Arteta at Liverpool

I never doubted Arteta tactically but maybe now mentally?

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

I often have told the story of Highbury being decorated and iconic manager Herbert Chapman paying out of his own money for marble red paint.
The idea being our manager wanted any visitor to walk into our stadium and know this was the club who did everything with class.
That became our reputation around the world.
On the red half of North London they did things the right way….. the Arsenal way.

That’s what hurt so many Gooners about Mikel Arteta’s reaction to Wednesday night.
He lacked grace and humility.
He was putting himself in a position where he could be laughed at.
He was making himself look silly.
By association that meant he was making Arsenal look silly – Arsenal were being laughed at.
The third highest paid manager in the world should be protecting the club more than that.

On Sunday however there was so much to be proud of.
Going to Anfield just days after being knocked out of the Champions League, it was always going to be difficult to lift the spirits of the squad. Especially in a fixture with little to gain against a team who can play with freedom.

Not all fanbases would have sold out the away end after the heartbreak in Paris. That’s a long trip to make just to watch a guard of honour.
Bear in mind some in attendance would have travelled to France in midweek as well.
That takes class .

There is zero rule that our players had to applaud Liverpool onto the pitch. Not all countries follow that tradition, others believe it should only be done when the title winners are at your house.
Yet our management have always insisted we would show sportsmanship this weekend because again, at Arsenal, we do things…. the right way.

Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal

2-0 down at half time, with tired legs and minds, crawling to the finish line and just wanting to get to the summer break, other players would have gone through the motions in that second half.
The Gunners showed heart and courage and pride for the badge though.
On a day where not a lot of class was shown to Alexander Arnold (who if he regrets his decision to leave Merseyside he won’t anymore) or the Nott Forest owner, there was a lot for our boss to be proud of. Which made his post match interview with Sky Sports as bizarre as his PSG one!

The Spaniard must be aware of the criticism he’s had for his comments in midweek. Maybe he decided to change his approach?
His spikiness , not letting the reporter finish her questions, abruptness and short answers though seemed prearranged.
Like he was angry how he’s been mocked this week so wasn’t going to give the media anymore material?
The irony being he’s done just that by being passive aggressive. The worst quality someone can have.
He didn’t even pat himself on the back for the tactical changes he made at half time. Like I said there were lots of positives yesterday, he just didn’t want to entertain them.

Mikel Arteta pulls at his face in frustration next to a smiling Virgil van Dijk.
(Photos by Alexander Hassenstein & Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Best team in Champions League

Which is the opposite of how he assessed our Semi Final.
Losing twice to the same team inside a week made him come to the conclusion we had been the best team over two legs!
Despite not scoring in over 170 minutes and being 3-0 down on aggregate, the 43 year old’s analysis was that we had been the best team in that competition!
Yet in a match where his team doesn’t get beat he’s angry because reacting is not acceptable?
Apparently he can’t forgive the ball being given away leading to goals.
Yet isn’t that what Partey did in the French Capital?
Didn’t the French Champions pass the ball like over 30 times at the Emirates before Dembele was found free on the edge of the box?
Yes Skelley was out of position for Liverpool’s 2nd goal but hasn’t that been happening since December?
Yet he insists the teenager can’t play in the midfield position he learnt in the academy.
Arteta said our reaction ‘made it worse’ because he wants ‘action not reaction’.
Translated, I think that means he doesn’t tolerate carelessness meaning we have to get ourselves out of a pickle.
Which is great to have those standards it’s just…… you didn’t have that attitude 4 nights ago.

In Europe we were constantly having to react, yet our coach pointed to stats and probabilities making us the best in Europe.
Yet when we react and actually get a decent result he’s not happy?
Isn’t that a contradiction?

