Graeme Souness Ridicules Mikel Arteta’s Attempt to Create a Comfortable Atmosphere for Arsenal Players
Graeme Souness has strongly criticized Mikel Arteta and made fun of Arsenal’s tactics, which he considers to be ridiculous and worthy of ridicule.
Graeme Souness has heavily criticized Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, for his efforts to create a more comfortable environment for his team during away matches. The former Liverpool player has suggested that Arteta’s tactics would have been mocked by players during his own playing career.
Last year’s Amazon documentary “Arsenal: All or Nothing” revealed Mikel Arteta’s various approaches to team talks, which raised many eyebrows. However, it appears that he has taken it to a new level this season. Photos of post-match celebrations in away dressing rooms show that Arteta is trying to create a home-like atmosphere for the players. He puts up pictures of the players and uses words like “identity” on the walls of the dressing room. After the team’s win against Fulham last Sunday, they even posed with a miniature version of the clock that sits atop the Clock End at the Emirates Stadium.
Although some fans have come up with various theories regarding the post-match celebration, it was, in fact, an inventive strategy by Arteta to create a welcoming atmosphere for the players. However, Souness has ridiculed the idea, stating that as a player, the last thing he wanted when arriving at an away game was to feel comfortable. He has described Arteta’s approach as “nonsense” and argues that the Arsenal manager is only getting away with it because the team is doing well. In an article for the Mail, Souness questioned whether this is what the modern game has come to, with Arsenal players arriving at away grounds to find their own pictures, stickers, and clocks on the walls.
“It’s madness and the kind of thing a manager can get away with while he is winning but not so much when he is losing. Arteta is doing a fine job but he has form for such nonsense.
“Last season he had ‘You Will Never Walk Alone’ played over the loud speakers at training to prepare his players for a game at Anfield. They lost 4-0 so that went well for them.
“When I walked into an opposing dressing room I didn’t want to feel comfortable. I didn’t want to feel like I was in my living room at home. I was at work. I was on enemy territory and I wanted to feel fired up.
“If I had arrived at an away ground to find a clock from Anfield waiting for me on the wall I would have burst out laughing. And I would not have been alone.”
