Soccer News

Home

Teams

Leagues

Quizzes

Newsletter

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Opinion: 10 Times Arteta’s Negativity Cost Arsenal Crucial Matches

Originally posted on Just Arsenal | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 5:00 AM ET

At the end of last season Mikel Arteta looked like a man who needed a holiday. Especially with comments after a defeat in Paris and a draw at Liverpool, he was talking like someone who needed a break from the sport and a chance to refresh.

Mr Wenger would, every pre-season, take all of his coaching staff to Switzerland to review the entire campaign. He would evaluate every department.

What went well?
What could be done better?

I stressed that our current manager’s chances of winning a title at the Emirates will come down to his ability to do the same. In management of any industry, it takes skill to self-reflect. You need to find that balance between sticking to your convictions and not being pressured into changing your principles, while also being able to admit your mistakes and correct your errors.

A team that has regressed offensively

For example, our stadium has gone quiet again, back to the old days of it not taking a lot for anxiety to go round the venue. That is because a lot of Gooners are bored. The Gunners are no longer one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Europe.

That is down to our tactics. Where you could once guarantee Arsenal would make chances, that is no longer the case. In his success at fixing the team defensively, offensively we have regressed. I was hoping the Spaniard would recognise this himself, but he is either unable to see it or unwilling to change.

We do not become champions playing this way. To give you an idea of how long this has gone on, here are 10 times the 44-year-old’s negativity cost us.

23rd January 2021 – FA Cup 4th Round – Southampton 1-0 Arsenal

This was more an example of a manager’s mindset towards a competition that had kept him in a job. Covid meant all teams were playing at a reduced schedule, so we would be visiting Southampton twice in four days.

Mikel Arteta chose to rotate his squad, essentially playing two different elevens. The issue was we were 10th in the Premiership, meaning the Cup tie should have been the priority. Like many companies, Arsenal had lost a lot of money during lockdown and maybe this highlighted the pressure the Spaniard was under to try and catch up to the Champions League places.

He lifted the FA Cup twice as Gunners captain and again as a manager, so it is not as if he does not care about the trophy. Yet he sent out our second team to face Southampton’s first team on the Saturday, which was not worth winning 3-1 on the Tuesday to move up to the dizzy heights of eighth.

It remains one of the most baffling decisions the 44-year-old has made since his return to North London.

6th May 2021 – Europa League Semi Final – Arsenal 0-0 Villarreal

Unai Emery got some personal karma over the employer who sacked him the year before, essentially ensuring zero European football at Arsenal for the first time in a quarter of a century.

The Spaniard could not completely get the last laugh as, due to Covid, barely any fans were inside the Emirates. In his first full season as a manager it was no disgrace for Arteta to be tactically out-thought over two legs by someone who is a master in the Europa League. Our boss let the pressure get to him by trying two new formations in both games.

Yet what was worrying was the lack of urgency having lost 2-1 in Spain. Our squad knew for a while they had to lift this trophy to save the season. Our destiny was in our own hands. Score against Villarreal at home and you are through to a Final.

The visitors waited for the kitchen sink, one that never arrived. We managed only two shots on target, with Aubameyang touching the ball eight times. The one thing you could guarantee under Wenger was that Arsenal would create chances. Not anymore.

4th November 2023 – Premiership – Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal

I vividly remember my reaction to this game and the debate it caused on this site, more specifically how I reacted to Arteta’s post-match press conference.

This was the first time I almost saw through our manager and questioned if he was being sincere. This was the fixture where the Spaniard used the word “disgrace” a million times to deflect from his own shortcomings.

Yes, Gordon’s winner was dubious, but not as controversial as our boss was making out. The more he shouted, the more transparent his attempts at deflecting became.

As I wrote at the time, I would rather any anger be directed at Arsenal for passing the ball sideways for 90 minutes with Nick Pope only having to make one save. Or how the Gunners had gone from one of the most entertaining sides to watch to now struggling to make chances.

