Behavioral analyst says Mikel Arteta not accepting accountability as Arsenal in midst of a collapse
Arsenal lost their second straight Premier League match and are in serious jeopardy of losing their lead with just a month to go in the season.
When things are going well, body language, attitude and non verbal signals are easy to read. When everything is collapsing around you, those things can be even easier to read, and right now that seems to be the case with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta according to an expert on the subject.
Arteta losing control?
At least that’s what behavior analyst Darren Stanton is seeing with the manager over the last few weeks. Speaking with OLBG after Arsenal’s loss at the Etihad on Sunday, Stanton said the bad vibes Arteta was giving out started even before the match kicked off. “Mikel Arteta looked anxious and full of stress before the game. His smiles weren’t genuine. He looked tense.”
The Gunners would go on to lose 2-1 after Erling Haaland’s goal in the 65th minute. Arsenal are still holding on to their place at the top of the table momentarily but City can jump them in their mid week match against Burnley on Wednesday. The collapse would be historic after leading the Premier League for 265 days, and that emotional stress is starting to get the best of Arteta says Stanton.
Analyzing the post match presser, Stanton claims that the Arsenal manager is looking to side step responsibility for the last couple of losses. “Arteta looks angry that he’s been put in this position again,like we saw after the Bournemouth, and unfortunately for the Arsenal players I don’t think their manager is wanting to take responsibility for what has happened.”
Bad body language from Arsenal boss
Aresnal’s style of play has been criticized for most of the season. Their lack of ingenuity in the run of play, and their dependence on what some call the dark arts have made them an unattractive side to watch, even when they had a comfortable lead over the rest of the pack. Now the criticism seems to be directed squarely at the manager, who’s training ground methods and press conferences have become more and more unconventional.
While Arteta is in the crosshairs, Stanton says that’s not where the manager thinks the blame should be placed. “He wants to shift the responsibility onto his team for how things have gone rather than accepting accountability himself.”
The captain of the ship has to be the one to lead the crew through rocky waters, and at the moment Arteta is appears to letting his emotions get the best of him. “We see him going back to what we call lip suppression which is where he is physically holding back what he feels internally so he doesn’t speak out of turn,” Stanton added. “He’s not saying what he really thinks when he’s asked about the morale of the team or other questions.”
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