Mikel Arteta is currently the manager of Arsenal Football Club. He is also a former player and captain of the team. During his five-year tenure at Arsenal, he successfully led the club to two FA Cup victories as a player.
Arteta’s contributions to Arsenal make him undeniably a legend. He guided the team to their first title contention in over a decade, and in his second season as a manager, he secured the FA Cup and the Community Shield for Arsenal. Furthermore, he achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first individual to win the FA Cup both as a player and a manager. In this article, we’ll look at how his career played out at Arsenal.
Arteta’s Career as an Arsenal Player
In August 2011, Arteta signed a £10 million deal with Arsenal. Over the course of five seasons, Arteta emerged as one of Arsenal’s most influential players under the management of Arsene Wenger. He played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s back-to-back FA Cup victories in 2014 and 2015. Moreover, he had the honor of captaining the team in the 2014 FA Cup final. Additionally, Arsenal clinched the FA Community Shield in those years, a competition contested between the Premier League winners and the FA Cup winners.
Throughout his time at Arsenal, Arteta made a total of 150 appearances, contributing with 16 goals and 9 assists.
Arteta’s Managerial Career at Arsenal
After his retirement as a player, Arteta made a comeback to Arsenal as the club’s coach in December 2019. His appointment came in response to Arsenal’s underwhelming performance under the previous manager, Unai Emery. Prior to joining Arsenal, Arteta had served as an assistant to Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola. Arsenal’s decision to hire him as their manager in 2019 reflected their confidence in his abilities.
Initial Success
In his inaugural season as Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta achieved victory in the FA Cup by defeating Chelsea 2-1 in the final. He also showcased his prowess by triumphing over his former mentor, Pep Guardiola, in the semi-final with a 2-0 win. In the subsequent season, Arteta’s team continued their success by securing the FA Community Shield, prevailing over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool with a 5-4 penalty shootout. Notably, Arteta’s accomplishment marked the first time since the 1986-87 season that an Arsenal coach or manager had clinched a major trophy in their debut season in charge.
Weathering Challenges and Struggles for Success
After experiencing early success as Arsenal’s manager, the team endured a significant decline in form at the start of the 2020 Premier League season. Many fans voiced their demand for Mikel Arteta to be sacked as Arsenal’s manager, with some expressing concerns that the team was merely fighting to avoid relegation. However, the management maintained their belief in Arteta’s capabilities and chose to retain him, entrusting him to carry out his duties.
Furthermore, Arsenal suffered an exit from the Europa League in the semi-final stage, facing elimination at the hands of Villarreal led by their former manager, Unai Emery. The disappointing outcome added to the challenges faced by Arteta and his team.
In terms of league performance, Arteta’s Arsenal concluded the season in 8th place in the English Premier League, thus ending their 25-year streak of participating in European competitions. Arsenal’s campaign was marred by 13 defeats and conceding 39 goals in the Premier League.
Additionally, the team failed to defend their FA Cup title, bowing out of the competition in the fourth round against Southampton. Consequently, Arteta’s Arsenal concluded the season without securing any silverware.
During this period, Arteta also encountered issues with the club captain, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Due to Aubameyang’s repeated tardiness for training and violation of disciplinary procedures, Arteta made the decision to strip him of the captaincy. Aubameyang, upon leaving Arsenal, expressed in an interview that Arteta struggled to handle strong personalities and prominent players.
Navigating Challenges, Europa League Bound
Following Arsenal’s exclusion from European competitions for the 2021 season, Arteta faced the substantial task of guiding the team back to contention. Arsenal made efforts to challenge for a top-four finish in order to qualify for the Champions League. However, these aspirations were shattered by a 3-0 defeat to their North London rivals, Tottenham, and subsequent losses to Newcastle.
Though Arsenal emerged victorious in their final match against Everton, their efforts fell short of securing a Champions League spot. As a result, Arsenal experienced their fifth consecutive season without qualification for the UEFA Champions League or a top-four finish. Consequently, they settled for fifth place and participation in the Europa League.
While Arsenal did not qualify for the UEFA Champions League in the 2021 season, Arteta successfully steered the team to secure a place in the Europa League.
Promising Start, Title Challenge, and Heartbreak
Following a disappointing 2021 season that saw Arsenal fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, Mikel Arteta’s team made an impressive comeback with a strong start to the 2022 Premier League season. They achieved five consecutive victories in the opening matches before facing a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United.
Under Arteta’s guidance, Arsenal developed a talented group of young players who excelled in the 2022 Premier League season and posed a challenge for the title. The current Arsenal squad has an average age of 25.2 years, with emerging talents such as Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Eddie Nketiah showcasing their abilities and making notable contributions throughout the season.
Maintaining their form, Arsenal remained atop the Premier League table for an impressive 248 days, firmly in contention for the title. However, the team suffered crucial defeats in matches that could have determined the outcome of the league championship. They faced losses against their title rivals, Manchester City, both at home and away. Additionally, their hopes of securing the Premier League title were officially dashed with a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, a team fighting to avoid relegation.
Conclusion
Arteta’s accomplishments as a former player for Arsenal, as well as his current role as manager, have firmly established him as a legendary figure within the club. His adept handling of internal matters and willingness to part ways with
players lacking discipline have resulted in the development of an exceptional young team that successfully challenged for the Premier League title. This feat is particularly noteworthy considering the formidable competition posed by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who ultimately went on to achieve a remarkable treble. Arsenal also won the FA Cup and Community Shield under him. He also won two consecutive FA Cups as a player for Arsenal. His achievements are truly impressive and worthy of legendary status at a club.
