The arrival of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta back in December was unexpected but necessary. Arsenal had picked up just six Premier League wins this season and was in dire need of new management.
Arsenal’s downfall continues as they’ve picked up one win across seven fixtures under Arteta, but what improvements have been made and does the same fate Unai Emery suffered lay in wait for Arteta?
All of this has taken a toll on the market and making picks haven’t been favoring Arsenal in the win column of late, draws home & away have been plagued in the Arsenal camp as fans anticipate a winning streak they haven’t seen since 2019.
Emery left Arsenal in disarray
Former Arsenal Midfielder and French International Emmanuel Pettit have recently gone on record to put full blame of Arsenal’s current state on the former boss Unai Emery.
It’s not often the predecessor of a current club manager who is to blame for a continued losing streak 8 games after his departure. Unai Emery will be the exception; the team were sick on and off the pitch upon Arteta’s arrival and it would take even the world’s greatest manager longer than a few weeks to fix Arsenal’s squad issues. Emmanuel Pettit has expressed similar frustrations and believes Mikel Arteta has made significant improvements.
“Sick on the pitch and in the dressing room. They were losing shape and blindly going nowhere. They were weak.
“Now, after several weeks of the Arteta regime, I’ve seen different things happening in terms of intensity, togetherness and work rate off the ball.
“The mentality is different and some players are getting back to form, like Granit Xhaka.
“I’m very pleased with how he has played and the mentality he has shown.
“Mesut Ozil has looked better on occasion and I’m happy with what I see from Lucas Torreira.”
Petit added: “The players seem to be getting the message from Arteta and I think it’s clear what he wants from them on and off the pitch in terms of discipline and commitment.
“It looks like they’re following the rules he sets out on the training pitch.
“They haven’t been winning as many games as they’d like but they also haven’t been losing.
“More goals are needed if they want to win, which is a major problem.
“The first priority when Arteta took over was to stop the team conceding stupid goals, and he has done that.
“But in the meantime, they’re suffering a bit upfront – I think if they keep playing like this that, sooner or later, they’re going to win games.”
Arsenal is currently sitting at 10th position in the Premier League but it’s a mere 9 point gap separating them from a top 5 and secure place in Europe next year. It won’t be an easy task to accomplish but if anybody can make an end of season comeback, Arsenal can!
January Transfers and the road ahead
The January transfer window wasn’t something to run home about for Arsenal fans as the club only secured two loan deals. Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares joined the Arsenal squad on loan from Flamengo and fellow EPL side Southampton, respectively. That said, both players missed out on the squad against Burnley but no doubt will be hoping to make the team-sheet after the winter break.
Arsenal’s desperation for a winger and a central midfielder were shot down due to the lack in funds provided for the January transfer window. However, news broke today that Arteta will make huge changes to the Arsenal squad during the summer break with a youthful approach.
Expect older players and a dead weight to be cleared and replaced with up and coming youngsters. Arteta is reportedly keen on signing a pair of impressive French players from Lille & Le Harve. 21-year-old Pape Gueye currently signed with Le Harve will be the first on Arteta’s hit-list; the youngster has been compared to the likes of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante. Second, on the list is Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes, the Brazilian-born defender is just 20 years old but has already made 19 starts in Ligue 1 this season – meaning that he’s already been fielded this season more than the previous two.
