One of the main aspects of Liverpool The time coach Jürgen Klopp was in charge at Anfield was the union that led to the club. Everyone involved, from players to canteen staff, have a role to play. Then there is also the hunger around the team and the coaching staff.
Sure, having an appetite for success should be a given in all professional football teams, but Klopp has made it one of his central mantras. It could be said that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is pursuing a similar philosophy at Emirates Stadium as well.
On Saturday, Arsenal claimed their second trophy in the space of a month. After winning the FA Cup, Arteta’s team beat Liverpool on penalties to lift the community shield. At the moment, it looks like everything is going well for the red half of north London.
But, as they say, Roma – or, in this case, Arsenal – weren’t built in a day. Compare Klopp’s early months at Liverpool after being nominated to succeed previous incumbent Brendan Rodgers in October 2015.
His record wasn’t great, but the key thing was that the affable German was laying the groundwork for the great success that would follow. What helped Klopp a lot in his nearly five years at Anfield was the stability and support of the boardroom.
In contrast to Liverpool, Arsenal’s powers are a constant source of derision and conversation, with its cuts and changes, as well as its “transfer committee”. It would always have been extremely difficult to replace Arsène Wenger after he stepped down as manager at the end of the 2017/2018 season after 22 years in the role.
(Image: Photo by Craig Mercer / MB Media / Getty Images)
Arsenal bosses thought they were hiring one of Europe’s freshest and most innovative coaches when they hired Unai Emery as his successor. But it didn’t go as the Gunners expected, with the very tense Spaniard constantly changing his squad selection, as well as several failures reported with those above him.
When he was eliminated in November, former player Arteta arrived, who left a comfortable position as Manchester City assistant manager to take the lead. Similar to Klopp, Arteta is determined to have the right characters on board: those players who are determined to win at all costs and who would fit his philosophy perfectly, both on and off the pitch.
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Klopp soon ditched defender Mamadou Sakho, among others, and Arteta is also starting to wield the ax, immediately taking on loaner Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos if he was up to the fight.
Ceballos is unlikely to return to Arsenal for the next campaign.
There are also huge question marks about Matteo Guendouzi’s future, whose relationship with Arteta has soured following a post-match altercation with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Neal Maupay. His attitude did not go well with Arteta, who considers humility a fundamental trait of the personality of his players.
Following Saturday’s Liverpool game, he was asked about Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ future at the club, with the versatile 23-year-old heavily tied to the move to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Arteta’s response was that Maitland-Niles, who received a call-up from England after the match, “must be able to compete every day in training”.
Each Premier League title-winning team reaped their rewards from solid and reasonable recruitment, and also at the right time. Klopp, for example, knew exactly when to bring Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah. It looks like Arsenal’s top player in striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will sign a new contract, which will be a timely push as Arsenal prepare for the 2020/2021 Premier League campaign. Arteta also added a proven winner and talent in Brazilian striker Willian, who came on a free transfer from Chelsea.
Coming further back on the pitch, the much-maligned Granit Xhaka looked like a player reborn since Arteta took the lead. The biggest concern, as it has been for many years at Arsenal, is their defense. It seems that Gabriel Magalhaes, Lille’s highly regarded central defender, will soon sign for the Gunners, but doubts remain about the strength and fragility of their defensive line.
Spaniard Pablo Mari, who is expected to team up with Gabriel in the middle of the defense, is still out injured, with the other picks from Arteta, David Luiz, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos all extremely capable of mistakes. Then there is the young Frenchman William Saliba but, at only 19, is he ready for the penalties of high-level English football? There is no doubt that Arsenal can challenge this season, if not for the top four, certainly for a place in the top six.
As Klopp’s Liverpool demonstrated, these things take time. After all, it took him two and a half years to sign Virgil van Dijk, the world-class center-back the team had been screaming for, followed in the summer of 2018 by the arrival of another world-class talent. in goalkeeper Alisson. It could be argued that, without these two key figures, Liverpool would never have won the Premier League with Klopp.
Arsenal have the right ingredients: it is what they do with them that will determine their future.
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