Former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas has acknowledged that Mikel Arteta has a tougher job with the Gunners when compared to Frank Lampard with Chelsea. The Spaniard took over the managerial reins at the north London side in December and he was able to improve the club’s performances over the next three months before the coronavirus shutdown.

Still, the Gunners find themselves eight points behind the top-four positions and Fabregas believes Arteta’s tenure can’t be truly judged until next season, he told: “I think he’s done well [so far] and I’m sure he’s brought back some values to the club that was needed. Obviously it’s a much harder job than Chelsea in terms of rebuilding the squad, and they are very young, and they had problems because [Arteta] started much further down the line than Chelsea, but I’m positive that they will pick up very soon and that next season could be the one for them.”

The north London giants are currently going through the worst phase in their history and they are currently languishing in the ninth spot with just 40 points for the season. Prior to the lockdown, they had picked up momentum with three league wins on the bounce but it can be said that they were fortunate to do so with the defensive performances far from impressive.
The club resume their league action after the shutdown with an away trip to Manchester City. They had to play the game at hand in March but the match was postponed in the wake of the coronavirus threat. The Gunners have succumbed to defeats in each of the previous five league meetings against the Cityzens and on each occasion, they have been outplayed. Arteta will be determined to erase the woeful streak and it remains to be seen whether the player are up for the task.