Mikel Arteta was under the magnifying glass following Arsenal's defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
12:08, 20 Apr 2026
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Manchester, England
View 2 Images
Mikel Arteta during Arsenal's defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium(Image: Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
A body language expert reckons that Mikel Arteta fears for his future following Arsenal's defeat to Manchester City. Erling Haaland fired Pep Guardiola's side to victory at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, narrowing the Gunners' lead at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester City are just three points behind Arsenal in the title race, and they could climb into first place when they play their game in hand against Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday night. Speaking to reporters after the game, Arteta admitted that he, his staff and the players were 'very upset with the result'.
However, the Spaniard quickly turned his attention to the end-of-season run-in, claiming his squad are 'more convinced' than ever that they can crown themselves champions of England. So much so that Arteta revealed the players have described the final five games as a 'new league'.
Following the press conference, OLBG spoke to a body language expert, who analysed the Arsenal boss' behaviour. Darren Stanton began by claiming that Arteta wanted to relieve himself of any responsibility for the defeat.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
"Mikel Arteta looked anxious and full of stress before the game," said the body language expert. "His smiles weren’t genuine. He looked tense. Seeing him now in his post-match press conference, there’s now anger in the mix too.
"Arteta looks angry that he’s been put in this position again, like we saw after the Bournemouth loss, and unfortunately for the Arsenal players I don’t think their manager is wanting to take responsibility for what has happened.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
£44
Sky
Get the deal here
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
"He wants to shift the responsibility onto his team for how things have gone rather than accepting accountability himself. We see him going back to what we call lip suppression which is where he is physically holding back what he feels internally so he doesn’t speak out of turn.
"He’s not saying what he really thinks when he’s asked about the morale of the team or other questions," added Stanton, who then suggested that Arteta isn't fit to lead the Arsenal squad to glory. "There's something in psychology called internal and external representation.
"What that means is certain people in life have to have feedback and they’ll know they have done well because of the result or success recognised by others. Other people are what we call internally referenced which means they trust their own instincts and measurements for what success means.
Mikel Arteta manager/head coach of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad Stadium
View 2 Images
Mikel Arteta during Arsenal's defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium(Image: Getty)
"If you mix internal and external people, it's not always a good thing, so it makes you wonder whether those players need to hear that they've done well or not so well, whereas Arteta appears to be a manager who assumes that they should already know.
"It's an interesting dynamic actually," added the body language expert. "This happens a lot in business."
Stanton also claimed that Arteta senses he may not still be the Arsenal head coach next season. The Spaniard only has a year or so left on his contract with the Gunners.
"For whatever the reasons are, Arteta has looked super stressed," concluded the body language expert. "Unless he can pull the hat out of the rabbit out of the hat in the last few games, he knows they won’t win anything, and it looks like he thinks he's going to be goner too in his own job.
"I think the pressure's mounting even more now. I think how Arsenal respond to this latest setback in the next couple of games, and whether they can perform in the Champions League too, will tell us a lot but I think Arteta believes trophies will be the deciding factor.
"If he fails to win even one this season, he looks like a man who already thinks he will be sent packing. The next few weeks are going to make all the difference to his career as a manager and whether he stays at Arsenal or not.
Article continues below
"We see distinct signs of pressure, stress and anger. He’s searching his feelings for answers that he is struggling to find."
Welcome to 'Seeing Red' - our new Arsenal podcast
We've launched a new Arsenal podcast 'Seeing Red' with chief football writer John Cross and Arsenal reporter Tom Canton.
Each week, they will dive deep into the biggest topics as they follow Mikel Arteta's side every step of the way - and will also discuss nostalgic flashbacks before each fixture.
It's a great time to be an Arsenal fan, with the Gunners flying high under Arteta as they look to win silverware this season.
The North Londoners are going strong in the Premier League and Champions League - and they're also in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
We'll provide insight and reaction - and have fun along the way - as Arsenal target the biggest trophies this season.
No stone will be left unturned. VAR controversy? Poor performances? Unsung hero who deserves praise? Fixture chaos? We'll have it all covered.
Click here to view our YouTube channel
Click here to download our podcasts