If you think this is a man making little sense that’s kind of my point and I’m starting to worry.
Because I do like Mikel Arteta and want him to succeed.
As our former captain, I believe his love for the club and desire for it to return to it’s former level is genuine . A lot more so than his employers which is a debate for another day.
There is also a lot of aspect of the club that he’s improved in the last 5 years, which is why I think it would be counter productive to rip his work up and start all over again.
I like to see the man in charge of the team I love cares so much and is so hurt by not lifting a trophy.
That’s all his attitude this week might be down to . He’s hurting and might just need a week off and in a couple of weeks can go on holiday with his family and refresh.
He’s only human after all.
Remember this man’s mentor is Pep Guardiola, renowned for attention to detail bordering on obsessive. It takes a lot of energy to do that every day!

Yet this might be a rare time I agree with Jamie Carragher who twice now, in a space of a few days, has listened to Arteta’s press conferences and heard signs of a man feeling the pressure. In football that’s the first sign of a manager showing vulnerability.
Not in the sense of fearing for his job because our owners will be happy with a top 5 finish and the maximum revenue off UEFA.
Stan Koronke would struggle to tell you our next fixture or name his greatest 11, yet alone care how many points away we are from the top of the table.

Yet I think Arteta is a proud man, his love real and he carries that weight on his shoulders.
He could be consumed by the expectation, having sleepless nights, the responsibility going around in circles in his mind.

When he first finished runners up to Man City he claimed those close to him had to convince him to return to work.
He was so exhausted he needed convincing he was good enough to get Arsenal over the line.
If that was his thought process 2 years ago why would it be any different now when the gap between us and 1st has increased and there’s more whispers of doubts getting louder?
At home games, for example, he lost the atmosphere he worked so hard to improve. Our stadium has gone back to the dark days of anxiety hanging in the air and it not taking much for worry to be passed around the stands.

My fear is if Arteta is mentally crumbling now how is he going to handle next season when the oven is turned up to maximum?
As a former professional footballer, Mikel Arteta knows from August what the narrative will be.
Journalists won’t report another near miss as progress anymore.
Pundits won’t let him hide behind how much is being spent at the Ethiad.
Supporters eventually want something to show for their investment.
There is only so long you can make excuses like injuries and red cards.
Only so long a Saliba and Gabriel will wait for jam tomorrow.
We’ve been there before!

Some of my peers think the stage is too big for Mikel Arteta.
That he can’t handle the lights on bright.

I have always been indifferent.
My energy always towards the ownership. My thought process that if i think they are incompetent does it matter who they employ?

This week I’m starting to worry that Mikel Arteta’s arm can’t quite reach the brass ring and that he might not be strong enough to knock that door down.
Which is zero disgrace because that’s a hard wall to climb and not everyone can stand top of the mountain.

I never doubted Arteta tactically but maybe now mentally?

Or does he just need a rest on a beach somewhere?

I hope so 😢

Thoughts Peeps?

Dan Smith
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55 Comments

  1. I think it’s fair to say he’s got tactics wrong often so to never doubt him tactically is odd to say the in the least.

    Now he’s got tactics very right too in games so it swings both ways. The more I watch the more it’s very clear that if an opposition team sets up and plays exactly as expected then we usually do pretty well but the second they change anything then we are way too inflexible to change to counter their changes. I genuinely think MA doesn’t comprehend that he’s been out thought and outsmarted at times and therefore refuses to deviate from the original game plan.

    So yes I doubt MA tactically at times, even more so now that teams are starting to figure this out.

  2. Not sure what the gaffer did why the writer decides to crucify him.

    But Arsenal was a favorite at one stage in the champions league and that was by some football legends that played the game at the highest level.

    Now if Arsenal was a favorite by pundits and some legends alike it stand to reason Arsenal must have been playing great football, if the gaffer thinks his team deserves something from the semifinals, absolutely nothing is wrong with that, as not all times the best team won.
    The legendary Frenchman once told Alex Ferguson, every husband thinks their wife is the most beautiful woman in the room

  3. I think he just snapped this week under the ridiculous amount of pressure he has been this season. After missing out on the title twice in gut wrenching fashion, the pressure was on to win it now. City spectacular implosion added even more expectation.

