Mikel Arteta and Arsenal facing damning Liverpool title reality as Arne Slot threatens vision

Liverpool sit top of the Champions League table after yet another win, this time over former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka’s Bayer Leverkusen. The Gunners have been suffering themselves and their defeat to Newcastle United at the weekend has put their own title hopes in doubt.

It has led to Mikel Arteta coming under considerable scrutiny and due to the club’s rise over the past few years, expectations are exceedingly high. Some claiming that should Arne Slot win the league, or even any silverware in his first season, this would undermine the project so many Gunners fans claim they were sold.

The reality is far different of course when looking at it more objectively but it is true that seeing Arsenal go backwards, regardless of injuries, suspensions and controversial decisions, would be a big disappointment.

Slot has come in and started life on Merseyside very well indeed. Even with the start to this challenging run post the October international break, he remains unbeaten, navigating some very tough fixtures including a trip to the Emirates Stadium.

Manchester City’s three back-to-back defeats in three competitions is only heightening the feeling Slot could be in for the perfect arrival. While Arsenal’s struggles have been made worse by sporting director Edu Gaspar resigning in a surprise move.

So what has allowed Slot to start so well, where for Arsenal it simply did not happen the same way? Well, for starters, we shouldn’t forget that the FA Cup was indeed won in Arteta’s first season, it is just the subsequent disappointment regarding trophies that fans rightfully have as ammunition on the Spaniard since.

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However, Slot, like Pep Guardiola when he joined Manchester City, has inherited an incredible wealth of resources. For both coaches it was like hitting the managerial lottery and taking on sides who are established at the top of the table, competing and having won plenty of trophies with a squad that has established world-class stars and up-and-coming talented youngsters too.

Just look to Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold and others, it is a brilliant group of players that have been coached very well by Jurgen Klopp and left in a great way. Slot too is already accomplished having done great things with Feyenoord and inherits compatriots such as the aforementioned Van Dijk and Cody Gakpo.

Guardiola has certainly built a formidable side with his executives in his eight-plus years in Manchester. But he did that with the foundation of the likes of Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and of course Kevin De Bruyne who remains with the side.

Compare that to Arteta’s appointment at Arsenal and it is night and day. Arteta and Edu effectively had to rip out the majority of the interior of the house and replace key parts, building around young players like Bukayo Saka and William Saliba that were inherited.

Doing it all whilst both Manchester City and Liverpool were already at their pomp. Yet despite that, the Gunners have continued to progress and come very close to their goals with ambitions that have not wavered despite not reaching them as of yet.

If Liverpool were to win the league, it would not be anywhere near as damning as some might suggest. It would be frustrating, and it would still be an incredible achievement by Slot, but it shouldn’t distract from the reality that Arsenal face.

Expectations remain, the new contract signed by Arteta must deliver a title or Champions League. Failing to do so would, after this amount of time and investment provide defining clarity on where the club needs to go, but we are not there yet and valuable time remains.