Arteta had awkward glimpse into Arsenal future as sliding doors risk unfolded
Goodison Park is a familiar place which holds plenty of happy memories for Mikel Arteta, and while most of them involve Everton, it is also where his managerial career started too.
As a player, Arteta made 209 appearances for Everton over six years with the club. The fact he played every single one of those games under one manager, David Moyes, goes some way to showing just how much times have changed in the blue half of Merseyside.
Arteta returns to Goodison on Saturday in charge of an Arsenal side who are five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand. In the other dugout will be Sean Dyche, who will take charge of his first game as Everton boss after succeeding Frank Lampard.
Everton are in the doldrums, sitting 19th in the table after a disastrous first half of the season and a chaotic, unproductive January transfer window. Dyche now has the job of creating some unity and cohesion to steer the Toffees away from the relegation fight.
The fortunes of the two sides have changed dramatically since a sliding doors moment back on December 21, 2019. In itself, the match that took place that day between Everton and Arsenal was immediately forgettable.
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The drab 0-0 draw at Goodison produced just two shots on target and very little in the way of excitement. But it is what happened off the pitch which made it significant. While Duncan Ferguson and Freddie Ljungberg were in the technical areas, Carlo Ancelotti and Arteta were sat a few rows apart in the stands, watching the sides they were about to take over.
The match was short on quality that day (Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)Arteta had been appointed on the Friday; Ancelotti the hour before kick-off. They were both there to study their new teams, make notes and plan for the future.
At the time, to many it looked as though Everton had got the better deal. They had pulled off a genuine coup by hiring a three-time Champions League winning coach to replace Marco Silva. As Ferguson said that day, the players and staff had “been in awe” of him. Ancelotti’s presence at Goodison completely overshadowed Arteta, who was a complete contrast.
He was just 37 years old at the time and was embarking on his first role in management after working under Pep Guardiola as a coach at Manchester City. While Ancelotti was Everton manager, Arteta was initially appointed as a head coach. The differences in job titles reflected the contrast in stature.
Carlo Ancelotti had been in the running for the Arsenal job (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Arsenal win the Premier League - and can Sean Dyche keep Everton up? Comment below.
Ancelotti had been in the running for the Arsenal job and, at the start, there were plenty of dissenting voices among Gunners fans. The team was in a transitional period following the sacking of Unai Emery and many wanted an experienced, safe pair of hands to oversee it.
Fast-forward three years and the fortunes of both clubs suggest the Gunners hierarchy of chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director Edu made the right call.
The 0-0 draw that day showed the size of the challenge both managers faced. Despite the presence of big-name players on both sides, quality was sorely lacking with passes going astray over and over and goals rarely threatened.
Nevertheless, Arteta’s vision for the team was brewing. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see why he was a good fit for Arsenal. The team that day featured Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Martinelli as six of the starting XI who were aged 23 or under. Mesut Ozil was conspicuous by his absence.
Mikel Arteta has helped players like Bukayo Saka develop at Arsenal (MIKE HEWITT/AFP via Getty Images)Although Ljungberg was still in charge, Arteta visited the dressing room at Goodison to impart his message: “Be brave, take responsibility and work hard for each other”. It was a long process, but Arsenal are now reaping the rewards of Arteta’s process.
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The same cannot be said at Everton, who have lurched from manager to manager since Arteta worked under Moyes. Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and Lampard have all been in charge during Arteta’s three years at Arsenal.
Dyche has now become the latest manager to try and arrest the decline of Everton as Arteta continues to go from strength to strength at Arsenal. Saturday’s game may well provide a visual demonstration of the widening gap since that sliding doors moment.
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