Former Arsenal player Julio Baptista believes Mikel Arteta can thrive during his reign as coach providing he is shown sufficient patience.
Arteta took the place of interim boss Freddie Ljungberg in December, with previous boss Unai Emery departing the month prior after a disappointing 18 months in charge.
The Spaniard - despite his affiliations with the club - was a somewhat surprising choice due to his sheer lack of managerial experience, although he gained valuable knowledge in working alongside Pep Guardiola as Manchester City's assistant manager.
Arsenal sat 10th in the Premier League before Arteta's arrival, seven points adrift of Chelsea in fourth place. And although the Spaniard has certainly steadied the ship, the Gunners are still eight points behind their London rivals.
But Baptista, who made 35 appearances for the north London club during a loan spell from Real Madrid in the 2006-07 campaign, is adamant Arteta can prosper at his former club - but insists he must be given the tools to feel confident.
"Arteta is a young coach who has a chance to be successful and needs the club: he must feel confident," the former Gunners forward told the Daily Mail.
"It is a long-term project, and if he is given time then he will deliver results, but he must be shown patience."
Baptista, who played in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A during his illustrious career, also states English football is leading the pack at this moment.
He added: "I think all the competitions are good, but I think English football is ahead because of their competitiveness and because they have five teams that can compete for the title."