Maybe even self-reflection for buying Kai Havertz when we clearly needed a natural goal scorer. Instead of blaming officials, I needed to hear the man in charge self-reflect. Unfortunately, it was a sign of things to come.

31st March 2024 – Premiership – Man City 0-0 Arsenal

While I do not necessarily agree, many pundits argue that if Arteta had been braver on this afternoon, Arsenal would have gone on to be champions that season.

To be fair, a lot of these pundits have experience of getting over the line in a title race and suggest this was Arsenal’s moment to go for City’s throat at the Etihad. Our record at the stadium had (and remains) so poor, though, that getting a point at the time seemed massive progress.

The celebrations turned out to be over the top when you consider it was actually a result that now meant our destiny was no longer in our own hands.

17th April 2024 – Champions League Quarter Final – Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal

I vividly recall how arrogant some Gooners were, calling us favourites to win this tie. Yet this second leg happened days after a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa surrendered our initiative in the title race.

We had let the moment pass us by and would do the same in Europe. This was the classic “not if you lose but how you lose” that was the problem. After a 2-2 draw at the Emirates, Arsenal went through the motions in Germany.

When Bayern went ahead, they waited for the kitchen sink to be thrown at them and waited and waited. No one took responsibility.

19th October 2024 – Premiership – Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal

Arteta had been criticised earlier in the season for his approach when going down to 10 men. The difference was that against Brighton and Man City, we were defending leads when we had players sent off.

It was 0-0 on the South Coast when Saliba was shown a red card, meaning our manager was trying to play for a draw for the next 60 minutes. By the law of averages it was never going to work.

Of course it is not ideal to play without 11 men, but our boss acts like it is impossible to still attack. Wenger’s two Doubles were famous for winning despite red cards. Put it this way, Man City and Liverpool would not have parked the bus at Bournemouth just because they were a player light.

2nd November 2024 – Premiership – Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal

For the second season running, Arsenal struggled to translate possession into clear-cut chances. This time our boss had zero excuses to hide behind.

To show how we have not progressed, Arteta started with a lack of creativity in midfield in the absence of Ødegaard, leaving firepower on the bench. Even at his worst, you could always trust a Wenger team to make opportunities.

Now the Gunners had reached a point where the likes of Eddie Howe could tactically park the bus, confident his opponents could not break down his wall. What was worrying is we kicked off seven points behind Liverpool and yet the lack of urgency was startling.

27th October 2024 – Premiership – Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool

There were numerous examples last season of Arsenal struggling to produce a consistent performance over 90 minutes. We either started a game slow and waited too late to attack, or we would try and defend a narrow lead.

The difference between Arteta and Guardiola or Arne Slot is that they succeed in killing off teams.

Two-one ahead at half time, we were heading just one point behind our opponents when our manager decided to park the bus. With Saliba suspended, it was like our boss panicked when Gabriel went off injured, putting everyone behind the ball and creating a nervous energy around the Emirates.

This was the definition of inviting Liverpool to equalise.

31st August 2025 – Premiership – Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal

I based our chances of winning the league this season on if Arteta could go away on his holiday and self-reflect. Could he, while laying on a beach, accept he had made some mistakes and adapt? Would he put his ego to one side and learn from his errors?

At the first opportunity to give evidence either way, it would appear our manager will not be changing his ethos.

At Anfield, Arne Slot led the Spaniard into a false sense of security. Liverpool seemed content for the game to close out into a drab 0-0, so content with a point that we retreated, barely playing a forward pass.

In reality, the champions were always going to have a period of control in front of the Kop. A great team would have gone for the throat.

21st September 2025 – Premiership – Arsenal 1-1 Man City

After the criticism for the lack of creativity in midfield at Anfield, surely our manager had now learnt some vital lessons? Incredibly, the same three started on Sunday, with the long throw looking like our only route to goal.

It was one of the few times at the Emirates our bench looked more creative than those on the pitch. Arteta seemed to have learnt his lesson at half time (let’s hope for the future), but you cannot give Man City a 45-minute head start and not expect to drop points.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

This article first appeared on Just Arsenal and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: