Arsenal Vs Leeds: The telling Mikel Arteta quote

Mikel Arteta spoke at length about the change in his Arsenal team after their win over Leeds United. His most telling quote? The response to the Manchester United win.

The mentality of the Arsenal players has long been in question. From their perceived lack of leadership and character to their poor game management and inability to carve out undeserving victories, there are plenty of examples of how the Gunners’ mentality is lacking in comparison to their rivals.

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This was a problem that Unai Emery encountered. He wanted to revolutionise the team, as would anyone in his situation when inheriting a lacklustre squad following Arsene Wenger’s resignation. But while he demanded more from the players, he was rarely reciprocated with the same level of commitment and work ethic. Emery was a poor coach and rightfully sacked, but he was also hung to dry by his players.

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Now it is the turn of Mikel Arteta to turnaround the Arsenal mentality. It is still very early days, but there are signs that he is both acutely aware of the problem and able to solve it. Even individuals that are historically lazy and non-committal have looked sharp and industrious under Arteta. Mesut Ozil made more ball recoveries than any player in the Manchester United win, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is focused and full of intent, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is more than willing to work hard even when shunted out to the left-wing.

But then there are performances like the first half against Leeds United. Hosting the dangerous Championship side in the third round of the FA Cup, Arteta’s side were played off the park by Leeds, chasing shadows, lacking any semblance of control of the game, seemingly having slumped into a false sense of security and complacency after just one impressive victory. Indeed, of all the significant quotes that Arteta gave after the match, the most revealing and telling was what he said when asked if he was surprised by his team’s poor first-half performance:

"“To be fair, it didn’t. I think it was a big release for them when they won against Manchester United and they took a little bit of that pressure off. And then your body and your mind tries to relax a little bit for one or two days. Now, we are not in a position to relax because we are not good enough to relax. If we don’t play at that level, we are not good enough.”"

That Arteta was unsurprised by Arsenal’s complacency and arrogance after just one win is a damning indictment on the mental preparation of these players. They believed their own hype after one win against a deplorable United side that featured a central midfield of Nemanja Matic, Fred and Jesse Lingard.

At half-time, Arteta demanded a response. He shook his players out of their slump, laid down the law and saw them step up to the task. They were more than capable of beating Leeds, but they lacked the attitude and application to do so from minute one.

If Arteta was not aware of the mountainous task in front of him, he is now. These Arsenal players need a complete and utter mentality shift. Thankfully, Arteta seems more than willing to provide it.