Arteta finally has his important Arsenal wish

There have been plenty of managers who’ve been and gone in the Premier League, each time leaving behind a lasting memory or two. It doesn’t have to be a trophy or a style of play, and can instead be more individual or person specific. What will Mikel Arteta leave at Arsenal?

Ideally it will be trophies. Lots of them. But just like Nigel Pearson left a reputation for the hot-headed outbursts and Alan Pardew will forever be known as the guy who headbutted David Meyler, Arteta has grown a reputation for the tinkering.

While this season he’s already used the most different players and made the most changes to his lineup (a lot of which has been forced upon him) it’s been a common feature.

He hasn’t had a settled team. Not one he has felt confident in fielding every week. Last season the central defenders changed weekly and the right-back slot was the flip of a coin, but that can change now. Finally. He’ll be over the moon. The Brighton team was the easiest one to predict perhaps in his entire reign.

Mikel Arteta finally has his important Arsenal wish after months of tinkering with a starting lineup that picks itself in the Premier League

Arteta has his team. A group almost entirely consisting of players he has either signed or had contracts extended for, with, crucially, the starting lineup now more cemented than it has ever been throughout his tenure. The team against Brighton was simple to predict.

As stated, much of the alterations have been forced, but after plenty of work, and money, Arsenal can now look forward to a continuity in selections which has been sorely needed.

The back five picks itself, the midfield does even more so after Granit Xhaka’s injury and following the permanent capture of Martin Odegaard the three behind the first choice striker are also set in stone.

There is room for some rotation with Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli waiting in the wings, quite literally, but on the quest for improvements and regularity he can now breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to selecting his team for Premier League weeks.

For any new manager, which Arteta is not in terms of his time in north London, finding your best XI is one of the crucial first steps. So many bosses start their reigns unsure of what that may be and it can be detrimental to their success.

Arteta has been granted more time than most could wish for to discover and forge his ideal, and now it’s here there is even less mitigation (or excuses) than he’s ever had. If this group of players in his system with his stamp can’t bring success then he won’t.

And, to his credit, it looks like an exciting crop.