Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has warned manager Mikel Arteta that the time for excuses is over and insisted the Spaniard must deliver silverware this season.
Arteta, who took charge at the Emirates in 2019, has guided the Gunners to three straight second-place finishes in the Premier League. His only honours so far remain the 2020 FA Cup and two Community Shields. While many supporters have praised him for restoring Arsenal’s competitiveness, Thierry Henry believes patience will run thin if trophies do not follow.
Speaking as a pundit on CBS Sports after Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League win over Athletic Club on Tuesday night, September 16, Henry said the quality of Arteta’s squad means the manager can no longer hide behind progress without success.
“As a fan, I will support the team like I always do, but at one point you’ve got to be honest, this year is a must, no more excuses,” Henry said. “If you can rotate like he did, for example, against Nottingham Forest, and he will do it even more through the season, I’m not talking about anybody not being at the club, I’m saying this year you have to win something.
“If I were in that dressing room, I’m aiming for the title.”
Henry’s comments come as pressure grows on Arteta to turn Arsenal’s consistency into tangible glory. With significant investment in the squad, including summer arrivals Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, expectations are at an all-time high.
Eze, however, was also in the spotlight after his Champions League debut fell flat. The £60 million signing struggled to influence the match before being substituted with the score still 0-0. His replacements, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, went on to score the decisive goals.
Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman, working as a pundit on TNT Sports, criticised Eze’s performance.
“Martinelli did more in five minutes than Eze did in 70 minutes,” he said. “Eze will watch that performance tonight when he goes back and say ‘this is a different class of opposition.’ They’re quicker, stronger… you’re now playing big boy football in the Champions League.”
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