There is no substitute for continuity, which is what Liverpool will be seeking in those they consider to replace Klopp. That seamless transition is notoriously difficult to execute, especially when the backroom staff are going with the manager. When players are embracing a successful formula, they like their routines to be familiar.
Arsenal’s advantage heading into the summer is they have a young squad which is still evolving. Whenever we make judgements about a team’s performances over the last five years, we have to emphasise how unprecedented the standards of the title winners have been. When going against City last season, and Liverpool and City this time, Arteta is up against two of the best coaches in Premier League history. He is not at their level yet, but everything he has done so far suggests he is capable of leading a team to the biggest trophies, including the Premier League title.
It is inevitable the ridiculous standards at the top will drop once Klopp and Guardiola are gone, no matter how good their replacements are.
Arsenal have been trying to follow a similar path to Klopp’s Liverpool for the last few seasons.
There is some irony that as the teams prepare to meet on Sunday, we may soon be in a world in which Liverpool are closely scrutinising what Arsenal did as they consider the credentials of Klopp’s successor.
Arteta’s work in his first managerial post will be informative for Fenway Sports Group as they hear the arguments for and against frontrunner Xabi Alonso.
Arteta was a gamble when he stepped up in 2019 and embarked on a challenging rebuilding job.
That was a topic of conversation from day one, with Arsenal’s head of football at that time, Raul Sanllehi, quizzed on whether it was right to ignore more experienced coaches.
“It depends how you define experience,” Sanllehi said.
“Definitely there is a risk but it’s not from the experience side. You never know the whole thing until you try it.”
Arsenal had done enough due diligence to realise Arteta was a top manager in the making.
Whether they win the title under him or not, no-one will doubt he has been a great appointment.
Although Alonso is already a head coach with Bayer Leverkusen, there have been similar suggestions that it is ‘too early’ for him to be elevated to a club of Liverpool’s stature, or there is a danger of FSG following the trend of clubs making a romantic rather than logical appointment.