Frank Lampard has hinted it would be premature of the club to sack the under-fire Arsenal boss and is confident that Mikel Arteta himself believes it is only a matter of time before the Gunners boss reverses Arsenal\u2019s fortunes.<\/p>\n
The Spaniard is now in the hot seat, clinging to his job only just four months after having brilliantly masterminded Arsenal\u2019s FA Cup triumph against Chelsea at Wembley.<\/p>\n
The Gunners are just four points above the relegation zone ahead of Saturday\u2019s Boxing Derby against the Blues who are still hopeful of mounting a title challenge.<\/p>\n
Chelsea bounced back from consecutive defeats against Everton and Wolves to get their campaign back on track with a win over West Ham but Lampard expects a real test of his side\u2019s credentials against an Arsenal side who he believes are in a false position at present.<\/p>\n
He told Sky Sports:<\/p>\n
\u2018Expectations are higher at clubs like the ones we are both managing, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a case of him being a young manager.<\/p>\n
\u2018I see him as a very talented manager, and we\u2019ve seen examples of clubs who have built really strong squads over the last three or four years.<\/p>\n
\u2018The dominant teams over that period, Manchester City and Liverpool, have had time to work and improve the squad.<\/p>\n
\u2018They went through tough moments, and they were given time to improve through those moments. It\u2019s only then that you really learn about players, the team and the squad as a whole. I\u2019m not talking specifically about Mikel here, but just generally in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
\u2018If you come into a club that\u2019s going through a period of certain transition, I think it\u2019s very understandable there will be lots of situations and work that you need to do in order to get the club where you want it to be. It\u2019s not all rosy as that\u2019s not football.<\/p>\n
\u2018That\u2019s not to do with the manager. I think Mikel is a highly talented coach and manager, and his team are really just going through a recent patch of difficult form.<\/p>\n
\u2018That\u2019s very commonplace in the Premier League as it\u2019s a very tough league. I\u2019ve got huge respect for Mikel and for Arsenal. They have a quality set of players and that\u2019s the team I\u2019m preparing for on Boxing Day.\u2019<\/p>\n
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