Mikel Arteta demonstrated that he has failed to take Gary Neville’s advice - after the Manchester United legend had branded the Spaniard’s struggle to correct Arsenal ’s biggest mistake as ‘unacceptable’.
The Arsenal boss is under immense pressure to prove he is the right man to take the Gunners forward after another defeat on Sunday against Chelsea.
Arsenal lost 2-0 to Thomas Tuchel’s side at the Emirates after first-half goals from Romelu Lukaku and Reece James.
Neville had criticised the Gunners' inability to play attractive football in December 2020 after their poor start to the season – and eight months on, it seems the 39-year-old has failed to heed his words of wisdom.
"The Mikel Arteta team looks more rigid, more solid but it's a bit boring and they've got to get that out. You can't bore," he previously said on the Gary Neville podcast.
"I used to say that here [at Manchester United ]. You can win, you can lose, you can't be bored coming to Old Trafford.
"I think most fans are the same, they can watch the team win, they can watch the team draw and they can watch the team lose but they won't accept being bored.
"And to me the Arsenal players at this moment in time look a little bored and the football they are producing looks like a real struggle."
After successive 2-0 defeats against Brentford and Chelsea, Arsenal have lost their first two league games without scoring for the first time in the club’s long history.
Arteta himself admitted the club are in difficult situation following their poor start to the season which has seen them fall into the relegation zone.
"I don't think the club in their history have faced something like this," he told BBC Sport.
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"We have to face the challenge. The league or table is not decided in August.
"The worst thing you can do is throw in the towel. We certainly are not going to do that."
The Gunners played in front of a full capacity crowd for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, but the team were booed off following their woeful performance on Sunday.
But Arteta is remaining upbeat, adding: "There are a lot of positives.
"Five players who are 19 or 20 years old playing at this level for the first time that will have a positive impact but at the moment it is difficult.
"I don't like to feel sorry for myself. I think everyone can see at the moment we don't have the squad that we want and it seems to be more difficult by the day."
Things certainly don’t get any easier for Arteta, with Arsenal due to face Premier League champions Man City at the Etihad Stadium in the early kick off next Saturday.
The Gunners also have a fiercely contested matchup against north London rivals Tottenham to come shortly after the international break.
But first will be a welcome break from the Premier League when the Gunners travel to the Hawthorns to face West Brom in the second round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
