Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration with Eberechi Eze after the forward failed to convert a crucial chance during Arsenal’s defeat to Liverpool.
Arsenal dominated possession for much of the match, particularly in the first half when Liverpool were forced deep into their own half. At that stage, it appeared likely that Arteta’s men would secure a decisive victory. However, as the game progressed, Arsenal’s control began to fade, especially in the second half.
Arsenal’s Missed Opportunities
The fixture had the feel of a match that would be settled by a single goal, and when Liverpool produced a superb free kick, the pressure was on Arsenal to respond. The Gunners pushed forward in search of an equaliser and created a golden opportunity when Eze broke through one-on-one with the Liverpool goalkeeper.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, the chance was not taken, leaving supporters and staff alike frustrated at the missed opportunity. Given the fine margins at play, such moments often decide the outcome of matches at the highest level.
Arteta’s Post-Match Reaction
Speaking after the game, Arteta did not hide his disappointment with the failure to convert chances. As quoted by Metro Sport, he remarked:
“You have to put the ball in the back of the net.
We were much better than last year when we drew the game. Today we have three, four, five situations inside the box one-vs-one.
Eze is completely through just to finish the action. You have to put the ball in the net if you want to win.”
His comments underline the importance he places on efficiency in front of goal, particularly in matches of such magnitude. While praising the improvement in performance compared to last season, Arteta made clear that a lack of finishing quality cost his team valuable points.
Eze should have converted the opportunity, yet some may argue that Arteta might have chosen to address the matter privately, especially given that the player has only recently joined the club. Nonetheless, the manager’s remarks reflect the high standards he demands and the need for composure and precision when decisive moments arise.
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Of course he is. It’s funny how crap odegaard and Martinelli have been and says nothing! Havertz has a complete stinker against united in the fa cup he says nothing! This manager has favourites and will protect them to the hilt. I’m not convinced he even wanted Eze or Gyokeres and once Havertz returns Gyokeres is getting benched and Eze will probably be loaned to Fulham next season lol
I’m with you on this. He’s setting up tactics to show that Gyokeres is not the answer so that he can continue playing Havertz, who’s already cost us a EPL trophy☹️☹️☹️ He also wants to antagonize Eze whom, he took sooooo long to sign yet didn’t bat an eye pushing for Madueke for £52M!! Additionally, he’ll never play Kepa because he wanted that Spanish goalkeeper, Joan Garcia, whom Berta rejected as too costly ☹️ Arteta probably knows that Berta will oppose his contract renewal so wants to portray him and his signings as clueless. We are doomed! We are doomed!🥺
Ohh Arsenal, how though art fallen, streams of tears floweth daily from mine eyes for thee😭😭😭
Facts buddy! Norgaard, Zubi and Madueke are definitely his signings, you can tell that without proof, but the others look like berta signings and they’ll probably be binned within a season or 2! Arteta, thou shouldst be dismissed from thy post with all haste lol
Well said Kev and Timmy. This man will go to any limits to protect his ego, even if he has to get relegated with Berta’s team, he will do it.
He has done it for the previous regime’s players. He even tried to put out Saka by making him play every game, silently burning him out of contention. If we do not intend to change the manager for the sake of Saka and English football, it is best he moves to Liverpool next season. We get 100+ to by some more CFC rejects while Saka can lift trophies for club and country.
After Sunday’s horror show, the EPL will be between CFC and Pool and a strong comeback by 115FC in the new year. Do not rule out Thomas Frank either.
TSRS agree mate, our best players will be putting in transfer requests before long anyway playing under this manager, they are micromanaged to the point they’ve become robotic. no matter what we think of Tottenham TF is a proper manager and won’t need a billion and 5+ years to get his team playing good football. Yeah mate I’ve given up on this manager long ago, we aren’t winning anything under him and the club are just wasting time and money hoping he’ll eventually win something. He should go and collect cones at Chelsea since he’s so obsessed with them haha.
He won’t be here next season when we win nothing which is great. This is his last season. I get goosebumps thinking about the day he gets sacked but I agree he’ll definitely drop Gyokeres.
Arteta don’t like flair players. He loves robots everything our team does is slow and tiresome.
