Will Mikel Arteta survive another trophyless season at Arsenal?

Mikel Arteta is under no pressure at Arsenal but will it be the same next summer if he fails to win a trophy again?
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How much longer should Arteta get at Arsenal?
I think Arsenal fans should be very happy with how their season ended, progress made and a rampaging end to the season. While United fans can rightly praise their team for a great final victory against the Death Star after a torrid season. Just as City fans can be happy they won the league in record fashion, LFC fans for returning to the CL, Villa fans for making it and Forest/Everton fans for staying up. Kudos too for the Palace, Fulham, Wolves and Bournemouth fans on respectable seasons.
That said, there is some perspective needed. While Arsenal’s achievement is great, I reckon one more top-four finish and no trophies, and they will be calling for Arteta to go. That will be his sixth season, close to a Billion spent, with the first season FA Cup win being his only major trophy – one secured with the ‘toxic players’ Arsenal fans praise him for ditching (same for the Community Shield).
His second season saw him take his team from 8th and an FA cup win to 8th and early exits from domestics completions and a Europa League semi defeat to their former – and current Villa – manager. His third season would see him get to 5th, again, with no silverware. “Progress” is what I heard from them then. If that’s the case, then you’d be exuberant with what ETH has done in just two years and the challenges faced (at least Arteta’s problematic players won him a trophy).
People also forget LFC after two and a half years; Klopp achieved 3 lost finals, 8th, 4th and 4th again. That’s what “aura” buys you time for, according to a Chicken. Better than Arteta but worse than ETH. Pep’s City would get top four and little else in his first season, and complete a domestic treble in his second season. Much better, but do recall this was a club set up for him both above and on the pitch before his arrival, and was then supplemented with world record fees for a GK, LB, RB, CB amongst others in his second season.
What Arsenal did this year is great, but do keep in mind that LFC just transitioned their midfield, Villa transitioned into a good team, United, Spurs, Newcastle, and Chelsea are all in transition too, while you guys are in the final stage. With City on a potential dip (or worse), next year may be your best – and Arteta’s last – shot.
I’d also try remember how an injury to just Saliba was used as an excuse for why 22/23 left you trophy-less, while many of you are on the bandwagon that “injuries shouldn’t matter” when it comes to ETH losing 3/4 of his entire defense for most of the season. Same for City fans, when they say “Rodri missed 4 games and City lost 3 of them – that’s show how important he is” and LFC fans when VDV was injured and you became the first reigning champions to lose five straight home games. No “No excuses. It’s the tactics and the coach’s fault” once hammered by the media for any of them.
I think it’s ETH being so good – and not bad – that is why so many opposition fans want him out, and why their talking heads in the media push such toxic, hyperbolic and frankly psychotic vitriol his way. He’s beaten all of them, and I’m pretty sure every other English club and fan would love to say “8th was their lowest ever EPL finish” and “we’ve won the more trophies than any other English club bar City in the past two years”.
Calvino (Welcome back Saints, well earned return. Well done as well to Martin, who’s now won as many finals as Arteta)
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…See the Arsenal top 4 trophy is alive and kicking lol.
Painful truth is, in the near and distant future, no one remembers anyone but the winners.
And whatever moron said top 4 is better than winning an a real competition, let alone the oldest snd most storied, shame on you. How do you have time to mail in Arsene?
Final point, a top 4 finish is only as good as the next year’s performance in the CL.
If you stink, what was the point? To enjoy getting battered?
Just ask United fans whether they enjoyed winning the fa Cup this season or our champions league ‘performance’?
Winning always wins,
Soz arse.
Alexander Moses
We don’t yet know if Arsenal or Man Utd had better season
There are a couple of items that I wanted to bring up regarding whether Arsenal or Manchester United have had a better season. The question of whether Arsenal or United had a better season is one that would probably best be answered retrospectively, perhaps in 1-2 years’ time & based on how the clubs react to their fortunes.
If the Arsenal players let the disappointment of this season affect them negatively, the club doesn’t properly address its issues, & as a result the club has an inferior season, for example, finishing fourth, getting out of the Champions League last 16 (against Bayern Munich!), & winning nothing whereas United build on their FA cup success by addressing their problems, have a better season, for example, finishing third, winning the Europa League, & have another good cup run, possibly winning a Carabao/FA Cup, then United would have had a much better season.
On the other hand, if Arsenal build on their season by, for example, winning the league & getting further in the cups & the Champions League whereas United use & abuse this win to paper over the cracks, not change their ways, & ignore the fact that they had a poor season that leads to a bad or worse 2024-2025 season (e.g., a mid-table finish & a disastrous Europa League campaign, with no honors), then this would be a poor season for them as one good result has been used to gloss over very clear problems.
