Modern football adores the sight of a teenage prodigy lighting up the pitch – the audience cheers, analysts rave, and the club's social media team rapidly shares the moment. However, for every prominent success story like Jude Bellingham, Gavi, or Lauren James, dozens of young players silently fade away, despite years of commitment and potential. The paradox is striking: clubs invest millions in youth development and academies, but very few of those groomed prospects obtain continuous first-team opportunity. This issue transcends geography, gender, and competition level. Both men’s and women’s football systems face similar challenges — albeit under very different structural and financial realities. The question is no longer whether clubs support youth football; they do. The real puzzle is why clubs build such vast youth structures, yet hesitate to trust their graduates. The Global Obsession with Youth Development Football’s ecosystem has grown into a machine of long-term pla...
Fans rightly gave him plenty of grace over the past two seasons when competing against Manchester City, one of the best teams in history—not to mention financially doped to the gills—and failure to convert promise into titles was overlooked. But the expectation was that when PSR, luck, and old age finally caught up with City, as they appear to have done this season, Arsenal would be poised to dominate the league for the next few years.
During the previous two seasons, he faced one of the greatest teams in history, Manchester City, and was rightfully given a lot of leeway by the fans. However, his inability to turn promise into titles was disregarded. However, it was anticipated that Arsenal would be in a position to rule the league for the ensuing years when PSR, good fortune, and aging eventually caught up to City, as they seem to have done this season.
Rather, the quality of the Gunners has declined. Last summer's transfer window must rank among the worst since the terrible 2015 season, when Petr Čech was the only addition, and the team appears worn out and lacking in ideas.
Therefore, it is natural to wonder if Arteta is the right man to lead us to our desired destination, even though no one is advocating for the club to make snap judgments. Although he has managed a superb reconstruction and laid the groundwork, will he be able to complete what he began? Even if I'm not persuaded, it's a legitimate discussion to have if we don't win the Premier League or the Champions League at the end of the season.
Who else would we get? is the key query.
It turns out that Mikel Arteta isn't the only talented manager in world football, and if we don't win a big trophy this year, a number of names ought to be considered as possible managerial targets. Since the primary criterion is whether or not such a manager can win trophies, the Premier League, where Pep has been the only successful manager for the past several years (and Klopp seems to be done with management, at least for the foreseeable future), is not a simple place to look for an answer.
After eight Bundesliga games, Alonso replaced Gerardo Seoane as manager of Bayer Leverkusen, which was in a worse position than Arteta's Arsenal. The squad was in second place. He helped them move up the table to finish sixth that year after winning his first game 4-0.
He won the domestic cup competition, defeated Bayern Munich to win the title, and advanced to the Europa League final the following season. His team accomplished a "Invincible" feat by going undefeated in the league. Using a combination of youthful talent, wise experienced acquisitions (such as former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka), and an exhilarating style of play that saw them average 2.4 goals per game and give up just 24 goals in the league all year, he accomplished this on a little budget.
Leverkusen is only four points behind Bayern this season, despite the fact that they appear to be returning to their previous level of play. Given Leverkusen's modest budget and their current Champions League standing (fourth in the standings, one spot behind Arsenal), Alonso has proven he is more than a one-hit wonder.
It would be impossible to ignore him if he were to visit Arsenal.
Zinedine Zidane's resume is unmatched by many managers in the world of football. His capacity to deliver trophies at the top level is demonstrated by Real Madrid's three consecutive Champions League titles. If we ever hope to win the highest prize in European football, Zidane should be a strong contender for Arsenal because of his cool head and ability to bring out the best in the best players.
In terms of style, Zidane was able to be realistic without being drab. Instead of making players fit into a strict structure, his tactical approach focused on finding ways to deploy numerous impactful players in their best roles and using basic procedures. On the other hand, Arteta appears to have taken away the inventiveness of every Arsenal player who isn't Bukayo Saka in the sake of adhering to play patterns.
Due to Zidane's reputation in the game, Arsenal would be able to attract top players and gain a significant advantage in the transfer market.
Nevertheless, he hasn't been a manager since 2021, and it's unclear if he would be willing to accept the position at Arsenal.
English football fans are probably the least aware of Serie A out of the major three divisions in European sport. However, Simone Inzaghi has quietly made a name for himself as one of Europe's most astute strategists over in Italy.
After Antonio Conte departed Inter Milan after winning Serie A because of a growing debt issue that resulted in player sales and pay reductions, Inzaghi assumed leadership of the team. Inzaghi has overcome such financial limitations since taking over in 2021, eighteen months after Arteta took over at Arsenal. He has won one Serie A championship, two Coppa Italia titles, three straight Supercoppa Italiana titles, and advanced to the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.
Inzaghi usually uses a 3-5-2 formation that strikes a balance between high possession football and defensive sturdiness. His approach enables quick transitions from defense to offense when it is available. Although Saka's style may not fit Arsenal's present roster (no one wants to see him at full-back), his inventiveness, tactical balance, and capacity for large trophy wins would make him a valuable addition to the team if he were to be adjusted to fit with our existing roster.
