Back in January, Mikel Arteta promised Arsenal fans that his team would ‘play with enjoyment and with a lot of courage’; however, that has not been the case yet.
Arsenal exited the FA Cup at the hands of Southampton following what was a dismal display on the south coast on Saturday evening.
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The Gunners were beaten 2-1 and have now seen their hopes of a historic quadruple disappear over the last two weeks.
The team’s latest performance is once again being questioned, and Arteta’s promise about the Gunners’ style from back in January has just resurfaced.
Mikel Arteta said Arsenal would play with a ‘lot of courage’, but that has not been the case
Following Arsenal’s defeat to Man United back in January, Mikel Arteta said the Gunners would play with a ‘lot of courage’, but that has not been the case.
The North London club held crisis talks after the 3-2 defeat at the Emirates and came out saying they would be playing with ‘enjoyment’ and ‘courage’.
Speaking back on January 27, Arteta said: “The reaction since United has been excellent. We took a moment [on Monday] to bring the temperature down, to pause, to reflect and ask two questions.
“We have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions, and in the next four months we’re going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and with the conviction that we’re going to win it.”
Despite putting together a run of 14-games without a defeat, one thing Arsenal have not done is play with ‘enjoyment’, as Arteta promised.
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The Gunners have proved to be efficient this season, but in key moments, the team has continued to stutter, and instead of being brave, it’s been quite the opposite.
Away at Southampton, the Championship team outclassed them in all areas of the pitch, with Max Dowman the only Arsenal star looking to play with freedom.
Meanwhile, his teammates continue to look devoid of ideas going forward and continue to obsess over set-pieces.
The pressure is now red hot on Arteta and delivering at least one of the two major titles this season after their hopes of winning the two domestic cups were dashed in the space of a fortnight.
It’s time for Arteta to tell his players to actually be brave, because if he goes to the Etihad Stadium and sits back, this Man City team will punish them.
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