Arsenal’s trip to Anfield before the international break ended in a 1-0 defeat to reigning champions Liverpool. On paper, it was a narrow loss against a side with a fortress as a home stadium. In reality, it opened a flood of debate about the Gunners’ mentality and style of play.
Former players and pundits have not been shy in their assessments. Gael Clichy, one of the Invincibles, claimed the team showed “a lack of ambition” in the way they approached the Liverpool game. He argued that Arsenal looked more interested in not losing than in chasing victory.
Fellow Invincible, Martin Keown, pressed the point further. For him, the issue was mental. “They need to change gear,” he said, urging Arsenal to develop the ruthless streak required to seize big games.
The strongest words came from Peter Schmeichel. At half-time, the former Manchester United goalkeeper described Arsenal’s football as “annoying to watch,” suggesting the system relied on exploiting mistakes and waiting for set-piece opportunities.
These comments make for headlines. But do they hold up when you look beyond emotion and into numbers and results?
Testing the Mentality Argument
Arsenal’s mentality is often questioned whenever they fall short in a high-profile game, but the data points to something more nuanced. In their opening three fixtures of the Premier League season against Manchester United, Leeds, and Liverpool, Arsenal produced an expected goals (xG) tally of 4.7. That figure ranks them fifth in the division, hardly the mark of a side playing within themselves.
At Anfield, where the criticism was sharpest, Arsenal’s xG was a modest 0.39. But Liverpool’s was 0.34, even lower, despite being the home team. The champions edged the match with an unbelievable 30-yard freekick from Dominik Szoboszlai, yet Arsenal limited them in ways few visiting sides manage. If the accusation is that Arsenal lacked ambition, the numbers show a team that frustrated one of the best attacks in Europe and conceded little.
Liverpool (0.34) 1-0 (0.39) Arsenal
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) August 31, 2025
Zooming out to last season, the idea of Arsenal folding in big games doesn’t hold. They drew both league matches against Liverpool, scored five in a statement win over Manchester City, and produced dominant results in Europe: 5-1 away at Sporting Lisbon, 7-1 away at PSV Eindhoven, and a 5-1 aggregate victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League. And they did this in a campaign ravaged by injuries to key players.
The season before adds even more context: Arsenal recorded a 5-0 win over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium, beat Liverpool 3-1, hit six past West Ham, and swept aside Newcastle and Burnley in similar fashion. These results don’t come from a team short of mentality. They suggest a squad capable of rising in big moments, often in emphatic fashion.
The “Ugly Football” Debate
Then there’s the argument about style. Arsenal have become the most dangerous set-piece side in England, with 33 goals from corners since the start of the 2023/24 season. For some, that efficiency feels like an overreliance. For Schmeichel, it translated to football designed to frustrate rather than inspire.
Arsenal are 𝙒𝘼𝙔 𝙊𝙐𝙏 in front for set piece goals in the last three Premier League seasons 😳📈 pic.twitter.com/fXKNV0xIhH
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) August 25, 2025
But football is rarely about aesthetics alone. José Mourinho’s Chelsea of 2004/05 remain a perfect example. That side won the Premier League while conceding just 15 goals in 38 matches, collecting 11 one-nil wins along the way. They were not praised for beauty, but they were respected for effectiveness.
Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal do not lean exclusively on set pieces. They combine them with sweeping attacking displays, as the score lines above prove. The ability to dominate from open play and punish from dead-ball situations adds variety, not monotony. Calling it “ugly” overlooks the reality that Arsenal have become harder to defend against because of their unpredictability.
The Wider Context
It is also important to acknowledge the context of Arsenal’s journey. For two consecutive seasons, they have chased a Manchester City side at the peak of Pep Guardiola’s dominance. Last year, injuries stripped them of rhythm in critical stretches. Now, as Arteta’s rebuild looks complete, they face a Liverpool squad many consider the strongest since the Dalglish–Rush–Souness era of the 1980s.
When viewed through this lens, Arsenal are not a team lacking ambition or style; they are a side competing against historic versions of their biggest rivals.
Criticism is inevitable after high-profile defeats, and Anfield is often the place where narratives about Arsenal harden. But the numbers and the evidence don’t support the claim that Arsenal lack mentality or play an unwatchable brand of football.
The question is not whether Arsenal are timid or unattractive. It is whether they can translate strong performances and competitive resilience into the one thing still missing under Mikel Arteta: a Premier League title.