So he doesn’t like Dowman then?
Unbelievable GB, unbelievable!!
Coming from a coach who can’t make early substitutions
You are not lying bro, the best thing to do now is to look for Arteta’s replacement who will guide this quality squad to glory. I’m not seeing any improvement under him.
You are right bro. The best thing to do now is to sack Arteta and look for a better replacement that can guide this quality squad to glory. Give Arteta more ten years, he won’t lift anything with this squad.
With the investments that were made, if Arteta fails to win anything this season, he will be the one leaving the club at the end of the Season.
He’s got to be kidding here. Eze or perhaps Noni were the only ones who could have possibly broken through one-on-one on that play!!! It was an incredible effort to almost save the day. Here’s an idea, put him in 10-15 minutes before you did, or perhaps, gasp, start him and let him go as long as possible. MA is really off base with this one imo.
Arteta has never been a good coach. He was rushed into managing a top team. Arteta will mismanage the best player in the world if given the opportunity. He is mismanaging Nwaneri. He has started mismanaging Gyokeres and Eze who are naturally offensive players. He is content with Odegard doddering in the midfield and has fashioned Nwaneri to play like him. He is happy with Harvez always falling down at drop of a hat. These two are his best players and he appointed one his permanent captain. Mark my words. Arteta will never win the premier League with Arsenal or any other team. This is because he has a negative football philosophy and it is set in stone and walled in concrete with his gigantic ego. Arsenal needs a Conte or any other offensive minded coach. Sack Arteta!
I wrote something here last season, about how I felt Martinelli was the weakest link and Arteta blunt neglect to this fact, if Arteta loose his job as which I’m afraid is already nocking on the door of exit, it be Arteta failure to identifies Martinelli as the main issue he has to resolve, last season when saka was out injured Martinelli was arsenal attacking focus, and that is where the issue arrise, the team play for him to get us going forward, only for him on several occasions to loose the ball carelessly either by looking at the ground and runnining straight to crash at the opposition defence or striking the against the defenders in attempt to pull it out, this actions cost Arsenal dearly many times as we ended up conceeding goals from those loose balls and as we struggle to score at times we ended loosing some games we should have won with ease, my opinion is that Arteta either fixed Martinelli issue or ready to loose his job soon
Eze is kept back and he gets shoved under the bus ……… a warm welcome for the boy!!
We are Defending Champions‼️
Eze is kept back on the bench until very late and he gets shoved under the bus for it ……… a warm welcome for the boy!!
We are Defending Champions‼️
I haven’t seen the game but what has interested me is that Liverpool won by a single powerhouse goal.
The game can be dissected to the Nth degree but it doesn’t alter the fact that one goal sealed it at Liverpool’s home. I’m in no way attempting a feeble excuse for Arteta. Should Eze have done better? I don’t know – I didn’t see it, and passing comment on his miss is disappointing. This is though, what the big bucks are paid for players to get right.
Much is being made of Arsenal’s spending, but Liverpool have dwarfed every other club with the late signing of Izak. However much pressure Arteta is under, Slot must also be feeling the same- if not more now. He is stamping his mark on the club with the most extraordinary of spending sprees.
SueP,
Your quote, This is though, what the big bucks are paid for players to get right.
Well Mr Arteta is paid big bucks, so what is he expected to get right. 6 years and still waiting.🤷♂️
Sue Liverpool have a net spend of around 230 mil we have a net spend of around 250 mil. How can tha DWARF ours?
Sorry Arsenal 257 mil Liverpool 218 mil.
Hi SueP, if MA is going to be openly critical in the media of easily one of the most skillful and individual efforts on the day then he risks losing the dressing room. His quotes in this case I believe are potentially much more damaging to the future than the 1-0 loss to LP.
It wasn’t even a bad miss was it? More a result of very good last-ditch defending.
True Jax. Yeah, I really don’t know what MA was thinking here. He speaks with his emotions way too often (kind of like JA commenters, lol). He needs to have a very different private discussion with his team or at least Eze.
