‘Control freak’ Arteta is ‘confusing the hell’ out of his Arsenal stars and making them ‘worse’, slams Schmeichel
PETER SCHMEICHEL has slammed Mikel Arteta as a “control freak” who is making Arsenal players “worse”.
The Manchester United icon ripped into the Gunners boss before yesterday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
Schmeichel, who was on punditry duty for ViaPlay at Anfield, blamed Arteta for Arsenal once again falling short of winning something this season.
The legendary goalkeeper argued that failures on the pitch and in the transfer market are down to the manager.
And despite spending £650million on transfer, Arteta’s only piece of silverware is the 2020 FA Cup that he won with his predecessor Unai Emery’s squad.
Schmeichel said: “It’s all on Arteta, all. What I’m saying is that he was employed as head coach. He inherited the team and that team is the only team that he has won a trophy with.
“Then it’s his own team now and in the process he’s changed job description so he’s now the manager.
“Everything is on him. It’s not recruitment, it’s not the board.
“I would urge the viewer whenever they get the opportunity to watch him in the technical area. Arteta is a control freak, he wants his players to play the ball that he wants. He’s directing everything.
“You look across to Arne Slot who is so calm. He’s instructed his players in training, instructed the players in the team talk.
“Arteta is still playing the game for the players and that would confuse the hell out of me as a football player that you had a coach that wants to direct me for everything I do.
“It would confuse me and make me a worse player.”
Arteta cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines yesterday and was seen booting the air in anger while his side trailed 2-0.
He then launched a rant after the game when asked what things upset him about Arsenal’s performance.
Arteta raged: “A lot of parts, especially defending, the standards that we have and the errors after we gave the ball away.
“Very far off it. Really upset, yeah we had a reaction. I hate reaction I like action.I was really, really upset.
“What I saw in the first 25 minutes, 35 minutes. Some of the actions… I was killing myself.”