Arsenal suffered a major setback in their Premier League title aspirations after a shocking 1-0 defeat to West Ham United on Saturday, February 22. Former England and Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green has raised concerns over Mikel Arteta’s decisions during the game at the Emirates Stadium.
Amid his team's ongoing injury crisis, Arteta placed his trust in Mikel Merino to lead the attack. However, West Ham’s solid defensive display made it difficult for the hosts, before Jarrod Bowen's header put the Hammers in front at half-time.
Despite dominating possession in the second half, the Gunners struggled to create clear-cut chances. Arteta responded by bringing on Miles Lewis-Skelly and Oleksandr Zinchenko in place of Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori around the hour mark.
Things went from bad to worse when Lewis-Skelly’s reckless challenge on Mohammed Kudus saw him sent off with over twenty minutes remaining. Arsenal failed to recover from the setback and ultimately suffered their first home defeat of the season.
Rob Green was particularly critical of Arteta’s substitutions, questioning the decision to replace Rice with Zinchenko at a time when Arsenal needed a goal. The 45-year-old also expressed concerns about the recent form of Arsenal’s attacking players.
“The substitution were a little strange from Mikel Arteta. Declan Rice gives you a presence in the box with his late runs, Oleksandr Zinchenko brings a bit of guile in midfield but it’s also another two left backs coming onto the pitch. The ball gets to certain players in this Arsenal side and they are just not playing well. The body shape is wrong when they receive the ball and things break down. Leandro Trossard is one of them,” he stated (via Metro).
Liverpool still have an eight point lead over the Gunners with just 12 games remaining. The gap could widen further if the Reds defeat reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, February 23.
Mikel Arteta urges Arsenal to ‘look into the mirror’ after disappointing defeat
With Liverpool having dropped points in two of their last three games, Arsenal’s clash against West Ham was a huge opportunity to close the gap and put pressure on the Reds. However, the evening did not go as Arteta would have hoped, as his side fell short against a struggling West Ham.
Following the defeat, Arteta did not hold back in his post-match comments, stressing the need for his team to respond strongly after the setback.
“We have to look in the mirror at ourselves of what we can do better and the willingness, desire and the way we run and the way we want it. First we have to suffer for 24-48hrs. Feel the pain and make sure we come back Monday with a bite and anger still there for the tummy for Wednesday,” he said (via Tiki Taka Corner on X).
The Gunners now face a challenging run of fixtures in both the Premier League and European competitions. They will travel to face Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, February 26, before heading to the Netherlands to take on PSV in the Champions League.
Edited by Arshit Garg