That’s interesting BB and bearing in mind the criticism that’s been lashed out over the result, I hope Arteta reins it in if he came across in a negative manner as that helps nothing
It wasn’t a miss, it was a brilliant tackle!!!!
Reggie
I didn’t see the game.
I described the Arteta comment as disappointing. It shows the immense pressure he’s under already
So Eze didn’t miss but the chance went begging then.
It’s not just Eze but all the big money signings are supposed to be better than what we had but at this early stage of the season they all need time. We agreed on the initial 10 league games to see how the land lies.
Apologies for not getting the figures right. I wasn’t accounting for the sales Liverpool made but rather than what they were willing to pay for their signings
I think they have holes in their squad that wasn’t there last year. It will be interesting because so have we. Who has the biggest? Will they regret not replacing Diaz and prioritising Isak over a defender?
All this⬆️after just three games🤣.
Jax,
Yes it’s only three games, but it looks like Arteta isn’t learning anything regards his playing style. That’s what a lot of the fans are griping about.
Be honest Jax, do you really think that Arsenal have played well in any of their three games. In periods against Leeds maybe, but the two away performances have been lame and that’s being kind.
And then you get the, well the new players need time to bed in, that’s as maybe. But surely they would have a better chance of bedding in if the manager allowed them to express themselves, instead of his rigid boring slow side to side football.
Again it’s only three games in, but if this is a sign of the football that’s going to be played, boy are we in for a boring time regarding watching this dross. 🤷♂️
Agree Derek. Voice of reason.
Utterly disappointed with arteta’s rigid formation.. no fluency or guile to unlock the running of gyokeres. I could remember how he destroyed mancity at sporting Lisbon with his direct running. It baffles me that arteta did not seem it fit to instruct the midfielders to play to gyokeres strength instead of leading him into blind alleys. Then he had the nerve to single out eze publicly when he brought him in so late in the game. I think this will be arteta’s last season as a manager with arsenal. If he continues this robotic tactics. Oh how partey is sorely missed… He brings an uncanny balance to that stagnant midfield. Zubi will be bullied by robust DMs like tonali, guimares in the coming months… Oh! Well…. Welcome to another HBP season at arsenal
Derek, most of the recent articles here have been triggers for negative responses from the usual hit mob.
No, we’ve not been great, far from it, but it’s ridiculous to write the season & Arteta off in September.
Jax,
Alright then, I’ll give him until October. 😂🤣👍
October 1st.
That’s so generous of you Derek😏
Jax,
Always happy to oblige. 👍
Thrown under the bus! What an absolutely ridiculous conclusion because Arteta said that Eze should have scored. We all said the same thing, it’s called an observation not harsh criticism.
It gets worse with every article GB.
I think we have a worse scenario now, than when Arsene Wenger was getting stick from sections of the fans.
I’ve read that AFTV or whatever it’s called, is a blight on our fanbase – it seems that they’ve moved over to JustArsenal.
There is no compromise in the way fans, both for and against, view the work that Mr Kronkie, Mikel Arteta and certain players are viewed and judged.
As you say, absolutely ridiculous conclusion, but mud sticks as they say.
Yeah Ken, it’s headlines like the one here that trigger the reactions from those fans who fall for it each time. I suppose the only way to prevent it is to keep winning.
But the only reason he was in a position of having any chance of scoring was because of his extraordinary efforts and skill. That should have been recognized in addition to any statement of need to get the goal. My reaction was “what a wonderful thing to finally have a player in the channel making that great attacking play and then to have a slight chance of finishing it off”
And maybe, if he had started him inplace of ineffective Martinelli, Eze would have had more chances to miss or score. Not just 15 minutes at the end.
Agree that he should have started. See my first comment on the matter above.
A point was made by one poster concerning not criticizing Odegaard or Martinelli’s consistent under performances, and yet here he is criticizing Eze’s miss.
Maybe , just maybe the pressure cooker is just starting to come to the boil.
Good move by Arteta to change the narrative. People talking about Eze and if Arteta did or did not throw him under the bus instead of his dire tactics.
One shot on goal and Gyokeres 2 touches in the first half.
Yes blame Eze rather than Arteta who had 90 minutes to make decisions, changes, and adjustments to the game.