Mikel Arteta refused to criticize his players after the loss to Southampton, but urged them to “look in the mirror” and ensure this is a successful season for Arsenal.
In their first game since defeat in the Carabao Cup final, Arteta’s side put in another meek performance as Saints took chances with goals from Ross Stewart and substitute Shay Charles.
The Gunners are currently nine points behind second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League, but their title rivals host Arsenal at the Etihad in a few weeks’ time, with live coverage on Sky Sports.
Mathematically, Arsenal still hold it, but with so many players out of form and injuries mounting again, the noise around Arteta and the questions about their title credentials will only get louder.
Arsenal have reduced their chances of winning the trophy from four to two.
“I love what the players have done for the last nine months. I’m not going to criticize them because we lost here,” Arteta said. “I’m not going to criticize them because we lost here. There are players who have put their bodies on the line and there are players who didn’t need to be here today. I will protect them more than ever.”
“If anyone has to take responsibility, it’s me. The most beautiful times are ahead. Usually there are two or three moments like this in a season, but this is the first level of difficult moments. Let’s stand up and take care of ourselves.”
“There are no excuses for players who are out or who are here with problems. Look at yourself in the mirror, accept the situation, rebel and move forward with clarity.”
Asked for a message to his players, Arteta added: “Give them clarity and belief. Trust them and believe in what we are doing. Keep doing that, making the small adjustments that are required in each game.”
“We have to keep our attitude and energy at the best possible level. That’s important to perform at the level we need to win games.”
The Gunners, disrupted by Arteta’s injury, arrived at St Mary’s as overwhelming favorites two weeks after their final defeat to City, but suffered further injury during the game when Gabriel limped off with a knee problem.
“He felt something. We will evaluate him, but when a player asks to be substituted, it’s never good news,” Arteta said of the injury.
‘Very strange’ Arteta puzzled by long ball defense
Southampton’s first goal was due to Arsenal’s Ben White
Arteta insists he was not surprised by Southampton’s direct approach, but the Arsenal manager said he was baffled by his defense’s failure to deal with the Championship side’s long balls.
Ben White misdirected a cross for Southampton’s opener, and while he wasn’t the only one to make such a mistake, he was simply the only one to be punished.
“We didn’t manage the long balls well enough, which is very strange,” Arteta told BBC Sport.
“In the first half we just passed the ball through and they were one-on-one. The way they conceded the second goal was very similar. It’s very difficult to explain, but credit to them for that.”
He added: “Southampton are going to Wembley and we’re not. The team had some very good moments. We didn’t capitalize on them and the way we conceded goals wasn’t at the level we’ve shown.”
“That’s why we lost the game.”
Richards: ‘Arsenal’s attitude towards Southampton is bad’
Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards told BBC Sport:
“There’s going to be a lot of noise around Arsenal. It was only a few weeks ago that people were saying Arsenal could do a quadruple, and now they’ve played in two competitions.
“After the result against Liverpool last time out, it looks like Man City are going to push them into the league. Anyone can win the Champions League.
“For Arsenal, the most disappointing thing for me was their attitude.
“Arsenal have been excellent defensively and in transition this season, and their form and effort has been better than anyone in the Premier League.
“So it was really pitiful for them to show up like this.”
A cause for concern for Arteta…
Individual mistakes are on the rise
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Jamie Redknapp and Ian Wright discuss whether Kepa Arrizabalaga should have started against Arsenal No. 1 David Raya in the Carabao Cup final after Kepa’s mistake gave Manchester City the lead
Arsenal’s nervousness as they take the final step towards glory seems to be reflected in individual mistakes made in key moments. Against Wembley, Kepa Arrizabalaga spilled a cross that allowed Nico O’Reilly to put Man City ahead. At St Mary’s, Ben White mistimed his jump and allowed Southampton’s Ross Stewart to take the lead.
According to Opta, Arsenal have scored eight goals through mistakes in their last 23 games. It was just one of the previous 28 games.
Are defensive weaknesses exposed?
“We didn’t manage the long balls well enough, which is very strange,” Arteta told the BBC after the loss to Southampton. “In the first half, we just passed the ball through and they were one-on-one. The way we conceded the second goal was very similar.”
Whether it’s due to a personnel change at centre-back, with William Saliba on the bench on Saturday, or the disruption caused by David Raya’s inability to play behind the back line against City and Southampton, that’s an issue that opponents will focus on.
injury problem
Arsenal’s injury list is not that long considering the extent of their absence from international football. However, key players are either unavailable or lack full fitness.
Gabriel appears to be headed back to the treatment room after his troubles with the Saints, but Saturday’s squad was without the handy Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. They are Arsenal’s top two set-piece players, but the absence of Eberechi Eze will further limit their open-play attacks.
Martin Odegaard made his first start since January 25, and Martin Zvimendi, Noni Maduke and Saliba could all come on as substitutes, but it’s certainly not the case that Arsenal’s squad is completely fit and strong at the moment.
City charging
City’s current squad may not be on the same level as some of Guardiola’s greatest teams. But that manager and that club have an aura coming from them as they chase the championship at the end of the season.
They may not be able to win 12 games on a spin like they did in 2023 when they won the title by five points over Arsenal.
They may not even be able to match the nine-game winning streak they won in 2024, one point ahead of Arsenal.
But it doesn’t have to be. With seven games remaining, if City can reproduce the quality they showed in their last two matches against Wembley and Liverpool, they could hope to win another title.
Crucially, Arsenal, who previously underwent an overhaul, may also be thinking about that.
Arsenal’s crucial moment
Arsenal’s next 5 matches:
Tuesday 7th April: Sporting (A) – Champions League Saturday 11th April: Bournemouth (H) – Premier League Wednesday 15th April – Sporting (H) – Champions League Sunday 19th April – Man City (A) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports Saturday 25th April: Newcastle (H) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports
