Bitter Arteta frustrated by disallowed goal

Mikel Arteta has admitted his dismay at losing tonight’s match with Leicester City after a disallowed goal, claiming his Arsenal side shouldn’t have lost.

The Spaniard oversaw what looked a dominant performance, at least in the opening half, but eventually saw his side dragged down by a 1-0 defeat.

Arsenal had the only chances of the first half, with Alexandre Lacazette getting himself into goalscoring opportunities a number of times, but he was unable to ruffle the net.

In fact, he was able to ‘find the net’ only for the officials to quickly rule out the goal after checking with VAR, although the laws will need to be explained to me to explain why…

Granit Xhaka is seen to jump out of the way of the ball, which touches nobody after Lacazette headed it goalbound, but for whatever reason, the goal was rubbed off. This was inside the opening five minutes, so to say it had an effect on the tie would be an understatement…

The manager himself also appears to be none-the-wiser as to why the goal was disallowed. He told reporters after the match (via Sporf): “Granit is behind Schmeichel so it’s nothing to do with him. They made the decision and we can’t change it now.

“We can have our view but we have the specialists who made the call and it obviously had a massive impact on the game. We are two teams where the marginals are minimal but we still should have not lost the game.”

Had we gone onto take all three points the decision could have been swept under the carpet, but the powers that be helped to make sure tonight was not to be Arsenal’s night…

Would the goal have given the team confidence to run away with the game?


Tags Arsenal v Leicester mikel arteta


  1. Durand says:

    If players didn’t waste 11 chances we could have done better. If we showed any creativity in midfield we could have done better.
    Lack of intensity and creativity were to blame, not VAR. Credit Leicester for having a better game plan and excuting it when Vardy came on. He glided past Xhaka and made him look like he was running in slow motion.
    Arteta was out-managed today, it happens to everyone. Learn from it and move on. Perhaps attackers have more movement without the ball, and limit the slow, conservative buildup when attacking.
    Ready for Martinelli to return; challenge Laca and add something to our attack, which has grown quite stale of late.
    Do the players movements seem overly micro managed? Arteta has vastly improved us defensively, but our attack is on life support and regressing into an induced coma

    1. JJ Pawn says:

      You mean “regressing into an induced coma”?


    2. Abul says:

      MA was out managed today’
      is the reason we lost…period

  2. Wayne says:

    Arsenal definitely need to strengthen in the January transfer window with Dominik Szoboszlai and Houssem Aouar and must get rid of Mustafi, Kolasinac, Sokratis, Soares,Mari ,Ozil, Chambers and Lacazette. I think Ceballos had a very poor game. It’s time to play Willock and Nelson before Ceballos and Xhaha. The midfield is too defensive and lacks creativity .Why was Elneny not in the starting line-up? Arteta must do better in the balance of the team . After Luis injury, Arsenal looked different thereafter. And, with Mustafi replacing him, l always felt that if Arsenal did not score first, Arsenal would lose the game. There is a lot of work to be done.

    1. JJ Pawn says:

      Why not get rid of the entire team and try again with the same tactics and see if works?


      We are 10th in the table. Teams know exactly how to handle Arsenal. It took team 20 game before figured out Emery. It has taken other team less than 20 games to pin down Arteta, despite all the spending.

      1. Loose Cannon says:

        JJ, with the dross Wenger collected, any manager would fail and if i read right, many top names were not interested in the job after Emery left. Fans got on Emery’s back, trust me Emery is a decorated coach. Not too long when they jump onto Arteta’s back. Treat the cause of the disease not the symptom. Be honest with yourself and tell me can anybody succeed with Socrates, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Ozil, Lacazette, Elneny all gems (except Socarets) from the Wenger era. Arteta is at fault for Soares, Marri, Luiz and Willian, but these are squad players. We as fans get too sentimental with under performers, show them the door. We need young hungry players on the pitch.Our midfield needs a trio of Partey, AMN and a ruthless CDM, Gabriel / Auba / Saka or Pepe upfront. Accept that we are a cup team, so enjoy the cup success. League is a distant dream until Wenger’s dross is cleared.

  3. Joe.s says:

    It’s almost like, Arsenal lost all hope after losing our most creative player,David Louiswemt off. It obviously says a lot for the personell we have available and the way the team is being instructed to play. I hope Arteta sees this as part of a learning process because I don’t see Arteta ball working at the moment. Its much too predictable and allows the opposition too much time to remain flat and organise themselves .At the same there is absolutely no spontenaity or alternatives on the bench to spark something. It was the beginning of the end when Eddie N. came. Come on, this guy is not going to put fear in any defenders hearts.

