‘What the hell?’ – Arsenal legend sensationally admits he gets bored watching Mikel Arteta’s team

Arsenal have become boring to watch under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage – they can’t abandon their attacking DNA. That is the view of club legend Emmanuel Petit, who has declared the Gunners’ performance in their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday left him frustrated and annoyed. Arteta couldn’t guide Arsenal to a first Premier League win at Anfield since September 2012AFP The north London outfit’s winning start to the season came to an end at Anfield with Dominik Szoboszlai’s 83rd minute free-kick proving to be the difference. It was a match that lacked any real attacking threat from either side, with many fans left ruing Arteta‘s team selection. Captain Martin Odegaard as well as new signing Eberechi Eze were left out of the line-up, with Arteta opting for a defensive-minded midfield having recalled Mikel Merino to the starting XI. Liverpool went into the match having conceded four goals in their opening two Premier League matches, but were barely threatened by their title rivals. And for Petit, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double at Highbury during the 1997/98 campaign, he was left bitterly disappointed with what he saw. Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has branded Arteta’s style of play as ‘ugly’, with the Frenchman conceding Arsenal are not pleasant to watch on the eye anymore under their former skipper. What did Emmanuel Petit say about Arsenal’s style of play? Commenting on Schmeichel’s view on the White and Jordan show, Petit said: “I understand what he’s saying, because I get bored sometimes. “And I just want Arsenal to be back to those days of three years ago when Arteta was playing beautiful football – strike football – strike to pass the ball to the forward. “Bring speed and great movement at the last third of the pitch all the time, and that was very difficult to defend because the danger was coming from everywhere. “Now it’s like, I give you the ball, you give me back the ball, I give you the ball. Arsenal saw his side lose a top-flight match to a ‘Big Six’ team since the 2022/23 campaignGetty “And even some players are starting to get bored on the pitch and they don’t have any solution afterwards.” Petit also remarked: “I just want them to come back the way they were three or two years ago with brilliant movement, great passing. “It was such a great pleasure to watch Arsenal because every time they got the ball, they were putting on the pressure of the opponents. “And at the edge of the box, the last third of the pitch, they were making great movement. “There were probably five, three, four, five different options, you know, for the players who were holding the ball all the time. “It was great movement with passion inside the box all the time.” It was a lacklustre performance from Arsenal as Liverpool leapfrogged them in the table Petit continued: “A strong defence is one thing. It’s good, if you want to win titles. “If you want to be able as well to make differences on set pieces, corners, things like this, this is what Arsenal are performing very well [on] and this is good as well. “But as I said, don’t forget the DNA of Arsenal, which means great movement, great pressing, you have to bring craziness at the end of the pitch. “This is something that has been missing for the last couple of months for Arsenal. “And [Bukayo] Saka was not on the pitch, so this is a big miss as well, but Odegaard as well was not there and there was no creativity, you know, inside the team.” And Petit echoed many of the thought that Gooners around the world shared in that Arsenal needed creativity in the form of Odegaard and Eze right from the off. Arteta has faced criticism from fans and pundits for not starting Eze against LiverpoolGetty He stated: “From the start of the game, I was quite frustrated with the first eleven, and I was thinking, ‘What the hell?’ “If you bring players like Eze and as well Odegaard and they are on the bench, that means they are able to play. “So what’s the point? You play against probably the toughest opponents to win the Premier League. “And one [two] of your best players, you put them on the bench at the start of the game? “So I didn’t understand that, after the game, I was very frustrated.” Arsenal will be hoping for a return to winning ways at home to Nottingham Forest after the international break, with Eze expected to make his full debut.

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‘What the hell?’ – Arsenal legend sensationally admits he gets bored watching Mikel Arteta’s team

Arsenal have become boring to watch under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage – they can’t abandon their attacking DNA.

That is the view of club legend Emmanuel Petit, who has declared the Gunners’ performance in their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday left him frustrated and annoyed.

Arteta couldn’t guide Arsenal to a first Premier League win at Anfield since September 2012
AFP

The north London outfit’s winning start to the season came to an end at Anfield with Dominik Szoboszlai’s 83rd minute free-kick proving to be the difference.

It was a match that lacked any real attacking threat from either side, with many fans left ruing Arteta‘s team selection.

Captain Martin Odegaard as well as new signing Eberechi Eze were left out of the line-up, with Arteta opting for a defensive-minded midfield having recalled Mikel Merino to the starting XI.

Liverpool went into the match having conceded four goals in their opening two Premier League matches, but were barely threatened by their title rivals.

And for Petit, who won the Premier League and FA Cup double at Highbury during the 1997/98 campaign, he was left bitterly disappointed with what he saw.

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has branded Arteta’s style of play as ‘ugly’, with the Frenchman conceding Arsenal are not pleasant to watch on the eye anymore under their former skipper.

What did Emmanuel Petit say about Arsenal’s style of play?

Commenting on Schmeichel’s view on the White and Jordan show, Petit said: “I understand what he’s saying, because I get bored sometimes.

“And I just want Arsenal to be back to those days of three years ago when Arteta was playing beautiful football – strike football – strike to pass the ball to the forward.

“Bring speed and great movement at the last third of the pitch all the time, and that was very difficult to defend because the danger was coming from everywhere.

“Now it’s like, I give you the ball, you give me back the ball, I give you the ball.

Arsenal saw his side lose a top-flight match to a ‘Big Six’ team since the 2022/23 campaign
Getty

“And even some players are starting to get bored on the pitch and they don’t have any solution afterwards.”

Petit also remarked: “I just want them to come back the way they were three or two years ago with brilliant movement, great passing.

“It was such a great pleasure to watch Arsenal because every time they got the ball, they were putting on the pressure of the opponents.

“And at the edge of the box, the last third of the pitch, they were making great movement.

“There were probably five, three, four, five different options, you know, for the players who were holding the ball all the time.

“It was great movement with passion inside the box all the time.”

It was a lacklustre performance from Arsenal as Liverpool leapfrogged them in the table

Petit continued: “A strong defence is one thing. It’s good, if you want to win titles.

“If you want to be able as well to make differences on set pieces, corners, things like this, this is what Arsenal are performing very well [on] and this is good as well.

“But as I said, don’t forget the DNA of Arsenal, which means great movement, great pressing, you have to bring craziness at the end of the pitch.

“This is something that has been missing for the last couple of months for Arsenal.

“And [Bukayo] Saka was not on the pitch, so this is a big miss as well, but Odegaard as well was not there and there was no creativity, you know, inside the team.”

And Petit echoed many of the thought that Gooners around the world shared in that Arsenal needed creativity in the form of Odegaard and Eze right from the off.

Arteta has faced criticism from fans and pundits for not starting Eze against Liverpool
Getty

He stated: “From the start of the game, I was quite frustrated with the first eleven, and I was thinking, ‘What the hell?’

“If you bring players like Eze and as well Odegaard and they are on the bench, that means they are able to play.

“So what’s the point? You play against probably the toughest opponents to win the Premier League.

“And one [two] of your best players, you put them on the bench at the start of the game?

“So I didn’t understand that, after the game, I was very frustrated.”

Arsenal will be hoping for a return to winning ways at home to Nottingham Forest after the international break, with Eze expected to make his full debut.

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