Mikel Arteta has recently revealed that he thought his club manager, Arsene Wenger was going to leave Arsenal at the end of last season.
Arteta has admitted he was concerned for Wenger’s future during the FA Cup Final in May. Arsenal were without a trophy in nine years and were two goals down to Hull City, and with his French manager’s unsigned contract still on the table, he was beginning to think about Arsenal without Wenger. Thankfully for the North London outfit, they went on to win the trophy.
‘He wasn’t clear with his future,’ said Arteta. ‘He always said he wanted to stay but he didn’t sign. In the semi-final — or even in the final — we never knew what was going to happen. If we lost the Hull game we’d be talking about a different story. That would have started a period of reflection and decision. It was a big game in Arsenal’s history. We won the first trophy in nine years.’
Arteta has since gone on to praise Wenger and ‘the Arsenal way’.
‘I’ve played in lots of different teams,’ said Arteta. ‘I’ve played long balls and short balls and, believe me, if you love football you want to play the Arsenal way’
‘When I joined Everton and we had big Duncan Ferguson, Alan Stubbs and David Weir, the football was very direct because of the players we had. David Moyes started to buy more quality players and tactics progressed, but at the start we were very physical’
‘We were the best in the league at doing that, so why would we not play long ball? That’s why he put me on the wing, so I could cross the ball, as I didn’t get it in midfield.’
‘Arsenal don’t have to change. The manager believes in this style 100 per cent but we have to find our defensive solidity. It’s one thing to be cautious and another to be careless.’
The newly appointed Emirates captain is protective of the Wenger style and philosophy. The 32-year-old Spaniard shares the same ideas, not just in style of football, but also believes in loyalty in the dressing room.
‘He defends his players 100 per cent and that’s something that matters,’ said Arteta.
Arteta was also very vocal in praising Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
On Ozil: ‘The opposition always try and stop you, so sometimes you don’t shine. And then people ask: “Why don’t you shine? You didn’t do anything in the game.” When that happens you get criticised, especially when it happens in big games. But you cannot deny Ozil is a special player: his movement, his calmness, his final ball is superb.’
And on Oxlade-Chamberlain: ‘He has the speed and skill to become an unbelievable winger, but he has the vision of a midfielder, and that’s very difficult to find. Defensively, he needs to improve, but he has time and people to help him.’
Since that famous FA Cup victory, and the pressure to win a trophy temporarily lifted, Arsenal fans can rightly start believing that they have entered a new and prosperous era under Wenger.
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