One look at Arteta’s immaculate hair and monotone wardrobe tells you everything about this stifled, joyless Arsenal. And their fans know what’s coming…
A miserable capitulation to the Premier League’s worst team has left Arsenal supporters with a familiar feeling of dread, if the mood of the morning Mailbox is any measure.
Send your thoughts on the title race to theeditor@football365.com.
Arteta draining Arsenal
When Arteta came to Arsenal he spoke of standards and everyone being on the boat, I found it refreshing, I didn’t realize the boat was going to be the Titanic.
I recognize he’s rebuilt the club, we don’t roll over vs top teams, we are strong physically against most teams, and he’s raised the bar to a minimum of 2nd place, unfortunately, I think 2nd place is his ceiling too.
Before every game his public message is a variation of “this is going to be a really difficult match against a really difficult opponent”, perhaps he says something different privately but I don’t think so, to me, he is almost too intense and he mentally drains the players. He’s too safe, too respectful, and too much of a control freak. I know there aren’t any “easy games” in this league anymore but it’s doomed Wolves, and we just bottled it massively.
No disrespect but if you’re going for a title then when we play against a bottom opponent with 10 points all season I want my coach to say a variation of “you guys are outstanding, let’s go f*cking smash them and show how much we want this”. Sure publicly you can’t say theyre sh*t, but at least display some confidence in your team that the fans can feel.
Against Wolves we’ve now squeaked a last minute win at home and drew away. We recently drew with Forrest who then went and sacked their manager.
Are these players actually having fun playing for this manager? I’m not sure. Football is supposed to be fun, top teams are fun, they have an extra gear, we look like we need a new gearbox. We’ve been stodgy all season despite the manager being massively backed. I’ve been fairly willing to support him all the way, but if we fail this season, that’s entirely on Arteta – especially after spending a billion pounds- and in my opinion his time should be up.
Strevs, AFC, Canada
…Here we go again. Another crunch run, another collapse. A 2-2 with Wolves after losses to United and limp draws with Forest and Brentford — it’s the same movie on repeat under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
I said it on 22 April 2023 and I’ll say it again today — Arteta is simply not good enough to deliver the Premier League or Champions League. The mentality isn’t there. The tactical adaptability isn’t there. The ruthlessness definitely isn’t there.
As a lifelong Gooner, it hurts to admit it, but this is what a bottle job looks like: dominant spells followed by mental fragility the moment pressure peaks.
Flashback to the 2022 top-four run-in. Palace, Brighton, Southampton — wobble. Arteta says he “can’t wait” for Spurs. Result? Collapse. Then St James’ Park happened.
Fast forward — title pressure now instead of top four — and the messaging is identical. “These are the games you want to play.” Same words. Same emotional optimism. Same lack of cold-blooded edge.
Elite managers evolve under pressure. Arteta romanticises it.
And look at the profile of players he continues to trust and protect.
His unwavering faith in Gabriel Jesus despite repeated moments of hesitancy in front of goal reflects the manager himself — technically sound, aesthetically pleasing, but lacking killer instinct when it matters most.
Meanwhile recruitment and selection decisions continue to scream comfort over ruthlessness. When elite clubs aggressively upgrade, Arsenal hesitate and hope. That’s not how titles are won.
The culture problem runs deeper too. The academy leadership under Per Mertesacker symbolises the club’s long-standing struggle with pressure moments rather than dominance of them. Development is excellent — mentality under fire remains questionable.
Arteta’s man-management philosophy of unconditional backing might be admirable, but at elite level repeated failure without accountability breeds softness, not resilience.
Compare that to the brutal winning cultures created by Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho — tough love, internal competition, fearlessness in big moments. That edge is completely absent here.
This Arsenal side has talent. It has structure. It has aesthetics. What it does not have is the psychological brutality required to close seasons.
And that comes from the manager.
Until that changes, the outcome won’t.
Mark my words — under Arteta, Arsenal will continue flirting with greatness but falling short when the pressure demands champions rather than believers.
Another spring, another stumble.
Miles, Islington, Lifelong Gooner
MORE: Anatomy of a Bottle Job: Eight factors to separate the true choke from a mere collapse
…Arteta has been the detriment to Gunners success. His emotional immaturity and petulance on the touch line does not inspire confidence in the squad or us supporters. His post match interviews are littered with him throwing players under the bus. A great gaffer accepts blame publicly, then inside the room can take the piss out of a player.
And still can never figure out team selection.
So f*cking frustrating, but by now we’re all used to it.
Darrin
…Well that’s the title gone. And quite rightly. Two up and coasting against possibly the worst side (statistically) in Premier League history. And somehow Arsenal contrive not to win.
Cowardly.
Blok
Arsenal the mirror image of Arteta
The game last night highlighted the insane degree to which Arsenal are a reflection of their manager.
