Could Arsenal have mirrored Chelsea’s success if they'd swapped managers this season?

Mikel Arteta

Could Arsenal have mirrored Chelsea’s success if they'd swapped managers this season?

In January, the hierarchies at both Arsenal and Chelsea faced decisions on whether to stick or twist.

Both capital heavyweights were being managed by popular former midfielders who looked slightly out of their depth in the dugout, or perhaps had simply been promoted to the top job too soon in their fledgling managerial careers.

Chelsea, as is custom under Roman Abramovich, threw sentiment out the window and opted to pull the trigger - just over three months later, they have a Champions League final to look forward to and are set to finish in the top four.

Arsenal, on the other hand, kept faith with Mikel Arteta - and are staring in the face of a first season without European football for 25 years.

Was Chelsea's ruthlessness a lesson to Arsenal? 

CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

It's easy to forget now, given how the season has panned out, but Arsenal were showing signs of improvement when Chelsea disposed of Lampard.

Indeed, the 3-1 victory over Southampton the day after the England legend was given his marching orders saw the Gunners leapfrog their London rivals in the table.

In terms of timing, then, it would have made little sense to sack Arteta just as he looked to be arresting the slide - while the club's Europa League run was also buying him time.

It must also be considered that, as Tottenham are currently discovering, neither North London club is a particularly attractive proposition for top-class managers at this moment in time.

Spurs sacked Mourinho to be led by a 29-year-old novice and their search for a replacement is hitting the buffers. If Arsenal had given Arteta the boot and failed to land their chosen replacement, would they really have been better off with Steve Round or another member of the backroom team?

HE SHOULD HAVE GONE

The flip side, of course, is that Arteta could - and many would argue should - have gone way before the mini-revival in the New Year.

No Arsenal side should reach Christmas down in 15th, far closer to relegation than Europe, and realistically the Spaniard could have had few complaints if Arsenal had chosen to make a change.

What could have happened had they done so is all hypothetical but Chelsea's fortunes are a lesson that sometimes it pays to be ruthless.

Yes, Arsenal's results picked up in the New Year - they could hardly have got much worse - but performances have quickly reverted to type, particularly over the course of some truly dismal home games.

The Europa League semi-final second leg summed it up, a powderpuff goalless draw in the biggest game of the season. It's hard not to look at that game and wonder what impact a different manager would have made.

STICK OR TWIST?

All the signs are that Arteta will be given the summer to rebuild and in truth, he's fortunate to have that opportunity.

But for every Chelsea improving after sacking a manager, there's a Manchester United who have impressed after keeping faith in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Spaniard knows he cannot afford another season anything like this one but sometimes patience is a virtue. Let's trust the process and see where it takes us.

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