Former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry has voiced his opinion on the performance of Arsenal under manager Mikel Arteta, stating that the club has underachieved in the past three years.
Mikel Arteta, 43, took over as Arsenal's manager in 2019 after leaving Manchester City. Since then, he has brought about a significant transformation in the Gunners' performance. The team has become a regular title contender under his leadership.
However, despite this transformation and consistent high-level performances, there is an element missing from their recent history - silverware.
Drought of silverware
The last time Arsenal won a piece of silverware was during Arteta's first season at the helm when they triumphed over Chelsea in the FA Cup final in 2020. Since then, despite finishing second in three consecutive Premier League seasons and reaching semi-finals stages both in Champions League and Carabao Cup this term, they have failed to clinch any titles.
Arsenal have averaged an impressive 82 points per season over these past three Premier League campaigns but without any trophies to show for it.
Thierry Henry, Arsenal legend, said:
"I'm not saying that I'm disappointed with Arsenal, but it's normal that people are raising questions now about what the team is doing. I understand that at the very beginning you arrive and it's not your team. You need at the very least three or four transfer windows to change everything that you want to.
"It takes time and you have to give a manager time to be able to implement what he wants to do. For the last three years Arsenal have been in a situation where they should have at least brought one cup or [reached] a final."
Comparisons with Manchester United
To further illustrate his point about underachievement at Arsenal under Arteta's management, Henry drew comparisons with another English football giant - Manchester United. Over the past five years alone, Manchester United have not only competed but also succeeded by winning two trophies and reaching five finals.
This comparison underscores how success is often measured by tangible achievements such as trophies won rather than just consistent high-level performances or points accumulated throughout a season.
Thierry Henry added:
"Manchester United have played in five finals in the last five years, the United that everyone laughs at - whereas for Arsenal in the last three years of building, they've not reached a final,"
"So I do understand when people ask the question, 'surely you should compete for a trophy?'"
While Mikel Arteta’s tenure at Arsenal has seen some positive transformations with regular title challenges and high average points per season; however according to former captain Thierry Henry’s perspective it seems that without tangible success like winning trophies these achievements may be seen as underwhelming.
