Arsenal’s slim Premier League title hopes took another – perhaps terminal – blow on Sunday afternoon when they were held to a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Mikel Arteta’s side needed a second-half Declan Rice equaliser to cancel out Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick opener, but the stalemate leaves Arsenal a whopping 15 points behind leaders Liverpool with ten games of the season remaining.
Much of the post-match debate again centred on Arsenal’s striker situation, with Arteta again having to play midfielder Mikel Merino up front amid the club’s current injury crisis.
Gary Neville reacts to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal walk out
Arteta’s frustrations appeared to get the better of him during his post-match interview on Sky Sports, insisting ‘it’s not about that’ when reporter reporter Patrick Davison asked if he regretted failing to sign a striker in the January transfer window.
The Spaniard – who was ranked at No.4 in FourFourTwo’s list of the world’s best 50 managers last year – then walked away after being asked about the title race, refusing to answer if he believed the 15-point gap was too big to claw back.
Back in the studio, former Manchester United one club man Gary Neville was on hand to react to the tense interview and gave his take on why Arteta did not answer.
“Why was he so agitated when Patrick asked him that question about the striker?” Neville asked. “Normally when you see a manager act like that… he seemed to walk off.
“Usually if you see a manager walk off from an interview when he’s been asked a question, you normally think there is something getting to them. Is he sick of being asked that question? Does he think that’s too simple an answer that he doesn’t have a striker?”
Neville added that the question will not go away, given the current discourse around the Gunners’ fanbase.
“The fact of the matter is it will still continue to be asked,” Neville continued. “The reason is because there are hundreds of thousands of Arsenal fans who for many months and years now have said, ‘We need a striker.’
“It’s not just us in the studio or Patrick Davison, who was asking the question – it’s the Arsenal fans. You can’t kid football fans, they know the team as well as anybody. They need a top-class striker in that changing room.”
Next up for Arsenal is the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against PSV Eindhoven that they lead 7-1, which is followed by a home clash against top-four hopefuls Chelsea in their final fixture before the international break – a game in which Arteta will know his side will have to be at their best from an attacking point of view.
