BREAKING NEWS: ARSENAL Baby Coach Mikel Arteta has gotten himself Into big trouble after controversial comments on Spurs Vs Chelsea match.
FIFA is not taking it likely with him and this may end his coaching career, How can he make such a statement in press because he lost to Spurs
Moaning Mikel Arteta’s VAR rant shouldn’t overshadow Arsenal’s shortcomings – Gunners aren’t strong enough to truly challenge Man City
The Spaniard’s furious outburst at the match officials after Saturday’s damaging loss at Newcastle did little to mask the glaring flaws in his team
When Arsenal snapped their 15-game winless streak against Manchester City in the Premier League on October 8, it was billed as the most significant moment of Mikel Arteta’s tenure to date. The Gunners finally proved that they are capable of beating Pep Guardiola’s side, and moved two points above the champions into second – level with early 2023-24 pacesetters Tottenham.
Arteta’s side lost home and away to City last season, and ultimately missed out on the title after a poor run of results down the finishing stretch. But those demons were supposedly exorcised after the narrow 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, which saw Gabriel Martinelli score a fortunate deflected winner as the visitors endured a rare off-day in the absence of suspended midfield talisman Rodri.
If that were true, Arsenal would have kicked on, and really hammered home their title credentials. Alas, they followed up that statement victory with a 2-2 draw against Chelsea, who let a two-goal lead slip after some calamitous defending in the last 15 minutes of the game.
The Gunners got back on track with a routine 5-0 win against bottom club Sheffield United, but their weaknesses were laid bare once again during a trip to Newcastle on Saturday. Anthony Gordon’s controversial 64th-minute goal proved to be the difference between the two sides, and left Arsenal trailing City in the table once again.
Arteta blamed VAR for the defeat, but in truth, Newcastle were good value for the three points. Arsenal only mustered one shot on target in the match – their worst record in a game since way back in February – and they were outbattled in midfield.
Arsenal have yet to properly click into gear this season, despite spending over £200 million ($248m) in the summer transfer window, and the reality is that they do not look any closer to knocking City off their perch. And if Arteta doesn’t start acknowledging where his team are going wrong, the gap between the two clubs will only increase…
Gordon’s decisive goal against Arsenal wasn’t pretty, and it was only upheld after three separate checks from the video assistant referee. The first was for whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock’s cross, the second was for a potential foul from Joelinton on Gabriel, and the third was for a possible offside before Gordon fired into an empty net.
In the end, the match officials decided there was no conclusive evidence that warranted the goal being overturned and Stuart Atwell blew for the restart with Newcastle in front. Arsenal were unable to find a way back into the game thereafter, and Arteta went full Kevin Keegan when fulfilling his media duties after the final whistle.
“Embarrassing what happened,” the Arsenal boss told BBC’s Match of the Day. “How this goal stands in the Premier League – this league we say is the best in the world. I’ve been 20 years in this country and now I feel ashamed. It’s a disgrace. There’s too much at stake here.”
When asked to elaborate, Arteta failed to put forward a clear argument, adding: “Because it’s not a goal for many reasons; it’s not a goal, for more than one reason at least. It’s not a goal and it’s too much at stake here. We put in so much effort, it’s so difficult to compete at this level, and it’s an absolute disgrace.”
This is the same man that insisted managers must do their best to “support” referees because “mistakes happen” after Liverpool’s Luis Diaz saw a legitimate goal against Tottenham chalked off for offside on September 30. Jurgen Klopp’s calls for that game to be replayed were ill-advised, but he did at least have proper grounds to feel aggrieved.
Every single club in the Premier League has been on the wrong end of some questionable VAR calls this season. Wolves seem to have suffered the most, with Gary O’Neil saying he’s “given up on referees” after seeing his side lose at Sheffield United after an incredibly soft late penalty decision.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have had the most goals disallowed of any side in the division so far, including one for Alejandro Garnacho in their 3-1 loss against Arsenal in August. The Gunners also had luck on their side when VAR awarded them a penalty after a Cristian Romero handball in their derby draw against Tottenham.
VAR is clearly a problem that will need to be addressed in some way sooner rather than later, not least because of how disruptive the decision-checking process can be to the flow of a match. But over the course of a season, it always tends to balance out.
Arsenal didn’t lose against Newcastle because of the referee. And Arteta’s misplaced sense of entitlement is blinding him the fact that his team are underperforming in a number of key areas
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