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JURGEN KLOPP described his never-say-die Liverpool team as mentality monsters.
So what are Arsenal under Mikel Arteta?
On the back of this latest title collapse, they are English football’s mentality muppets.
Saturday’s abject display at the Emirates was surely confirmation the club’s wait for a title, which now stands at 21 years, will continue.
It is Arsenal’s longest gap for a title post-war and you have to wonder if Arteta is actually capable of getting them over the line.
This was their first Premier League defeat in 16 matches and only the third of the season.
But this was an absolute must-win and Arsenal bottled it just when they needed to show some b******s.
You can see why Arteta was so angry afterwards.
Conspiracy theorists — and there are certainly a few of them about — will complain about Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card, their fifth of the season, with the team dropping ten points in those games.
Incredibly, this was the 20th sending-off in the top flight under Arteta, so it is absurd to blame the officials for all of them.
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Arsenal have had some bad decisions go against them this term and Lewis-Skelly’s foul on Mohammed Kudus was on the halfway line.
But it was still a red card. Arteta has spent over £600million, so he has been backed heavily by the club.
The decision not to sign a No 9 in the summer — or in January — was obviously ludicrous.
It would have helped. But looking at this current team, you have to wonder whether that will have solved all their problems because there are just so many flaky players in this squad.
Due to the spectacular fall of Manchester City, this season was a great opportunity for Arteta.
You can see why some of the club’s fans are now having major reservations over their manager.
He will be given even more cash next summer.
But if Arsenal find themselves in a similar situation in 12 months’ time, then the club may consider a change – even though it would break hearts.
Arteta has been hit badly by injuries this season which is why the team have gone backwards.
And maybe they can still deliver something magical in the Champions League.
Yet Liverpool suffered unbelievably bad luck last term with injuries and, while they fell away in the league, Klopp’s team somehow managed to win the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea — even though they ended the game with a bunch of teenagers.
Arsenal’s approach to the West Ham game was completely wrong. There was a lack of belief, desire and intensity, as well as quality.
Equally, the visitors defended superbly and new boss Graham Potter seems a perfect fit.
Over the last couple of seasons, the atmosphere at the Emirates has been superb, the best since the move to the stadium in 2006.
Yet there was no buzz before or during this game. And it seemed as though the supporters were resigned to their team’s fate.
Mikel Merino was the two-goal hero against Leicester a week earlier in his first ever-game as a central striker.
You can see why Arteta started him in this position owing to the lack of options but the Spaniard looked lost up front.
The defending for the opening goal from Jarrod Bowen before half-time was embarrassing, with Riccardo Calafiori deciding not to bother to stop a cross from Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Calafiori, a £42m summer buy from Bologna, is still adjusting to the Prem but this display was just not good enough.
Arteta’s decision to relegate Lewis-Skelly to the bench was curious, particularly as he was also substituted at Leicester just minutes after he delivered a stunning goal-saving intervention.
The one positive was the sight of defender Ben White returning to action after three months out.
Now Arteta must lift his team for Wednesday’s tricky trip to Nottingham Forest.
And at the very least, Arsenal’s players need to start showing that they actually care.
MYLES Lewis-Skelly’s second red card of 2025 appeared to put the final nail in Arsenal’s title dreams and any chances of them catching Liverpool.
The Gunners lost 1-0 to West Ham and failed to respond to Jarrod Bowen’s opener on the brink of half-time.
The Hammers’ wall stood firm as Arsenal registered just two shots on target before Lewis-Skelly’s last-man foul on Mohammed Kudus was upgraded to a red after ref Craig Pawson went to the monitor.
And Liverpool fans will breathe a sigh of relief given their recent dip in form as Arsenal remain EIGHT points behind Arne Slot’s men.
Here SunSport’s Charlie Wyett rates every Arsenal player from the Emirates Stadium.
DAVID RAYA – 5
Declan Rice indicated to Raya that he expected him to come off his line to deal with the cross for the goal.
Maybe he had a point but ultimately, Raya was let down by his defenders.
JURRIEN TIMBER – 6
West Ham did not offer much of a threat down their left so Timber had a reasonably comfortable game while he did try and get forward.
WILLIAM SALIBA – 6
Was ordered by Mikel Arteta to push forward more in the second half when Arsenal had possession and in the closing stages, seemed to spend more of his time in West Ham’s area.
GABRIEL MAGALHAES – 5
Switched off for the Bowen goal but he was not the only one.
Also found the impressive Kudus tough to handle when he cut inside.
Guilty of delivering an abysmal cross late in the game when Arsenal needed a bit of quality.
RICCARDO CALAFIORI – 4
A poor performance. Given the nod ahead of Lewis-Skelly but badly at fault for the opening goal as he did not get close enough to Aaron Wan-Bissaka who delivered the cross to Bowen.
Was replaced after he kept losing the ball.
DECLAN RICE – 5
Not a day he will want to remember against his former club and he got plenty of stick from West Ham’s fans, as you would expect.
Wasted one chance before the break and failed to track Bowen for the goal. Substituted shortly into the second half which was a surprise.
THOMAS PARTEY – 5
A sluggish performance from Partey whose passing was also poor. Lucky not to be replaced.
