Manchester United Legend Mikel Arteta had proven him wrong and felt Arsenal were going to sack the Spaniard after Arsenal failed to make the top four.
Arsenal blew their chance of qualifying for the Champions League last after two consecutive defeats to their arch-rivals Tottenham and Newcastle. Before the North London derby against Tottenham, The Gunners were leading Antonio Conte’s side by four points.
Tottenham secured a top-four finish over Arsenal with two points difference after defeating Norwich on the last day of the Premier League while Arsenal defeated Everton but it was not enough to earn them a top-four finish.
Gary Neville has also hailed Mikel Arteta for turning things around this season at Arsenal.
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What did Gray Neville say?
The former Manchester United skipper said on the overlap Podcast on Skysports: “I’ve always had a respect for Arsenal as a football club.
“They’re one of the great traditional clubs in this country. However, the last few years have been a struggle.
“I remember at the end of last season, me and Jamie Carragher thought that it could be terminal for Mikel Arteta.”
The Gunners are top of the Premier League with 24 points and made a statement of intent after beating Liverpool at the Emirates stadium 3-2.
Neville added: “I was at the Emirates stadium for the first time on Sunday against Liverpool.
“I watched Arsenal away at Old Trafford and at Brentford, and they played well at Old Trafford – even though they lost – and they were brilliant at Brentford, but the atmosphere felt a little bit different on Sunday – it was unbelievable.
“I want Arsenal to do well. I want Mikel Arteta to do well because he’s a young manager. The managers he’s up against – Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, before he got sacked, they’re animals to be up against.
“You’re talking about machines and even though there’s been a lot of investment, to break into that group of managers is just difficult to do.
“That’s why it didn’t surprise me at the end of last season that Conte did what he did, in pipping Arsenal to fourth place, purely because of his experience.
“I remember being harsh on Arsenal fans – the protest against Arsène Wenger around that time was toxic, it was awful.
“On Sunday, it just felt a million miles away from that. Arsenal’s ground has never really been that hotbed of an atmosphere, but even Liverpool must have felt that on Sunday because the noise was absolutely off the scale.
“You can’t not like [Mikel] Arteta from a respect point of view, as a person and the way he handles himself.”
Arsenal has recorded only one defeat this season, which was against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Gunners will face Leeds United over the Weekends.
