To say Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has endured a baptism of fire to his managerial career would be an understatement. Many football fans loyal to the Gunners were surprised – to put it politely – when the club’s board decided to put their faith in an untried and untested manager. Former Arsenal and Rangers midfielder Arteta had been serving as an apprentice to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City when the Emirates came calling.
As training schemes go, that’s up there with the best of them, but there was no shortage of doubters when Mikel was unveiled in the winter of 2019. Almost two years down the line, the Spaniard still has as many critics as he does fans following a rollercoaster start to his time in charge. Doubters say he’s in over his head and isn’t the man to get the famous club back into the Champions League. Supporters argue he needs time and is showing the qualities that suggest he’ll be a successful manager for years to come.
The Gunners support is split down the middle. As you would expect, major online bookmakers have joined the debate and leading sportsbook Betus offer a range of Arsenal and Arteta related markets. These include Arsenal to win the league or finish in the top four. Members can even wager on Arteta being the next Premier League manager to lose his job. That particular market is known in the industry as the sack race, and it’s one no boss wants to be favourite to win.
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A period of reflection for fans
Entering the last of the international breaks for the two remaining World Cup qualifiers, the Premier League is put on the back burner. This isn’t welcome news for lovers of English football’s top division, but it does give followers a chance to reflect on what we have seen in the opening 11 matches of the 2021/22 season.
What does the future hold for Arteta, and could this be the season, with or without the Spaniard in charge, that the Gooners return to the top four of the division and challenge the likes of Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea for the title? Traders at the most famous betting sites have been quick to write Arsenal off in the Premier League outright
Is that harsh? Possibly, but it’s a stance that’s difficult to argue against after seeing Arteta’s men stumble through the opening weeks of the campaign. Big odds available on Arsenal will catch the attention of value hunters who believe the club has been over-priced and are capable of performing better than the bookies think.
Here are two reasons why Arsenal fans should be optimistic and online bettors could view the team as a dark horse worth backing.
Unbeaten run
Arsenal’s early season troubles were well-documented, but the team appear to have found their feet and are finally firing. They entered the international break on the back of a five-game unbeaten run, following two draws with three victories. That lifted them on to 20 points which is just two shy of Liverpool and the top-four and six off the pace set by Chelsea. After West Ham, Arsenal has the league’s best form over those three games and were last seen beating neighbours Watford thanks to a goal from Smith Rowe.
The case for the defence
A defence that has leaked more goals than Southampton down in the bottom half of the division has been a cause for concern for Arteta for some time now, but there’s a glimmer of hope, and things seem to be improving. The team has kept a clean sheet in each of their last three in all competitions. That can be traced back further, with Arsenal conceding three goals in their last six, with two of those coming in the one game.
During that six-game run, they have kept four opponents at bay. The attackers have been doing their bit for the cause, scoring ten goals in six, finding the net five times in their three most recent fixtures.
