Arsenal appointed their former player and captain, Mikel Arteta as their new permanent manager, replacing caretaker Freddie Ljungberg, who was also a former midfielder for the club.
There's no place like home 😍
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 20, 2019
🏡 @m8arteta pic.twitter.com/tM4AJqgliy
The Gunners had sacked Unai Emery after a run of poor results, where they won just four games in the Premier League, which saw them in a relegation battle at one point.
Arteta, who played in the Premier League for both Everton and Arsenal, later moved into a managerial role. He was most recently the assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, so comes in to the North London club with high expectations.
The Spaniard has worked extensively with City’s first-team players, and the likes of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus have credited him with improving their game. With a largely young side to manage at Arsenal, Arteta is expected to excel in the role.
His first order of business though will be to get back the club to winning ways. Arsenal suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Arteta’s former club, Manchester City in their last league game, leaving them 10th on the table with 22 points.
The Gunners also have a negative goal difference, which is down to their leaky defence, which has shipped 27 goals in 17 games this season, the worst among the top clubs and the eighth-worst across the league overall.
Arsenal have won just one of their last 12 games, a 3-1 victory over West Ham, drawing seven of them. They have struggled in the Europa League, failing to beat the likes of Vitoria de Guimaraes and Eintracht Frankfurt, the loss against the latter eventually leading to the sacking of Emery.
During this run, they were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Liverpool, losing to them on penalties. Arsenal’s next assignment will see them come up against another one of Arteta’s former clubs, Everton, and a victory will do them a world of good and pull them out of the quagmire they find themselves in, at least temporarily.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter/ @Arsenal
