Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
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Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has launched a scathing critique of Arsenal’s style of play under Mikel Arteta, admitting he finds the Gunners “annoying to watch” following their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Arsenal suffered their first loss of the season after a stunning 83rd-minute free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai sealed victory for Jürgen Klopp’s side. While the second half produced more intensity, the opening 45 minutes were largely uneventful, something Schmeichel attributed to Arsenal’s cautious approach.
Speaking on Viaplay, the former goalkeeper was heavily critical of Arteta’s tactics. “It’s not lived up to the expectations,” Schmeichel said. “You need two teams to give a good game of football and there is only one team trying to play football and that’s Liverpool!
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“I don’t want to insult Arsenal, but their brand of football is so annoying to watch. It’s designed to exploit opponents’ mistakes while waiting for set pieces. Then they take their time and take the tempo out of the game.”
The Dane went even further, claiming he actively wanted Liverpool to win. “I have never in my life wanted a team to win a game of football more than Liverpool today,” he continued.
Peter Schmeichel WENT IN on Arsenal 😳😡 pic.twitter.com/XprUkmQkvp
— LiveScore (@livescore) August 31, 2025
“Arsenal bring an ugly brand of football to our game. Arteta, let your team play football! Let them loose, let them be free. I am absolutely convinced that if Arteta does this, they will win more games.”
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Arteta, who also saw defender William Saliba forced off early with injury, defended his team’s performance in the narrow defeat.
“I was very disappointed with the result,” he told BBC Match of the Day. “I think we elevated the game to a point where we dominated them in parts of the game, which is very difficult to do here at Anfield.
“They produced an incredible magic moment to win it. That is the edge, when it’s not Szoboszlai, it’s Salah or someone else. With the dominance and how we play, it’s very clear we have to finish our moments to win. It’s the execution.”
The loss leaves Arsenal needing to regroup as injuries mount and criticism intensifies, with their title challenge set to face a stern test in the weeks ahead.
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