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At least Mikel Arteta came out of this graveyard of administrators in one piece. That’s more than can be said for David Moyes, sacked after losing at Goodison Park as Manchester United manager six years ago, or Carlo Ancelotti, sacked by Chelsea two hours after a 1-0 loss here in 2011.
Arteta did not swear or run out of the room Saturday night when told that he too would be fired if there were many more results like this. It’s good like that. But there was some pretty desperate logic to his assessment of an Arsenal team heading to Christmas in the bottom six, after their worst start to the season since 1974.
They are better than their position in the league suggests, Arteta said, because teams that languish so low in the Premier League tend to be “battered”, which Arsenal have not. Is that the kind of comfort this great club seeks?
This performance was bad, but more disturbing than football was the general impression that there is no one to lead.
David Luiz spent much of the first half letting the players know that he was not happy with them.
Arms outstretched, gestures where a ball should have been sent, general gesticulation. The low point came midway through the first half, when Luiz berated Mohamed Elneny for having the recklessness to pass him.
Willian offered even less. A highly paid ghost, his invisibility is shocking considering all the gifts he brought to Chelsea. The presence of these players, with salaries well above their contribution, creates the feeling that Arsenal are signing big names for no other reason than wanting to appear important, just as Manchester United have done since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
That’s not Arteta’s fault. The architects of Arsenal’s collapse are far above him in the club’s hierarchy. There are many symmetries with the decline of United. Both teams have suffered from the indifference of one owner, a departed CEO within a few months of a long-time manager, and a lack of boardroom football experience.
At Arsenal, Arteta is a rookie coach. Vinai Venkatesham is CEO for the first time and Edu, the technical director, has no prior experience outside of Brazil. These men are 38, 39 and 42 respectively.
United’s struggles revealed how difficult it is to replace a legendary boss. But it seems too much to expect Arteta to pull Arsenal out of this abyss.
A challenge from this complex requires a person with experience leading, succeeding, and perhaps failing in one or more major clubs. Brendan Rodgers always seemed like a better bet. Among those that are now available, so does Mauricio Pochettino.
Ancelotti’s guiding hand would also be more suited to the task. The Italian has not brought a fashionable football philosophy to Everton, only the ability, lost to Marco Silva, to allow players to enjoy their work and feel safe.
At 61, the Italian has experienced all the trials and tribulations that soccer has to offer. You can treat both with equanimity. Setbacks have turned into opportunities for Everton.
James Rodriguez has missed three games with hamstring problems, but Everton have been more robust defensively without him, winning all of them. Lucas Digne is absent with an ankle ligament injury, but Ben Godfrey, the 22-year-old center-back who was picked up from Norwich City two months ago, has seized his chance out of position. His athletics on Saturday was monumental.
All the old fragility of Arsenal was evident. Elneny and Dani Ceballos did not provide a shield in the midfield. So Tom Davies and Alex Iwobi broke through to create the goal Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed off the knee of central defender Rob Holding.
Nicolás Pepe’s penalty kick lifter evaporated in the 10th minute, when a weak attempt to defend a corner allowed Yerry Mina to put the hosts ahead.
Ancelotti did not rule out the idea of a top four result for Everton. Arsenal, meanwhile, will face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup before Chelsea reach the Emirates on Boxing Day.
“We need to win games very quickly before the situation becomes impossible,” Arteta reflected, surely beginning to wonder if there is any way out of the hell he has run into.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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