Julian Nagelsmann, the 37-year-old manager of Germany, has already coached Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig, and Bayern Munich, earning a reputation as one of the game's most creative brains. His ideology would enhance Arsenal's existing system's strengths because of his ability to apply pressing football, his faith in young players, and his favored 4-2-3-1 configuration.
But the crucial query with Nagelsmann is the same one that plagues Arteta: "Can he win?" rather than "Is he good?" Though Arteta has also demonstrated this at Arsenal, he has a stellar record of transforming underperforming and mid-tier teams, as seen at both Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig. Nagelsmann has won the Bundesliga and the DFL-Supercup with Bayern, so he does have a few trophies, but in the one-horse race that is German football, it's difficult to place too much value on success. Perhaps the same flaws that currently hamper Arteta at Arsenal are revealed by his early Champions League departure and mid-season dismissal from Bayern.
Although he might be comparable to Arteta, his extremely young age raises the possibility that he has a greater management potential.
In my opinion, if there is a chance to get Xabi Alonso this summer, I would do all in my power to do so, barring a Premier League or Champions League championship this year.
Therefore, it is natural to wonder if Arteta is the right man to lead us to our desired destination, even though no one is advocating for the club to make snap judgments. Although he has managed a superb reconstruction and laid the groundwork, will he be able to complete what he began? Even if I'm not persuaded, it's a legitimate discussion to have if we don't win the Premier League or the Champions League at the end of the season.
Who else would we get? is the key query.
It turns out that Mikel Arteta isn't the only talented manager in world football, and if we don't win a big trophy this year, a number of names ought to be considered as possible managerial targets. Since the primary criterion is whether or not such a manager can win trophies, the Premier League, where Pep has been the only successful manager for the past several years (and Klopp seems to be done with management, at least for the foreseeable future), is not a simple place to look for an answer.
Four alternatives with trophies from outside the Premier League are as follows:
1. Xabi Alonso: A Strategic Visionary with a Developmental Eye.
He won the domestic cup competition, defeated Bayern Munich to win the title, and advanced to the Europa League final the following season. His team accomplished a "Invincible" feat by going undefeated in the league. Using a combination of youthful talent, wise experienced acquisitions (such as former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka), and an exhilarating style of play that saw them average 2.4 goals per game and give up just 24 goals in the league all year, he accomplished this on a little budget.
Leverkusen is only four points behind Bayern this season, despite the fact that they appear to be returning to their previous level of play. Given Leverkusen's modest budget and their current Champions League standing (fourth in the standings, one spot behind Arsenal), Alonso has proven he is more than a one-hit wonder.
It would be impossible to ignore him if he were to visit Arsenal.
2. Gravitas Proven Winner Zinedine Zidane.
In terms of style, Zidane was able to be realistic without being drab. Instead of making players fit into a strict structure, his tactical approach focused on finding ways to deploy numerous impactful players in their best roles and using basic procedures. On the other hand, Arteta appears to have taken away the inventiveness of every Arsenal player who isn't Bukayo Saka in the sake of adhering to play patterns.
Due to Zidane's reputation in the game, Arsenal would be able to attract top players and gain a significant advantage in the transfer market.
Nevertheless, he hasn't been a manager since 2021, and it's unclear if he would be willing to accept the position at Arsenal.
3. Master of Tactical Flexibility Simone Inzaghi
After Antonio Conte departed Inter Milan after winning Serie A because of a growing debt issue that resulted in player sales and pay reductions, Inzaghi assumed leadership of the team. Inzaghi has overcome such financial limitations since taking over in 2021, eighteen months after Arteta took over at Arsenal. He has won one Serie A championship, two Coppa Italia titles, three straight Supercoppa Italiana titles, and advanced to the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.
Inzaghi usually uses a 3-5-2 formation that strikes a balance between high possession football and defensive sturdiness. His approach enables quick transitions from defense to offense when it is available. Although Saka's style may not fit Arsenal's present roster (no one wants to see him at full-back), his inventiveness, tactical balance, and capacity for large trophy wins would make him a valuable addition to the team if he were to be adjusted to fit with our existing roster.
4. The Modern Innovator, Julian Nagelsmann.
But the crucial query with Nagelsmann is the same one that plagues Arteta: "Can he win?" rather than "Is he good?" Though Arteta has also demonstrated this at Arsenal, he has a stellar record of transforming underperforming and mid-tier teams, as seen at both Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig. Nagelsmann has won the Bundesliga and the DFL-Supercup with Bayern, so he does have a few trophies, but in the one-horse race that is German football, it's difficult to place too much value on success. Perhaps the same flaws that currently hamper Arteta at Arsenal are revealed by his early Champions League departure and mid-season dismissal from Bayern.
Although he might be comparable to Arteta, his extremely young age raises the possibility that he has a greater management potential.
In conclusion.
Even if Arteta has turned Arsenal back into a serious team, the team should be open to new leadership if we don't win now that the chance has arrived. When Arsène Wenger became available, Arsenal replaced Bruce Rioch, a move that permanently altered the team's course. Maybe we could think about doing the same if a better choice comes along in the upcoming year.In my opinion, if there is a chance to get Xabi Alonso this summer, I would do all in my power to do so, barring a Premier League or Champions League championship this year.
Comments
Post a Comment