Football fans are mocking Mikel Arteta after the Arsenal manager revealed the two reasons why he thought his team lost out on the Premier League trophy to Liverpool. For the third straight campaign, the Gunners were involved in a title race, but for the third season in a row, they were beaten to the silverware by their rivals.
Liverpool enjoyed a stellar first season under Arne Slot, winning the Premier League for just the second time ever. In truth, they dominated the division and Arsenal didn't even come close to beating them to the top. After 36 games, they sit in second on 68 points, 15 behind their rivals. It's a huge drop off from the previous two campaigns where Arteta's men finished with 84 and 89 points respectively.
Now, the manager has given his reasons why he thinks his side came up short.
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Arteta's Reasons For Arsenal Losing Out on Premier League Title
He blamed red cards and injuries
arsenal manager mikel arteta
During an appearance on Sky Sports, the Spaniard was asked whether he thought injuries played a part in his side failing to keep pace with Liverpool at the top of the table and he admitted he did. He also credited the red cards his side received throughout the season as a major factor too. Speaking on what cost his team, he said:
"Red cards and injuries, for sure. With that, we don't know what would happen. Would we be much closer [to Liverpool]? Without a question, yes."
Fans aren't impressed with Arteta's excuses, though, and several have called him out for them on social media. One supporter posted: "Never seen someone make up more excuses. It’s actually becoming a joke," while another shared that sentiment, saying: "He just never shuts up with the excuses."
A third football fan said: "Seeing this would deeply concern me if I was an Arsenal fan." With Arsenal reportedly bringing goalscoring machine Viktor Gyokeres into the fold this summer, they'll be significantly strengthening their front line and addressing a weakness that they've had for some time. With the addition of the forward, they should be in the mix for the title again next season. Whether they finally get over the line, though, remains to be seen.