01/09/2026
I believe Arsenal has invested so much in this team, and Arsenal actually deserve better.
If the club has done everything possible to build a team capable of giving the fans the results they deserve, then Arteta shouldn't become the problem, obstacle or hindrance standing between this team and the success it should achieve.
Let me take us back.
I believe Arteta's approach to the Champions League was one of the major reasons why we lost that competition. And if the Premier League had a final to play, I'm not sure we would have won the league.
If there had been more teams in better form to seriously compete with Arsenal, I honestly don't know if we would have won it. But thankfully, things worked in our favour. We were fortunate that we didn't have all those circumstances working against us, and we eventually won the league.
Now, coming into this season, can anyone who understands Arteta better than I do please explain something to me?
Why is Arteta keeping Viktor Gyökeres on the bench and playing Kai Havertz ahead of him?
This is where I have a serious concern.
We have seen players who were performing at a very high level at their previous clubs come to Arsenal, start well, and then gradually decline. They begin to deform as players. You see it happening little by little.
We've seen it with Zubimendi. We've seen it with Eze. Even Saka is currently not at his best.
And what about some of our young attacking players? Players who, under the right environment and attacking system, could have developed into something much better by now. I don't think Arteta has been able to bring out the best in some of them.
So, if you're a good observer, what do you think is actually causing this?
For me, it is Arteta's pattern and system of football.
The system puts too much pressure on the players.
Arteta's football seems to be heavily focused on defending, protecting the result and avoiding mistakes rather than taking control of games through attacking football. I'm not saying defending is bad. Absolutely not.
There has to be a balance.
You cannot build a team with so much attacking quality and then consistently put the players under the pressure of having to defend, defend and defend.
That pressure eventually affects the confidence, freedom and natural ability of the players.
Until Arteta understands this and is willing to change his approach, I fear we will continue to see good players come into Arsenal and gradually lose the qualities that made them exceptional in the first place.
Arsenal deserves better. The fans deserve better. And with the level of investment the club has made in this team, we should be demanding better.
