Tottenham and Man Utd lack key Arsenal ingredient amid Ange Postecoglou's Mikel Arteta claim

Ange Postecoglou is a manager who goes through peaks and troughs as head coach of Tottenham. One moment the side can be on a strong winning run and the next take a dip in the most surprising way, such as losing to winless Crystal Palace.

In a second season which promises much, especially with the adamance around the trophy record the Australian coach has. However, that pressure remains and when north London rivals see their project lean into a third successive title chase it becomes frustrating for fans.

Interestingly, Postecoglou’s recent comments regarding the Gunners brought up some questions. Particularly considering the timing of Manchester United’s managerial changes and the likelihood of another young coach, Ruben Amorim, being appointed.

“If anyone can show me where things can turn around in 15 months or in two years, any club, apart from maybe City where it took Pep [Guardiola] a year, which is like an eternity to be fair for Pep,” he explained. “It doesn't exist.

“There is a formula there. If you want to look at recent history, there's Liverpool, there's Arsenal.

“There are plenty of others who have not stuck to a process, big clubs and small clubs, and haven't got any progress. There's evidence on both sides. It's not easy. It's because invariably scrutiny comes and criticism comes when things don't run smoothly because people want them to run smoothly.”

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Now, if we take Arsenal for instance, Arteta had 18 months of struggle, despite lifting an FA Cup trophy which certainly helped, yet the league position of eighth persisted for his first two seasons before the side, like a coiled spring, leapt up the table to fifth and then back-to-back runner up positions.

Even in the seasons in eighth, Arsenal made meaningful progress, be that on the pitch, in the market, in the development of players and most recently in the money made selling players too – which had become a point of contention under sporting director Edu Gaspar’s tenure.

This came about through unity from the players to the sporting director to the owners. Consistency has been king, and this is something lacking at both Tottenham and Manchester United.

Not only that but the clear vision and ability to adapt too. Postecoglou's style has been unmoving and so far not changed enough to suit certain challenges whereas Arteta has evolved through his time with Arsenal and that can be seen in the formations, the style of players in different roles and team selections for certain games.

Arteta even gets criticised for being too defensive but it is this toughness and stubbornness which has overturned a horrendous record against top clubs. It has also transformed the away game competitiveness and gave the side the best hope of winning a first title in 20-plus years.

A house is only as strong as its foundations and both Daniel Levy and the new INEOS project at United continue to face questions. It is all well and good pointing to examples like Arsenal, but if you lack the ingredients, it will simply not come out the same.

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