Soccer
2013 AFCON-winning midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has questioned the mentality of Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta, admitting the Spaniard doesn’t have what it takes to win the English Premier League, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Gunners have been second-best in the English Premier League for the past three seasons under Arteta, this campaign included, although they’re miles off Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
While that is a brilliant feat for Mikel Arteta’s side, it is widely believed that the absence of a prolific striker is the reason their 19th league title has continued to elude them, but they still haven’t made a move to sign one.
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John Obi Mikel, who won two Premier League titles with Chelsea, heaped praise on Arteta for how he’s turned Arsenal into title contenders but also made it clear he doesn’t believe the Spaniard has what it takes to win the league.
“Has he done well for Arsenal? Yes. Has he improved Arsenal? Yes. There’s no doubt about it. Mikel Arteta has improved Arsenal from where they were before he took over.
“He’s massively improved the squad, the team, the way they play, and the way the fans want to see an Arsenal team play. He’s massively improved the team,” Mikel said on the Obi One Podcast.
“Now, is he the guy to take Arsenal to the next level, which is winning the Premier League, the Champions League? I don’t see that, because it’s not about competing.
“People talk about competing. Yes, Arsenal need to compete to win. No, Arsenal should be talking about winning the league, not competing to win.
“When was the last time Arsenal won it? The Invincibles in 2004? What is it now, 20 years? 21? 22? Arsenal fans keep talking about competing. No. They’ve got to win it. Win it,” the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist concluded.
Liverpool are currently top of the English Premier League table, with 70 points from 29 games while Arsenal are way off in 2nd with 55 points from 28 games.
Adefolahan Guerreiro
Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.
With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.
He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.
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