BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson says the stronger dressing room atmosphere that Mikel Arteta has helped cultivate at Arsenal could be crucial in beating Manchester United to fourth.
While the Gunners boss has managed to remove reported troublemakers from the dressing room, it is an ongoing issue at Old Trafford and Lawrenson thinks Arsenal are in a much better position than their rivals for the top four:
“We talk about Manchester United and their dressing room [issues]. It looks like Arsenal have got a good dressing room. They’ve signed one or two decent players defensively as well. We know about all the young lads that they’ve got. Of course, when you first come in the team you play with absolutely no fear whatsoever. You don’t think about what you’re doing, you just do it. It looks like it’s a really, really well-run club. I’m a fan of Arteta – I like what he’s trying to do. It might well be that he needs another transfer window. I can only see them getting better definitely.”
Arteta has been a strict disciplinarian since arriving at the Emirates, and players like Matteo Guendouzi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have felt his wrath. There is no doubting his authority at the club but whether he is capable of delivering more success on the pitch, it remains to be seen.
Many supporters would question Lawrenson’s verdict that the Gunners are a well-run club, but there has definitely been an improvement in terms of the direction that the team seems to be heading in over the past few months.