  4. ThirdManJW says:

    Decent first half, dreadful second half! On the disallowed goal, yet again VAR proves how useless it is!

    We do need a quality playmaker, but it’s more to do with tactics. I love Arteta, he’s been brilliant so far, but one can see he really is struggling to figure out the attacking side of the game.

    At least it was a big payday for me. At half time, I bet 0-1 to Leicester, Vardy goal. It was so obvious what was going to happen.

  5. Wenger91 says:

    The lack of real playmaker and relying only on Saka in everything while the rest of our attackers aren’t in the mood to play led to this result. Also, the fact that Pepe can’t be used in the right position will affect us a lot. This guy seems to be lost and can’t make a decent move with the ball!

    I think MA got his answer, Saliba should be there instead of Mustafi!

  6. Mike says:

    We don’t have the players to play 4 3 3
    Auba should play through the middle he is useless on either flank teams just push him out wide, Laca currently look very average, Xaka way too slow and takes way too much time on the ball, Caballos ineffective on the right side of midfield when we in possession there is no clever movement of receiving players off the ball so the player in possession have no or very limited options our buildup play is way too slow almost pedestrian this give the opposition time to fall back in shape. Our players based on what I see in the game spend very little time on attacking movements in training its all about keeping their shape and closing the opposition down.

    1. carl shadbolt says:

      Laca has always looked worse than average !! he is useless !! offers the team nothing every game !! he plays so deep you would be forgiven thinking he is playing midfield !! offers nothing cannot score the simple goal laid on a plate to him!! awful player !! we do have the team for 4 3 3 but they got to be played in the right positions !! ceballos should be played infront of partey and Xhaka through the middle linking up play and being the play maker not wide midfield !! auba shouls be playing central as our man striker if not there at least on the right not left where he played today !! laca shouldnt be on the park !! eddie should start !! and pepe on the left !! its clear as day we have the team for 4 3 3 but the management ie arteta needs to play them correctly and not move them around out of position !! Ceballos last seaosn played through the middle and looked good this season playing him wide midfield ??? Auba has always played wide right for us but today played wide right !! and when Pepe came on Arteta persisted in playing Auba wide right and put pepe on wide left ??? Pepe hasnt played wide left no mor ethan Auba playing wide right !! at the end of last season eddie started and Laca was on the bench and we played some good football !! eddie is on fire 🔥 and proves it for england but cannot get a start for us ??? Laca is awful !! he offers us nothing !! i mean nothing !! eddie is young full of energy hungry has pace to burn !! laca is finished !! If Eddie was on the field and got the cross from Tierney that laca missed he would have buried it !! fact !! Eddie os more of a threat than laca and Eddie offers the team far more than Laca ever will !!

  7. Femi says:

    Arteta should not complain. Arsenal will pay dearly for axing ozil at least if he was in he will av helped in the final third with good eyes for passes. Moreso arsenal failed to take chances of don’t u pay dearly. If arteta can be beat any of the top six then l doubt arsenal arsenal top four…won three lost three.

    1. ThirdManJW says:

      But MA gave Ozil a solid run of games pre lockdown, and he offered absolutely nothing. Add to that, he’s been in terrible form for over 3 years now.

      We do need a playmaker, but Ozil has proven time and time again, that he is not the answer.

      1. ozziegunner says:

        TMJW and how many goals and assists did Ozil get; he was unproductive?
        For the rest of the season, we are going hear how Arsenal would have got a different result if Ozil played.

    2. carl shadbolt says:

      its not Ozil missing why we lost today and why we struggle eevery game !! its playing a useless striker in Laca that couldnt score in a brothel and offers us nothing !! he is clearly going to kill team morale all on his own !! at the end of last season Laca was put on the bench and eddie was started and we played really well !! this season laca starts eddie on the bench ??? its not hard to see why we lose games !! Laca plays so deep you would be forgiven thinking he was playing midfield and offers us no threat going forward makes no runs just an 182k a week pile of rubbish !! playing Auba wide right and pepe wide left when he came on was vert strange !! and leaving Auba wide right and not changing it was even stranger !! persist on Laca then we will keep losing faith and losing games !! and it will kill the team !! fact !!

      1. ThirdManJW says:

        Couldn’t agree more carl. It’s bizarre that we have one of the best strikers in Europe, who we’re now paying huge wages to, and we never use him in his best position. Even Nketiah is ahead of Auba in the striker pecking order.

  8. Vinod says:

    Instead of VAR Arteta should be worrying about the mentality of this team. He is lucky that fans are not present in the stadium. The team is mentally weak and physically fragile. After the trip to OT we might find ourselves lurking around that relegation zone.

    Before blaming VAR or prevoius regime or Wenger or Emery we must look at this squad and think realistically. For me, in paper at least, there is not much gap between our current squad and Everton squad (A James Rodriguez maybe). Both the squads lost this week. I am looking forward for the reaction that both teams are going to give come next week. Both are playing away and Newcastle is not that bad either. Both managers have spend almost the same time with their corresponding squads. So the baseline is almost perfect to judge both managers and squads.

    I can already see “had it been Wenger we would have shipped a min. of 3, at least we are not battered this time” comments over the horizon.

    1. carl shadbolt says:

      its clear as day !! Arteta persists in playing a washed up donkey upfront in Laca !! the guy offers us nothing going forward and plays so deep you would be forgiven thinking he is playing midfield !! he cannot score the easiest of goal put on a plate to him and other nothing to the team !! his is no threat makes no runs in the channels or runs off the ball !! closes down nothing !! he simply isnt rubbish !! and as for arteta playing Auba wide right and Pepe wide left ??? seriously ??? Ceballos was playing where ??? 9th in the tabel is we dont change things around !! Auba through the middle Ceballos through the middle of midfield or smith-rowe !! Laca out the door !!

    2. carl shadbolt says:

      playing a uselss striker up front every game is our weakness !! the kills the team with his play misses chance after chance after chance !! His performances alone will kill this teams moral !! he needs to be dropped asap ! you could see it today after he missed that easiest of chance from Tierney cross the team lost the will to live !! and the more he keeps starting the more ot will happen !! T the end of Last season Arteta kept him on the bench and played eddie and we actually played well !! but this season he leaves eddie on the bench and starts Laca ??? seriously !!

  9. Wolfgang says:

    Arsenal since Wenger’s time have had aproblem
    against teams with 10 players in defence. To rub salt in to the wound,Arteta still tries to pass through a packed defence. Thats why Vardy scored.
    Teams have figured out how to attack the gunners. Let them pass all day.When the ball is intercepted,mispassed ,etc a quick pass to Vardy and its a goal.
    I am afraid Arteta has to show more creativity . No use dominating the stats. Goals win games.

  10. carl shadbolt says:

    Why waste your time talking about a goal that wasnt allowed ??? when really the talk should be about the goals that should have been converted? why Laca couldnt score a simple header put on a plate to him ?? why he offers nothing to the team ? why he plays so deep you could be forgiven thinking he was a midfielder? why he starts every game? what threat is he? what runs does he make? tell me why he starts? that is what we need to talking about ! why eddie only comes on in the 82 minute. Why Auba was played out of the left not the right like he usually plays? why when bringing on Pepe wasnt it changed around? why play Auba right and pepe left ? why take off our two best players in Saka and Tierney for Pepe and Eddie ?? why was Laca on the park for 90 mins ??where was ceballos playing ?? Ceballos wasnt playing as a playmaker linking up play but more of a wide midfielder ? team selection game management? Arteta should be answering these questions….. top 6 LOL 😂 top 8 lol 😂 9th at best !! Leicester City UTD spuds chelsea Liverpool all finishing above us and everton and villa also !! Arteta keeps persisting in playing a donkey as our main striker missing chance after chance after chance but still starts !! season over after 6 games !! sorry i am a realist not a dreamer !! 3 wins 3 loses and two of them wins where lucky and really we shouldnt have won them !! 9th is the best we can hope for !!

  11. Goonster says:

    Once a manager starts moaning about stuff like this instead of blaming himself and his player then that is a red flag.

    Arteta you have all the backing from the majority of the fanbase and media but you have to start playing football. Stop this defensive/ cautious football style.

    What I said before our first game against Fulham was that this kind of football will be allowed as long as you are winning to an extent. But the moment those results stop then you will hear about it from us the fans and the media.

    Arteta has to let the team play now. I thought this season would be the season where we would start seeing a positive pattern in what he is trying to do.

    Stop playing lke a mid table scared team. Relax.

  12. s says:

    To grind out a win even when VAR, offsides and fouls deny you 10 out of 11 goals you could have scored.

    THAT is fighting spirit.

    Instead we let a disallowed goal ruin us for the rest of the game.

  13. James Gunner says:

    I believe the MU game is crucial . Lose and then the confidence will b drained.
    For starters ,I would like Arteta to park the bus. In other words do what other teams have been doing: hit on the break

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