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Mikel Arteta may be struggling at Arsenal because the players “have had enough” with their tactics.
That’s the view of former Liverpool star Steve Nichol, who believes Gunners players want to do more than they are asked.
Arteta was tasked with stabilizing the ship when he took over the reins from Unai Emery, and he has done exactly that, propping up the gunners in the rear and creating a solid column.
But Arsenal are still struggling for results and were beaten 2-1 by Wolves last time out, which has seen them slide down to 14th in the Premier League table.
Nicol acknowledges that there may be a conflict at play, as the Gunners stars want to express themselves more than Arteta allows them.
However, the ex-Red is not convinced that Arsenal players can be trusted to do this.
(Image: POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
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“It could be a little case of what I’m talking to [Jose] Mourinho, “Nicol told ESPN.
“Arteta comes in, suddenly all they have is spine and spine and they’re all sitting in a nice firm defensive unit and doing it for six months.
“Is it possible that the players have had enough of that and are looking to take the next step? The other thing is, I don’t think this group of players is capable of taking the next step, but I am sure that in their heads they are all they believe great footballers.
“Instead of chasing for 90 minutes every Saturday, they think, ‘We should play soccer.’ But they don’t have a good enough team.
(Image: Pool via REUTERS)
“Arteta did well with what he had, he added Partey, who is now injured, and Willian, but other than that, he is more or less the same mob that Unai Emery had.
“Regardless of what Arteta does, I’m not so sure you can get this team to play at a consistently high level every week. Certainly from time to time, but not consistently.”
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