What a month September was for Arsenal.
Three games, three wins, five goals scored and just one conceded.
After losing every single match in August, the Gunners have bounced back, and now that the month has drawn to a close, it’s time for some awards to be given out.
There are a few strong contenders for Manager of the Month in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp has taken Liverpool to the top of the table, Graham Potter has Brighton performing above all expectations, while Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have been as brilliant as ever.
However, in our view, Mikel Arteta is the only real contender for this award.
For a start, he has the best record of any manager on the shortlist – Arsenal are the only side to have won every game in September, but it’s the way in which he’s done it that is more breathtaking.
Klopp and Guardiola winning with Liverpool and City isn’t all that spectacular. After all, they’ve been the two best teams in England for years at this point, but for Arteta, he needed to make some radical changes at Arsenal this month to get them out of their slump, and he’s done it.
Kieran Tierney once described Arteta as a ‘genius’ and now we’re beginning to see why.
Not only have Arsenal been getting results, but their performance against Tottenham on Sunday was also amongst the best we’ve seen in the Premier League this season. We saw fast, flowing and attacking football – there is certainly style to go alongside the substance at Arsenal right now.
Will Arteta keep this up? Only time will tell, but it’s fair to say that the month of September 2021 will go down as a bright spot in the Arteta-era.
Nuno Espirito Santo may be the reigning Premier League Manager of the Month, but it may be time for the Spurs boss to hand his crown over to one of his biggest rivals.
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