There’s only one topic dominating the football headlines right now and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta may view it as a welcome distraction.
Liverpool and the Gunners may appear to be two teams at contrasting ends of their respective club histories, but the new champions will now become the blueprint for any side wanting to win the Premier League following a period of adversity.
Becoming champions of England isn’t something that happens overnight. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is proof of that. But for Arsenal, Liverpool’s success clearly proves that both time and patience is needed to allow a manager to get the very best out of his team.
Let’s not forget, Arsenal are used to giving managers time following Arsene Wenger’s 22 good - and sometimes bad - years as manager.
His departure in 2018 was the end of an era. In that time, he led them to countless honours, oversaw the move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury and saw generations of great players come and go.
Wenger was Mr Arsenal. He built the identity of the modern Gunners, but in the end even he outstayed his welcome.
Now the Gunners need someone else to pick up the gauntlet, another manager to write the next chapter in the club’s illustrious history.
Unai Emery was not up to the job, whether you regard his sacking as justified or not, and the club then made the bold decision to appoint Arteta as head coach in his place.
With no managerial experience, handing the job to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City number two does come with a degree of risk, but one that also bears some sense.
As opposed to established managerial greats like Carlo Ancelotti or Massimiliano Allegri, who come with the expectation of immediate success, Arteta is part of a younger generation who need time, support and the trust of their clubs to produce results.
The asymmetry between expectation and reality at the top levels of professional football means most managers are not given that indulgence in such an intense, results-driven business.
However, now is the time for Arsenal to relax any short-term expectations they may harbour to give Arteta the platform needed to create a culture of success. Klopp was afforded that at Liverpool and has now delivered.
Of course, Arsenal are far from matching what Liverpool have achieved over the past couple of years, but similar success in the future is not out of the question.
The advantage of playing in a league with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City is that a club and their fans are constantly reminded of the high standards that are needed to compete.
For that reason, Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy should be looking to learn a lesson or two from the new champions and the team they have usurped at the top of the Premier League.
If so, there will hopefully be a time in the near future when it will be Arteta’s time to turn Arsenal fans from doubters to believers, but in order to do that he will need time. Let’s just hope club bosses hold their nerve.
