Ian Ladyman has claimed Arsenal need a quick recovery to get their campaign back on track after capitulating late on against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Following Liverpool‘s defeat against Crystal Palace the Gunners had a golden opportunity to seize the initiative and return to the top of the league against a returning Unai Emery‘s visitors.
What followed however was a uninspired performance from Mikel Arteta‘s side that regressed dramatically after the interval.
With just minutes remaining, what would’ve been a disappointing goalless draw turned even more sour for the hosts as a quick-fire double from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins condemned the club to their first league defeat in 2024.
The defeat is made yet more bitter by Manchester City continuing their strong form in the league of late, beating Luton on Saturday to go top of the league for the first time since November as the title race nears its conclusion.
Arsenal suffered their first league defeat since December when they faced Aston Villa on Sunday
In doing so, Mikel Arteta’s side surrender the initiative in the title race to Manchester City
Ian Ladyman insisted the Gunners appeared ‘scared’ in the second-half against Villa
Speaking on the latest edition of the It’s All Kicking Off podcast, Mail Sport’s football editor Ladyman insisted Arsenal supporters should be concerned with their side’s recent performances.
‘Arsenal, strong in the first half, couldn’t score. Absolutely limp as a lettuce leaf in the second half. And if I was an Arsenal fan, if I was Mikel Arteta, that is what would be worrying me.
‘I have to say they all of a sudden, out of nowhere, looked a little bit scared in that second half performance. They were wretched and they got what they deserved.’
Ladyman’s co-host, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton added his assessment of Arteta’s faltering side: ‘I read your column and your point about Arsenal being fearful. I’m not going to dispute any of that.
‘But, you know, you look at the last couple of games for Arsenal, Bayern Munich, I think, sort of heavily underestimated by many people because they haven’t flown this season, but they’re still a very, very capable team.
‘And then Aston Villa, I think that they played a huge part in this. Unai Emery now has done the double over Mikel Arteta. How damaging could that be for Arsenal? But Villa performed superbly.
‘So I’m hoping from Arsenal’s perspective in the Premier League that this is just a one-off. And we talk about the strength of the Premier League, how good it is. And this is just a blip. And that Arsenal can recover. And I suppose the only way we’re going to find out is by seeing how they respond in the next game.’
The Gunners travel to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich.
Following his side’s recent misfires Arteta has demanded a response against Die Roten and Ladyman added that the Spaniard was correct to do so ahead of such a pivotal clash at this point in the season.
‘The point you make is that they’ve got to recover,’ he continued. ‘They go to Munich on Wednesday to all from the first leg. And Mikel Arteta has said it himself, he’s essentially put it on them here. He’s dropped this right on their toes because he knows what he saw.
The Gunners will travel to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday to take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final second leg
Ladyman added that Arteta was justified in demanding a response from his players following their faltering form of late
‘Arteta says, “if one result makes us lose our belief, then we are not strong enough. It’s time to react and believe. We have to stand up and show leadership and character”. This has been at the core of everything that Arteta has tried to change in his three or four years at Arsenal. When he walked in there at the Christmas of 2019, that was the first thing that Arteta identified as being wrong.
‘No mental strength, a poor culture, an inability to cope with the physical and mental demands of the Premier League. He’s fixed it. He’s fixed it because look at them. Look where they are. Look at the type of players they have now. Look at the way they play. He’s fixed it.
‘But equally, if he’s seen what I saw yesterday and a little bit of a chink in the armour, then he’s right to challenge them because they’ve got to put it right immediately.
