Arsenal’s “ugly” methods anger the English Premier League… and Arteta responds!

​Spanish coach Mikel Arteta criticized the statements of Brighton’s German coach Fabian Horzeler, in which he said that Arsenal “sets its own rules”, after the leaders of the English Premier League came one step closer to winning the title following its 1-0 victory over its host on Wednesday.

Arsenal owes its valuable victory to its winger Bukayo Saka, who scored the match’s only goal (9).

The London club is seven points behind Manchester City, its runner-up, which fell into a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest, noting that City played one match less.

Arsenal is now in control of the race to the title as it seeks to embrace it for the first time since 2004, after finishing the past three seasons in runner-up position.

But even if Arsenal continues on its path to winning the title, it is very unlikely that it will receive the same appreciation that French coach Arsene Wenger’s team received 22 years ago.

In contrast to the attractive style that characterized the “Invincible” team at the time, the current team led by Arteta is subject to great criticism in terms of its playing style, specifically its heavy reliance on set pieces and its strict defensive organization.

Arsenal did not perform well on Wednesday, contenting itself with only two shots on goal, the first in the ninth minute, which resulted in the goal, and the second in the 89th minute by German substitute Kai Havertz.

After the match, criticism directed at Arsenal’s “ugly” methods continued, the most recent of which was Brighton coach Horzeller, who accused the London team of “wasting time and claiming injuries.”

Horzeler expressed his dissatisfaction with Arsenal players’ habit of delaying the resumption of play when taking free kicks.

His Spanish goalkeeper, David Raya, also fell injured on three separate occasions and needed to receive treatment, which raised speculation that he was feigning injury to allow time for tactical discussions between Arteta and his players.

The Brighton coach made harsh criticism, saying: “I think only one team tried to play football today. Have you ever seen a goalkeeper fall to the ground this number of times in a Premier League match?”

He continued: “They make their own rules. At the moment I feel that they are following rules of their own making.”

He added: “I will never be the coach who tries to win in this way. If I asked everyone here: Did he really enjoy this match? I think only one person would raise his hand, because he is probably a big Arsenal fan.”

Horzeler continued: “Where will this lead us in the future? Is this what fans pay money for?”

On the other hand, Arteta did not express any remorse for his team’s style, stressing that his players deserve praise after clinching another important victory.

He said in response to Horzeler’s statements: “What a surprise. If you go back to previous matches, you will always find a lot of similar comments.”

The Spaniard added: “I love my players, and this is the most important thing. I love my players and I love the way we compete.”

He continued: “When you are in the position we are in now, it is normal for competitors to try to take that away from you. This is normal, this is sport.”

Although Arsenal does not receive much praise in terms of style, Arteta has not shown interest in that, at a time when the team continues to compete for four titles this season.

At the same time, Arsenal is at the top of the English Premier League, and is preparing to face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final. It will also meet Manchester City in the League Cup final, and will be a guest against Mansfield in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

When asked if he cared about other coaches’ opinions of him, Arteta responded tersely: “No comment.”