Mikel Arteta refused to criticise his players after defeat at Southampton but challenged them to “look in the mirror” and make sure the season will still be a successful one for Arsenal.
In their first game since losing the Carabao Cup final, Arteta’s team put in another tame performance as Saints sensed and took their opportunity with goals from Ross Stewart and substitute Shea Charles.
The Gunners are currently nine points clear at the top of the Premier League ahead of second-placed Manchester City, but their title rivals have a game in hand and host Arsenal at the Etihad in a few weeks’ time.
Mathematically, it’s very much still in Arsenal’s hands, however, with so many players out of form and injuries mounting again, the noise around Arteta’s side and questions about their title credentials will only grow louder.
Arsenal have gone from the possibility of four trophies to two
Arteta said: “I love my players, what they have done for nine months. I’m not going to criticise them for losing here. What they are putting their bodies through, some didn’t have to be here today. I’ll defend them more than ever.
“If someone has to take responsibility that’s me. We have the most beautiful period ahead of us. Normally you have two or three moments like this in a season, this is the first moment with a level of difficulty. Let’s stand up and make ourselves count.
“No excuses about players that are missing or that are here with issues. Let’s look at ourselves in the mirror, accept the situation, rebel against it and go forward with clarity.”
Asked what his message is for the players, Arteta added: “Give them clarity and conviction. Trust in our players and believe in what we do. Continue to do that with little tweaks that every game demands.
“We must maintain the attitude and energy at the highest possible level. That is critical to perform at the level we need to win matches.”
Arteta’s injury-disrupted Gunners arrived at St Mary’s as overwhelming favourites a fortnight on from their final defeat to City but suffered more injury issues during the game when Gabriel Magalhães limped off with a knee issue.
On the injury, Arteta said: “He felt something, we will assess him but when a player asks to be substituted, it’s never good news.”
‘Very strange’ – Arteta bemused by long-ball defending
Arsenal’s Ben White was at fault for the first Southampton goal
Arteta insists Southampton’s direct approach did not catch him by surprise, but the Arsenal boss said he was confused by the way his defenders failed to deal with the Championship side’s long balls.
Ben White misjudged the flight of a cross for Southampton’s opener, although he was not alone in making an error like this, his was simply the one that got punished.
“We didn’t manage the long balls well enough, which is something very strange,” Arteta told BBC Sport.
“In the first half, we just let the ball through us and they were one against one. The way we concede the second goal was very similar. Very difficult to explain. But it is credit to them.”
He added: “Southampton are going to Wembley and we are not. The team had some very good moments. We didn’t capitalise on those moments, and the way we conceded the goals is not at the level we have shown.
“That is the reason we have lost the game.”
Richards: Arsenal attitude poor at Southampton
Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards on BBC Sport:
“There is going to be so much noise around Arsenal. It was only a couple of weeks ago that people were saying Arsenal could do the quadruple, but now they are in two competitions.
“After what they did earlier on against Liverpool, it looks like Man City are going to push them all the way for the league. The Champions League, anyone could win that.
“For Arsenal, the most disappointing thing for me was their attitude.
“This season, Arsenal have been excellent defensively and in transitions; their shape and their effort have been as good as anyone’s in the Premier League.
“So for them to turn up the way they did was really poor.”
Arteta’s causes for concern…
Individual errors on the rise
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Jamie Redknapp and Ian Wright debate whether Kepa Arrizabalaga should have started the Carabao Cup final over Arsenal’s number one David Raya, after Kepa’s error gifted Manchester City their opening goal.
Arsenal’s nervousness about taking the final step to glory seems to be playing out in individual errors being made at key moments. At Wembley it was Kepa spilling a cross for Nico O’Reilly to score Man City’s opener, at St Mary’s Ben White mistimed his jump to allow Ross Stewart to power in the first for Southampton.
That’s now eight goals from Arsenal errors in the past 23 games, according to Opta. There was just one in the 28 games before that.
A defensive weakness exposed?
“We didn’t manage the long balls well enough, which is something very strange,” Arteta told the BBC after the loss at Southampton. “In the first half, we just let the ball through us and they were one against one. The way we concede the second goal was very similar.”
Whether it is down to a change in centre-back personnel, with William Saliba on the bench on Saturday, or disruption with David Raya not playing behind the backline against City or Southampton, it is an issue opposition sides will be zoning in on.
Injury issues
Arsenal’s list of injuries isn’t as long as it may have been, given the extent of their international withdrawals. But key players are either unavailable or lacking full fitness.
Gabriel looks to be heading back to the treatment room after suffering a problem at Saints, while the instrumental Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka weren’t in the squad on Saturday. They are Arsenal’s two top set-piece takers, while Eberechi Eze’s absence adds to open-play attacking limitations.
Martin Odegaard did make his first start since January 25 and Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Saliba were able to come on as subs but this is certainly not an Arsenal squad fully fit and firing right now.
City on the charge
This current City side may not be on the level as some of Guardiola’s greatest teams. But that manager and that club carry an aura about them when they are in the chase for the championship at the business end of a season.
They may not be capable of winning 12 on the spin, like they did in 2023 to win the title by five points from Arsenal.
They may not even be able to match the nine-game winning streak which earned them the crown in 2024 by a point ahead of Arsenal.
But they don’t need to. There are just seven games to play and if City can repeat the quality they produced at Wembley and against Liverpool in their past two performances, they will believe another title charge is on.
Importantly, an Arsenal side which have been overhauled before, may be thinking that too.
Crunch time for Arsenal
Arsenal’s next five games:
- Tuesday April 7: Sporting (A) – Champions League
- Saturday April 11: Bournemouth (H) – Premier League
- Wednesday April 15 – Sporting (H) – Champions League
- Sunday April 19 – Man City (A) – Premier League
- Saturday April 25: Newcastle (H) – Premier League
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