Arsene Wenger did not always enjoy his milestone matches as Arsenal manager.
The legendary French coach infamously lost his 1,000th game in charge of the Gunners 6-0 away to Chelsea. Wenger's 500th match had also been a Stamford Bridge defeat.
Yet, Wenger's former captain Mikel Arteta was smiling when he reached a major landmark as Arsenal boss with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brentford. "Today's my 200th game," he grinned post-match, "and when I see a team that behaves between them like that, and I see the staff's smiles, I'm so happy and I couldn't be prouder."
Arteta has a long way to go to match Wenger's tally of 1,235 games at the helm of the Gunners. But his record compares favourably to that of his predecessor at the same stage of his tenure.
Mikel Arteta's record after 200 games as Arsenal manager
Arteta's time as Arsenal manager has been a test of patience. After taking over a side that had spiralled into disarray under Unai Emery midway through the 2019/20 campaign, Arteta won the only FA Cup final played behind closed doors before overseeing consecutive eighth-placed finishes. Arsenal had not slipped lower down the table since 1995 - before Wenger's reign had even begun.
The immortal phrase "trust the process", innocently tweeted by Mesut Ozil after Arteta's debut, became a stick with which to beat the Spanish coach. Yet, that faith appears to have paid off.
The last two seasons have ended in heartache - missing out on fourth place was swiftly followed by a collapsed title charge - but the sense of dread that had begun to seep from the crowd onto the pitch in recent times has been consigned to the past. That the club even have reason to lament losing out to this imperious iteration of Manchester City is all the credit Arteta needs.
To quantify Arsenal's success under their former skipper, no previous manager in the history of the club can match Arteta's tally of 116 wins from their first 200 games at the helm.
Arsene Wenger's record after 200 games as Arsenal manager
While Arteta may boast the bigger haul of victories, Wenger had already won his first Premier League title by the time he hit his double century. Almost as soon as he arrived at Highbury in the autumn of 1996, bespectacled and clumsy after a spell in Japan's newly formed top flight, Wenger stamped his imprint on Arsenal.
Scores of former players line up to extol Wenger's impact on training, fitness and diet. Admittedly, there had been a low bar at Arsenal, where centre-back Steve Bould was once crowned champion of an eating competition by packing away nine dinners on a coach trip back from Newcastle United's St James' Park.
Yet, within months of Wenger's arrival, the pre-game stretches his players took with them on England international duty were being copied by their compatriots.
Beyond the individual players, Wenger's influence was ingrained in the actual infrastructure of the football club. Long before his 200th match, Wenger handpicked the chairs and cutlery of Arsenal's training ground while it was being rebuilt following a fire.
Arteta may have the edge in wins and goals, but he can't match Wenger for knives and forks.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Mikel Arteta's record after 200 games as Arsenal manager compared to Arsene Wenger.
