Mikel Arteta has pointed to ‘psychological’ issues engulfing his Arsenal stars as they ended another dismal evening at the Emirates.
From being Gary Neville’s title favourites to now going through a period where many are already discounting Arsenal’s chances of competing. Mikel Arteta and his charges have had a brief period of mediocrity, which has seen them lose their last three games in all competitions.
The latest came against Liverpool at the Emirates, where Arsenal dominated for most parts only to concede two late goals, which leaned towards complacency. Arteta has insisted there are ‘psychological’ issues with his players as they are not able to score enough goals.
The Arsenal attackers are creating plenty of chances to their credit, but the finishing and positioning have come under scrutiny. Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and against Liverpool, Kai Havertz came in for plenty of criticism, as Arteta did not have this particular problem last season.
Speaking further on those issues, Arteta described those problems as ‘psychological’ and said that his players must find a solution. Speaking to Sky Sports, the Arsenal boss insisted his players must take such chances if they want to win games, especially the big ones.
Arteta said, “Probably it has. Especially after today, more than it was against Fulham or West Ham before that. That’s why I think we need to reset. This break is good. It comes in a good time. We’re going to as well feel how we feel and how I feel about them in difficult moments. Hopefully, I can see that from other people, too. When things are going well, they jump on the train. Now, things are difficult; let’s see where they stand.”
“It was a really disappointing result with a big performance against probably the top in-form item in Europe. We were better than them, we generated much more than them, we created so many chances but we didn’t capitalise. Against these teams, you have to capitalise if you want to win. If you don’t score in that box, and then you concede an own goal and the second one like we did, it is difficult to win.”
Arsenal will have a break session now as they will next play Crystal Palace on January 20. The club could break away for a warm-weather training camp in Dubai, which could allow Arteta and his players a breather with the chance to reconfigure their ideas ahead of a crucial period in their season.
