Arsenal: 3 Mikel Arteta manager replacements – ranked

There’s nothing to say about that Arsenal performance against Villarreal. The words that can be used are ones that could be said about nearly every Arsenal performance this month: limp, slow, lethargic, pitiful. This is down to the manager.

A manager’s job is, first and foremost, to get the most out of the players he has. And on paper, this Arsenal team should beat Villarreal 10 times out of 10. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent for this team to crash spectacularly out of the semi-finals of Europe’s second-tier competition with only a single shot on target in the home leg.

Mikel Arteta should be sacked.

He’s inexperienced and there is nothing for him to fall back on. There’s no evidence he can get this team back to where it needs to be. He can’t get the best out of expensive talents. He can’t get his team to show up and focus or even compete.

Arsenal: 3 Mikel Arteta replacements as manager with Spaniard no longer fit to lead the club after abysmal season

Chelsea have shown where ruthlessness and owner backing can get a club. Frank Lampard, a club legend, was sacked when the Blues were ninth. Thomas Tuchel has inspired them to rise to fourth and they will play Manchester City in the Champions League final as well as competing in this season’s FA Cup final.

Using rival clubs as an example works to some degree, albeit never certain to transpire as fluidly in every case. What works for some may not work for others. Success is not guaranteed.

However, in this case, it doesn’t change the fact that Arteta is, incredibly, still in a job. It can’t go on. The owners – however that might change in the coming months – need to show that same ruthlessness.

Here are three managers who can give some semblance of hope to a fanbase in despair.

3. Erik ten Hag – Ajax

Yes, he may have just signed a new one-year extension in Amsterdam to keep him there until the end of the 2022/23 season, but there is no harm in trying.

Erik ten Hag has received plaudits the world over for his tenure at Ajax. His young team burst onto the scene of the Champions League, beating giants like Juventus and Real Madrid en route to the semi-finals. His squad is well constructed and full of player who’re just beautiful to watch. The triangles they form, the chances they create and the fearlessness and elegance the Dutch team play with is, at times, magnificent.

This is a sharp contrast to the sideways and backwards passing Arsenal is becoming used to. The laborious build-up play and weak chance creation makes for painful viewing.

Gone are the days of quick one-touch passing. Build up is slow and ponderous, with no urgency or tempo. Much has been made of the beautiful style popularized by Le Professeur, Arsene Wenger, and that “Arsenal DNA” has been lost.

Ten Hag would certainly bring it back to the Emirates.

2. Gian Piero Gasperini – Atalanta

Continuing with the trend of managers renowned for their attacking styles, Gian Piero Gasperini would elevate this lackluster squad in more ways than one.

Inexperience has destroyed Arteta’s credibility whereas Gasperini’s experience speaks for itself.

The Italian manager has exhibited his know-how in getting the best out of any set of players. He took over Crotone in Serie C and helped them get promoted, then going on to help Genoa achieve their own promotion before galvanizing them to finish in a Europa League place.

At Atalanta, like Ten Hag’s Ajax, he has shown a style that gets fans off their feet. Similar to Marcelo Bielsa, his team pushes men forward, attacking at every opportunity with an expansive, explosive brand of football. Wing-backs bomb forward, strikers make intelligent runs off the ball and midfielders click through the gears, moving the ball back to front at breakneck speed.

Gasperini is a demanding manager. He rules with utmost authority, an iron fist. His presence and near-stubbornness in backing himself and his principles has ruffled feathers in Serie A. One thing is clear; Arsenal need to have their feathers ruffled and Gasperini would be the right man to do it.

1. Luis Enrique – Spain National Team

A third consecutive Spaniard at the helm!

Luis Enrique would be the statement signing the Kroenke’s or Daniel Ek could make. It would show ambition that has been lacking for decades at the club. Enrique has proven himself at the highest levels of European competition, both as a club and now a national team manager.

After Pep Guardiola left Barcelona, many questions were asked over who could possibly fill his shoes after the Spanish club dominated La Liga, and Europe, for years. Enrique answered those calls, posed even more question and answered those too. The trophy cabinet backs that up. A clear gameplan, a willingness to attack and tactical nous are hallmarks of Enrique’s managerial profile.

He has experience aplenty and, most importantly, he knows how to win. His time at Barcelona was marked by success after success. He won nine trophies during his time with La Blaugrana,  including two La Liga crown, a Champions League and three Copa del Rey titles.

Why any of these managers would want to come to Arsenal remains to be seen. That’s another question entirely, especially in Enrique’s case as he prepares for the European Championships.

The entire club is in chaos, from the top to the bottom. The words of the Kroenke’s are empty. Years have passed and fans have yet to ‘be excited’. All of these managers are under contract and would require fees to move, not least plenty of convincing with funds available to them hardly set to tickle the taste buds.

It is well past time for the Kroenke’s to put their money where their mouth is.