Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has warned Mikel Arteta that Arsenal fans may be backing him now, but the honeymoon period will not last forever.
Arteta took charge of his first game as Gunners boss on Boxing Day as they drew 1-1 with Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The Spaniard takes on Chelsea at the Emirates on Sunday for his first home game as Arsenal boss and Lampard has recommended that he should enjoy the good will of the crowd while it lasts.
‘The honeymoon period doesn’t go on for ever – and it shouldn’t do,’ said Lampard.
‘But I think the fans will have a feeling for Arteta and want him to do well as being one of their own.’
Lampard can see the former Arsenal captain being a success in charge of the club, but has no intention of helping him through his honeymoon period on Sunday night.
‘You have to have good people around you,’ Lampard continued. ‘Arteta has put his staff together – he knows he’ll rely on them. I am sure Pep Guardiola relies on his – I certainly rely on mine.
‘As a player, Mikel seemed to be a leader in whatever teams he played in. It looks like he could be well-suited to management.
‘I wish him well – but, obviously, not on Sunday!’
Lampard is experiencing the end of his own honeymoon period at Chelsea as his side have hit a sticky patch of form after a fantastic start to the season.
The Blues have lost five of their last seven Premier League matches, to Southampton, West Ham, Everton, Bournemouth and Manchester City.
Their excellent early results mean they are still fourth in the table, but defeat at Arsenal on Saturday would leave that position extremely precarious heading into 2020.
Arteta was pleased with the application of his team in the draw with the Cherries on Thursday, but admitted that there was a lot of work to do on the training ground.
‘My only aim now is to review the game,’ said the Arsenal boss. ‘Find solutions to do it better, to attack better, to concede less on the counter-attack, to defend better and to prepare a good training session to improve them.
‘That’s all, I don’t look at the games against Chelsea or Manchester United , it’s now. At the moment, the audience is now and we need an impact now.’
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