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Football London
Football London
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Bobby Vincent

William Gallas delivers brutal Mikel Arteta verdict as he calls for Arsenal change

William Gallas has called on Arsenal to sack manager Mikel Arteta and replace him with club legend Patrick Vieira.

Arteta's side have suffered their worst start to the season in 46 years, having collected just 14 points from their opening 13 games. The Gunners are way down in 15th place as things stand, and are only six points clear of the relegation zone.

There have been people calling for Arteta to leave the Emirates Stadium after their poor start, whilst some others believe he needs more time to implement his philosophy.

The Spaniard took over from Unai Emery just over 12 months ago, and has won an FA Cup and Community Shield in his short tenure so far.

Mikel Arteta previews Everton vs Arsenal


Gallas Vieira

Gallas, speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes, said: "What's going on at Arsenal? It's a question I think everybody has asked this season. I don't know the answer.

"I think maybe the issue at the moment is that Mikel Arteta is not the right manager. For me he doesn't have that experience to manage a big club. I was surprised when he came in, to be honest - even as Pep Guardiola's assistant - you need experience as a manager to come in to a club like Arsenal.

"You need to know how to manage 24 players. All the pressure is on your shoulders and you make all the decisions. Some players will be upset that they aren't playing and it's something you need experience in dealing with.

"If you're managing a side and the players you're starting don't perform well, the players who are on the bench will be upset. After a few games the players who aren't playing will end up being frustrated. And maybe those players don't respect the manager anymore.

"Especially if that manager doesn't have experience. If it was Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho or Arsene Wenger, you will respect their decision because they've all done something in the past. But Arteta hasn't.

"If I was a player at Arsenal now, I think it all depends on whether you're a young player or a more experienced name. The young players will respect Arteta, but the players who have more experience, maybe not.

"The players who aren't getting into the team will be saying to themselves 'OK, I'm on the bench, we haven't been getting good results; what's going on? Why am I not playing?' And it will start from there."

Gallas added: "When they chose Mikel Arteta to come in and replace Unai Emery, in my mind Patrick Vieira was the name I thought they should have gone for.

"I don't know how close he was or if he was in the running at all, but I was surprised they didn't even mention his name. Patrick has more experience than Mikel, because he's managed in America and he spent time at Nice.

"So when the Arsenal board decided to pick a new manager I thought Patrick would get the call. He was captain of Arsenal and he knows the club very well. Patrick was the right guy then. If they have to sack Mikel Arteta, they have to choose Patrick Vieira to replace him, and I'm sure all the fans would love it."

However, former Arsenal defender has called on to replace Arteta in the dugout. Vieira was recently sacked as manager of French side Nice after two and a half years at the club.  
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