Despite being second in the league and almost through to the quarterfinals in the Champions League, some Arsenal fans are still unhappy with Mikel Arteta, and former Arsenal player Jeremie Aliadiere has asked the fans to have some patience with the Spaniard.
Arsenal have been close to finally getting the Premier League trophy they want so badly two years in a row, but both years Manchester City ended up winning.
This season, Liverpool look strong, and they are heavy favourites to take the title. The Reds are in first and are 13 points from Arsenal in second. This has disappointed some Arsenal fans as they were looking to finally lift the trophy again for the first time in two decades, especially as Man City have played below their usual level this season.
Jeremie Aliadiere understands why the supporters might be disappointed, however he is very pleased with what Arteta has done with the squad.
Arteta is doing an amazing job
Aliadiere praises Arteta for his work, but he also says he understands how football is all about winning trophies. To help Arsenal succeed with this goal, Aliadiere is urging the club to help Arteta by buying the manager some new players.
“I think football these days is all about results and winning trophies, but unfortunately Arsenal have only been so close in the Premier League the last couple of seasons, so I think the fans are expecting to challenge and hopefully win it.”
“From my point of view, what Mikel Arteta has done, and how he has gotten the club back into such a great position and challenging again. You know, three or four years ago, we would never have dreamed about it, so what he has done is absolutely amazing, so I am not calling for him to leave.”
“He is doing a great job with the players he has got, but maybe we have realised now that we need a bit of help. We need more players to compete and challenge again. I do think that Arteta has done an amazing job making Arsenal title contenders again, so I am happy with him and his work, but of course the fans would love to win a title again soon.”
Football Fans are impatient
We all know the feeling. We want our team to win trophies and we want it to happen as soon as possible, but Aliadiere feels that football fans might be a bit too impatient.
“Fans are impatient, and Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League since I was in the team, which tells you how long ago it was. I do understand they want to win the Premier League. I do as well, but it is really tough, and many teams are spending a lot of money making their team stronger.”
“It doesn´t look good at the moment and they have dropped too many points, so obviously fans are disappointed and angry about it, I guess. But even Man City has dropped a bit this season, so it can happen to the best teams and managers. What Arteta has done is amazing.”
Arsenal have been unlucky
Aliadiere thinks the Arsenal fans have a good point when they state the fact that the club has been a bit unlucky, and in particular, he believes some of the VAR decisions haven’t gone Arsenal’s way.
“I think Arsenal have been quite unlucky with the VAR decisions in particular. Injuries have been a massive factor as well, and Arsenal basically have nobody up front. Not many on the bench can come on and change the game, so of course there is some luck for Liverpool as well because Arsenal have been dealing with that.”
“Arteta had no choice and he had to play with the same team and players again and again, and I do understand that, but somebody like Havertz and Saka who has played so many games, in the end the muscles will get affected and injuries will happen.”
“I think they could need more players, especially on the bench to give Arteta more options to rest players.”
I can’t name a single manager I would rather have
Aliadiere can’t come up with a single name he would rather have than Arteta when looking at potential replacements for Arteta if he were to leave or be sacked. He believes Arteta is the perfect manager for Arsenal.
“To be honest, I have never thought about who the ideal replacement would be for Arteta. To me, it seems so unrealistic that he leaves. I just can’t see him going. He is such a young manager but still has a lot of experience. It is incredible.”
“I can’t name you a single manager who I would like instead of him. Would a big name manager be able to come to Arsenal and do a better job? I don’t really know. For me, I just think Arteta is the right person for the job.”
“Also, I don’t know any manager who I think is good enough, who is available. The thing is as well is that if Arsenal decide to get a new manager, then he needs to go in straight away and win the Premier League, and we know how tough that is.”
Arne Slot is a unique case
Aliadiere points out that there is far from any guarantee that a new manager would be able to come to Arsenal and do a better job than Arteta, and he mentions Arne Slot as quite a unique case. Liverpool have performed extremely well in his first season, but the foundations were there for him after Jurgen Klopp left.
“There is no guarantee, and it would be impossible for a new manager to guarantee that he can win the Premier League.”
“What Arne Slot has done is absolutely amazing, but I think Jurgen Klopp gave him a good platform to deliver. There has been a bit of luck, players are also performing very well, being consistent and not being injured. It’s the small details which have made it a successful season.”
Arsenal should not listen to opposition fans
Aliadiere believes that some of the negative talk has actually come from people outside of the Arsenal fan base, as he feels that opposition fans want to see the Gunners struggle.
“People that are not Arsenal fans or Arsenal people will try to fuel the fire by taking a dig at the club. They are trying to find all different types of things around Arteta and what he is doing.”
“A lot of people are just loving to talk about Arsenal.”
“Man United fans are jealous of course, because Arsenal are back competing and they are still struggling. They are just trying to find everything to drag Arsenal down on their level, but that is just football unfortunately.”
“They just have to try not to focus that much on it, and I think Arteta has been brilliant at making a big bubble around the players and the club, just focussing on what they can control and achieve.”