ETHAN NWANERI – 6
Had a fascinating battle with West Ham teenager Ollie Scaries, who was making his first Premier League start.
Nwaneri was excellent at Leicester but had less success against his fellow youngster although still had some bright moments.
But, at least he has a bit of a spark unlike some of his more experienced team-mates. The 17-year-old sparked concern when he came off injured in the final 10.
MARTIN ODEGAARD – 5
Not having his best season at Arsenal.
This was the sort of game Arsenal needed their captain to deliver a moment of inspiration but he failed to do so.
LEANDRO TROSSARD – 5
Not a surprise that he was not used as a false nine like that disastrous experiment against Leicester.
But he had no joy against the impressive Wan-Bissaka.
MIKEL MERINO – 5
Was the two-goal hero in his first ever appearance as a substitute striker at Leicester but had no success against West Ham’s well-drilled defence.
He looked lost out there as the makeshift No 9.
SUBS:
Myles Lewis-Skelly (for Calafiori 56 minutes) – 4
Got a red card – Arsenal’s fifth of the campaign – and although he was a long way out could have no complaints.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (for Rice 56 minutes) – 6
Raheem Sterling (for Nwaneri 81 minutes) – N/A
Ben White (for Saliba 87 minutes) – 5
Was handed his first Premier League minutes since returning to the squad for last week’s Leicester win.
Subs not used: Neto, Tierney, Kiwior, Jorginho, Butler-Oyedeji.
EDDIE HEARN paid tribute to Martin Bakole’s bravery but believes he should not have fought Joseph Parker.
The heavyweight stepped in at short notice after Daniel Dubois was ruled out days before the fight with sickness.
Bakole travelled from the Congo and only arrived in Riyadh in the early hours on the day of the bout.
He weighed in considerably higher than his usual fight weight and looked rusty before being knocked out in the second round by a big Parker right hand.
Hearn questioned his decision to fight and suggested a member of his team should have intervened to prevent it from going ahead.
He told The Stomping Ground: “I don’t think the fight should have happened, if I’m honest.
“I don’t think anybody did anything wrong.
“But when you’re representing Martin Bakole, you’ve got to ask yourself [if it was the right decision]. For a long time, he struggled to get opportunities.
“Now he’s found his way in Riyadh Season. He’s developing a name, a brand. He’s got an IBF final eliminator to become the mandatory to Daniel Dubois against Efe Ajagba.
“Obviously, there’s more money tonight, but he did it [on a day’s notice]. He took two flights, indirect, across Africa and landed [in the] morning [before the fight].
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“I think sometimes, you just need to take a step back and think about what you are doing. [He] probably [does not] know what day of the week it is. I think it was a bad decision.
“Respect to the bravery, but sometimes, you’ve got to be a bit smarter than that. You need people around you to say absolutely not. I couldn’t be happier for Joe.”
EX-ARSENAL ace Lucas Perez has made the 14th transfer of his career to the 12th different club after signing for PSV Eindhoven.
The 36-year-old sealed a free transfer to the Eredivisie giants just weeks before the two sides face off in the last-16 of the Champions League.
Arsenal secured their passage after finishing in the top eight of the new league phase of the competition, while PSV stunned Juventus with a 4-3 aggregate victory in the knockout play-offs.
The first leg of the clash will be played in the Netherlands on March 4, with the Emirates playing host to the second leg on March 12.
And just weeks before the tie the Dutch club have brought in a familiar face for Arsenal fans.
However, Perez will not be eligible to play against the Gunners due to the registration date for the competition passing on February 6.
Perez had been a free agent after unexpectedly ripping up his Deportivo La Coruna contract in January for personal reasons.
The Spanish striker has now signed a short-term contract to the end of the season to sign with PSV, where he will wear the No.27 shirt.
In a statement, he said: “I can’t wait to show myself to the fans and my new team-mates.
“I am very ambitious and am looking forward to delivering many goals and assists.
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“My first impression of the club is very good, I get energy from the people I have already met.
“PSV were on top of it right away and did everything they could to bring me to Eindhoven.
“That did me a lot of good. Unfortunately, it took a bit longer than planned before a final agreement was reached, due to personal reasons on my part.
“I found a solution for that and I am very grateful for the fact that the PSV management remained so patient.”
He will join the team’s training group on Monday to work under Peter Bosz.
The veteran added: “I am extremely driven to help this club achieve its other objectives, including winning the national title and national cup.”
“I have worked very hard in recent weeks, both on and off the field. I am more than ready to prove myself here.”
Perez originally joined Arsenal in 2016 in a £17million transfer from Deportivo.
But he never managed to truly settle in North London despite having a solid record when playing, with seven goals and five assists in 21 games in all competitions.
Arsenal loaned Perez back to his hometown club, Deportivo in August 2017 before they sold him to West Ham the following summer.
He scored six goals in 19 appearances for the Hammers before they sold him a summer later to Spanish side Alaves.
Perez then bounced around from Elche to Cadiz and back to Deportivo for the fourth time in his career.
Overall he has scored 62 goals and added 53 assists in 172 games for the Spanish side.
His other clubs include Atletico Madrid C, Rayo Vallecano B, Rayo Vallecano, Karpaty Lviv, Dynamo Kyiv (where he never made an appearance), and PAOK Saloniki before signing for Deportivo.
