A former midfielder Gunners spoke about the impact the Spanish tactician has had since he inherited the managerial reins at the Emirates stadium
Paul Merson says that Mikel Arteta “did a phenomenal job” at Arsenal, which “has a plan” for the first time in “many years”.
Arteta has undergone significant changes at the Emirates Stadium during the first seven months of office, with the Gunners now beginning to demonstrate that they can mix them once again with the elite.
Arsenal have won six of their nine games since returning from the forced coronavirus blockade, including victories against newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool and Manchester City.
The North London team beat City 2-0 in a FA Cup semi-final on Saturday to book a spot in the flagship event against Chelsea on August 1, thanks to reinforcement from top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
After the final whistle, Arteta challenged his players to show that they can maintain their recent form for “long periods in a season”, while expressing the belief that the club will have no trouble attracting the best talent to the summer transfer window. .
Merson is convinced that the Gunners are going in the right direction under the Spanish head coach, and was delighted to see his old club “grind” it against the better sides using an effective counterattack football brand.
The former Arsenal director wrote in his latest column for Sky Sports: “Arsenal have a plan, they go and push when they have to, they let go when they don’t, play with high energy and fight back as a team.
“They were exceptional against Man City. That was David Luiz – there is no gray area – it is 9/10 or 4/10. But when he plays like this, he is brilliant.
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“Arteta has done absolutely phenomenal work. It’s the first time I’ve looked at Arsenal for many, many years and have a plan.
“Man City lived up to the second half, and Arsenal got involved. I honestly think he did a great job. I can’t speak well enough about him.
“Against Liverpool, Arsenal has ridden luck, but now it is Arsenal. They cannot play against Liverpool and Man City as if they were the favorites, they must crumble like Sheffield United must crumble. This is what l ‘Arsenal must do now. “
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