Revealed: The moment Mikel Arteta doubted his ability to manage Arsenal

Robin Bairner

17 Sept 2022 12:01 BST
3 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Mikel Arteta has won praise for the manner in which he has turned Arsenal around in recent months.

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The Spaniard took over a club that was failing in December 2019, and though the Gunners missed out on Champions League football this season by a whisker, the progress that is being made is both clear and steady.

Arsenal won their first five Premier League matches of the season before falling to defeat away to Manchester United in their last match, yet they go into the weekend at the top of the table.

Arteta, though, admits there was a time where even he doubted his ability to lead the Gunners back to the top of the pile.

Arteta admits Arsenal doubts

The start of the 2021/22 season was miserable for Arsenal as they lost their first three matches of the campaign and were stuck firmly in the relegation zone. At that time, the Spaniard was the favourite to be the first manager of the season sacked

"I doubted myself, I questioned myself," Arteta told Sky Sports. "This is part of a journey where - if you want to get better - you have to be self-critical.

“You have to have other people around you to tell you the truth and also have the humbleness to always be willing to get better, improve and explore other opinions and ways to do your job.

“The way everyone reacted after the first game of the season [a 1-0 defeat to Brentford], it was big. But that tells you the expectations of the football club you are in, how much passion and love here is for this club and how quickly you can turn things around. You have to be prepared for that and you have to be analytical about why things happen.”