    Instead this season has been a rollercoaster, a highlight of all the bad things that a club competing for the biggest titles can get combined. The bs red cards, the constant injuries happening at the worse possible time and combination like where our Lbs would all be unavailable at the same time, then the Rbs except Timber, then the Strikers, then the wingers. There was the inability to hold on to a lead which cost us big time. Then there is a winter transfer window when Arteta publicly ask for reinforcement and got nothing. Then we got that beacon of hope in the CL where everyone went from nah no chance of Arsenal winning to they might actually pull it off, and it got snuffed out in a painful manner.

    We’ve never had a settled team for a good period of time, always some leaks that needed to be fixed. He and the team need to recharge forget about the season from hell

  4. A lot to digest there Dan.

    The pressure on Arteta is enormous and the one positive from such a difficult season was making the CL final and that became a bridge too far when PSG beat us over 2 ties. It wasn’t a beating, but it brought out an explosion of negativity and unfortunately for MA, he buckled when giving his post match impressions and that gave more ammunition to those who know in their minds that he has to go and sooner the better. Other managers have said and done the the wrong things at times but sports media and 24 hour rolling coverage like a story and Arteta gave them one. He was, unsurprisingly, emotional and I felt for him. Like him or not, Arteta eats, sleeps and breathes bringing glory to Arsenal and like Dan, I want him to succeed.

    There has been an assumption right from the beginning of the season that Arsenal were virtually nailed on to win the league. Previously running City close, and with Klopp leaving it was widely reported that it was Arsenal’s year. I wondered why? Did anyone know that City would have a dodgy season? Or that the team that Klopp left behind could be good enough for Slot to not have to make wholesale changes? Usually when a manager leaves it is because he was a disaster but Klopp had been doing the spade work prior to his departure, after what had been a blip a couple of seasons before.

    It is a fact of life that Arteta is Marmite. What he has done so far has not been nearly enough for a section of the supporter base. Others, like me, believe he has more to offer and the sheer level of disruption due to injuries has had a material effect – not just with results but with continuity. Getting back on the pitch again after a lengthy layoff doesn’t equate to match fitness or even full fitness.
    To have carried on after the injuries to Havertz and Jesus, and still be able to get to the semis of the CL and show a bit of character against Liverpool, is no mean task.

    He deserves a break with his family and hopefully he will come back stronger after this year’s experience. Apart from that, Arsene Wenger saw something in MA to make him captain and recommend him as a future manager.

    1. Yeah there is also a reason the media contractually want to talk to managers a certain time after a match isn’t there Sue
      Makes for better TV?
      If they had to wait say 2 hours instead of 20 mins he be less emotional and they don’t get great content

    2. AW needs to take a good look at himself first. 3 titles in 22 years? Can he consider himself good enough to comment? Is he at that level of Capello or Ancelotti?
      Well Mikel needs a break – its been more than 5 years in the dugout and one FA cup medal to display. Plus the annual winter break in Dubai.
      He definitely needs a break to think on which CFC rejects he needs to hire. He needs ideas to convince the owners/board to spend another 750M which can be done by taking a break on the beach.

      1. You say that mate but only two managers have managed more then Wenger 3 title and none got close to his 7 FA Cups
        Carlo Ancelottie tried but got sacked after 2 years at Chelsea

        1. Plus neither of them kept their clubs in the PL for nearly two decades and had to cope with a new stadium being built and what went with that project.
          No other manager has had to contend with that and I’m amazed at the short memories some of our fans have…. unless it’s about trophies of course.

          1. Gentlemen, if you’ll are happy with 3 titles in 22years and n number if excuses not to win major honors, then be happy and content with that, and I’m sorry to have you both.
            For me it’s titles, heavy metal football and seeing players performance directly proportional to their compensation.
            i want the best for Arsenal, but my best may not always be your best and I’m okay with that. Each one to his /her opinion/s and i respect that.

