Arsenal, Mikel Arteta (Photo by Tim Goode/Pool via Getty Images)
Arsenal fans don’t agree on a lot, but here are three controversial truths that they should just accept now rather than later.
There aren’t a lot of things that fans are going to agree on following the conclusion of the 2019/20 Premier League season. Arsenal finished eighth, their lowest in quite some time, but we also have to remember that Liverpool did the same. And yes, I will continue to parallel our rebuild to Liverpool’s rebuild and you can get over it.
And as the transfer window opens up today (though don’t expect much action before the FA Cup Final), the debates will continue, raging around names like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Partey, Alexandre Lacazette and more.
But for as few things as there are to agree about, I’m going to stoke the flames a little more and introduce three facts that are by no means unanimous, that fans should just agree on now, rather than having to hold out and admit it later on.
After all, it’s cool to accept a fact before it’s a proven fact. But for those that still need convincing, I’ll do my best.
We start with No. 3.
3. Mikel Arteta is the man for the job
Definitely the least controversial point on this list, but still one that fans are questioning. With Arteta failing to lift the Gunners into a European Cup spot, as well as failing to keep the club inspired for more than 45 minutes at a time.
But more importantly, Arteta united a dressing room that had been lost under Unai Emery. All the players sang the praises of their new manager, from youngsters like Bukayo Saka up to stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
There was a unanimous belief among the players, which means that there should be a unanimous belief among the fans as well. After all, I put my faith in Aubameyang’s opinion more than some guy on Twitter.
Arteta knows what’s right for this club, he’s handled it well despite the inconsistencies of personnel, and next year we will start to see those changes paying dividends in a big way.
At No. 2, let’s get more controversial.
Arsenal finished eighth, their lowest in quite some time, but we also have to remember that Liverpool did the same. And yes, I will continue to parallel our rebuild to Liverpool’s rebuild and you can get over it.</p>
<p>And as the transfer window opens up today (though don’t expect much action before the FA Cup Final), the debates will continue, raging around names like <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://fbref.com/en/players/d5dd5f1f/Pierre-Emerick-Aubameyang?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang</a>, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://fbref.com/en/players/529f49ab/Thomas-Partey?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Thomas Partey</a>, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://fbref.com/en/players/9dbb75ca/Alexandre-Lacazette?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Alexandre Lacazette</a> and more.</p>
<p>But for as few things as there are to agree about, I’m going to stoke the flames a little more and introduce three facts that are by no means unanimous, that fans should just agree on now, rather than having to hold out and admit it later on.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="5 Things Learned Against Watford" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/26/arsenal-vs-watford-5-things-learned-thank-god/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/26/arsenal-vs-watford-5-things-learned-thank-god/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> 5 Things Learned Against Watford </a> </div>
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<p>After all, it’s cool to accept a fact before it’s a proven fact. But for those that still need convincing, I’ll do my best.</p>
<p>We start with No. 3.</p>
<h4>3. Mikel Arteta is the man for the job</h4>
<p>Definitely the <em>least</em> controversial point on this list, but still one that fans are questioning. With Arteta failing to lift the Gunners into a European Cup spot, as well as failing to keep the club inspired for more than 45 minutes at a time.</p>
<p>But more importantly, Arteta united a dressing room that had been lost under Unai Emery. All the players sang the praises of their new manager, from youngsters like <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://fbref.com/en/players/bc7dc64d/Bukayo-Saka?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Bukayo Saka</a> up to stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.</p>
<p>There was a unanimous belief among the players, which means that there should be a unanimous belief among the fans as well. After all, I put my faith in Aubameyang’s opinion more than some guy on Twitter.</p>
<p>Arteta knows what’s right for this club, he’s handled it well despite the inconsistencies of personnel, and next year we will start to see those changes paying dividends in a big way.</p>
<p>At No. 2, let’s get more controversial.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2. Easily </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-103709" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1227685473.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1227685473.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1227685473-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>2. Nicolas Pepe was worth the fee</h4>
<p>Spending £72m on a player is very un-Arsenal like. And since it was a record fee, the implications were multiplied. The world was expected of <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://fbref.com/en/players/57e3f0c7/Nicolas-Pepe?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Nicolas Pepe</a> and needless to say, he didn’t deliver the world by any stretch.</p>
<p>That said, numbers alone vindicate the direction this guy is headed. Seven goals and eight assists in his first year at a club that saw three different managers, a broad swath of inconsistencies, and more short-term issues than I can count on all my fingers and toes combined.</p>
<p>And that wasn’t even really a “full” season. It was just 2000 Premier League minutes. Generally, you can expect 3000. Who knows what he might have done with 1000 more minutes.</p>
<p>Through it all, Pepe has been an effective attacker, our best attacker through arguably the majority of the season. And he remains one of the only guys we have that can consistently create something out of nothing.</p>
<p>Yes, he still has his issues with control. Yes, he still needs to improve. But seeing what he did this year alone and putting faith in his trajectory, there’s no reason we can’t unanimously believe that he was worth the money.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1. Let's try this again </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-104020" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2049,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2020%2F07%2F1259040485.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Granit Xhaka" width="3200" height="2049" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2020/07/1259040485.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2020/07/1259040485-768x492.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Arsenal, Granit Xhaka (Photo by Rui Vieira/Pool via Getty Images)</p>
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<h4>1. Granit Xhaka is more important than ever</h4>
<p>Following <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://fbref.com/en/players/e61b8aee/Granit-Xhaka?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Granit Xhaka</a>‘s drama against Crystal Palace, as well as the apology and reinstatement that followed, fans seemed to open up to the usefulness of Granit Xhaka. They weren’t as critical, they weren’t scapegoating him as much.</p>
<p>But the unease emanating from his continued presence was still palpable. Look no further than some articles here at Pain in the Arsenal, criticizing Granit Xhaka and demanding he be sold.</p>
<p>Wrong.</p>
<p>Granit Xhaka is more important than ever, and I don’t think you need to look any further than the first half against Aston Villa, though there are plenty of other examples.</p>
<p>There is a difference between when Xhaka is in there and when he isn’t. There is a value in his control. This whole “underdog” mentality that saw us snatch victories from City and Liverpool isn’t sustainable. The problem has been a lack of edge when we control possession. Xhaka is the solution to that. Not Ceballos. Not Partey. I want a midfield three with Xhaka, Ceballos, and Partey because all three would have defined roles to play that would make this a deadly midfield trifecta.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Player Ratings vs Watford" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/26/arsenal-watford-player-ratings/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/28/arsenal-3-controversial-truths/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/07/26/arsenal-watford-player-ratings/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Player Ratings vs Watford </a> </div>
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<p>But for Xhaka’s part, we don’t have an alternative. Nor do we need one. Speaking of unanimous—all four of Arsenal’s managers over the past three years see the inherent value of Xhaka. So why don’t you?</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
