Arsenal: Six years of Mikel Arteta come full circle as Gunners wary of repeating history
It was this weekend, six years ago, that Mikel Arteta walked down the row to take his place in the stands at Goodison Park.
The Spaniard had been named Arsenal head coach the day before, but had only a brief observation period as the Gunners played out a 0-0 draw with Everton.
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This result left Arsenal 11th in the Premier League table and Arteta had an almighty job to do to transform not only the team but the club. The change happened at great speed.
Arteta was seated next to Vinai Venkatesham, who is now CEO of Tottenham, and Raul Sanllehi, who left Arsenal in 2020 and has since had spells at Real Zaragoza and Inter Miami.
Only Bukayo Saka, who started at left-back that day, and Gabriel Martinelli remain at the club among those who made the trip to Goodison Park.
Mikel Arteta watches Everton v Arsenal from the stands the day after signing as the club’s head coach (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The 0-0 draw was also only the third clean sheet Arsenal had managed in 18 Premier League matches. This season, it took them four games to reach that number.
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The depth of the squad is one of the obvious differences when you consider the difference in the tools Arteta has at his disposal.
Arsenal return to Everton tonight with Gabriel, Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White all injured, and yet they can still field four defenders consisting of Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori.
Six years ago, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Shkodran Mustafi were on the bench to cover for David Luiz and Calum Chambers.
This stark contrast is one of the main reasons why expectations for Arteta are higher now than at any other time during his Arsenal tenure.
Arsenal’s current squad is a marked improvement on the one he inherited from Unai Emery (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Thierry Henry said this week that Arsenal “must” win the title this season, comments which were passed on to Arteta on Friday.
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“That’s good,” he replied.
“We’re going to do our best based on everyone’s ability to achieve this, that’s for sure. I guarantee it.”
The latest attempt at Premier League glory continues on a pitch that offers the possibility of a much-needed clean slate for Arsenal.
Arteta spent six years at Everton as a player but rarely enjoyed his return to Goodison Park.
As Arsenal boss he has won just once in five visits, that in 2023 when Leandro Trossard earned the Gunners a narrow 1-0 victory.
Mikel Arteta shouldn’t miss Goodison Park (Getty Images)
Everton’s farewell last season at Goodison Park will therefore not have upset Arteta too much. He hopes Hill Dickinson Stadium will prove to be a much happier hunting ground.
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Early signs suggest this may well be the case. Tottenham came away with a 3-0 victory earlier this season and Newcastle won 4-1. West Ham and Aston Villa also picked up a point.
“We’re going to have to go and see what it looks like on Saturday night,” Arteta said.
“It will be different from the last. We can’t expect to have the same. But I think it will also bring good and positive things, I guess.”
A sloppy performance against Wolves last weekend should serve as a wake-up call as they head into the weekend just two points clear of a menacing Manchester City.
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When asked what he would like for Christmas this year, Arteta replied: “Win, win, win, win, win.” If he gets his wish against Everton, Arsenal will go top of the table on Christmas Day.
Six years ago this would have been too much for Arteta’s most ambitious wish list. It will now be considered a simple springboard.