Mikel Arteta: Great Coach but not Manager?

Having reviewed each club’s season, graded every Gunner individually and reflected on our campaign now is the time to give feedback on our manager.

Long term readers will know that as far back to the ‘Wenger in / out debate’ I was not emotionally connected as I don’t believe we will  win another title under the current ownership. When you feel that way who is the manager is kind of irrelevant. I long said only when Mr Wenger left North London would we realise how hard it was to ‘only’ finish in the top 4 working for employers with zero ambition. I like Mikel Arteta. I believe our former captain cares about the club and wants to be the man to end our Prem drought. Yet in any company standards start at the very top and trickle down. Why do you think some Gooners feel that 2nd should be applauded or be seen as an accomplishment? That’s how they have been educated to think since the Kroenke Family first had power at our club.

Is Arteta doing what’s expected, or settling?

Arteta’s contract was first extended without his bosses even knowing what UEFA competition we would be in. His reward for consecutive runner up finishes was a dramatic pay rise. If you go to work and your boss starts paying you more that’s a sign he / she is happy with your performance. It’s hard to be critical of the Spaniard’s body of work if he’s meeting the job specification set out to him. Of course the Kroenke Family would prefer their teams to lift trophies but that’s not crucial towards the business model of any of the franchises in their sports portfolio. They own various institutions who make money off the brand not success. Even if they employ someone with aspirations to be more than that how much are you going to argue if you’re the third highest paid Football coach in the world? They did the same with Mr Wenger, making  him rich by being their shield. So you could say 7 years after the most stressful successful manager in our history was forced out, we have gone full circle. A club who accept not winning but tell themselves life could be worse than getting Champions League revenue. The only difference in 2025 is some supporters have been manipulated into accepting this. Ironically the very same people who hounded out Mr Wenger. Which from a business point of view is genius. Not just do you get your customers paying over the odds for tickets and merchandise despite 21 years without a Prem they are now telling each other this isn’t so bad. So for the last 6 years, no I never pictured the Prem being lifted at the Emirates. A cup?  Of course. But the idea of the Gunners being consistent enough over a 38 game period and get over the line? Those in power don’t want it enough. They are not prepared to do what it takes and don’t understand that in this sport you can’t stand still. So I guess I never really felt the need to take the time to question – is Mikel Arteta at the level to win a title?

The difference between a coach and a manager

My opinion is the 43 year old is a brilliant coach but I’m not sure he’s a brilliant manager. There’s a difference. I didn’t come to that conclusion until this season meaning I’m losing faith in him the longer he’s in the job. Based purely on his coaching I believe he’s one of the best in the division. You can understand why Pep Guardiola loved having him as his assistant. Both have attention to detail bordering on obsessive . He was a great part of Man City’s staff if you want someone to talk about percentages and odds. At the Ethiad apparently his strengths were working with talent on a 1-1, identifying their weaknesses and exemplifying their strengths. Only if they want to listen though and only if they suit his ethos . That’s an example of the difference between a great coach and a manager. How many contracts did Mr Wenger pay to rip up? How many loans were arranged just to get individuals off the wage bill? Because the very best managers know how to act around people. How many who worked with Mr Wenger described him as a father figure, yet never being confrontational, trusting his squad to solve problems yet ensuring they stuck by his principles? Henry explained on the Overlap Mr Wenger having this aura where you would walk into his office ready to say one thing then walking out thinking the opposite. The media are another group you need to manage . The irony being that post PSG , in an attempt to argue why his team had been the better side over two legs and the best in Europe,  Arteta instead offered evidence why he might not be the man to make that into a reality. The ex midfielder spoke about probability. That if you keep recording the stats we do consistently the cream will eventually rise to the top . My fear is he believes this and lacks the ability to self reflect. Defensively he has improved us so dramatically that we can now go away from home and grind out narrow wins. Yet he needs to be able to recognise that we have gone too conservative. He needs to listen to how quiet the Emirates has gone this season and take accountability, the audience is not always entertained.