Mikel Arteta’s tenure as Arsenal boss is coming to an end, according to one former player. The Gunners had held hopes of ending a two-decade-long wait for a league title this season, but with nine matches left to play, trail leaders Liverpool by 12 points.
Exactly where things went wrong in the league this season is a question the Arsenal management team, players and fans will be asking. Needless red cards in the early part of the season cost them in several matches, whereas after the new year, injuries have been a major factor in Arsenal’s decline.
Regardless, it’s another season that looks like coming and going without a league title for the north Londoners - something that former Arsenal ace Emmanuel Petit doesn’t believe is good enough. Speaking to YaySweepstakes.com, the Frenchman explained: “He’s going into his sixth full season as Arsenal manager, he has improved a lot and he has my full respect as do his staff. The identity and the mentality have been transformed, the DNA on and off the pitch.”
He continued: “I thank Mikel for what he has done, but we are reaching the end of his story at Arsenal. The energy is no longer there and something is missing through no fault of his own, I think it’s down to lacking the right squad to do what he wants to do. Look at when William Saliba was missing in the title race, when it gets down to these pivotal moments, they lack the options, the story keeps on repeating itself.
“I won’t point the finger at Arteta, the staff have improved collectively. But fighting to be a champion you need the tools to do it, the depth and quality are not right despite the chances to make it right. It looks like history will keep repeating itself.”
Despite their disappointment in the Premier League, weirdly, this could still prove one of, if not the, greatest seasons in Arsenal’s history. They face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals - a tie that if they manage to get through would put them in a stellar position to win their first-ever European Cup.
Arteta and co. welcome Real Madrid to the Emirates Stadium for the first leg on April 8, before travelling to the Spanish capital for the return fixture a week later. It’s been 16 years since Arsenal last reached the semi-finals of Europe’s most prestigious club competition.