Arsenal suffered yet another letdown in an all-important game, falling flat on their faces in a must-win matchup against reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.
The Gunners couldn’t even put a goal past the Reds, and a brilliant Dominik Szoboszlai free kick was the sheer moment of quality that Arne Slot needed to, once again, outduel an increasingly embattled Mikel Arteta.
After the game, the Spanish manager had the unmitigated gall to put new signing and local London hero Eberechi Eze on blast for not scoring off the bench when time after time, his favorite underperforming players – and fellow new signing Viktor Gyokeres at striker – failed to score and were even worse.
Arsenal fans did not fall for Arteta’s schtick, and, instead, many of them are putting their coach on blast for the same exact result yet again, criticizing the manager himself for failing to get his team going in an important game.
Arsenal fans are mentally exhausted
One fan exasperatedly wrote, “How are you not exhausted after 4 seasons failing man, bottling the top 4 to spurs, bottling the league 2 years in a row and finishing second again. How are you not tired, cause I am genuinely mentally exhausted. Get this guy gone man, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
A second Arsenal supporter had this smart take on the situation: “It’s on Arteta. In 20 attempts to win a trophy since that Aubameyang FA Cup win, he’s failed to. Today, he showed why. Newcastle already showed how to play this Liverpool. Arteta instead came to be cautious. And he cautiously took that L. I hope they fix up. This corner kick business should be the icing on the cake. Not the main thing they appear to be making it look.”
And finally another fan stated, “Losing this game is ENTIRELY Arteta’s fault. We had everything needed to win it. And that’s my worry even for our league. It’s not just objective quality. Manager needs to use what he has the right way and I’m sorry but Arteta seems to lack confidence.”
Arsenal are definitely in a better position now than before Mikel Arteta took over the reigns at the Emirates, but it is perfectly valid for Arsenal supporters to be tired of coming in second – and a distant second last season at that.
The Gunners are making the same mistakes over and over again, and it starts from the top with a manager who failed to take accountability and instead threw a new player under the bus for not scoring off the bench in an out-of-position role.
Many Arsenal fans want to see progress and improvement from their coach, and the loss to Liverpool was a harsh reminder that the Gunners are still not where they need to be in the project.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2011. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has contributed to sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. Joe’s work has appeared in ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling, respectively.