Jamie Carragher has warned that Mikel Arteta’s reign at Arsenal risks being remembered as a near-miss era of ‘reconstruction’ rather than one of trophies, unless he delivers silverware next season.
Writing in his Telegraph column ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Anfield, Carragher says the club’s patience and progress under Arteta will soon count for nothing if it doesn’t lead to tangible success.
‘After another trophyless campaign, there is only one way to prevent that: next season must be Arsenal’s most successful for 22 years, otherwise Arteta’s reign will be remembered as a period of reconstruction more than glory.
‘The foundations have been laid. Arsenal are a top Premier League and Champions League side, agonisingly close to being successful. But the wait for a golden moment cannot go on forever. Eventually, there must be an end product.’
Arteta has guided the Gunners to back-to-back second-place finishes and a Champions League semi-final, but Carragher says outcomes, not excuses, will define how his tenure is remembered.
‘The reality is we work in a sport which is all about outcomes, not ‘mitigating circumstances’ for falling short. Harsh as it sounds, judgments are based on the time and place in which you competed, not within their historical context’
Drawing from personal experience, Carragher compared Arteta’s situation to his own Liverpool side, which won everything but the Premier League title during a golden era of English football.
‘Between 2001-09, I played in a Liverpool team who won every major honour except one, consistently reached finals and were twice runners-up in the Premier League.’
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‘Every day, someone on social media makes the same remark: ‘You never won a league title.’ Nobody cares about the fact that we were up against Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ and Roman Abramovich’s millions. We never won the league, so end of story as far as everyone else is concerned.’
The pressure on Arteta to win next season is only going to intensify, Carragher warns, and if he doesn’t deliver, someone else will benefit from the platform he has built.
‘To say his next transfer window might be the last chance sounds extreme. Arteta has so much credit in the bank, it is fair and right there is more resistance to managerial change at Arsenal than desire for it.
‘Arteta must deliver next season, otherwise his legacy will be years of groundwork for the benefit of a successor who will be asked to add the finishing touches.’
