Ally McCoist has revealed what he thinks of the narratives circulating about Arsenal’s ‘boring’ style of play.
The Gunners have enjoyed a spectacular start to the season, winning seven of their opening nine Premier League matches, a return that sees them sat four points clear at the summit of the English top flight.
Despite this excellent form, opposition fans and prominent pundits have taken issue with the manner of Mikel Arteta’s team’s performances.
Jeff Stelling said watching Arsenal is ‘like watching paint dry’ earlier this week, and the presenter is one of a number who have lamented Arteta’s conservatism.
Ally McCoist reveals what he thinks of Arsenal’s style of play
Arsenal have conceded just three goals so far this season, while they’ve scored from eleven set-pieces.
Naturally, this combination is likely to elicit conversations about how exciting a team is to watch. The Gunners limit the opposition to nothing, which means most of their games aren’t particularly competitive, while the majority of their threat comes from dead balls.
For the neutral, Arteta’s side certainly aren’t entertaining. However, the Spaniard won’t be concerned about the neutral’s viewing experience, and will be more concerned with the results, particularly after being berated for not delivering silverware in recent years.
This is the outlook that pundit Ally McCoist has taken, who believes all that matters for Arsenal right now is winning.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the Scotsman disagreed with his colleague Stelling, who strongly expressed how he finds watching the Gunners boring earlier this week.
“Jeff was on on Monday, and he wasn’t happy with the way Arsenal played, which is fair enough, you know, he’s a neutral watching the game,” McCoist said.
“He’s absolutely 100% entitled to his opinion. But do you know something, and I think you’ll agree I think you’ll agree, mate. The Arsenal fans right now are are crying out to win that league, right? They are crying out to win that league.
“So, I think them more than most, I wouldn’t say they’re not interested in the performance. Of course, you want to go and watch good football. You want to watch good football, and they’ve got some great footballers. There’s no doubt about that.
“But you’re not going to tell me that the result isn’t the most important thing right now to those Arsenal fans. Do you know what I mean? So, it has to be, Alan. Absolutely has to be. And if you know what it’s like, mate. If you can win, great. If you win with a bit of style, then that’s perfect.
“There’s a million ways to skin a cat. So, if you play Man City or Liverpool, you do something different. It would be hypocritical of me to sit here and say somebody taking a long throw in is really entertaining or in footballing terms, great to watch.
“Actually, the argument I would say is actually I think it’s exciting, do you know what I mean, to see whether the defence can handle that long throw, things like that.”
Winning is all that matters to Arsenal
McCoist thinks Arsenal will win the league this season, which clearly indicates that what they’re doing is effective, even if not everybody is happy about the way they’re doing it.
The Gunners have had to face significant criticism for falling short of major silverware in recent years. Now that they look likely to be successful in this regard, they’re being lambasted for their approach to the game.
Ultimately, Arsenal are never going to win in some people’s books. Instead of trying to please those who will never validate them, Arteta is right to simply pursue success in any way.
The North Londoners have tried to be more expansive and free-flowing in previous years, but have ultimately lacked the balance that they needed in high-leverage moments.
Now, they’ve found a functional formula that is working, and they must stick by it regardless of the pushback.
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