Arteta Is Doing Too Much To Impress At Arsenal – Paul Merson

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta is trying so hard to impress and entertain at Arsenal, Paul Merson has said.

He recently revealed that Arteta should be focusing more on making it tougher for Arsenal to be beaten.

According to him, Arteta has to start worrying more about substance than style, and he has to go back to what brought Arsenal success when he was appointed.

He added that Leeds are like the old Arsenal of the past eight or nine years, because even if the Gunners did not win anything, everyone loved their football.

His words, “You’d be shocked if Arsenal won, and that’s where this has got to. That can’t be right. I can’t even make a case for Arsenal winning.

“I watched them against Southampton and I was thinking how many Arsenal players would get into the Saints team. Burnley went to the Emirates and fancied it, Wolves went there and experimented! They played four at the back which they never did before.

“Of course, confidence isn’t great at Arsenal and that can play a major part. Man United look a different team with confidence, but Arteta needs to go back to what brought Arsenal success – the tactics against Man City in the FA Cup semi-final, the game against Chelsea in the final.

“They need to go back to that way of playing, but he’s in a position now as a young manager new in the game, he feels he needs to keep impressing.”

“He has to go back to being hard to beat, using pace on the counter-attack. At the moment, it feels like Arteta is shying away from using what are seen as negative tactics and is focused more on trying to entertain – it’s no good.

“Leeds are like the old Arsenal of the past eight or nine years. Arsenal didn’t win anything but everybody loved them because you knew you would watch a good game.

“Arteta needs to go back to what brought him success at the first time of asking. They beat a very good Man City team at the time and Arteta needs to show the players that video and get back to that.”