In fact, this was the case with Arsenal in 2017, where they finished fifth for the first time in many years & got humiliated 10-2 by Bayern Munich, but then proceeded to beat the league winners Chelsea in a one-off game. Arsene Wenger got a new contract (where really, he should have left c. 2010 as by that time, the club was clearly stagnating on many levels) & it was as if those severe setbacks were forgotten. The following season, the club proceeded to finish 6th (with only a reasonable home form saving them from mid-table), get out of the Europa League, & show clear signs of decline, winning nothing (except for a Community Shield), leading to Arsene Wenger’s departure.
As an Arsenal fan, I hope at the very least Arsenal learn from their mistakes & the players give everything they have to improve on this season. Without thinking of silverware for the moment, some realistic expectations would be breaking the 90-point mark in the league (which would likely lead to the title, but with Manchester City…maybe not).
In addition, knocking out a proper European heavyweight (in my opinion, something that hasn’t happened since 2008 against AC Milan, which is a major stain on the club’s prestige) & to get to at least the Champions League semi-final would signify progress. Avoiding an April-May collapse again would signify that the club has started overcoming bad habits that have plagued them for many years. Along with those, going further in the cups would also signify progress. Whether that leads to silverware, is another question (it would be very unfortunate if not in such a scenario).
Naturally, it would be great for them to win something & every reasonable person affiliated with the club would want this. Note however, in terms of tangibles, remember also that financially, getting a Champions League place makes them better-placed to address key weaknesses in the squad (such as a bloated squad that needs better cover in several positions, with about 10 players seeing little to no playing time, the need for an alternative attacking option, & several players who get overplayed). World-class players may be more attracted to a club with stability, a winning desire, & a good foundation to one that has uncertain foundations, potential instability, no Champions League football, but has won a cup.
Years ago, Arsenal were mocked for repeatedly qualifying for the Champions League, but doing very little else, apart from a few cup wins. During the last few years under Arsene Wenger, this contempt was justified since the club was losing its competitiveness & seemed overly complacent in their position. Under Arteta, there are positive signs that this is changing, though it remains to be seen how he, his staff, & players carry on. In any case, it is more interesting to watch than in years gone by.
Mamoon
📣TO THE COMMENTS! Did Arsenal or Man Utd have the better season? Join the debate here
Yet another person suggests AWB at centre-half
I’ve watched United a lot this season thanks to my housemate being a United fan.
I noticed something over the season. Wan-Bissaka plays at right back, now his skill set is he’s an excellent one on one defender who can mark and head, but his passing crossing and general forward play is weak…
Another thing is United are really lacking a mobile, good heading one on one defender to play centre back…seems easier and cheaper to replace a right back rather than a centre back so why not shift him to CB to replace the departing Frenchman?
Lee
Adieu Martial
So amongst all the chit chat and nonsense surrounding Ten Hag, there are players who are leaving. I’m sad that Varane and Martial are leaving in particular. Not sad because I think we should keep either necessarily, just regret. Both are fantastic players on their day when fully fit. I think we’ve done well with Varane to an extent – he played a decent number of games and was clearly a class act; I understand that he’s a high earner and isn’t always fit but he and Martinez were clearly our best pair of CBs as shown in the FA Cup final. I’d be happy for him to stay another season but I also understand they want to reduce wages to spend on someone with more future ahead of them, which is fine. It would have been good to have had him younger and fitter but c’est la vie.
Martial leaving is mostly just regret. Regret that he never fulfilled his potential, regret that injuries plagued his career, regret that maybe he didn’t have the mental fortitude to play at the highest level and regret that perhaps other managers exacerbated these (looking at you Solskjaer).
When he was fit, he was our best striker and I still think that he is the best finisher at the club though the competition is less impressive now than previously. He had the ability to just glide past players and roll the ball past the keeper. He hardly ever scored outside of the box, but he didn’t have to. When given proper service he was lethal.
It’s a shame he was more fragile than rice paper in water. From some accounts, it does not sound like playing while injured helped him especially under Solskjaer.I hope he does go somewhere where the game is a bit less intense and he can recover and find some form again and enjoy football.
So Varane and Martial, adieu et bon chance!
Daniel, Cambridge
When even your brackets are long-winded…
Of course, fans of other teams getting riled up and overreacting to whatever bait is thrown in their direction is all part of the beautiful petty tribalism of football. Not surprising that a couple of Arsenal fans bit over the last 48 hours. Less surprising again that one of them was MAW, LA Gooner.
He’s outdone himself in the long-winded stakes here though, with a set of brackets that ran to three bloody sentences. Brevity is wit my man!
Pablo, MUFC, Dublin (This is how it’s done)