Why Arsenal fans need to stick by Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta was appointed Arsenal manager in 2019 and during his time at the club, he has won only the FA Cup at the end of his first season in charge. Discounting two Community Shields, Arteta and his Arsenal side have gone trophyless four seasons in a row.

Upon his appointment, Arteta presented a five-phase plan to the Kroenkes detailing how he would change the club and take it forward. The club is not yet near the end of this plan, but a small minority of fans have already been calling for Arteta to be sacked due to the lack of trophies won.

While the failure to win trophies is certainly frustrating, Arsenal fans must stick by Mikel Arteta and here is why.

Why Arsenal fans need to stick by Mikel Arteta

During his time with the club, Mikel Arteta has taken Arsenal from dwelling in mid-table to being genuine title contenders in the space of less than five years. At any other club, that would be seen as an immense achievement but due to the Gunners' status as a 'big club' some don't see it that way.

It is easy to forget how bad of a state Arsenal was in when Arteta took over and he is the man to thank for the club no longer being in that position. Without him, there is a real possibility the Gunners could have lost their 'big club' status.

As of March 2023, Arteta said that the club were just ahead of phase three of his plan and to have been in two title races while in and around this part of the process is a sign of things yet to come for the Gunners. This shows his work with Arsenal is clearly paying off.

Arteta is still early on in his managerial career and is having to compete with Manchester City, one of the most dominant teams in football history, managed by arguably the greatest manager of all time. To have pushed City to the final day of the season just gone is already a great achievement in itself.

Mikel Arteta's position at Arsenal can be compared to that of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. They are both brilliant managers but constantly fell short of winning trophies primarily due to the brilliance of Pep Guardiola and his Man City teams. As a result, Arteta's current inability to win trophies is certainly not a failure, as some people believe.

However, with the departure of Klopp from Liverpool and City looking slightly weaker this season, it is clear that their dominance is nearly at an end. Like Erik ten Hag famously once said, eras do indeed come to an end.

Ten Hag has since been ridiculed for this statement, but Arsenal looks like it could genuinely prove this to be true under Mikel Arteta's leadership, and for that to happen, the fans need to stick by him.

Outside of the Premier League, Arteta does need time to compete in other competitions. In his debut season as a Champions League manager, it was always unlikely he would lead the Gunners to glory so he must be given time among Europe's elite. In terms of England's domestic competitions, Arteta will need far better quality in squad depth if he is to compete for these.

Arteta is still young for a manager at the age of 42 and is in charge of a young Arsenal squad. Due to this, neither the manager nor the players are fully experienced to be competing with sides like City. As a result, both Arteta and his players will mature and improve alongside one another on their way to completing their footballing journeys.

Arteta still does not have a fully complete squad to operate, with rumors suggesting he wants to bring in a striker, winger, and midfielder this offseason. Once he has his desired team, then he will be able win trophies.

The small minority of fans must acknowledge that Arteta has taken Arsenal from being a potentially mid-table side to one of the best teams in the world and he is clearly not finished there. Trophies will come with patience and trusting the process so every single Arsenal fan must stick by the Spaniard for the foreseeable future.

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