Mikel Arteta was criticized for his actions on the touchline as he looks to get the season back on track after seeing Arsenal shocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton
Arsenal’s season continues to be rocky against Southampton
Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott felt Mikel Arteta was emitting a “nervous energy that was reflected in the team” as the Gunners were eliminated in the FA Cup by Southampton.
The Premier League leaders were shocked on the south coast, meaning their chances of winning a second trophy disappeared within a fortnight. For the Championship side, Shay Charles scored the winning goal in the 85th minute.
Arteta and his team set their sights on an unprecedented quad at the start of March, but they have only achieved half of that accolade now, and even that could be a tall order. The Arsenal manager faces questions about his ability to get over the line despite being in charge.
He often cut active figures on the touchline, which divided opinion, and as Arsenal tried to get back into the game against Southampton, Walcott felt the Spaniard’s and coach’s actions were unhelpful.
He told the BBC: “They can’t let the season slip away. They can’t let it affect everything they’ve built this season. They’ve been in situations like this before and they don’t want a repeat of that.”
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“Visually watching Mikel on the sideline, it was an element of the previous year that that energy was reflected in the team. It was a nervous energy, very tense. It wasn’t just Mikel, a lot of the staff was out there at times. They were in the kitchen. It was like there were too many cooks, too many messages. It’s easy to say that now, but I want the reaction of a cup final, and tonight it was worse.”
Arsenal started without David Raya, Declan Rice and William Saliba, the latter coming on as a substitute in the second half after Gabriel was sent off due to injury concerns.
Arsenal have missed out on both cup competitions this season.
Micah Richards was similarly critical, believing that Arsenal’s struggles and some of City’s good form meant that both domestic and European honors could overtake them, which would mean the Gunners would be without a trophy for six years.
He said: “It was only a few weeks ago that people were saying Arsenal could do a quadruple. Now they’re playing in two competitions. Man City look like they’re going to go all the way towards the league and the Champions League after their previous performance. Anyone can win it.”
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