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Jamie Carragher does not believe Mikel Arteta’s first two seasons at Arsenal can be used as a reference point to defend Erik ten Hag at Man United.
Arteta only managed an eighth-place finish in both of his first campaigns with the Gunners, but the patience has paid off as the club finished second last season and still had a chance to win the title this time.
Ten Hag’s first season was encouraging, with United finishing in third place, but his second was anything but.
The Red Devils are eight places lower in the table at the end of a miserable campaign.
Write in his column for The TelegraphCarragher says he sees big differences between the two managers when it comes to looking at their first two campaigns.
Jamie Carragher says Erik ten Hag’s first two seasons cannot be compared to Mikel Arteta’s
Ten Hag made a promising start at United, but his second season in charge was miserable
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‘Arteta’s performance level at Arsenal has never been as low as at Ten Hag’s Manchester United.
‘None of Arteta’s most disappointing losses were even remotely comparable to Monday night’s 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
‘Worrying for Ten Hag is that the biggest difference is that he is not the appointed owner. The Arsenal board put their reputation on Arteta’s side. Logic suggests Ratcliffe will be more likely to rise or fall based on his managerial choice.
Mikel Arteta struggled in his first two seasons, but Arsenal’s patience has paid off
Carragher believes there have always been signs of progress at Arsenal despite inconsistent results.
‘That meant that despite the setbacks, there was always the feeling of an ultimate destination. When Arsenal achieved good results and performances, you could see the fruits of the work on the training pitch. Arsenal took steps back to move forward.
‘Manchester United, on the other hand, took a step forward last year but have since taken a number of steps back.
‘Even if United have achieved good results under Ten Hag, I really struggle to remember exceptionally good performances with a perceptive proactive system of play.’
