Thierry Henry has claimed that Mikel Arteta will now be ‘annoyed’ by his recent comments about Liverpool and VAR.
After Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle United the previous Saturday, Arteta was enraged. Disappointed that the game’s lone goal had been allowed to stand, the Spanish coach angrily attacked Premier League officials in his post-match tirade.
That was a far cry from his response to Liverpool’s VAR fiasco against Tottenham Hotspur in September. Arteta was eager to highlight back then that “mistakes happen.” Now, Arsenal legend Henry has weighed in during last night’s Champions League coverage on CBS Sports Golazo.
Henry speaks out on Arteta
The 44-year-old claimed that “the manager behaved how the manager would behave at the end of the game.” I understand what it’s like to feel like your squad was taken advantage of. You avoid focusing on that opposition.
“In my opinion, Kai Havertz ought to have been sent off for the tackle that started the game because everything went crazy after that. But you have to realise at the conclusion of the game that a coach finds it really difficult to remain composed when he speaks to the media.
“I believe that his comments during the Liverpool match at Tottenham irritated him. As you can see, “they’re attempting to make the best choice, but mistakes do happen.” Then, as a coach, you notice what he said and take appropriate action when it affects your team. You stand up for your players and your squad.
When I brought it up three or four days later, I was taken aback. Regardless of your opinion of the club’s statement, you could have just moved on and focused on the match versus Sevilla after the club made its statement.
“After three or four days, I don’t think it was necessary to reiterate that.”
Arteta sees the light
The response to the Luis Diaz incident in September is remains puzzling, especially considering how frequently bad choices tend to occur in the Premier League these days.
At the time, managers like Arteta had a fantastic opportunity to correct the record. Arsenal and other teams might have reacted calmly and constructively as they weren’t the ones affected.
They chose to turn the other cheek instead. It seems that Liverpool had this issue and it had nothing to do with us.
A few weeks later, they have unavoidably experienced the short end of the stick, so now they must respond in a passionate and sometimes embarrassing manner. Attacking from such a position has no strength.
These days, it just appears to be self-interest.
Arteta and company may have thought the same thing about what Liverpool was attempting to accomplish, but that was never the case. Frustrated with the frequent distribution of bad decisions, the Reds were sincerely attempting to bring about change.
Arteta’s tirade following the Newcastle game would have been more credible if he had publicly endorsed that. It might be time for the Gunners manager to stand back and reconsider his remarks if even someone with as deep a connection to Arsenal as Henry can see that. It won’t alter anything right now, though.
