But of course that’s not the point; it’s a cover-up. Arteta signed on 20 December 2019 when Arsenal were exactly halfway down the league. He kept the team in the top ten of the league while totally rebuilding the side and journalists mocked him. He delivered more points per game, more goals per game scored, and fewer goals per game conceded from the off.
But it was a slow process… at least for the first couple of seasons – although there was clear progress. More goals were scored, generally fewer goals were conceded (although not always) and more points were gained – until this last season when the physical assaults by the opposition took over. But certainly, there was an inexorable glide upwards overall.
F A Pts PPG Pos
2019/20 (hybrid) 56 48 56 1.52
2020–21 55 39 61 1.6
2021–22 61 48 69 1.82
2022–23 88 43 84 2.21
2023–24 91 29 89 2.34
2024–25 69 34 74 1.95
And there is a point there, because although last season was not at the level of the previous two, even with all those injuries, it was still way above 2021/22.
What Arsenal had and have, and Man U, despite everything, don’t have is the media on their back. Take this: “For Arsenal, it feels like any early setback has the potential to cause an implosion as the frustrations of the past few years spill over.” That’s a good summary of the media position. No evidence for that. But all the statement misses is the final clause, “…. because of the relentless attack on the club by journalists and the fans who follow their lead.”
Put another way, the immediate expectation upon Arteta, generated by the media and supported by some pack-following supporters, is to prove he can be a Premier League winner. The immediate expectation upon Amorim is to prove he is a Premier League-standard middle-of-the-table manager.
Yet the reality is that Arteta has already worked miracles. The three seasons before he arrived the final positions were fifth, sixth and fifth. And at least one paper recognises that “if United reach Arsenal’s current level in the next five years – absorbing three successive seasons competing for the title – Amorim will have performed brilliantly well.”
But the netativists are out to get Arteta, and there is always the danger he will eventually think, “what must it be like to work for a club where so-called fans and all the media are not out to get you all the time?”