Former Man Utd captain Gary Neville believes that coach Mikel Arteta's goal celebration hurt Arsenal in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham in round 6 of the Premier League.
"I want to see composure from Arsenal, but it's hard when their manager is jumping around like he doesn't believe in the goal," Neville commented on Sky Sports about Arteta's celebration after Bukayo Saka's penalty increased the score to 2-1, which took place in the 54th minute of the match at Emirates Stadium on September 24.
He also said that Arteta's excessive joy made the players subjective.
Arteta directs during the Arsenal - Tottenham match on September 24. Photo: Arsenal
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 26th minute when Saka's shot deflected off Cristian Romero's foot and changed direction. However, the defending runners-up could not keep a clean sheet against Maddison's cunning. After fooling Saka in the 42nd minute, the former Leicester City star crossed for Son Heung-min to equalize 1-1.
After the break, Arsenal took the lead again through Saka's penalty. But a minute later they conceded a second, when Maddison stole the ball from Jorginho and set up Son for his goal. "When you lose a minute after scoring, it's about mentality," Neville said. "They didn't have time to reset the mentality."
The former Man Utd captain also advised Arsenal fans not to blame Jorginho. He said Arsenal's midfield had been in trouble since Declan Rice was forced off at the end of the first half through injury, and Jorginho alone was not enough to solve the problem. "Rice went off and that put Arsenal in danger. So should Jorginho have been left as the last man in possession in that situation? Probably not," Neville added.
After the draw with Tottenham, Arsenal dropped to fifth in the Premier League with 14 points after six games. Tottenham also have 14 points, but are fourth thanks to a better goal difference. Both teams are four points behind leaders Man City. Next round, Arsenal will visit Bournemouth, before hosting Man City. Meanwhile, Tottenham will host Liverpool and visit Luton Town.
Arsenal have not won the Premier League since the 2003-04 season, when former manager Arsene Wenger was in charge. Last season, Arteta's team finished second with 84 points, five points behind Man City.
Thanh Quy (according to Sky Sports )
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