He also had a knack of quickly reversing bad spells with an uplifting result to ease the pressure.
Although the league form was breaking the wrong records, the cups and Europe were a salvation. In all competitions, Arteta actually won more of his first 100 fixtures than Arsène Wenger.
That meant amid the setbacks there was always a sense of an ultimate destination. When Arsenal enjoyed good results and performances, you could see the fruits of the work on the training ground. Arsenal took steps back to move forward.
Manchester United, by contrast, made a move forward last year, but have taken several steps back since.
Ten Hag took over at United with a big reputation because of his work at Ajax, especially when he led them to the Champions League semi-final. He was not presented as an emerging coach but at 52 was supposed to be a ready-made one who would impose a clear vision. United had qualified for the Champions League in two of the three seasons preceding Ten Hag’s appointment and there was a belief talented players needed superior coaching and a change of culture at the training ground.
Like Arteta, Ten Hag had no choice but to use the personnel available to be more pragmatic in his first season. Over his first three transfer windows, United spent just over £380 million and nothing has changed as they have bought more deadwood than they have sold. Of Ten Hag’s first Premier League line-up (defeat by Brighton in August, 2022), seven would probably still make the first choice XI. Only two have left the club, and another, Jadon Sancho, is about to play the Champions League final on loan at Borussia Dortmund.
Unlike Arteta’s transfer picks, Ten Hag’s decisions backfired terribly, especially the signings of Antony and Casemiro.
United have been regularly outclassed by rivals, losing 6-3 against Manchester City and 7-0 to Liverpool, while struggling against mid-table Premier League teams too.