Former Tottenham Hotspur star Chris Waddle has slammed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for his comments on Sunderland. Waddle believes that the Spaniard should not question opponents’ tactics; instead, he should focus on creating a plan to get past their defence.
Speaking to SheKicks, Waddle said that Arteta should be frustrated by his tactics not working rather than criticizing the system used by Sunderland.
“You know, the whole point of football is to get a result. It’s a game. You have to work out how to get results and win, and at least avoid defeat. You work out how to get the best out of your team and cause problems to the opposition. You come up with a plan, and if it works, then you’ve done your job well, so I wouldn’t criticise Sunderland,” Waddle explained.
Waddle went on to criticize Arteta further, adding that the Arsenal manager cannot criticize other teams for their defensive approaches when his own team often opts to sit back and score goals from set-pieces.
“People could talk about Arsenal, about how they park the bus and rely on set-pieces. Everyone wants to have a dig at everyone else’s tactics, but it’s your job to find the weaknesses and exploit them, or spot a good tactic and use it yourself. This time, Sunderland worked out how to get a point, so the manager got it right,” he said.
He continued, “It might make it harder to break down sides if they park the bus, but it’s your job to figure out how to break it down. It’s up to you, and you don’t moan about it. You figure it out and you overcome it, and then you get a little smile on your face that a team sat back and they still couldn’t stop you. Obviously, Arteta wasn’t happy, but Sunderland had their game plan and it worked.”
Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Sunderland ended their impressive run of 10 wins and eight clean sheets this season.
### Arsenal Leading Premier League Title Race with Manchester City and Chelsea Chasing
Arsenal currently top the Premier League table after 11 matches this season. The Gunners have 26 points, sitting four points clear of second-placed Manchester City.
Manchester City managed to close the gap over the weekend after Arsenal’s slip-up against Sunderland. Pep Guardiola’s side beat Liverpool 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium, moving two points clear of Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Chelsea climbed to third place in the table following their 3-0 win over Wolverhampton.
As the race for the Premier League title heats up, Arsenal will be keen to maintain their lead and improve their performance against defensive opposition.
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