Mikel Arteta is not here for the noise. The Arsenal boss just flat out believes that the criticism swirling around his squad’s playing style is coming from a “very small minority” of people. His team has won an insane 10 out of 11 games this season, so you can kinda see why he might be a little defensive about the talk.
Winning, But Not Scoring Freely?
Yeah, the Gunners are winning, but the vibe is that they are not exactly lighting up the scoreboard like last year. They have struggled to really break down teams that just sit back deep. Case in point: On Sunday, they needed an 80th-minute goal from substitute Noni Madueke just to scrape past Nottingham Forest. That’s only their 11th goal in seven Premier League games so far this season. Last year, they were Premier League champs, conceded the fewest goals in the league, and dominated from set-pieces. This season? Zero set-piece goals across all competitions. Arteta even admitted, “the story is completely different to last year.” He thinks people “know” and “have enjoyed a lot the way we have played and dominated games this year,” and that “we have proven that.”
“Boring” Is Winning, Apparently
When Arteta was asked about the whole playing style debate, he was pretty clear. He did not get the impression the style was an issue because he has “heard that the style was incredible.” He pointed out they have “scored so many goals, we have more possession, more shots, different players participating, no goals on set-pieces.” Still, he knows there is room to grow against those deep-lying defenses. “The low block demands a different kind of game to the high block,” he said, acknowledging that “we could have done things better” on Sunday. Goalkeeper David Raya is totally with his manager, saying the players are not bothered by the chatter. He put it perfectly: “People have their own opinions. We have our own opinion. At the end of the day, we have lost one game in 11 this season and if you call that boring or irritating, I don’t know what to say.” He made it clear the team enjoys playing and winning, and that is what matters most.
Next up, Arsenal faces Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. It will be another test of their style, regardless of what the “very small minority” thinks.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
Leave a Reply