Mikel Arteta responds to Gary Neville complaints over Arsenal tactic in Everton win
Mikel Arteta defended Arsenal’s decision to employ time-wasting tactics during corner kicks in response to criticisms raised by Gary Neville during the Gunners’ hard-fought victory over Everton.
Leandro Trossard’s goal in the 69th minute ended up being the crucial moment as Arteta’s team secured their first victory at Goodison Park since 2017 when Arsene Wenger was in charge.
The decisive play unfolded after a short corner strategy that took 26 seconds to set up and ultimately resulted in the Belgian international, Trossard, smashing the ball into the net past Jordan Pickford, finding the inside of the post. This setup was made possible by an assist from Bukayo Saka.
It appeared that Arsenal deliberately opted for this approach as they were hesitant to play the ball directly into the penalty area due to the physical presence of Everton’s defenders. However, the time they took to execute their set-piece tactics drew criticism from Gary Neville.
“I just asked how long that ball was in the corner for and apparently it took 26 seconds to take that short corner, which is an absolute mountain of time,” he said.
“Particularly in this climate with the referees trying to pick up on everything but it worked.
“You saw Mikel Arteta and the coaching team start to celebrate because it’s worked, so they must’ve been working on it in training.”
When asked to explain the reasoning behind the time-delaying tactics that ultimately led to Everton’s defensive disarray and the creation of space for the crucial moment, Arteta told Sky Sports: “Obviously they are very strong in the box so we need alternatives.
“It’s about creating a story in the game an’d the players have to sense when is the best moment to do it.”
Arsenal’s quest for the title started to unravel earlier in February when they faced challenges in the blue half of Merseyside. Arteta expressed his satisfaction in having avenged that defeat with a strong, if not particularly flashy, performance.
He added: “We talked about it, this is the challenge. For six years we haven’t won here and there are a few reasons for it.
“It’s how you do things and the input you do in every single action. I think we played an incredible game, we kept them quiet and created many, many chances, The first (disallowed) goal, as well, should be allowed.
“We dominated the game and we are extremely happy to go away with a win and a clean sheet.”
Mikel Arteta responds to Gary Neville complaints over Arsenal tactic in Everton win
