‘I had no option’: Mikel Arteta explains why he stuck with Rob Holding and same tactics in Man City thrashing
Mikel Arteta revealed a loyalty to the players and methods that brought Arsenal to the brink of Premier League glory convinced him there was no need to change tactics or personnel against Manchester City last night.
The injury-enforced absence of key defender William Saliba has coincided with a collapse in form which culminated in a demoralising 4-1 thrashing at the Etihad Stadium.
Rob Holding has proven to be a less than capable deputy for the France international and he was again given a torrid time by Erling Haaland, as he was in February’s FA Cup tie, who ran riot against a hapless Gunners backline.
In truth, with January recruit Jakub Kiwior deemed not ready for a game of such importance and intensity, Arteta had little option other than to pitch Holding into battle and stick with the 4-3-3 system that had worked so effectively until Saliba’s setback.
What transpired, however, was an almost inevitable defeat that followed a similar pattern to so many of Arsenal’s recent games against Pep Guardiola’s relentless winning machine which took another giant stride towards the first leg of the treble.
Asked why he opted against making significant changes to his team in his post-match press conference, Arteta said: ‘We wanted to tweak a few things but they were able to execute and scored an early goal.
‘You have to understand where we’re coming from – we have to be loyal to what has brought us all this way.
We’ve done it in the past in different ways and that doesn’t guarantee you anything. It’s time to look in the mirror at what we could have done better – I’m the first one – and go into the next game.’
He added: “[Before the game] I saw the team really at it, and really confident that they were going to do something.
‘But the way we started, we were on the back foot straight away and after that, we struggled to cope.
