The inquest into Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester United is ongoing, giving Mikel Arteta plenty of questions to answer.
Arsenal lost 3-2 to Man United on matchday 23 of the Premier League season, ending the gameweek with a four-point lead at the top of the table.
Still leading the way, the Gunners are by no means experiencing a crisis, but it has to be said that the level of performance shook the fanbase.
Arteta is being questioned over several decisions he made in the game, one being Arsenal’s lack of freedom in attack, and the other being the five substitutions he made.
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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says Mikel Arteta’s substitutions against Man United were detrimental to Declan Rice
In the 58th minute of play, just after Man United took the lead, Arteta realised he’d seen enough from four players on the pitch.
Martin Odegaard, Piero Hincapie, Gabriel Jesus and Martin Zubimendi were hooked in the early round of changes, substitutions from Arteta that confused Gary Neville.
While the changes were needed, as the four players were having a tough time on the pitch, it was Zubimendi’s exit that had pundits talking.
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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink shared his thoughts on the Spaniard’s substitution when speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football [26/01/26 19:34].
“For me, I felt like they panicked a little bit, 58th minute, four substitutions, for me, too much,” Hasselbaink began before honing in on the impact of Zubimendi’s exit.
“If you want to change things, get Odegaard off, you’re now taking Zubimendi off. Yes, Zubimendi made the mistake, but he’s a big player, he’s an important player.
“Declan Rice had to play as a pivot, that is not his best position; you want to keep him high up. I think it was too much for me.”
Rice is one of the best midfielders in the world, so by taking his midfield partner off, Arteta limited the 27-year-old to a deeper role.
It was a call that Hasselbaink didn’t understand, sharing his view that Zubimendi’s goal-causing error wasn’t necessarily a signal for him to be hooked.
Declan Rice was comfortably Arsenal’s best player against Man United
Hasselbaink didn’t think Arteta did Rice a favour by ushering Zubimendi off the pitch, and given what the Englishman was producing offensively, the Chelsea icon’s opinion carries weight.
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On a day when even Arsenal’s most reliable players, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, struggled, Rice’s performance level didn’t stray.
No Arsenal player created more chances than the midfielder, who played four key passes, as well as taking three shots on goal and completing a dominating 36 ball carries, as per Sofascore.
Rice made the difference in the box when Arsenal beat United at the Emirates back in 2023, but three years later in N5, it has to be pondered if he was denied a heavier influence in the final third because of Arteta’s changes.
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