Mikel Arteta accepted the need for “mental strength” after Arsenal’s familiar frailties were raised by the legendary figures of Patrick Vieira and Arsène Wenger, who managed to call out four different players between them in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat to Manchester United.
Few clubs are as quick to catastrophize as this modern iteration of Arsenal. Burned by three successive runners-up finishes and the loss of lengthy leads, those with an affection for the Gunners are perennially primed to descend into depression at any whisper of a setback.
Arsenal were second best against United—as Arteta himself admitted, “we weren’t that good.” They continue to top the Premier League table by four points but the manner of the 3–2 reverse at the Emirates, where they ceded all authority after deservedly forcing themselves ahead in the first half, prompted a familiar backlash against the club’s collective “bottle”—or lack thereof.
Former Arsenal captain Vieira, upheld as a bastion of mental fortitude while lifting three Premier League titles during his playing days, questioned the team’s “mental strength” from the Sky Sports studio sofa.
“That’s fine,” Arteta stiffly shrugged when this criticism was put to him post-game. “I mean, we accept every opinion, where it comes from and they have the right reason to say it. At the end, we have to show the mental strength that we have on the pitch when it comes to a match day,” he acknowledged.
“We were absolutely brilliant in Milan and today we weren’t that good. I don’t know if it was mental. But because we were poor, especially technically in certain aspects of the game, against a team that when you make those mistakes, they can punish you big time. That was the difference.”
That United’s three goals came from an xG of 0.71, two unadulterated screamers and one an uncharacteristic gift, was overlooked by most. For the majority, there was no doubt that this defeat was mental.
Patrick Vieira Questions Arsenal’s ‘Mental Strength’
Arsenal have won just 2/8 games against the rest of the top six this season. pic.twitter.com/9qzdKSXgya
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 26, 2026
Vieira was unimpressed with Arsenal’s performance at half time—insisting they had not been worth their 1–0 lead—and was even more disillusioned by the final whistle.
“It was a disappointing performance,” the World Cup winner moaned. “When you’re at the top of the table, you expect to win the game at home. Especially against United. They’re still four points clear, but there’s still questions about the mental strength of the team. I think there was a lack of aggression. Too many players failed to deliver.
“It was a must-win game. They needed to send a message to the rest of the teams in the league.”
Vieira went on to specifically name the players he felt fell short of expectation.
“It’s not just that they lost the game, it’s the way they lost the game,” he seethed. “[Bukayo] Saka and [Leandro] Trossard didn’t produce enough to worry United.
“They need a leader to lift the spirit of the team. They need to understand when they are on the pitch, they have to play with more energy and more risks. They have the quality. They didn’t play with the freedom to express themselves. They need to go back to the basics. To express themselves, play with freedom, and go forward. There were too many players that didn’t perform today.
“I think Saka was too quiet. He is one of, if not, the best offensive player. Big games like that you expect him to score and take the team. Trossard is important, but he didn’t perform. [Gabriel] Jesus ran a lot, used a lot of energy, but you want him to be in the box more. In the midfield, the only one [who performed] was Declan Rice. There were too many players who didn’t play at their level.”
‘Nervous’—Arsene Wenger Calls Out Two Arsenal Stars
Rather than Arsenal’s two wingers, Wenger took issue elsewhere. The legendary former manager labelled the centre back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães as unusually “nervous” during an explanation as to why the Gunners were beaten by Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
“I believe that they [Arsenal] wanted to win the game so much that they lacked a bit of patience in the build-up and with the speed of the ball,” the beIN Sports pundit judged. “They used a bit too much force and not enough technique. On the other side I believe that [Michael] Carrick found a good formula and a good balance between defensive stability and good technical level.
“It’s the first time I feel that the central defenders [Saliba and Gabriel] were a bit more nervous and less dominant than they usually are in games.
“With the [first] United goal, Martín Zubimendi makes a mistake but Saliba should not be going in front of him, he should give him support and stay behind him to have the possibility to defend the ball.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Responds to Arsenal Legends Criticising Four Players.
