Mikel Arteta was twice left on the brink as Arsenal manager after a poor run of form – and now the Spaniard is leading the Gunners towards a potential top-four finish
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Mikel Arteta on Alexandre Lacazette’s form and future
Mikel Arteta and Brendan Rodgers will shake hands and embrace on Sunday afternoon, just like they do before any Premier League fixture. But this time, the two managers will do so knowing that the Leicester boss could have quite easily been sitting in the Arsenal dugout rather than the away one.
It could create a slightly awkward atmosphere with both bosses acutely aware of how, in December 2019, Rodgers was the first choice for Arsenal bosses to replace Unai Emery. Publicly, Rodgers denied his interest in leaving Leicester and that was that.
With the frontrunner out of the picture, Arteta was regarded as the best-placed man to get Arsenal back to where they belonged, in the Champions League, and was hired for his first managerial position after his apprenticeship under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
His vision has taken some time and incredible patience to come to fruition, with Arteta somehow surviving the sack, despite Arsenal languishing as low as 15th in the table in December 2020. Most other managers would have been axed, but senior figures at Arsenal saw glimpses of what he was trying to build and gave him a chance.
Meanwhile, Leicester were battling for Champions League qualification and only lost out on the final day of the season, with Chelsea taking fourth place.
Eventually, the Gunners finished eighth — the same spot as they did in 2019-20 — but without an FA Cup success to guarantee them a spot in Europe, they would experience a first season outside of continental football in 26 years.
Arteta made his list of demands to the board with what he felt the squad was needed — and his wish was granted, with six new signings racking up an overall spend of £150million.
Still, Arsenal struggled badly in their first three games of the season, losing to Brentford, Chelsea and Man City and by an aggregate scoreline of 9-0. The writing appeared to be on the wall for Arteta, although there were pleas for him to be given time due to key absences.
Speculation again linked Rodgers with the Emirates post and, later, the Man United job with doubts arising over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Again, Rodgers shot down any idea of him leaving the King Power Stadium: “I don’t even think about it.
“I’m sure the supporters are probably tired of it. At Leicester, there is always a link.
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“My focus is always here with Leicester and developing the football club and challenging for honours. The directors, staff and players all have the same vision.”
Arteta was finally able to welcome Aaron Ramsdale into the side, and the 23-year-old has shown himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in the division this season. Martin Odegaard, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White added quality where the Gunners were lacking at the back, and their results took a turn for the better.
Few could blame Rodgers for sneaking in some envious glances to north London and imagining what could have potentially been his squad.
The fact is that Leicester’s summer investment paled in comparison to the teams around them, with Patson Daka their most expensive arrival at £23m from Red Bull Salzburg and Boubakary Soumare signing from Lille for £15m. These were two talents who had room to grow and develop into potentially top players, without providing an immediate upgrade on their squad options.
In addition, injuries to key players hit Leicester hard. They lost Ricardo Pereira and Wesley Fofana to serious knee injuries, while veteran striker Jamie Vardy was ruled out for several weeks. James Maddison, who was crucial last season with double figures in goals and assists, was also hampered.
Almost like a ‘Freaky Friday’ situation, Arteta and Rodgers have swapped positions over the course of the last 12 months. Leicester were flying last season and now can’t put a run of form together, while Arsenal are in the driving seat to secure a top-four finish.
What Arteta has done is eradicate the negative energy from his squad by releasing Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and offloading Matteo Guendouzi, and create a team that oozes chemistry and sense of togetherness. Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka came up together at Hale End, while Ramsdale and White belong to the same age group from their youth days.
Assembling a squad that is comprised of young English players — with a sprinkling of foreign flair — points to a promising future for Arsenal. And this season, Arteta is trying to speed up how quickly his side can reach their new levels by securing a top-four finish.
Not only that, his side are no longer just trying to claim points, they are playing with a recognisable identity. Quick, free-flowing football has been a constant theme in their recent matches, as highlighted by the emphatic goals they scored in the 3-2 win over Watford.
On the opposite side, Rodgers will be wondering where it all went wrong for him. Despite being linked with jobs at Manchester United and Tottenham as well as Arsenal, he professed his loyalty to the club that have acted in the same manner towards him and pledged his future to the club.
And his reward? Leicester are currently 12th on 33 points from 25 games, meaning they are closer to relegation-threatened Everton (22 points) than they are to seventh-placed Tottenham (45 points). Their chances of securing European football for a fourth straight season are dwindling with every game, as the Foxes struggle to put together a run of form in the Premier League.
Arsenal have the chance to do the double over their opponents on Sunday, having secured a morale-boosting 2-0 win at the King Power in late October. That will give them some confidence heading into the clash at home, on the back of four wins on the bounce, while Leicester are unpredictable — conceding six to Man City one week before a 1-0 win over Liverpool the next.
Arteta will just be grateful that he is now in a position to breathe and not check the news ticker every time his side fail to win a game. He has a solid buffer now in terms of job security, even if the Gunners fall short in securing Champions League qualification.
But a heavy defeat here could spell the end of Rodgers’ four-year tenure with Leicester, a scenario that appeared to be almost unfathomable two years ago when he was at the top of his game. If anyone knows how it feels to have that pressure lingering over them, it’s Arteta.
But a win for Arsenal — on the same weekend that Man United and Tottenham face each other — would put them in a commanding position to get back into the Champions League for the first time since 2016-17, thus proving the club’s hierarchy went for the right man in Arteta after all.
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