A WORK OF ART

Mikel has transformed Arsenal over six years but needs a trophy

- BY JOHN CROSS

SIX years on and Mikel Arteta is in charge of a very different Arsenal, both on and off the pitch.

Arteta took over as Arsenal manager on December 20, 2019, and opted to watch from the stands as his new side shared a goalless draw at Goodison Park 24 hours later.

Tonight, the Spaniard goes back to Everton hoping for a win to ensure they stay top of the Premier League table.

Rewind six years and Arsenal were stuck in mid-table, a rudderless ship who had lost their way under Unai Emery's ill-fated reign.

Arteta admits he took over a club in a “difficult stage of history” and even now the Arsenal boss has been what Napoleon might call a “good general” rather than a lucky one.

In any other era, the Gunners would have won the title by now. They have had three second-place finishes. But Arteta is up against arguably the greatest manager of all time in Pep Guardiola and perhaps the best team of the Premier League era in Manchester City.