\n<\/p>\n
If Mikel Arteta<\/span><\/span> left North London tomorrow, he could claim he had left Arsenal<\/span><\/span> in a healthier position than when he arrived.<\/p>\n Our manager continues to adapt his tactics to find a way to compete with Pep Guardiola<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n The final step for the Spaniard to prove is that he can get over the line.<\/p>\n That is what separates the good from the great.<\/p>\n That is why it is premature for any Gooner to suggest our manager would be lifting a quadruple this season.<\/p>\n Simply because that is not where our club is in its development.<\/p>\n Manchester City<\/span><\/span> currently have the advantage because they possess core members of their squad who understand not only how to perform under pressure but also how to do so with confidence.<\/p>\n That is not a criticism. The final step is meant to be the most difficult. Many can reach for the brass ring, but if it were easy to grasp, we would not be enduring a 22-year title drought.<\/p>\n In the next month, Arteta will earn his salary.<\/p>\n In the early years of his coaching career, he might have needed fresh ideas, but now he and his staff must find a better way to ensure a group of talented individuals embraces the coming weeks rather than fear them.<\/p>\n It has been observed that for much of the campaign, the manager has been calmer on the touchline and more composed in interviews.<\/p>\n His track record suggests, however, that the bigger the occasion, the more his players have struggled to deliver.<\/p>\n I recently watched a documentary explaining how Atl\u00e9tico Madrid<\/span><\/span> needed to avoid defeat at Barcelona<\/span><\/span> La Liga wins.<\/p>\n Despite trailing 1-0 at halftime, players later revealed that at the interval, Diego Simeone<\/span><\/span> convinced them they were exactly where they wanted to be.<\/p>\n There are no guarantees that Arteta can replicate that approach, as not every manager possesses that ability.<\/p>\n The first time a team crosses the finish line, the next time often becomes easier.<\/p>\n Arteta now needs to demonstrate that he can halt any momentum against his side.<\/p>\n That is what defines the very best.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n _____________________________________________________________________________________________ You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.<\/p>\n CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, don\u2019t hesitate to get in touch with us\u00a0through this link\u2026<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If Mikel Arteta left North London tomorrow, he could claim he had left Arsenal in a healthier position than when he arrived. Our manager continues to adapt his tactics to find a way to compete with Pep Guardiola. The final step for the Spaniard to prove is that he can get over the line. That […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Closing the Gap<\/h2>\n
The Defining Moment<\/h2>\n
ADMIN COMMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n