            1. Heavy metal football
              I’m trying to imagine Lemmy tearing around the Emirates with Ace of Spades on my headphones

              We all want to win but your expectations are ambitious to say the least. There are 19 other clubs each year who might also want a say in getting the title.

              1. SueP,

                While I hear what your saying regards the other 19 teams. But realistically it won’t be 19 teams will it. 8 at most I would say. 😉👍

      2. The Shoba Reality Show,

        Your sarcasm as usual is coming through loud and clear.😂🤣😉👍👏

  5. He isn’t good enough tactically. He has no fresh ideas, is limited in his ability and he got us into second place copying Pep. We are nobody’s joke anymore because of Arteta but we are not looking capable of winning at the top table either. He is very limited tactically and often gets out thought. BUT there is an anomaly there. His record of playing the top 6 is phenomenal. Nobody including his football father has touched him in the last 3 years playing the top 6. His problem isn’t playing the top 6, it seems. BUT we fail against the also rans in the league and he can not fathom out how to beat the low block and teams that stop our wingers. His record in pressure games that really mean something in April and May is poor. And his domestic cup record is poor as well. There is an inherent flaw in our ser up. I think mentally he struggles because his ability to claw games out of the fire, is not great. Thats why we are not winning trophies. I fancy Pep to turn things round because he can and Liverpool will be strong as well next season with the help of Slott. I really don’t see how Arcan match them. But I would put big money on us getting in the CL again next season and not winning anything.

  6. So after a disappointing outcome in Paris, Arsenal fight back from 2-0 down in an away game and with an injury hit squad against one of the most dangerous teams in world football.
    Yet here we are with the geniuses of JA questioning tactics, mentality, just about any flimsy excuse to demean and discredit Arteta.
    In the history of the PL how teams how teams have come back from 2-0 down at Anfield?

    1. I do think Liverpool having already won the title is a factor . That’s not being wise after the event but a point I made in the Predictions.

      I truly think in this article he and the team have been praised for not melting in the second half.

      I am more going off the managers comments rather then the performance

    2. While getting the draw with only ten men after said comeback.
      Has any team managed that while, of course, having an injury list that saw at least six first team players out of the squad?
      Perhaps all of the above influenced the managers comments as well as the performance?

      1. We need to get away from everytime we get a red card it’s unlucky or an excuse
        It’s a consequence of poor defending
        It’s not everytime you fail to win get sent off because then you get a free pass mate lol

        1. Also it was the last what 15 minutes at 2-2 against a team with nothing to play for

          Seems a determination to always make out we have remade the wheel.

          Mr Wenger once went then and played an more then 45 mins with 10 men when it was 0-0 …..and won

          I give credit to our players for not giving up but it shouldn’t mask how bad it’s been in 2025
          We are 15 points behind Liverpool !
          Chelsea beat Liverpool last weekend and were not getting carried away because they accept Liverpool are on the beach

          1. No one is making an excuse Dan – rather making the point “despite or because of”
            See the difference?

      2. Did Mikel kick the ball? It was the team on the pitch, give credit to the lads, not the man who led them to this. Zin, Tomy, Gab J., Jorginho, Tierney – these 5 players should have been phased out and replaced in the summer /winter window. The lads paid the price with fatigue, exhaustion and injuries, not Mikel. Poor squad management. Give credit where it is due.

        1. Manager takes responsibility im afraid mate
          If he lifted the CL we would give the manager credit ( correctly )
          Works both ways

          1. Depends how you interpret. Poor squad hiring and management has led the lads to injuries while crocs and useless players get their weekly wage. If you cheer for Mikel, I’m a nobody to stop you. We need more cheer leaders.

