A year of Arteta: What has changed since the Spaniard took over at the Emirates?

A year of Arteta: What has changed since the Spaniard took over at the Emirates?

By Adam Le Roux 

December 20 2019 was meant to be a turning point for Arsenal Football Club, the day that their recent miseries were meant to be forgotten, and they became a force in the Premier League once again. 

Of course, that was the day that Mikel Arteta finally put pen to paper to become the new manager at the Emirates, as the former Gunner returned to the club after being prized away from Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man. 

And despite not having any managerial experience to speak of, Arsenal fans punched the air in delight, as Guardiola 2.0 was appointed. He was the Messiah, the man to turn around the debacle that had swarmed across the side with Unai Emery in charge. 

But 368 days later, the general consensus seems to be one that is polar-opposite to the days leading up to Christmas last year, with the Spaniard failing to turn around the Gunners’ fortunes, with the mood at the club at an all-time low. 

So, what exactly has changed in the year since Mikel Arteta was appointed? Let’s take a look at the highs and the lows of the former midfield general’s time at the helm so far. 

The new boss creates a culture clash 

From day one, Arteta looked to put his own stamp on the Arsenal dressing room, and set to work on changing the club from the inside out. 

The club was rotting from the core, with confidence lacking throughout the side (sound familiar?), and the effervescent, free-flowing football we had all become so used to from the Gunners a thing of the past. 

The whole side had gone stale, with results tailing off and performances becoming less and less coherent, with the club sitting 10th in the table when the Spaniard took over, and his early words as Arsenal head honcho sounded like he meant business. 

"I want people to take responsibility for their jobs and I want people who deliver passion and energy in the football club,” Arteta said. 

“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.” 

And after such a strong opening message, the Spaniard couldn’t go back on his word, meaning fallouts with a number of stars in the past 12 months, including Matteo Guendouzi and Mesut Ozil. 

The former seemed to be becoming a lynchpin in the Gunners’ midfield, with his energetic and combative performances earning him plaudits from supporters and pundits alike, as he gave the Arsenal side the spark in the centre of the park they had been crying out for. 

We were all aware of the Frenchman’s darker side on the field, with his theatrics and temper a prominent feature in his game, but something that could be overlooked as long as he kept producing the goods and the side kept getting results. 

But a red card for grabbing Neal Maupay round the throat in a 2-1 defeat to Brighton in June was a step to far in the eyes of his coach, with the 21-year-old not playing for the club since, having been swiftly farmed out to Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga. 

It is a similar story for Ozil, who has been bombed out of the Arsenal side for this season, having not been included in either the Premier League or Europa League squad that Arteta named earlier in the year. 

The signs don’t come much clearer that the new boss doesn’t want the German involved in the team, but to what cost did his own stubbornness cost the Gunners this season? As they lack a creative spark that the former Real Madrid man has so often provided in seasons gone by. 

So yes, the culture may have changed in the Arsenal dressing room, but has it been for the better? Recent history suggests no, with results being as bad as ever, and a leaky defence and shot-shy attack contributing to spineless performances on the field. 

FA Cup final gives flicker of hope 

To give the Spaniard his due, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom over the Emirates in the past 12 months, with the balmy summer of football producing reasons for optimism around the club. 

A first FA Cup victory since Arsene Wenger left the club was secured on the first day of August at Wembley, as the Gunners overcame Chelsea thanks to a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to help them come from behind. 

Christian Pulisic had opened the scoring for Frank Lampard’s side early in the game, before Arsenal produced the sort of tenacious performance that has been so lacking in recent months to turn the game on its head. 

The Gabonese striker was as red-hot as the day itself in the furnace that was Wembley Stadium in summer, as he levelled the scores from the spot having been bought down in the penalty area, before producing an exquisite finish to put the Gunners ahead just after the hour mark. 

The silverware went some way to rescuing a season that culminated in Arsenal finishing eighth in the Premier League, with results picking up under their new boss in the new year - the Gunners had the sixth best record in the league after his appointment until the end of the season. 

The cup final victory also secured European football for another season, with a place in the Europa League group stage secured, while also filling the Gunners with confidence heading into the new season. 

Four weeks later and Arteta had secured his second piece of silverware as Gunners boss, with the Community Shield taking its place in the trophy cabinet after seeing off Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties at Wembley. 

Arsenal looked up for the fight at the national stadium, with Aubameyang producing another bit of quality to open the scoring with a strike from outside the area, before Takumi Minamino levelled for the Reds. 

After keeping their nerve in the shootout, it was two victories out of two at Wembley for the new boss, who looked to be riding into the new campaign on the crest of a wave, with the confidence oozing out of his side. 

Calamitous campaign can’t carry on 

But from that point at the end of August, things have taken a downturn as quickly as the weather around the Emirates, with the bright sunshine and hope of summer erased and replaced with the dreariness of winter that we know find ourselves in. 

After three wins out of four to begin the new campaign, it looked as if fortunes had turned around, and Arsenal had finally turned a corner under their new boss. 

But since the 2-1 victory over Sheffield United at the start of October things have turned sour, with Arteta failing to find a winning formula with his side, and the goals of Aubameyang and Lacazette drying up, resulting in just one win in their last ten Premier League matches. 

A lack of discipline has also cost the Gunners dear, with Nicolas Pepe, Granit Xhaka and Gabriel all seeing red in the past few weeks, leaving Arsenal thin on the ground heading into the frantic festive period. 

The one saving grace from this season could be the cup competitions, with Europa League qualification to the knockout phases secured, while tonight’s Carabao Cup clash with Manchester City could help matters if Arsenal secure a victory. 

But with a lack of firepower and a lack of creativity higher up the field, Arteta has his work cut out this season, as he struggles to shift water from the sinking ship. 

As much as Arsenal don’t want to turn into a team that chops and changes its manager every other month, this current slide will become too alarming to ignore if things continue the way they have been. 

It is a crucial couple of weeks ahead, with Chelsea on Boxing Day before a double-header against Brighton and West Brom to look forward to, and if results don’t turn around through those three fixtures, it will be hard to see a future for the Spaniard at the Emirates in the new year. 

January could be make or break for this football club, do you allow the current boss to bring in some new recruits and offload the deadwood, to let him further put his footprint on the side, or do you allow a new boss to make his mark straight away? 

It’s a crucial decision for the owners to make at such a pivotal point in the season, but one that will have such long-lasting effects on the plight of Arsenal in the future.

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