Mikel Arteta still has two “problem players” at Arsenal following a damning Roy Keane blast

Mikel Arteta still has two “problem players” at Arsenal following a damning Roy Keane blast

A few years back, Roy Keane criticized three Arsenal players whom he believed had serious doubts surrounding their abilities. Presently, two of them continue to play for the team, but Mikel Arteta has been busy rebuilding the squad at the Emirates.

The team is performing so well that they could potentially win the Premier League title after almost twenty years, thanks to Arteta’s impressive transformation.

Keane made his comments in 2020 following the team’s defeat at Liverpool during the early part of the season when Arteta had just begun his first complete season as the manager, which turned out to be a turbulent one. Keane was concerned about the defensive abilities of some of his players.

The Irishman said on Sky Sports: “There’s no getting away from that but he will still want some improvement. His hands are tied which is a big problem because he still needs a couple more players in. We saw again tonight that defensively – I still think David Luiz, Kieran Tierney and Rob Holding, there’s big question marks over them. Luiz still has that mistake in him.”

Luiz is no longer with the Gunners and the preferred duo for the center of defence are now Saliba and Gabriel. Tierney and Holding are still part of the squad, but their roles have been limited. Arteta has been using Ben White as a right-back since the beginning of the season, with Tomiyasu also available as an option.

Zinchenko, who was signed in the summer, has been starting regularly, which has affected Tierney’s playing time and there have been talks of him leaving the team.

The Scot, who was once a fan favorite at the Emirates, has only been able to start four times in the league this season, and Arteta has challenged him to rectify the situation, while also admitting that he may seek greener pastures. “He’s played under me a lot. He understands the situation and he needs to challenge the situation,” said the Arsenal boss.

The league leaders have only held onto Holding once so far, and he has not been a regular player during Arteta’s time as manager. Holding has mainly played in cup competitions. However, after a match-winning performance against West Ham last season, Arteta emphasized Holding’s importance to the team.

He said last season: “I said to you guys, to good people, to good things happen and Rob is another great example, but now when he plays well to give him credit, especially when he doesn’t play, the way he trains, the way he is amongst the team, he’s just a phenomenal person and player to have around the team and today, when you ask him to come he’s always ready to do something.”

Mikel Arteta still has two “problem players” at Arsenal following a damning Roy Keane blast