    1. The answer in Premier League history is just 3 times and Sunday was the only the 1st since 2016…… so I think that deserves huge credit under those circumstances

    2. Not many, if any. The only team I can remember scoring 2 at Anfield in the PL this season, apart from us, is Fulham.

        1. Like the “top 4 trophy” Let’s have a new trophy “Anfield Comeback Trophy” That will. Make Arteta and his fan club happy.
          Congratulations !

  7. What a disappointing season. I don’t know how to judge it properly.
    I feel like it’s been a deadweight season where we were just dragging ourselves to the finish line.

    From the first few games where Red cards / indiscipline stuck its neck out.

    The system Arteta deployed (Very dull, slow, ponderous, easy for the opposition to shut down).

    The way all of our outfield players (Havertz, Odegaard, Martinelli, Trossard, Rice, Partey etc) all of a sudden couldn’t shoot or score like they did in the previous seasons.
    This has been my biggest issue with the team, system and manager this season. What has happened to our goal scoring? The struggle to score goals this season has absolutely terrified me. What happened to our players this season?
    What happened to ODEGAARD in particular this season. He has been absolutely terrible. Can’t believe how poor he has been.
    All the outfield players have looked very timid, have seemed scared to take the game to our opponents in the majority of the games.
    I am just so confused as to what has happened to our scoring abilities as a team this season.😯

    Another problem I have noticed and have pointed out in the last two season or so seasons is the FACT that Arteta seems to be very RISK AVERSE. He is very cautious and never takes risks generally. He seems to prefer to not lose in the first place and then winning is like a bonus. Instead of going out there to go for the win first and then if things are not working out then try not to lose.
    I hope he can relax a bit and let the players express themselves more freely in an attacking sense in most games.

    I hope we could try that 2022/23 style of play again. We were very attacking and blitzed teams in the first 30-40 minutes then kept possession after that. It was a very exciting style we played. I hope he can mix it up with this possession style we have adapted recently. Vary the way we play a bit so that we can keep out opponents guessing.

    For this season (2024/25), I don’t think that I can judge it fully (properly) because many aspect (Indiscipline / Red cards, injuries, the system, players off form all season etc). It’s been a very start and stop season in my opinion. No stability.

    I just don’t know. 😟😣

    1. Goonster
      It is hard to judge a season when so much has brought about the instability you describe. In another article recently, there was a to and fro about blaming cards and indiscipline as being an excuse for dropping points. I looked up the stats and although we have the most reds (disappointing) we have been nowhere near – as in nowhere near – as bad in terms of yellow cards received compared to a few clubs and joint second with Brentford on 57 with City on 56. (According to Transfermarkt) Compare that to Chelsea on over 90 & other clubs well into the 70s and 80s, then our perceived indiscipline isn’t so horrendous. Much has been argued over our double yellows and whether (because it was early in the season) that referees had been tasked with laying down the law and Arsenal copped it first. It made me wonder how close these other teams must have been to getting reds during the season as well.

      1. @SueP
        In my opinion everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for us in one single season.
        In previous seasons we hardly had any red cards, goals were flying in from the whole team, no injuries to key players etc.

        But this season all of it happened.

        But I also do think that Arteta could be doing better in the domestic cups and our overall style of play. This has been my own worry about him. He just seems to be more Cautious “(Try not lose a game and then think about winning later” kind of mentality.

        For these last two seasons we could have been a bit more braver in our approach. Look at the way City, Liverpool, PSG etc play. Attack is the main goal and then Not losing is an after thought later in any challenging game.

        But for Arteta it’s feels like: “Keep it tight for as along as possible and maybe we can nick a goal in the process” kind of attitude. That mentality / attitude makes you a very stable, competent and capable team but winning major trophies needs a bit more risk taking.

        We have got to start winning majors trophies or our players are going to start doubting that Arteta can inspire them to major victories. Many of our players currently are now into their prime years or entering their prime (23-28 years of age). They will be looking around at the likes of City, Liverpool, Madrid, PSG etc..

