Arsenal still have long way to go before they can compete again, admits Mikel Arteta
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confessed that the Gunners have a long way to go before they can start competing amongst the top teams in England. The North London giants have struggled immensely this season with them sitting only six points above the relegation zone with twelve games left.
The former Everton and PSG star replaced Unai Emery towards the end of 2019 as Arsenal’s head coach with the club losing just once under Arteta. That run also includes wins against Leed United, Manchester United and a draw against Chelsea with the North Londoners slowly moving up the table but the club have only managed three wins out of nine games.
That has caused a few critics to hit out against the Spaniard but few can argue that things have changed under Arteta. But the former Manchester City assistant manager went on to admit that the club has a long way to go before they can compete again. He also added that the first thing he looked to do was change the culture around the club which has led to a domino effect.
"The first thing was to make those changes in terms of our culture, how we live together, some of the behaviours that I expect from players and staff and some of the values that we have to have at this club. I think we changed the energy at this club. I think we brought the team and the fans together, which wasn't an easy thing to do,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“And then, on the playing side, I think we are starting to see some signs of how I want the team to play, how I want it to behave, and the type of passion and commitment that the players have to show under me. There are still a lot of things we have to improve, and we have to maintain our level while we improve, which is sometimes not an easy thing to do. But I think we are on the right way.”
The North Londoners are chasing after a Champions League spot as they look to get back amongst the big boys but that plan hasn’t worked so far. Instead, it has seen the Gunners languish around 5th and 6place which has caused more problems. That saw Arteta admit that Project Arsenal has to be a long term one and not a short term one because the club won’t be able to achieve everything they want via the latter project.
“It has to be a long-term project. In the short-term we cannot achieve all the things that this club needs. It wants to fight now with the top teams in this country and in Europe, but it is not possible. We are very far behind at the moment and everything shows how far behind we are. We need to make that gap shorter and shorter. But it's going to take a lot of right decisions and a great amount of energy and commitment,” he added.