Former Liverpool defender and distinguished TV pundit Jamie Carragher warned that Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta may face the sack if he does not “win one thing massive” subsequent season.
After consecutive second-placed Premier League finishes to Manchester Metropolis, the Gunners once more got here up quick of their tilt on the top-flight title, with Liverpool scooping the crown this season.
Arteta additionally led Arsenal to their first Champions League semi-final in 16 years, however lost both legs to Paris Saint-Germain to substantiate one other trophy-less marketing campaign. The one main piece of silverware gained throughout his close to six years on the helm was the 2020 FA Cup lower than six months after his appointment. Arteta, nevertheless, would additionally level to the pair of Neighborhood Shields gained in 2020 and 2023.
Within the aftermath of Arsenal’s spirited 2-2 draw away to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, Carragher mirrored on one other marketing campaign of close to misses for the Gunners. “This season felt prefer it ought to have been their season,” the 2005 Champions League winner lamented in his capability as a Sky Sports activities pundit. “There is not any doubt subsequent season that the stress will likely be on Mikel Arteta massively when it comes to profitable one thing and profitable one thing massive.
“The Arsenal board, if they do not [win a major trophy], could have an enormous challenge as a result of they will not need to change their supervisor, however there will likely be that many individuals saying: 5 or 6 years with no trophy. They are going to be taking a look at what number of managers could make that subsequent step.”
Whereas Arsenal‘s trophy cupboard could not have been dramatically altered below his watch, Arteta has remodeled a membership which was teetering getting ready to persistent mediocrity again in 2019. The previous midfielder inherited a aspect eleventh within the Premier League table with a destructive purpose distinction and has since oversee two of the 4 highest factors totals in Arsenal’s trendy historical past.
As Carragher himself conceded, Arteta has performed a “sensible job”. “Arsenal may simply change into what Chelsea are proper now. They might go from a crew coming second yr in, yr out to a crew that does not truly get into the Champions League.
“[Changing managers] is the massive conundrum that Arsenal as a soccer membership could have in 12 months, if Arsenal go shut once more do not truly get throughout the road.”
