Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira questioned Arsenal's mental toughness following their 3-2 Premier League defeat at the hands of Manchester United
Ryan Taylor
07:00, 26 Jan 2026
Mikel Arteta
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Mikel Arteta isn't worried about the mental strength of Arsenal(Image: )
When Mikel Arteta was asked about Patrick Vieira's Sky Sports comments, he delivered a perfectly measured response.
After coming out on the wrong side of an intense and heated battle, it would have been easy for Arteta to take offence or for the Spaniard to become irked or irritated once Vieira's remarks had been put to him.
It's very rare Arteta takes defeat gracefully but his assessment of the United loss and the general Premier League title picture suggests he's not yet feeling the pressure.
Unfortunately, the same cannot currently be said about his players and Vieira was probably right to voice concerns about the mentality of this Arsenal side.
They've had several opportunities to pull clear but have now taken just two points from their past three matches.
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"They're still four points clear, but there's still questions about the mental strength of the team," said Vieira, seemingly frustrated by Arsenal's inability to motor off into the distance.
It appears the former Gunner, recently sacked by Genoa, also takes issue with the mechanics of the team, too.
He continued: "It's not just that they lost the game, it's the way they lost the game. [Bukayo] Saka and [Leandro] Trossard didn't produce enough to worry United.
"They need a leader to lift the spirit of the team. They need to understand when they are on the pitch they have to play with more energy and more risks. They have the quality. They didn't play with the freedom to express themselves."
When you're top of the table and two rivals have placed a target on your back, it is hard to maintain composure - that is just natural.
You only have to look at Arsenal's performances and results in the Champions League and both domestic cup competitions - compared with the Premier League - to realise the team is anxious.
Patrick Vieira head coach of Genoa CFC looks on during the serie Serie A Enilive match between SSC Napoli and Genoa CFC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 11, 2025 in Naples, Italy (Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Patrick Vieira made the comments in the Sky Sports studio(Image: Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Arteta said during his post-match press conference when asked about Vieira's comments: "That's fine. I mean, we accept every opinion, where it comes and where it's coming from, and they will have the right reason to say it. At the end, we have to show the mental strength that we have on the pitch when it comes to a match day.
"We were absolutely brilliant in Milan, and today we weren’t that good. I don't know if it was mental, because of how much they played, but because we were poor, especially technically in certain aspects of the game, against a team that when you make those mistakes, they can punish you big time. That was the difference."
It is hard to disagree with any of those assessments from Arteta. Arsenal lacked quality against United - more than anything - and that was what ultimately proved to be their Achilles' heel.
They must also accept - like Arteta states - that they will face plenty of scrutiny and negative opinions between now and the end of the season. What should fuel them is that they can have the final say and last laugh.
Arsenal know they must improve the technical aspects of their game; defending, chance creation, finishing and should they do just that, results will improve as the two go hand in hand.
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LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 25: Gabriel of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 25, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)(Image: )
Now is not the time to panic and Arteta's levelheadedness is exactly what Arsenal need in a moment where they might start to be feeling vulnerable.
If Arteta had snapped back in a defensive manner, it would have created and whipped up more noise and that is not what Arsenal need right now.
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They would have snapped your hand off to be in this position heading into April and there will also be moments where City and Villa falter like they did against United.
The Gunners just have to learn from their mistakes and get back on the bike.
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