Chelsea icon, Craig Burley has criticized Mikel Arteta, labeling the Spaniard as embarrassing due to Arsenal’s tactics during their Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal’s pursuit of their first Champions League trophy ended in disappointment as the Gunners were defeated on penalties by PSG in Budapest.
Kai Havertz provided the north London team with a dream start, scoring a brilliant goal from a tight angle just six minutes into the match.
However, Ousmane Dembele’s penalty equalized for Arsenal after halftime, and Gabriel’s failure to convert the decisive tenth penalty, which he sent over the bar, ultimately crowned PSG champions for the second consecutive season.
Arsenal’s achievements under Arteta this season have been built on a strong defensive foundation, and the Gunners were content to sit back and let PSG control the ball after taking an early lead.
Even after PSG equalized, Arsenal appeared hesitant to adopt a more aggressive approach, ultimately setting a record for the lowest possession in a Champions League final with a mere 24.7 percent.
Former Chelsea midfielder Burley remains unconvinced that Arteta’s overly defensive strategy after taking an early lead was ever likely to be effective.
He stated on ESPN, “Let’s be clear, after they scored in the sixth minute, they attempted to defend their way to the 90th minute.
“Three times from a kick-off, they launched it forward as if it were a rugby match. That’s embarrassing.
“They’ve opted to say, ‘let’s just kick a high ball every time we have a kick-off and hope to win. That’s reminiscent of 1980s football in England. It truly is.
“I don’t understand all the praise. Yes, they reached the Champions League final and were competitive due to their defensive play.
“However, I fail to comprehend the accolades when your strategy, once you score, is to simply sit back and allow the best footballing team in Europe to have possession while you defend for 84 minutes. That’s not a viable strategy to win this competition.”
