So, What Next?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results…

Mikel Arteta is an intelligent man but when Arsenal tweeted their team sheet last night, it looked like the work of a stubborn man. Losing a game is fine. Losing five is also okay. Losing seven is uncomfortable, but playing the same under-performing players in hope is sheer stupidity! Arsenal’s team sheet last night was a product of unimaginable idiocy topped with dollops of stubbornness.

Arteta is going down, he’s going down fast. In fact, he’s going down faster than Unai Emery. And that takes some doing, especially after delivering silverware within just six months in charge. His arrival was a breath of fresh air: Arsenal’s found a man with ideas, a philosophy but most importantly, a man with principles. His attention to detail was startling, his ‘non-negotiables’ talk shook the entire fan base. “If they want to jump on the boat they are more than welcome,” – hell yeah! He threw out Matteo Guendouzi for his indiscipline – “well done!” the fans applauded. He sent Lucas Torreira off to Atleti – “he’s getting us Partey!”, they rejoiced. He left Mesut Ozil in the freezer, eh! Okay, back the manager, trust the process. He promised big, delivered instantly. He was the new Noah and was building his own Ark.

But surely it feels like the Titanic now! The boat’s got hole all over and Arteta has no clue which one to fix first. Arsenal can’t win games, they can’t score goals but they have a bigger issue raising its ugly head — the Gunners have a discipline problem. It’s been simmering for sometime but it boiled over during the Burnley game. Granit Xhaka picking up a booking isn’t news – put a pacey player in the midfield and the Swiss captain will be drawn into a mind-numbing challenge. He’s slow, he’s clumsy and even has a twitter handle dedicated to his affinity to yellow cards but grabbing an opponent by the neck after committing a silly foul is simply unacceptable. What’s worse is Arteta’s cagey stance over it – “I think being unacceptable doing that action is because the players are in a moment where they are so willing to do more, to fight more, to show how committed they are, to be alive in the games, that on this occasion Granit has overstepped the line,” 

A couple of weeks ago, Nicholas Pepe did the exact same thing and drew immense wrath from the manager. Pepe was stupid but his actions against Leeds surprised everyone. But Xhaka is a disaster waiting to happen and Arteta refuses to acknowledge it. The big names have a free pass under him. He has refused to strike them down and backed them to the hilt. In return, they have taken him for a ride. He’s let it slide for too long and now, there are reports of dressing room unrest and the youngsters are taking the mickey on Instagram. 

He’s a first-time manager and surely deserves a bit of empathy, a bit more support, a slightly longer rope. The Arsenal fans don’t want Arteta to be shown the door either. A few are desperate for him to succeed because he’s managing this giant mess called The Arsenal Football Club. It’s not supposed to be easy. But was it supposed to be this hard? It shouldn’t have. Arteta would’ve retained the fans had he stuck to his principles. He would’ve been in a much better place had he not negotiated with his non-negotiables. 

So, what next? Arsenal have hit rock bottom and Arteta is clueless. He’s got his back to the wall and all he can do now is come out fighting. He needs to trust his intelligence, acknowledge his mistakes, throw in the kids, drop the under-performers and for heaven’s sake, sell the deadwood in January. But most importantly, he needs to win the fans back. and for that, the Arsenal manager needs to take off his Willian-tinted glasses, enforce discipline and get his house in order.