A frustrated Mikel Arteta gave a bullish response when one of his tactical decisions was questioned in the wake of Arsenal’s loss to Aston Villa.
Sunday was a bad day for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.
Before kick-off in their own match, the Gunners received a boost as Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace at Anfield. That result meant that the North London club had a chance to re-take top spot in the Premier League by leap-frogging Manchester City and open up a gap between themselves and the Reds at the same time.
In order to take that chance, all Arsenal needed to do was beat Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium.
However, the Gunners slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Unai Emery’s side, leaving their own Premier League title hopes battered, if not broken. Paul Merson is now convinced that the title dream is over for Arsenal.
Arteta will certainly look back on this match with plenty of regrets. The Spanish coach made changes to his starting XI for this game, and those tactical tweaks backfired, leaving Arsenal’s season hanging by a thread.
What Mikel Arteta changed for Arsenal v Aston Villa
Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, and Oleksandr Zinchenko came into the team for this match with Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior, and Gabriel Martinelli all dropping to the bench.
Jesus failed to repay the faith shown in him by Arteta as he was tasked with leading the line for Arsenal against the Midlands outfit. The Brazilian spurned an excellent first-half opportunity to score, and his all-round play, in general, was below par. Arsenal fans were far from impressed with Jesus, and calls for the striker to be replaced in the summer will now grow louder.
Trossard was also guilty of letting a gilt-edged chance go begging in the opening period. Meanwhile, at the back, Zinchenko’s passing, positioning, and physicality were all found wanting at times.
During this period, with its heavily congested fixture schedule, Arteta has to be able to make use of the strength in depth of his squad. His squad let him down against Aston Villa, which will be a huge worry as the games are set to continue coming thick and fast over the next few weeks.
Mikel Arteta snaps in post-Aston Villa press conference
Arteta’s tactics for this match were questioned in his press conference after the game.
As quoted by Hayters TV, reporting on X, as Arteta was asked why Trossard was started ahead of Martinelli against the Villans, the manager tersely explained, “I am the manager and I decide the line up.”
Arteta will feel aggrieved that the players who he handed a starting opportunity to in this match could not repay him with the performance levels required.
