How low will Arsenal’s owner let the club go?

 

Arsenal 0 Burnley 1

Premier League

Sunday 13th December 2020, 7.15pm

When I was a child, I have a vivid memory of a Sunday evening routine. I had a bath, then wearing a dressing gown would watch Esther Rantzen’s ‘That’s Life!’ (consumer rights come light entertainment) program on BBC1 whilst eating a packet of crisps and drinking a cup of tea. I did actually like the show (I was maybe 12 years old), although there was a general feeling of the end of the good times on Sunday evening, as Monday morning would be a return to school after two days of liberty. So it was a bittersweet experience.

Fast forward to 2020, and young Gooners must dread Sunday evenings. Never mind the prospect of lessons the morning after, it’s the crushing inevitability of Arsenal being defeated in a home match at the Emirates by all and sundry, and a post-match Mikel Arteta interview in which he bemoans the lack of ability of his team to put the ball in the net. It’s pretty grim viewing watching the Gunners on the weekend these days. 

You can see why the club felt it so important to secure the future commitment of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when you see how few goals his colleagues score, but when the main man himself hits a dry run, the consequences are deeply concerning. On top of this we have indiscipline. The multitude of foul throws that have been awarded against Hector Bellerin are an indicator of a lack of professionalism that is costing the club dear. Then we have the likes of Pepe and last night Granit Xhaka putting their egos before the team and receiving cheap red cards. On the upside, we at least don’t have to suffer either player for three subsequent matches and there are doubts about what exactly either do bring to the team. Mohamed Elneny should also have gone after Xhaka for pushing his opponent in the face, but the referee was lenient. Had Arsenal still had a full complement on the pitch, I am sure he would have gone. 

Down to ten men for the last half hour, it meant Arteta’s team had less opportunity to dominate proceedings, and when Aubameyang did finally find the net, it was at the wrong end, a defensive header into his own goal from a Burnley corner. It needs to be said that the home side did create chances, but they were blocked, off target or saved by Nick Pope. They can’t buy a goal these days. Two (one of those a penalty) in their last eight league matches is a shocking statistic, to go alongside the four home defeats in a row. There was a time when away wins at the Emirates were a real shock. We are pretty used to them now. 

Is the lack of goals from Aubameyang the only reason for the decline since those wonderful performances at Wembley – under Arteta’s watch – during the summer? Should a manager allow himself to be so heavily reliant on one player anyway? What about the indiscipline? What are the non-negotiables now? It has the feeling of a club in freefall. Too good to go down? Maybe not on current form, but this will only be allowed to run for so long. Unless there is an upturn, even with the financial belt-tightening, you can’t see the owner giving Arteta too many more matches.

What are the options? Steve Bould coming in to do a handful of games while a replacement is sorted out? We had a vote of confidence in Arteta before the game from Vinai Venkatesham, which feels ominous. Why put that out? As for someone to take over, sometime Gooner contributor Ian Henry suggested Rafa Benitez (although someone else hearing that notion pointed out that he did take Newcastle down). To me it sounded like a good shout. Mauricio Pochettino is another name that is bandied about, although one imagines he is waiting for a bigger job whilst enjoying his pay-off from Spurs. Ever the wit, Doktor Schneide texted me with the idea that Sam Allardyce is the man to ensure the drop to the Championship can be avoided. 

It is such a woeful run that there aren’t too many fans that can see a good argument to retain Arteta. Sure we had the FA Cup at the end of last season, beating two top teams on neutral territory to secure the trophy. But Arsene Wenger did the same in 2017 and the season after was his last. How long can the owner allow this to go on? Poor decisions have been made, not only by Arteta but the executive team. Pepe’s transfer was not under Arteta’s watch, but the decision to extend David Luiz’s deal by another year (although reports claim he has fallen out with the manager now) and to give Willian a well paid three year contract were presumably rubber stamped by the man picking the first team. In mitigation, new signings Gabriel and Thomas Partey do look like quality players, although whether or not Partey can remain fit enough for long enough to save Arteta’s job is another question. 

There is a feeling though, that the manager may have lost the respect of some of the senior players, and in that case, retaining authority becomes a challenge, especially when you consider this is his first job in the role. Is the aggression of the players getting red cards a sign of some kind of misdirected commitment gone over the top as Arteta claims? Cool heads are needed at a time like this, not hot ones. Is that message even being relayed? If yes, it certainly feels like it isn’t getting through.

Arsenal will clamber out of this mess, although in terms of the League it’s difficult to see the season being anything but a write-off, and good reason to blood more of the younger players that have shown potential on Thursday nights. If the team are going to lose matches they shouldn’t, at least use them as a learning curve rather than confirmation that Alex Lacazette was over-priced and can’t pass well enough to pretend he’s Mesut Ozil. Get Smith Rowe in there and let’s see a bit of drive and imagination. 

It’s difficult to say how long Arteta will be given. He’s bought himself a little time with the FA Cup win and a perfect record in Europe this season. The lack of a normal crowd may also help. But it would be remiss of the decision makers at the club not to at least be sounding out potential successors. If the results do not pick up, it is difficult to see Arteta having any influence in the January transfer window, not least because surely he will be released from the post before the end of it. It was interesting to read that Stan Kroenke is the third richest owner in the Premier League – so the club can certainly find money if he is willing to spend it. And replacing a manager isn’t as expensive as buying a player can be. Sure, there is compensation, but no transfer fee for an incoming one, assuming they are not poached. 

Most fans are fed up. A change in the man picking the team looks like the easiest solution. There is no argument that, however imbalanced the squad in terms of dead wood, this group of players should be doing better than 15^th in the division. But how to get them to perform like it? That is the job of Mikel Arteta, and right now, it feels beyond him. His methods seemed to be working until October, but barring one decent performance at Old Trafford, it all seems to be unraveling when the opposition are not from Ireland, Norway or Austria. You get the feeling now that he just wasn’t ready for the job. He might make a great manager one day, but maybe it’s time to consider that this isn't going to happen at Arsenal. 

One thing is certain. He will have to make some changes on Wednesday night. There is no point in playing the likes of Willian and Lacazette, and the suspensions of Bellerin and Xhaka are probably a blessing in disguise. Another home defeat against Southampton – who are doing fairly well this season – would be difficult for Arteta to survive. The first Arsenal match after he was announced as the man to take over from Unai Emery was Everton away in December 2019. What significance that the team travel to Goodison Park on Saturday? 

The TV cameras picked out Per Mertesacker playing a videogame on his phone in the directors’ box during the latter moments of the first half. It was a telling moment about how unwatchable the team is at the moment. 2,000 supporters won the ballot to attend this game. They were indeed supportive, even after the final whistle. Fair play to them for loyalty, but under normal circumstances, the players would have been booed off. In spite of that appreciation for their efforts, the reality is that for Gooners, this is shaping up to be a winter of discontent. Turning this juggernaut around was always going to be a long-term job, but whether or not Mikel Arteta is the man to do it is the question of the day. Right now, it sure doesn’t feel like it.

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