Arsenal hero Tony Adams has now outlined where he feels Mikel Arteta has ‘come up short’ at Emirates Stadium, just like Gareth Southgate has while in charge of England.
Adams believes there is not currently a head coach around who is better suited to managing England than Southgate. But he and Arteta are ‘very similar’ in how they have failed to meet their main objectives. The Three Lions have fallen just short in all recent major tournaments.
Southgate guided England to the semi-finals for the 2018 World Cup. But they lost to Croatia and then to Belgium in the third-place play-off. While Italy edged the Three Lions in the Euro 2020 final on penalties. France also ended England’s 2022 World Cup in the quarter-finals.
Arteta and Southgate have fallen short with Arsenal and England
Arteta, meanwhile, led Arsenal to FA Cup glory in 2020 after replacing Unai Emery in charge in December 2019. The Gunners also won the Community Shield in 2023 and 2020. But the Spaniard has not added a major honour to Arsenal’s trophy cabinet since their 2020 FA Cup.
Arsenal came close to winning their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 Invincibles last season. But a late-season collapse saw the Gunners spurn spending 248 atop the table. Manchester City would win the crown for a third straight season with three games to spare.
Adams shares where Arteta and Southgate have ‘come up short’
Arsenal could only win three of their final nine Premier League games last season as Arteta’s team ended the term five points behind Manchester City. Their run started by wasting a 2-0 lead at Liverpool and then also at West Ham United, with both matches ending in 2-2 draws.
Southampton further stunned Arsenal to lead 2-0 and 3-1 before Martin Odegaard (88’) and Bukayo Saka (90’) rescued a point. But defeats to Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest would finish off the Emirates Stadium club’s hopes of lifting the title.
For Adams, the reason why Arteta failed to guide Arsenal to the title and Southgate has also fallen short with England is the same. The Gunners great claims both managers have not got the right experience and know-how in Arsenal’s coaching staff or England’s backroom staff.
“As an individual, [Southgate’s] a wonderful, emotional and fantastic individual,” Adams has told talkSPORT. “I love him to bits and for me, there couldn’t be a better England manager.
“I think that, very similar to Mikel Arteta, he’s maybe come up short with his backroom staff and having that little bit of experience in critical moments of Euros, World Cups and league titles in Arteta’s case.”
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