Are Arsenal fans starting to like Mikel Arteta?

Some results mean more than others, and Arsenal securing Premier League three points against Aston Villa on the eve of an international break does wonders psychologically as much as it improves their standing in the table.

Arsenal have come a long way since the drubbing they took at Manchester City the last time that Bernd Leno started a league game for the club. Everything about the side is unrecognisable.

From the spirit within the camp, to the intensity of the football and the bond with the fans, it’s all come on leaps and bounds. The supporters connect with this group of players more than they have with perhaps any team of the Emirates era.

We adore them. It’s a young side with their best years ahead of them and the attachment makes us love the game even more than ever thought possible. Hale End runs through the group and the other additions have added to the core likeability of an infectious set of players.

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Are Arsenal fans starting to like Mikel Arteta? After some dark times, the connection with the players is now extending to the manager

What about the manager?

It hasn’t been a smooth ride for Mikel Arteta. You can pick out a few occasions across his tenure where if he was given the sack he, nor anyone else, could have any complaints. He’s diced on the edge of losing his job and, to the club’s credit, their faith in him is being repaid.

But while the love for the team has been there, it hasn’t quite been the same for the Spaniard.

Often cutting a frosty character, both in his press conferences and post-match, he hasn’t exactly demonstrated a glowing and warming personality all of the time. In fact, he sometimes comes across as a difficult man to connect with, let alone please.

That appears to be changing. Endearment to Arteta the manager and his philosophy has been there, and now Arteta the man is getting some attention.

Noticeable in his media duties is that he cuts a more jovial character. He smiles more. He engages more. Despite previously being the captain of this club, the man sitting in the dugout has always felt like a different person to the one who wore the armband.

Now, having built a team that everyone adores, he’s starting to feel more Arsenal. The appreciation for what he is undertaking grows by the game. He’s transformed the way this club is perceived by the fans and those outside of the club, all of which is for the better.

Hearing the supporters chant his name at the end of the match felt special. Even though some will argue he’s fortunate to still be where he is, he deserves this. He’s put monumental effort into making Arsenal competitive and loveable again. There is still a long way to go, and Europa League football might still be what is left to show for this season, but everyone is behind him as much as they’re behind the team.

It’s taken time to warm to Arteta on a personal level, which is understandable given the toxicity he walked into, added to, and the big French boots he’s filling.

But you can’t help but feel made up for him. Even if everyone understands the work he’s put into this project and this vision, seeing him finally be rewarded for it on an emotional level, along with his players, just adds to the unity.

Long may his name keep being sung.