Mikel Arteta refuses to criticize Arsenal players but wants them to ‘look in the mirror’ after FA Cup exit | Soccer News

Mikel Arteta refused to criticize his players after the defeat to Southampton, but challenged them to “look in the mirror” and make sure the season will continue to be a successful one for Arsenal.

In their first game since lost the Carabao Cup final, Arteta’s side put in another tame performance as Saints sensed and seized their opportunity with goals from Ross Stewart and substitute Shea Charles.

The 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, live air sports.

Mathematically, it’s still in Arsenal’s hands, but with so many players out of form and injuries piling up again, the buzz around Arteta’s side and questions about their title credentials will only get louder.

Arteta said: “I love my players, what they’ve done for nine months. I’m not going to criticize them for losing here. What they’re putting their bodies through, some shouldn’t be here today. I’ll defend them more than ever.

“If anyone has to take responsibility, it’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 degree of difficulty. Let’s stand up and make ourselves count.

“Don’t make excuses about players who are missing or who are here with problems. Let’s look at ourselves in the mirror, accept the situation, rebel against it and move forward with clarity.”

Asked what his message was to the players, Arteta added: “Give them clarity and conviction. Trust in our players and believe in what we’re doing. Continue to do that with small adjustments that every game requires.

“We need to maintain the mindset and energy at the highest possible level. It is critical to perform at the level we need to win games.”

Arteta’s injury disrupts Gunners arrived at St Mary’s two weeks after their last-gasp defeat to City as overwhelming favourites, but suffered further injury problems during the game when Gabriel limped off with a knee problem.

On the injury, Arteta said: “He felt something, we will assess him, but when a player asks to be substituted, it is never good news.”

‘Very strange’ – Arteta baffled by long-ball defence

Arteta insists Southampton’s direct approach did not surprise him, but the Arsenal boss said he was baffled 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 a mistake like this – his was simply the one punished.

“We didn’t manage the long balls well enough, which is something very strange,” Arteta said BBC Sport.

“In the first half we just let the ball go through us and they were one on one. The way we conceded the second goal was very similar. Very hard to explain. But credit to them.”

He added: “Southampton are going to Wembley and we’re not. The team had some really good moments. We didn’t capitalize on those moments and the way we’re conceding the goals is not at the level we showed.

“This is the reason why we 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 few weeks ago that people were saying Arsenal could do the quadruple but now they are in two competitions.

“After what they did earlier against Liverpool looks like Man City going to push them all the way for the league. The Champions League, anyone can win it.

“For Arsenal, the most disappointing thing for me was their attitude.

“This season Arsenal have been excellent defensively and in transition, their form and their effort has 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 reasons for concern…

Individual errors increase

Arsenal’s nervousness about taking the final step to glory appears to be playing out in individual errors made at key moments. At Wembley it was Kepa Arrizabalaga who headed in a cross for Nico O’Reilly to score Man City’s opener. At St Mary’s, Ben White mistimed his dive to power home Ross Stewart in the first for Southampton.

That’s now eight goals from Arsenal errors in the last 23 games, according to Opta. There was only one in the 28 games before that.

A defensively exposed weakness?

“We didn’t manage the long balls well enough, which is something very strange,” Arteta told the BBC after the defeat against Southampton. “In the first half we just let the ball go through us and they were one on one. The way we conceded the second goal was very similar.”

Whether it’s down to a change in centre-back personnel, with William Saliba on the bench on Saturday, or disruption with David Raya not playing at the back against City or Southampton, it’s an issue the opposition sides will be zoning out on.

Injury issues

Arsenal’s injury list is not as long as it might have been given the extent of their international withdrawals. But key players are either unavailable or lack full fitness.

Gabriel looks set to head back to the treatment room after suffering a problem at Saints, while the instrumental Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were not in the squad on Saturday. They are Arsenal’s two leading set-piece players, 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 substitutes, but this is certainly not an Arsenal squad that is fully fit at the moment.

City on the charge

This current City side may not be at the level of some of Guardiola’s best teams. But that manager and that club carry an aura about them when they are chasing the championship at the end of a season.

They may not be able to win 12 on the turn, as 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 that saw them take the crown in 2024 by a point ahead of Arsenal.

But they don’t have to. There are just seven games to play and if City can repeat the quality they produced at Wembley and against Liverpool in their last two performances, they will believe there is another title charge in store.

Importantly, a previously overhauled Arsenal team might think so too.

Crisis time for Arsenal

Arsenal’s next five games:

• Tuesday April 7: Sporty (A) – Champions League
• Saturday 11 April: Bournemouth (H) – Premier League
• Wednesday April 15 – Sporty (H) – Champions League
• Sunday April 19 – man city (A) – Premier League, live on air sports
• Saturday 25 April: Newcastle (H) – Premier League, live on air sports