The football is tight, controlled, with little room for anyone to stray from the system. The same can be said of his hair.
The tactics are inflexible, there only seems to be one way of doing things. The same can be said of his sideline fashion choices.
The dark arts depend on misdirection and half-truths said with a straight face. The same can be said of his interview proclamations and excuses.
The petulant actions of Arsenal players in the scuffle after the whistle were not about desire or stakes, that was emotional immaturity. The same emotional immaturity can be seen watching Arteta gambol about the sideline.
Anyone counting their chickens now should be careful. There’s still a way to go, though the runway is getting shorter and none of the above will change.
JB (It would be so funny if they didn’t win it. Also, Rice should be captain, the rest are not up to it!)
MORE: Top ten biggest Premier League title bottlejobs: Where would 2025/26 Arsenal vintage rank?
Average Arsenal
Wolves will undoubtedly go down as one of the worst teams in league history.
Arsenal are tracking to finish on 81 points which wouldn’t have won a single title in the previous decade. It would rarely clinch second.
Can we finally stop pretending this is a good pedigree or a team that would’ve won the league in any serious season where the main challengers weren’t all a complete joke.
The league is actually in Man City’s hands now although they’ll contrive to lose to someone dreadful next week since they are dreadful themselves. But the point will never change: this Arsenal team is lucky to be the most average looker in the ugliest bar on the street.
Minty, LFC
Here’s Stewie
So. Netflix FC are going to renew the longest-running comedy series for Season 24! 😂 Impressive. I honestly admire their MAGA troupe for the endlessly delusional worldview of their Dear Leader! I can copy-paste the same snippets from every match they’ve dropped points this season (Viking Clogger, Zero shots on or off goal zzzz…Arteta like at Sunderland, too moronic to learn and takes off a ball-retaining player for a defender. Sits deep, concedes in stoppage time. Zzzz. Arsenal score a goal and El Pulizon calls everyone back for a gazpacho with patatas bravas, don’t bother trying to keep playing football lads, let’s have a siesta and make sure the watching public gets to have a siesta too, watching artless, soporific shite bound to send you to sleep etc).
Honestly Arteta fanboys give it up. Risk-averse, mentally febrile, cowardly crap. Despite £1bn budget, the biggest squad in the PL and a £15m salary! The piss-taking is boringly one-sided, I genuinely am at the point of genuine pity. But that’s just me – reckon other opposition fans will be far more unforgiving. Because if you polled fans of 18 clubs who they’d rather see win the PL, then “Citeh” will be the overwhelming choice. SAD!
Stewie Griffin (Spurs sticking the nail in their coffin is going to be the one that sends them wild)
…Well, despite all his bravado, Stewie must have been worrying there for a while that Arteta was actually going to deliver and render the last 5 years of his email crusade worthless.
Now, he can breathe easy, the prophecy is foretelling and nature is healing itself as Arsenal begin their journey to their rightful place: second place.
Regards,
Kieran (The mental scarring for Arsenal players is not going to be pretty)
Keeping it interesting
Thank you Arsenal for making the title race A. exist when it shouldn’t, and B. Making my job around Arsenal fans colleagues very funny.
The probably will still win the league with a very easy run in, but good lord would it be funny if they don’t.
Will – Schadenfreude FC
Martinez mistake
To Tom so very tired, Leyton. Arsenal sold the very best goalkeeper they had in the last 20 years to Aston Villa. FIFA said so and who are we to question?
Dave AVFC
Quick karma
Trossard pretends he’s got caught in the face when quite clearly he didn’t. He’s clearly trying to waste time. He gets subbed and on comes Calafiori, who then scores an own goal! Poetic justice indeed.
Jas (Singh Blue Moon) Windsor
…I literally ran into an elite X footballer once, I came away in tears of pain, sheepishly rubbing my shin bone, my neices were giggling at my expense and the well known plug-ugly player didn’t even notice. My point being, these players are way harder than nails.
I am supposing then that Trossard overplayed his injury at the start of extra time which like the recent derby d’Italia furore around play-acting to get a fellow sent off, is and has been since post Italia 90, a sad stain across the English game.
This all led to me laughing out loud at the manner of the pinball preposterousness that punctured their 3 points. I don’t know whether it was more Laurel & Hardy, Benny Hill or Tom & Jerry but thank you again for the top drawer slapstick.
I must finish with a doffing of my cap to those at WWFC who helped to give the coaches job to the current incumbent. A really big change has taken place due to him and his coaching team. I hope to see Mr Edwards and Wolves return to the top flight immediately after rampaging through a season in the champo.
Peter (the last seconds holding of face by the Wolves player was further proof of this embarrassing play acting malarkey akin to the ruse of Wrestling) Andalucia
