"The team isn't thinking about winning, they're just happy not to lose" - Clichy criticizes Arteta's Arsenal
The former footballer pointed out that the team is far too content with simply avoiding defeat, instead of actively fighting for victory.
Details: In an interview with Metro, former Arsenal defender Gaël Clichy shared his thoughts on the current state of the team and its head coach, Mikel Arteta. The Frenchman, who made 264 appearances for the London club, believes that the current Arsenal has lost part of the football identity it had under Arsène Wenger, and that the ambitions of both the club and the coach leave much to be desired.
Clichy paid special attention to the recent match against Liverpool, where the Gunners lost after a precise penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai ten minutes from time.
"If you look at that match against Liverpool, you see a team that isn’t thinking about winning, but is just happy not to lose. That’s a very subtle but huge difference for a group fighting for the title," Clichy emphasized. In his view, Arteta needs to change his approach and show more ambition, especially in matches against strong opponents.
Arsenal's next Premier League match will be against Nottingham Forest, who recently changed their head coach and currently sit 10th in the table. According to the former defender, these are exactly the kind of games in which the manager should demonstrate the team's progress and their title ambitions.
Volodymyr Varukha
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