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Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are enduring their worst season in recent memory, as they find themselves on the brink of missing out on European football for the first time in 25 years.
The Gunners suffered a 2-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of their former manager, Unai Emery’s Villarreal in the Europa League semi-finals. That dealt a massive blow to Arsenal’s hopes of Champions League qualification, as the North Londoners currently occupy ninth place in the Premier League table.
The Gunners are out of the race for the Europa League next season, and their best chance of a European appearance is through the newly introduced Europa Conference League.
Mikel Arteta’s first full season in charge at the Emirates has not gone to plan, with frequent rumours of fallout with players in the squad. On that note, let's take a look at four Arsenal players who have been unfairly treated by Mikel Arteta.
#4 Gabriel Martinelli
Teenage sensation Gabriel Martinelli was Arsenal’s hero against Crystal Palace, scoring an injury-time winner to secure three crucial points.
Gabriel Martinelli is one of the Premier League’s brightest young prospects but has found minutes on the pitch tough to come by this season. The Brazilian has made 21 appearances for Arsenal this season,12 of which have been from the bench.
Martinelli has managed only two goals and two assists in his limited opportunities, as Arteta has been hesitant to present game time to the youngster. While the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka have been given several opportunities, Martinelli has not found enough playing time to showcase his prowess.
Moreover, the Brazilian’s horrific leg injury ruled him out for the first half of the season.
While it’s understandable to ease a 19-year-old into Premier League football, Arsenal’s senior players in the forward line have severely misfired this season.
So the Gunners could have profited from more game time to Martinelli, something that was apparent in their penultimate Premier League game against Crystal Palace.
#3 William Saliba
William Saliba’s was signed by Arsenal for £27 million in the 2019 summer transfer window, the player was hailed as the Gunners' solution to their defensive frailties.
However, Arsenal's defensive issues continued this season, and one of Arteta’s major criticism was sending William Saliba out on loan in the 2021 winter transfer window. The 20-year old has been supremely impressive for Ligue 1 outfit, Nice, notching up 16 Ligue 1 appearances.
Since his move to the French Riviera, Saliba has missed only two matches and was named Nice’s Player of the Month in his debut month. As in the case of Martinelli, Arteta’s hesitance to provide starting minutes to youngsters in an underperforming Arsenal team may force these young players to look for game time elsewhere.
The France U20 international has recorded a 66.7% tackle success rate, along with 44 tackles and interceptions in the Ligue 1 this season, something Arsenal could have profited from this season.
#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has enjoyed a decent return of 15 goals this season, including ten in the Premier League. While it has been an underwhelming campaign for the Gabon international, considering his staggering standards, Aubameyang hasn't really receive the complete trust of Mikel Arteta.
Aubameyang started his 2020-21 season as a regular fixture in Arsenal’s lineup, playing 90 minutes in 15 of the North Londoner’s first 16 Premier League games. As the season wore on, though, the 31-year-old found himself on the bench in most of Arsenal’s crucial fixtures.
Alexandre Lacazette generally received the nod as the central striker in these crucial game. A case in point was Arsenal's first-leg Europa League quarter-final against Slavia Prague. Aubameyang was afforded only 12 minutes off the bench, but he managed to notch up an assist.
In the all-important first leg against Villarreal in the Europa League semi-finals, Aubameyang started from the bench once again, featuring for only five minutes in Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat away from home.
While Arteta could have backed his captain a bit more, especially towards the fag-end of the season, Aubameyang is also culpable for his poor performances. The Gabon international has registered a lowly 35.2% shots on target in the 2020-21 Premier League season.
#1 Mesut Ozil
One of the most well-documented fallouts in the Mikel Arteta era was the episode with Mesut Ozil, arguably the most controversial instances in Arteta’s brief managerial career.
Despite being the highest earner at Arsenal, the World Cup winner found himself frozen out of the squad by his former teammate, Arteta. After spending almost a year with the reserves, Ozil was dealt another blow, as he was left out of Arsenal’s Premier League and Europa League squads for the 2020-21 season.
The prolific playmaker could chalk up only 12 appearances under Pep Guardiola’s former assistant manager, who was rumoured to be unhappy with Mesut Ozil’s work rate, especially his defensive duties.
The fractious relationship with Mikel Arteta led to Ozil ending his eigh-season stay at the Emirates. The 32-year-old is currently plying his trade at Turkish club Fenerbahce, but he could have provided the dash of creativity Arsenal sorely lacked this season.