        This is our moment in decades. Lets make use of it because it might go south again in a slip second.
        👍🙏🤞

  8. Dan’s first observation that Mikel acted in a manner that was not The Arsenal way.
    The way the media expect managers to turn up after a game and answer questions that are loaded to cause a reaction.
    This was not the case back in the days of Herbert Chapman and, in fact, didn’t really become a feature until the days of Arsene Wenger as our manager and the Sky TV money that started to control the game in so many ways.

    When MA was asked about his feelings on the game, it had nothing to do with “The Arsenal Way” or Herbert Chapman paying out of his own pocket for something – it was the media wanting to get a reaction from a manager who had just been knocked out of the semi final of the CL!!

    Mikel’s reaction and answer was that of a caring, feeling man, who had just seen his dream shattered and he said exactly what he felt.
    How that can be described as making himself and the club look silly is beyond me!!
    I see it as a man who is passionate about our club, supports his players and was put in a situation where, whatever he said, he was going to get flack.
    I back him all the way and I don’t believe he made himself a laughing stock or any of the other descriptive words Dan uses.
    If I didn’t, I’d be mocking Arsene Wenger for the times he said he “didn’t see it” or the times he questioned referees, or the times he reacted in the way Mikel Arteta did…. but Dan doesn’t see it in the same way as I do.

    There’s more to comment on in Dan’s article, but I thought I’d address this point first.

    1. Oh no lol
      I feel like when the teacher marks my homework and it’s got red notes everywhere

      1. Dan, if you write a provocative article, expect some reactions my friend.
        I’m not marking you, just giving my opinion to what you have written.
        Of course you can respond to my observations.

  9. Not sure what all the fuss is about
    We have all seen bigger and better managers lose there heads and rant
    Happy he shows passion and cares.
    If he shrugged his shoulders and said I am off my hols in a few weeks we would be going mad
    As for class, as fans, we do dish it out ourselves. I remember when we lambasted our own players Xhaka and eboue. A sub being subbed
    For now the players are still playing and believing in the manager so that what counts
    Onwards and d upwards

  10. I think it’s all too easy to look overly into something the manager said.

    It’s been a tough week, and he’s annoyed. Not much more to say about it.

    It’s been a nightmare campaign for player availability, and I think everyone just wants this season over.

    We do have some idiotic fans that believe player availability is just an excuse, but every game we lose players. 3 players injured against Liverpool and yet another red card. It’s been like that all season.

    1. But our poor play is responsible for that red card
      It would be like saying we are so unlucky because we concede goals

  11. Much ado about nothing! I couldn’t care less what Arteta says in interviews. If he believes his team was the best in the UCL that is his opinion. I’m sure Hansi Flick thinks the same about Barcelona even though they were eliminated by Inter. This is normal speak for most managers apart from Amorim who thinks his team is the worst Man U team of all time. You’ve always got one though!!!

  12. I gave up on Arteta at the end of last season, blowing the league two years in a row was enough for me and this season certainly hasn’t helped to change my mind that he’s the right guy to take us back to the glory days, I hope I’m wrong and next season he wins us a major trophy, we’ll see.

  13. Arteta had failed, him and that Brazilian guy, they failed on recruiting the right players. The owners also they treat the club as no.2 or 3.
    It is only Arsenal and Arteta in today’s game that are taking chances of playing the game without a proper 9. Why??
    They must go for 2 proper 9’s and Zubemendi
    If they buy Isak at least get Osimhe on loan, the same if they buy Gyokeres
    We are the only team that is not selling players and not buying
    We end up buying not that good players on the last day of the closing day

  14. Arteta is a good coach but his lack of experience makes him fall short from titles.

    He has 2 years left and in my opinion he should be allowed to see out the 2 years and if he does not win any trophy then he should leave.

    He has tried for the club by raising us and being competitive again.

    The club has also tried for him too by giving him good funds and letting him learn on the job and gain experience to our detriment.

