There’s no denying that Arsenal and Manchester United are shells of the clubs they used to be.
The great teams that used to dominate the Premier League are now a distant memory for fans of both clubs and a mere footnote in the history books for the youth of today.
And sadly, in their current states, neither club will be well placed to mount any sort of title challenge for the foreseeable future.
However, when analysing the team’s respective situations, one can’t help but think Arsenal are in a better place than United.
Disagreers with that notion will immediately point to the fact Arsenal haven’t won a league title in over 15 years and have failed to mount a serious title challenge since the 2004-05 season.
They’ll also point to the fact the Gunners have missed out on Champions League football for the three years in a row and have arguably the worst defence in the top six.
While both of those statements ring true, they do possess two things United don’t: A proven manager and a footballing brain conducting their dealings in the transfer window.
Although they’ve shown the same defensive frailties that plagued them in the final years of Arsene Wenger’s reign under Unai Emery, Arsenal have one of the best managers in Europe attempting to change the course of what was once a sinking ship.
And in their Head of Football Raul Sanllehi, they have a man with years of experience in the game – which he picked up during his time as Director of Football at Barcelona – and knows how to broker favourable deals for his club.
The same, however, can’t be said for United, who have woefully underqualified men leading the club on and off the pitch.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent appointment as manager was perplexing, to say the least, and nothing more than an attempt by the board to appease the fans.
The decision to appoint the Norwegian as Jose Mourinho’s permanent replacement hasn’t paid dividends as United have lost ten of their last 20 games since he was given the job.
And, at this moment in time, the man who guided Cardiff to relegation in the 2013-14 season and was sacked by the Welsh side four months later, has shown no sign of being able to stop the rot.
It was said by many when Solskjaer was given the job and should be said again as his limitations are becoming more apparent: United are too big a club for him too manage at this juncture of his career.
Solksjaer’s ineptitude isn’t solely to blame for United’s current predicament, which is also down to a series of failings from the club’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward.
Woodward’s priority has long been to further grow the club’s commercial enterprise rather than help restore it to its past glory, which he’s shown with his reluctance to splash the cash in transfer windows prior to the summer of 2019.
With results on the pitch showing no sign of improving and a financially-driven man still pulling strings at the top, these are worrying times to be a Manchester United supporter.
And although many of them will hate to admit it, they’ll secretly be jealous of position Arsenal are in.