Arsenal are still in the Premier League title race heading into the final day of the season, but no matter the outcome, Mikel Arteta has restored pride back into the club.
Arteta inherited a mess when he became Arsenal manager in 2019, and it took him some time before his process started reaping rewards.
The Spaniard found himself under intense pressure in his second and third seasons as results still weren’t going Arsenal’s way, but he made ruthless decisions alongside Edu Gaspar, which saw the pair rebuild an ageing, fractured squad into a younger, higher-quality one capable of challenging at the top level.
The way in which he turned his fortunes around at Arsenal has meant that the question is now being raised as to whether under-pressure Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may be able to enjoy a similar revival, if given more time to implement his ideas.
However, one thing which Arteta had throughout his Arsenal tenure, which Ten Hag still lacks at Man United, is accountability, and this may end up being the Dutchman’s downfall.
Mikel Arteta was always accountable for his mistakes as Arsenal manager
Despite fallouts with several players including captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arteta would never publicly dress down his squad. Whenever results or performances did not go Arsenal’s way, Arteta would not look for excuses.
An example from his latest press conference highlights this. as he was asked about the role Tottenham Hotspur played in the title race, having lost to Manchester City with their fans celebrating, but he refused to blame Arsenal’s rivals for the position his side are in.
“No and you can never complain about an opponent. I can complain about what we haven’t done to have 91, 93 or 95 points. That’s the only thing that we can do,” he replied when asked about Spurs’ attitude to the game.
Erik ten Hag continues to moan about Alejandro Garnacho offside at Arsenal in Man Utd defeat
When Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-1 at the Emirates in September, the result could have easily gone the other way. Alejandro Garnacho had put United 2-1 up in the final 10 minutes, but his goal was rightfully chalked off for a tight offside, before Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus scored to win the match.
Ten Hag has complained about the decision as a turning point in his side’s dismal season on several occasions, and astonishingly, he brought it up again in the days after Arsenal won at Old Trafford.
“I remember the Arsenal game, where we played very good, and in the 87th minute I thought we’d won the game with the goal from Garnacho, and that could have given a big lift to the team,” he stated this week.
His side were overall outplayed at the Emirates, and United are on track for one of their worst finishes in Premier League history, yet this one moment is still brought up as an excuse.
Why Erik ten Hag is different to Mikel Arteta
Arteta had limited funds in his first two seasons, and was tasked with gutting out an ageing and fractured squad, whilst relying on youngsters Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe to help restore some confidence to a broken side.
Ten Hag has spent heavily in his first two seasons at United, but with the manager falling out with stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho, whilst performances remain dismal, there is little expectation that he can complete a turnaround like Arteta did.
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Arteta showed throughout that he is willing to take responsibility for what his side do, and does not blame factors beyond his control for Arsenal’s performances and results.
Ten Hag continuing to fixate on what was a correctly awarded offside goal, speaks volumes about his own lack of accountability compared to Arteta’s, and this may ultimately stop him from rebuilding Man United in his image like Arteta did with Arsenal.