Liverpool are better at replacing legends but Arteta is at last shrugging off the past | Jonathan Wilson
Great predecessor syndrome has not stood in Arne Slot’s way and the Wenger years are no longer holding back Arsenal’s manager
Replacing a legend is supposed to be hard. It took Manchester United 24 years to win the league after Matt Busby departed and it has been 11 without success since Sir Alex Ferguson left. It took Leeds 18 years to win the league again after Don Revie took the England job, although it could be argued they have never really recovered. It was 12 years after Harry Catterick left when Everton won the league again and they have not won it since Howard Kendall moved to Spain.
The shadows of Rinus Michels, Hennes Weisweiler and Brian Clough still hang over Ajax, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Nottingham Forest. Countless Dynamo Kyiv managers have found themselves asking: “What would Valeriy Lobanovskyi do?” That is always the problem. Football is constantly evolving. Managers must change. But the new manager must strike a balance.
