of young, hungry players are currently fourth in the premier league with plenty of potential to develop further in years to come. The youthfulness of the team explains the inconsistency of some poor results, but the trend is going upwards. The fans are slowly starting to trust the club again on transfers and Arteta is clearly willing to promote youth players who have the talent and are willing to work for it. When regularly quizzed on why certain players start or get a chance from the bench when most fans disagree with the decision, Arteta speaks of players who work hard and what he sees every day on the training pitch. The effort and application of the players means more than the reputation.
The squad that Arteta relies on are now exactly what he set them out to be. Respectful, accountable, responsible and deliver with passion and energy – the man has his culture.
Now for Arteta, he goes from building a culture, to building a side. Top 4 is now a realistic ambition but the club must improve on two 8th place finishes. Europa League is the minimum expectation, as is tying up our starboys onto longer contracts. The shift to Project Youth has been positive so far this season but we will struggle to attract players to the club, or keep them at the club, if we spend another season outside high level European Competition.
I would say at the two year milestone, Arteta has done ok, maybe a 6/10. The time to judge is in the summer, and we find out if the club are convincing Arteta to stay with us longer, or if he is trying to convince the the club he is still the right man for the job. Top 4 would do nicely.
You can find me and follow me on twitter – @SheffGooner1
