The Gunners’ latest setbacks under manager Mikel Arteta include a 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth and another 2-1 loss to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the league, results that have intensified concerns over their consistency.
Their struggles were compounded by a 2-0 defeat to City in the Carabao Cup final in March, a result that extended the club’s wait for major silverware to six years.
Arsenal’s domestic woes have not been limited to the league. They were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Southampton, further highlighting a worrying dip in form across competitions.
Mikel suggested Arteta is finding it difficult to steady the team during this turbulent period, with performances failing to match expectations built earlier in the season.
“‘I’m on fire. Bring it on.’ That’s the quote, isn’t it? Every week he’s coming out with a quote,” Mikel said on the Obi One Podcast.
“One week, they’re playing with a pen in the training ground, they have TikTok music playing. It’s all going off with ‘bring the lunch, bring the dinner.’
“Just calm down, mate, enjoy it, relax. You’ve worked so hard to be in this position, don’t be rattled; he is rattled.
“I’m looking at the man, I’m looking at both sides, both managers, and you can tell. When you look at both managers right now, you can see who’s been there, who’s done it, the experience, the know-how, how to play down situations, how to control situations.
“Both managers are dealing with it very, very differently. On one hand, you have a manager who’s absolutely rattled. He looks tense. He looks, even when he tries to be calm, he’s faking it, it’s not natural.”
The pressure is set to increase, as Manchester City could overtake Arsenal at the top of the table if they secure victory against relegation-threatened Burnley on Wednesday.
