Troy Deeney says he’s annoyed with Mikel Arteta’s ‘victim mentality’ after Arsenal’s draw with Man City

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Troy Deeney has slammed Mikel Arteta for his approach to Arsenal’s game against Manchester City.

Arteta’s team snatched a draw in the dying embers at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, as Gabriel Martinelli expertly lobbed Gianluigi Donnarumma after being played through by Eberechi Eze.

This came after the Gunners had struggled to break City down for long periods, and had fallen behind to Pep Guardiola’s side inside the opening nine minutes, courtesy of a neat Erling Haaland strike.

The result leaves Arsenal five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after five matches.

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Troy Deeney slams Mikel Arteta and Arsenal fans for having a ‘victim mentality’

Arteta has been criticised for his team selection against City, opting to pick Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard over the likes of Eze and Martinelli.

While the Gunners did dominate possession and territory for the majority of the match, they played conservatively with their possession, minimising risk with their passing choices.

Many felt Arteta should have played a more aggressive system to try and expose City’s defensive vulnerabilities, with Troy Deeney among these critics of the Spaniard.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Watford striker laid into the tactician and Arsenal’s fans for their ‘victim mentality’.

“You guys are in that position where it’s you [Arsenal] or Liverpool,” Deeney said.

“They [City] have to come and smash and grab against you because of where they’re at. It’s on you guys now to go and beat them. Not the other way around. It used to be the other way around, it’s not anymore.

“I think when it comes to these big games, the mentality from the manager, which then leaks into the players, is that we want to contain and nick this.

“As opposed to when you’re playing Leeds, he’ll go with the wide players and the freedom. He’ll go bang and let’s go dominate. That’s what I have an issue with.

“The same Arsenal that has been labelled boring are now saying Pep parked the bus. You’ve been doing that. You’ve been doing that in the big games. It’s a victim mentality from Arsenal and fans at the minute.”

Arsenal’s record in big games is not their issue

Arsenal have an excellent record against big teams in recent years.

However, due to the way in which matches against Liverpool and City have now panned out, the narrative has bizarrely changed to suggest that the Gunners aren’t lifting silverware because of how they play in these matches.

The North Londoners have taken considerably more points than any other team in big six matches, clearly indicating that this has not been their issue in the last few years.

Arteta may approach these games with caution, but he has done so successfully in the last 24 months.

The Gunners’ actual issue has been breaking down low blocks against some of the league’s lesser teams, rather than their results and performances in the big matches.