Ex-coach drops Mikel Arteta sack pressure claim after Arsenal loss vs Man City

Mikel Arteta is facing serious questions at Arsenal after his side’s recent form has decimated their chances of winning silverware this season.

Arteta has a lot of credit in the bank at Arsenal for transforming them into a side capable of challenging for trophies from where they were when he took over.

However, after defeats to Man City in the Carabao Cup final, Southampton in the FA Cup, and both Bournemouth and Man City in the Premier League, concerns are high.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Arsenal’s yearly end-of-season collapse should be a “major” concern for Arteta and the club.

Man City are now in a strong position to win the Premier League title, should they win their game in hand, piling pressure on the Arsenal manager’s position.

Why have Arsenal struggled under Mikel Arteta lately?

Brown told Football Insider last month that Arteta is concerned about a growing injury list, with a number of key players ruled out for some key fixtures.

Bukayo Saka was notably absent from the Man City clash as he continues to recover alongside both Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber.

Missing those key players understandably restricted the Gunners, but there is a growing feeling that Arteta is running out of excuses.

“Serious questions are going to be asked of Mikel Arteta,” Brown told Football Insider.

“They were missing Saka, definitely, because he brings something that none of their other players do in terms of being able to counter and break teams down.

“But when you look at Man City, there are four or five players on the pitch at any given time who can give you a moment of magic and change the game.

“Arsenal don’t have that, so from that perspective, there’s not a lot Arteta can do.

“The thing is, this game against Man City shouldn’t have mattered as much as it did when you look at the position Arsenal were in a couple of weeks ago.

“They were beaten at home by Bournemouth and that closed the gap, and going back further, they dropped points against teams like Wolves and Nottingham Forest.

“It’s easy to look back and say they should’ve won this game or that game, but if you want to win the league title, you have to beat those types of teams.

“But the major concern is that it seems to happen at the same time every season, Arsenal start dropping points, and then the finger has to be pointed at the manager.”

Is there any chance Arsenal could sack Arteta?

Failure to win a trophy this season will pile pressure on the manager both from neutrals and fans, who have been left frustrated by recent displays.

Brown told Football Insider on 6 April that Arsenal are not considering sacking Arteta, but speculation about his future is expected to grow if they stutter.

Since then, defeats against Bournemouth and Man City have seen their healthy lead in the Premier League slip away, although they remain in a strong position.

With the title likely to be decided by goal difference if both Arsenal and City win the rest of their games, it has not been taken completely out of Arsenal’s hands.

Meanwhile, they have progressed into the Champions League semi-finals, and victory in Europe could wash away the concerns surrounding Arteta.

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