Arsenal: Mikel Arteta needs one thing Unai Emery never had

Unai Emery was the right choice for Arsenal, but now that he’s gone, we have to look at how we can do better with Mikel Arteta. And one area stands out.

When Arsenal appointed Unai Emery, not many people were impressed. They saw it as underwhelming. But when you look at his track record, his style, and the fact that he did take the Gunners on an early 22-match unbeaten run, you have to admit that maybe it was the right appointment after all.

So why, then, is he gone? Why isn’t he still in the manager’s seat? Instead, we have Mikel Arteta set to take the same seat at the same club with the same problems, and my big question—what will be different?

One thing has to be different. It’s a thing that Unai Emery never had and something we have to give Arteta—a chance.

Emery had just over a year to turn around a sinking club laden with a bloated pay structure full of lackadaisical superstars who can’t be bothered to care about the club.

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He had to fail in order to improve, but upon failing, he was cut loose. To be fair, I don’t blame the club. With the toxic and ignorant fanbase, Emery could not have stayed on. That’s why when I say that Arteta needs to be given a fair chance, I’m speaking to the fans far more than I’m speaking to the board.

And I’m also speaking to the players. (Because, you know, so many of them are Pain in the Arsenal readers.) How many of these guys quit on Emery? The only ones that kept playing were the kids and a few select veterans who have overtly stated their dedication to the club countless times and backed it up with effort on the pitch.

I keep saying the same thing—Unai Emery had to be the sacrifice. He was always going to fail. We knew that fans wouldn’t stomach him resetting the club for long. Somehow they expected him to turn this all around in less than two years. Which is ridiculous. Arteta probably won’t turn it around that quickly either. Just for the love of everything, accept that it’s not going to be instantaneous.

We may even be immune to that new manager bump. You need players who actually care in order to get that. And it’s up for interpretation how many care.