With Unai Emery’s eventual sacking last Friday, Arsenal are currently in search of a new Head Coach. Our objectives for the season remain that we must qualify to play in the Champions League for next season but in order to achieve this; our performances, and ultimately results, must improve drastically. Having lost the game to Brighton at home last night, it’s not only just a winless run of seven games in the Premier League, it also means we’re currently 10th in the table. We’re in very big trouble and we need someone to steady the ship. To do that, they need to make sure Rose falls in love with Jack, Captain Birdseye stays focused behind the ship’s wheel, and they avoid plummeting into the fucking huge iceberg. Our once titanic club is in danger of sinking to the bottom of the ocean… unless we find a saviour.
The club have placed their faith in club legend Freddie Ljungberg as interim Head Coach until they make a decision on appointing a manager permanently. As much as I love Freddie, and I’m fairly sure most fans do for the great success he has helped provide the club in years gone by. Sadly, I think he’s out of his depth here and this job might be a bit too soon in terms of his management aspirations. I fear the longer he’s left in this position, I’m afraid it will tarnish his illustrious legacy.
At the moment, there is a selection of possible candidates touted by the media as the four main favourites. The hot picks, if you will, are Mikel Arteta, Massimiliano Allegri, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Mauricio Pochettino. Considering the appointment of Emery last year fell under the radar of the media and fans, I will compile a list of other possibilities to take the Gunners hotseat in a separate article. Here’s a closer examination of Mauricio Pochettino and what he would bring as Head Coach of Arsenal.
There have been only eight players, to date, who have featured for both North London clubs. Only one manager has crossed the divide. George Graham’s controversial departure from Arsenal, which revealed the infamous corrupt bung payments, only helped to stoke the fires further after he ended up in the dugout of that ‘orrible lot down the road. And when players make the leap, it ends up even more volatile. Most notably, Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal then Spurs), William Gallas (Arsenal then Spurs), and of course, the riot provoking arrival of Sol Campbell (Spurs then Arsenal – the best order to do it in). It begs the question; how would the appointment of beloved former Spurs manager, Pochettino aka “Poch” as Arsenal manager, go down in North London?
If you’re old enough to remember when Campbell turned up at White Hart Lane, donning the red and white, to a chorus of ‘boos’ and ‘judas’ then one can only imagine the reception Poch would receive in the Arsenal dugout at the new “Toilet Bowl” stadium. If it were to happen in this new era in which social media exacerbates tribalism within football fanbases; then I’d have no choice but to echo the words of The Kaiser Chiefs; “I predict a riot.”
For all intents and purposes, Unai Emery really struggled to elevate his players or even get the maximum out of the most of them. He clearly tried his best to integrate the young Academy players into the first team but thanks to confused tactics, negative game plans, and with no clear identity; all players, both young and experienced suffered as a result. The longer Emery’s tenure continued; the more confidence drained from the team.
One of the most evident qualities from Poch’s time as Spurs’ manager was how much he raised the levels of most of his players. Most notably, the young players excelled beyond expectations under the Argentine’s leadership. The likes of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Dele Alli, and Christian Eriksen, all players in their early 20’s, had been transformed from promising young talents into excellent elite footballers. Obviously, the achievements and accolades of the individual are mostly the doing of the individual… but the confidence, experience, education, training, and guidance given to them by the manager has a huge impact on their footballing development.
This is something Arsenal players have lacked since the departure of Wenger, and I firmly believe Poch would get the best, at minimum, from most of this current squad. I can see players such as Mattéo Guendouzi, Joe Willock, Gabriel Martinelli, Reiss Nelson, and Bukayo Saka, all thriving under Poch’s guidance playing the exciting, and attractive football he made famous at Spurs. I can also see players, currently struggling to make the impact they are expected to, like Nicolas Pepe, Mesut Özil, and Dani Ceballos, improving on their form’s by playing in a system more suited to them, and given better instruction on how to make the most impact.
Another inefficiency of Emery’s time as Head Coach was his inability to not only fully communicate his ideas to the team but also present his thoughts to the media in a clear and articulate manner. It’s no doubt his English improved over the course of his stay in the country but it had less to do with his grasp of the language and more to do with his communication skills in general. Pochettino is the perfect comparison. When he arrived in England, it was a common suggestion that he would struggle to implement ideas across to his team based solely on the fact he had a translator speak on his behalf towards the media. In due time, it appeared to be irrelevant as he coached Southampton during a short but successful spell, and then on to elevate the Spurs team to the highest level.
Although Poch hasn’t technically guided a team to any trophies, it’s only a matter of time before he brings in the gold. You’d have to say that a summer transfer window without signing a single player had a huge effect on his Spurs team for the long-run. If given the necessary financial backing needed to mount a title challenge, or at least compete for the Champion’s League places, then Poch will eventually reach that target. Arsenal’s financial clout is certainly not in the same ball park as Manchester City’s but I do believe it would be an improvement on what he received under Daniel Levy at Spurs. He’d also be involved in the recruitment process more than he was working with Levy. I think he’d be allowed to work, and have more of a say alongside Technical Director, Edu, and our backroom staff; in order to identify the best talent. Unlike his time at Spurs, where you get the impression he was left in the cold in terms of recruitment, hence the “change my title from manager to coach” quote toward the end of his reign there, he’d have more control at the Gunners.
I’d give his appointment a likelihood rating 6 out of 10, as I’m not entirely sure he’d drop his loyalties to Tottenham Hotspur. However, if his time at Spurs ended badly, we have a big chance of bringing him in. If it was a “messy break-up” then the odds could be high, but if it finished amicably, I doubt it will happen. It also hinders on the Arsenal board’s power of persuasion to produce a move of this magnitude. I have faith in backroom staff that managed to bring in a player to a Europa League team that not only starred for a Champions League team (Lille) but was practically on his way to another (Napoli).
If we were to actually appoint Poch as the manager of Arsenal then I’d rate his chances of success an 8 out of 10. I have slight concerns that he ultimately failed to manage a toxic dressing room which eventually got him the sack because we all know Arsenal have a wealth of in-house issues themselves. But there’s no doubting he’d bring fresh energy, instil a higher level of confidence, elevate individual/team qualities, and eventually get that “trophy monkey” off his back.
The Highbury Daze 