It might be early doors in his managerial career, however, the Basque headmaster has turned heads because he replaced his native colleague along the Emirates touchline.
Though met with initial trepidation from particular parts of the Arsenal fanbase seeing his general managerial inexperience, early signs are optimistic that the former midfielder can hack it in the upper echelon of European soccer.
It wasn’t a simple bedding interval, either. From the stands against the other former employer in Everton, Arteta took control for the first time off at Bournemouth; a place which has given us one or two headaches in recent memory.
In the event that you were to ask the vast majority of Arsenal fans if they would take a 2-1-1 record after his first four outings, they would happily take it.
There’s no telling if this is the answer Josh Kroenke, Raul Sanllehi, Vinai Venkatesham, and Edu were counting on, but I would love to believe that this was a part of what eventually brought Arteta back to north London after he turned down our improvements from the prelude to Unai Emery’s hiring.
At a time where many have taken to social media — in its various forms — to speak out about not feeling more disconnected from the club which innumerable have had a lifelong love affair with, the appointment of Arteta could be the first step in rebuilding a frame that was on the brink of collapse.
What’s important to notice is just how successful — and common — an appointment in this way is; not so much in England but on the continent.
The idea of getting into management as soon as you hang up your boots is a favorite one across Europe. By comparison, an increasing number of ex-professionals in England to go the course of punditry, journalism, or they decide to stay connected with a club at a tertiary function. However, for many in places like Spain, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, taking up the job of handling at a club which you donned the crest for is equally popular and thoroughly appealing.
Presently, both the greatest managers in the Premier League began writing their managerial stories in the clubs where they left their playing careers.
For Jürgen Klopp, after 325 Bundesliga appearances for Mainz 05, he immediately transitioned direction with Die Nullfünfer following retirement.
In terms of Pep, everybody knows his managerial story: La Masia graduate, to club fan-favourite, and ultimately, arguably the best manager in the club’s history bar a particular Johan Cruyff.
Other recent and effective examples of former players that returned to be able to handle include Frank De Boer, Phillip Cocu, Giovanni van Bronkhorst, and Frank Lampard (at current).
Further still, we could see other”new era” examples like Julian Nagelsmann and Florian Kohfeldt, young managers who jumped into large charges after finishing their training education, which is growing ever-more common.
The common element in all these cases is the fact that all that have been cited had very little to no experience as a supervisor before taking up their posts, with Lampard being the only one to start his training journey in England. The debate of whether or not training education in England is great enough to strain the likes of Nagelsmann (hint: it is not ) is another one.
What’s undeniable is that the amount of experience is a handy crutch for many to lean on when considering who should be another person in charge at a specific club in question. Other factors are much more significant, and the achievement of these listed above speaks to this very fact.
Between them are innumerable stories of success. Pep and Klopp are in the highest rung of soccer. Lampard has revitalized a Chelsea side that many thought could be in severe decline. The former Dutch global trio all won several pieces of silverware in Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord respectfully.
Wagner, Farke, and Potter raised their sides to a degree far beyond expectation, while Nagelsmann is the most popular young manager in the world, and Kohfeldt will not be far behind him in time.
Yes, there is an infinite number of cautionary tales as well as seeing young supervisors: Thierry Henry being an example closer to home for us. But what’s important to bear in mind is that Arteta has become the protégé of a man who has done and seen it all, and under very similar conditions.
But this appointment is much more than simply appeasing the masses, a sentiment supported by the positive showings and advancement on the pitch we’ve already seen in only a couple outings.
A man who’s a proponent of contemporary and progressive football who knows what it means to play for a club of this size. Above all, he lived and breathed the culture and wishes to instill a feeling of constantly playing with all you need for the fans who support you. This was a contemporary, European-style appointment that matches the long-term vision for the club because we left the house of Football.
