Arsenal vs Villarreal: Arteta’s job dependent on Europa League?

Mikel Arteta has received an enormous amount of criticism this season for the team’s performance and results so far, but is the criticism warranted? The short answer is yes, but Arsenal fans know this relationship is far more complicated than what social media reveals.

Arteta has the Gunners currently sitting in ninth place in the Premier League, with a top six position beyond their reach. Arsenal’s only chance to play Champions League football, or indeed European football, next season is by winning the Europa League title. For a club that is built on excellence, this is simply not acceptable. On the other hand, Arteta has only had a few transfer windows to work with, and has added some silverware to the Arsenal trophy section.

The main question football fans are asking is: will a Europa League title secure another season for Arteta?

My answer is yes, as other reports back up, but it will only be secured for the whole of next season if Arsenal start winning. The fans have had enough of Arteta’s excuses, the only possible way for Arteta to secure his job is to win the final, and then continue to win next year.

Arsenal vs Villarreal: Is Mikel Arteta’s job dependent on Europa League success?

Even with a comeback win tomorrow against Villarreal tomorrow, that will not enough for Arteta to win over a growing contingent of the fans. They will demand a trophy and the chance to play European football. Although this puts a lot of pressure on Arteta and his coaching staff to make the right decisions come game time, it will challenge his coaching ability and toughness. It’s his job.

If he truly believes in his process and knows what he is talking about as a manager, he will lead us to glory against Villarreal and then, most likely, Manchester Untied. This will start with the selection of the starting 11, which he miserably got wrong in the first fixture at Estadio de la Ceramica.

Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith must be in the team. He will need to substitute at the correct time, not waiting for the dying embers of the match to alter from his unwavering persistence. Overall, he will have to manage and coach better than he has the entire year. We know Arteta has a brilliant football mind, but I have not seen it as a manager.

The first step in the Spaniard securing his job is winning the match tomorrow – not 3-2, of course – with his tactics and choices. He will then need to win the Europa League final and lead Arsenal to a top six position domestically next season, even if top four is the aim. These demands might seem steep, but this is the hole Arteta and his staff have dug themselves into and the demands of a football club of this stature.

Hopefully Arteta’s big players turn up in the big games: Nicolas Pepe and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang will show up to the challenge and back their manager the way he has backed them. Arsenal fans will be on their edge on their seats tomorrow with a magnifying glass on Arteta’s every move. Will this be his final match in charge?