Arsenal supporters are furious with Mikel Arteta for choosing to start a player against Manchester City whom they never want to see on the pitch again.
After an eventful Premier League weekend featuring Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea and Liverpool’s win in the Merseyside derby, Manchester City visited the Emirates on Sunday afternoon.
Both Arsenal and City are aiming to topple Liverpool, the current league leaders, so this match’s outcome was key for the title race. After a cautious game, it seemed likely that City’s in-form striker Erling Haaland would secure a win, but a late goal from Gabriel Martinelli ensured the match ended 1-1.
Despite Arsenal managing a surprising draw, fans are unhappy with Arteta’s starting lineup decisions. While many were glad to see Bukayo Saka back on the bench after his hamstring injury, the biggest shock was Arteta leaving new signing Eberechi Eze out of the starting XI.
Instead, Arteta chose to start Mikel Merino, a move that has clearly upset Arsenal fans. One supporter tweeted: “Arteta is convinced that Zubi/Rice/Merino is the right choice for big games and will keep playing them unless injured. It’s unbelievably frustrating.”
Another sarcastically commented: “I feel sorry for Arteta. Why didn’t we back him in the summer? Now he has to play Merino as an attacking midfielder, wishing he had a player like Eze.”
Fans felt justified as it was Eze’s accurate pass that led to Martinelli’s late equalizer, adding to frustration that Arsenal might have won if Eze had been given more minutes.
One fan said: “This is why Eze should’ve started. We could have won if Arteta hadn’t started Merino.”
The draw moves Arsenal up to second place in the league, just ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth on goal difference, but still five points behind Liverpool. Meanwhile, City sit ninth, eight points off the top and three points behind Arsenal.
Leave a Reply