'Out of his depth' - Mikel Arteta sent brutal message despite Arsenal's turnaround in form

Mikel Arteta is "out of his depth" at Arsenal, despite the side winning their last two Premier League matches.

That's the view of BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks, who has criticised the Gunners boss even after the side's turnaround in fortunes.

Arteta 's side have beaten Norwich City and Burnley over the past two weekends, by the same 1-0 scoreline, with a much-needed six points coming back to the Emirates Stadium.

Martin Odegaard 's fantastic free-kick for Arsenal was enough for the visitors at Turf Moor in their most recent victory on Saturday afternoon.

However, despite taking three points away from Lancashire, Crooks remains skeptical of Arteta.

“The problem for the Gunners is they look miles from where they really should be right now, and the biggest culprit seems to be the manager,” Crooks wrote for the BBC.

“Mikel Arteta appears out of his depth. He has talented players at his disposal and on occasions against Burnley they showed it.

“However, it was a set-piece that dug him out of a hole.”

Speaking about the performance after the 1-0 win, Arteta was delighted with the character his team showcased on the day to secure maximum points at a tough place to go.

He said: [It was] a really hard-fought victory in a place that it is tough to come to and win.

Mikel Arteta has come under fire despite guiding Arsenal to consecutive Premier League victories (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) ((Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))

"They do really well with what they do. They put you under a lot of pressure but I think we started the game really well, controlling and dominating the game.

"We had some big phases where I saw a lot of things that we want as a team.

"We scored the goal, had some opening chances and then there were moments where we lost control and started to give balls away after the second or third pass.

"Then the game becomes open and there is no control. They split the two blocks very much and then you have to defend crosses and long balls.

"I thought that we did that really, really well. We have players that are not in the best quality to play that game but I think that they did terrifically well and the commitment and the attitude that they showed throughout the game to find a way to win was the most pleasing thing for me, after the game."

Arteta will be hoping his side can make it three wins in a row at the weekend as they welcome arch rivals Tottenham to the Emirates Stadium in the opening north London Derby of the season.