Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who took on his role at the club in December 2019, has recently dispelled any doubts and speculations might have had and has gotten the Gunners to be competitive while playing a fantastic brand of football. French forward Alexandre Lacazette has praised on his manager and credits him with changing everything about the club.
Although the beginning of Arteta’s tenure began with failures, things are starting to take shape for the North Londoners, who find themselves in the race for the top four spots in the Premier League. The former Manchester City assistant coach had also helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2020, defeating his old mentor Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League last season and the club, the head coach as well as the players were exposed to plenty of criticism in the media. They also broke the bank for a flurry of signings this summer including centre-back Ben White (€58.5m) and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (€28m).
They began extremely poorly, losing their first three matches in the ongoing Premier League season and the pressure was intense on Arteta. However, since then, he has not only steered them to safety, but Arsenal look like genuine contenders for the Champions League spots. They are currently fourth in the league, three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur while having a game in hand.
French forward Lacazette has shed light on how Arteta, who took over the job from Unai Emery, who had earlier replaced long-time boss Arsene Wenger, has managed to change everyone’s mentality at Arsenal.
“We’re focused on being in the top four. We want to get the team into the Champions League next season. We work for it all week, and at the moment. It’s working. We want to continue like this, working hard every day to play well at the weekend. Arteta is the leader, the boss, even the boss of the club. Since he arrived, a lot of things have changed, including everyone’s mentality… It’s all about him.”
Lacazette told Mundo Deportivo.