    I hope he and Berta makes good signings this summer and he ends up winning a trophy because I want him to succeed.

    1. SJ,

      With Arteta having 2 years left on his contract, no doubt if he finishes in the top 4 again next season and still no trophy’s, the owners will probably still see fit to give him another new contract.

      That seems to be the standard that this club accepts.

  15. It’s not like he’s the first Arsenal manager to be irritated in an after match interview. I can remember our previous manager being quite rude after an away game when being interviewed by, I think it was Jacqui Oatley.

    It may well have been, after losing the semi final in the CL, and then seeing a pretty poor first half, that Mikel was disappointed and a bit angry. Stress can affect different people in different ways.

  16. Arteta no doubt has become a quality good coach courtesy of the opportunity given to him by Stan Kronke and Arsenal board for the fact that are short sighted. He’s turned up a good coach but not a good manager due to his poor man management. He has truly ressurrated the club and kudos to him but I tell you Unai Emery would have done the same and even better if he was given the same support and encouragement that MA has been enjoying, to prove it he later won Europa with a lesser club beating Arsenal and Arteta enroute to that glory. I don’t want to talk much on PSG Liverpool game as both teams won at away and penalty shootout can favour either of side. PSG eliminated Aston Villa on a 5 – 4 aggregate with both teams winning in their homes and if you watched both matches you’ll have seen or noticed the experience, tactics and mental prowess of both managers. Arteta tactically is very limited people are saying that he pulled a draw with ten men at anfield and I say no the draw came when it was 11 x 11 players. Had that match lasted 20 minutes more it wouldn’t have ended in draw. Before Merino’s red card Arteta intended to make 3 substitutes and who were they? Zinny, Tierney and Calafori all Lb’s, having witnessed Merino being sent off Arteta stubbornly and arrogantly kept Ethan on the bench while pulling out exhausted Saka. Anytime arsenal goes down to ten men in a match it shows instantly no matter the team. It has been said that the best form of defense in a duel in most cases is attack but Arteta has not come to terms on how to achieve or manage that. Arsenal were playing fast paced scintillating and free flowing football ⚽ in 2023/24 season, scoring crazy and fantastic goals that made goal scoring look so easy and even cheap, with higher number of goals scored and lesser conceded, higher number of points garnered and clean sheets kept. What cost them the league was the managers mental inept – inability to finish strong and well when it matters most. Why did he introduce this drab dull and lousy system of passing the ball around in your own half inviting your opponents to latch on you all in the name of having possession that has resulted to the massive numbers accounting for injuries with many on long term. Is that how Barca plays?The players now instead of improving on their shooting abilities have started struggling with ability to shoot while those who are hungry for playing opportunities the likes of Heaven, Chido Obi, Ayodeji and Ethan Nwaneri are either being stifled out of the club or kept languishing in the bench to be called up on the 90th minute. Their mates – Yamal & co are having field day enjoying their games in Barcelona Arteta should stop this his detrimental habits of playing his favorites at the expense of the club’s goals. That mental capacity thing is very very vital and if the manager lacks it as it is with Arteta it robs off on the players too. It happened in 2022/23 season when the league was on the home stretch as Brighton came knocking Arsenal were beaten right in Emirates, it repeated in 2023/24 again in Emirates when Aston Villa came knocking Arsenal were beaten. Arteta should work on his mental prowess and alertness and drop or tinker his detrimental stubborn and arrogant decisions that keeps costing the club titles because I am sure the club is retaining him. Finally if they succeed in getting Gyokeres they should still get another quality striker to add on, it’s time to have quality bench no excuses of quality replacements if Arsenal really want to attain what Liverpool and Man.City are attaining then they should do what they are doing because they have the capacity and stop scavenging in their your opponent’s waste bins for you’re not running a rehab club for crying out loud Biko!🙏

    1. And there is so much surface level / sensationalistic reasoning in your whole post that it’s so overwhelming even thinking about replying / addressing most of your points.

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