Many at the time thought Flamini was less prone to being defensively exposed. Stats back this up in 13/14:
Flamini dribbled past 0.4 times per game
Arteta dribbled past 1.7 times per game
So while Arteta was better overall player, Flamini as a defender in midfield had merit and we were on a winning run when he started and IIRC Arteta was injured in 13/14
Iāve been trying to figure this out for a few days now lmao, itās completely irrelevant isnāt it.
Iāve even seen people say āhe isnāt a club legendā, as if we have to appoint a club legend manager? Was Wenger a club legend? I guess that rules Allegri out as well then lol
I never rated Arteta at Arsenal, thereās no denying that. I liked him at Everton when he had a more attacking position and when he was bought I saw him as a good squad option for us, nothing more. As one could expect, Wenger shoe horned him to into some kind of defensive midfielder. A role he never was suited for and was often exposed. Ppl can bring up all the passing stats they want, but they only prove that he was good at passing short and sideways. A good stat if your only job is to win the ball back and act defensively. Sadly his lack of defensive skills and awkward positioning left us exposed on so many occasions and did cost us.
But does all this really matter? Does all his flaws as a player make him a good manager and suitable candidate?
Iām yet to see a decent and good argument on why he should be our new boss. That heās a former player for us, Spanish (?!), been a coach under Pep, fancied by Wenger and has lovely hair, are all non convincing arguments in my book. Oh and āI liked him as a playerā isnāt all that good either.
So is he some secret magician that will win us silverware just by showing up? Donāt get me wrong, if he is appointed and succeed then Iām very happy. But please, there must be more arguments than these.
He was a great player when he was at Everton and was decent here for a couple of seasons but in his last two seasons here he barely played.
But what his playing ability has to do with whether he should be considered to be our manager is the question?
Would we be having this debate if he had never worn an Arsenal shirt and stayed at Everton?
I think with Arteta the truth lies somewhere in the middle with regard how good he was for us, he wasnāt as bad as some that are being overly critical are making out and he was not as good as some who are being hyperbolic have made out either.
He definitely was a good influence for our midfield and though it was nothing outstanding in terms of flair he was more than a safe pair of hands in what was a really shitty period, his football brain allowed him to perform well despite his obvious physical limitations at that stage in his career.
Whatever the case may be his performances for us have no bearing on whether heāll succeed as a manager here, good or great players donāt necessarily make the best managers and average or mediocre players can excel at the managerial level. If he gets the nod Iāll be behind him despite plenty of reservations,I just hope for the sake of the club that it doesnāt end in tears.
Arteta was quite good his first 2/3 seasons here, then his leg gave out and became a huge liability.
He was never near the level of Petit or Gilberto, that just a mix of hyperbole and stupidity.
And while I lked him quite a lot as a player, I donāt think he ready to manage and to be honest I donāt think he will ever be a manager better or equal to Pochettino, Allegri, Tuchel or Nagelsmann.
No, itās recognising that he played in far inferior teams, that football evolves and changes and generally gets a bit harder, and that people are overly romantic about past, consecrated players.
Really canāt say that playing and management have any correlation tbh. Look at how many shit players have turned out to be world class managers and vice versaā¦I guess we will have to see if arteta does well or is utter turd.
Has anyone said the opposite? Itās simply a separate argument that weāre having, that Iāve had many times including when Arteta wasnāt really a topic of conversation here, simply because, sadly, Arteta continues to be one of the most underrated Arsenal players in recent memory.
Yeah I donāt quite see whoās using his playing career as an indictment of what his managerial career will be. Itās quite literally a separate discussion
Yeah, I mean if heās asked the question, he has to say something and heās hardly going to come out with, āhaha thatās a joke, heāll be shitā