Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told he is second best to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has strongly criticised over his failure to sign a new striker – and has been told why he has a long way to go before he can be compared alongside the likes of Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp.
The Gunners performed far better than anyone initially expected last season, finishing as Premier League runners-up and pushing Manchester City all the way in the title race. Now a year older, there is much more expectation on the young Arsenal team Arteta has assembled.
The 2023/24 season got itself off to a great start and, with Arsenal top of the tree on Christmas Day, hopes were raised that the Gunners could end their 20-year wait to be crowned champions of England.
However, a disastrous run of form over the festive period has seen Arsenal beaten twice in a row in the Premier League, suffering painful losses to West Ham and Fulham, while they have also been dumped out of the FA Cup after an agonising 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool.
The Gunners were guilty of missing several gilt-edged chances against the Merseysiders before a Jakub Kiwior own goal and a decisive Luis Diaz strike pushed the Reds through to the fourth round and a home date with Bristol Rovers or Norwich.
Now with the January window open for business, Arsenal have a chance to find a solution and bring in a new striker to bury the host of chances the side is creating.
However, with TEAMtalk revealing top target Ivan Toney is close to signing a new deal, which should contain an exit clause, and with Victor Osimhen simply too expensive, Arsenal have seen those hopes take a nosedive.
Arsenal scolded for transfer blunder of not signing a new striker
Furthermore, Planet Sport ambassador Robbie Savage feels the Gunners may have missed their chance to land a new striker already and believes the time to act was the summer and not the January window, which is notoriously difficult to pull off top deals.
“If you consider how many chances Arsenal have created this season and the amount of times they get in behind the defence, if they’d have had a number nine capable of scoring 20 plus goals a season, their chances of winning the title would have increased massively,” Savage said.
“The question is, in January, can they go and get that number nine to make them win the title? I think it’s too late. If they had signed a number nine at the start of the season given the chances they have created this season, I think they would have had a much better opportunity of winning the title.
“They have their sights on Ivan Toney, who has been scoring behind closed doors for Brentford’s B team and has proved he can do it in the Premier League. If they sign someone like him in January, will they have a better chance? Of course they will, but I still think they’ve left themselves too much to do.”
Savage also feels Arsenal may have ‘overperformed’ last season in finishing second and their form of late, which has resulted in three straight defeats and has heaped the pressure on Arteta.
And while Savage feels Arteta has done a stellar job with Arsenal, their performances last season has raised expectations among fans to now, slightly unrealistic levels.
Arteta told he’s not in same league as Jurgen Klopp
Furthermore, Savage claims Arteta has a way to go before he can be talked about in the same echelons as the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
“The reason why Jurgen Klopp is world class is because of the trophies he’s won and the time it’s taken him to get into that position,” Savage said.
“Look at his performances with Dortmund and Liverpool; winning the Champions League and Premier League. He’s got vast experience which is why he’s considered a world-class manager. He’s earnt the right and it’s taken a lot for him to get there.
“Mikel Arteta has had a short stint in comparison at Arsenal. They won the FA Cup and he got them into the top-four, but I think Arsenal overachieved last season. He’s going to get some backlash because of how the fans’ expectations have gone through the roof.
“I do think Arteta has done unbelievably well and of course he will get criticism, but I think he needs time with the young group of players he’s got. However, because of the way they performed last season, he has put pressure on himself this season.
“He’s got to win trophies; Premier Leagues and Champions Leagues, the elite managers do that. There aren’t that many elite managers around that can win trophies, but right now if you look at Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Klopp at Liverpool, they’re elite because they win the big trophies.”
Savage concluded: “Arsenal have got some fantastic players and he’s built a really solid squad, but people still question him. I do think that’s unfair because they’ve set such a high standard from last season.
“Don’t forget he’s taken them from a team that struggled getting into the top-four to one that is challenging for major honours.”
