Patrick Vieira on Arsenal: “There’s still some questions about the mental strength of the team. It’s NOT the fact they lost the game, it’s the way they lost the game. There was a lack of creativity.” ❌
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) January 25, 2026
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Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira pulled no punches in his assessment of Mikel Arteta’s tactical approach following the Gunners’ 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
Despite an early lead provided by a Lisandro Martínez own goal, Arsenal’s momentum stalled after a Martin Zubimendi error allowed Bryan Mbeumo to equalize, eventually leading to a dramatic loss sealed by Matheus Cunha’s late winner.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Vieira expressed frustration with the team’s lack of ambition, stating, “The feeling is that there’s no risk, there are too many passes going backwards, not forward. I want Arsenal to be more brave, take a little bit more risk.”
This sentiment was echoed by Roy Keane, who noted that the players and fans seemed “afraid to embrace the challenge,” leaving Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table trimmed to just four points ahead of their midweek Champions League fixture.