Arsenal suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to PSG in the first-leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night, a result that left former goalkeeper Jens Lehmann questioning Mikel Arteta’s current approach.
The Gunners now face a difficult task in the return leg in Paris, needing to overturn the one-goal deficit to reach the final. Despite the uphill battle, there is a belief among players that Arsenal will beat PSG.
The Champions League is the only competition left for the Gunners to salvage their season, having been knocked out of both domestic cups and beaten to the Premier League title by Liverpool who were crowned champions on Sunday.
Arsenal came closest to challenging the Reds at one point, but Liverpool really ran away with it, with the Gunners currently 15 points behind them in 2nd place.
And according to Lehmann, if the North London side is serious about winning titles, there are clear changes Arteta must make moving forward.
What Mikel Arteta needs to do to win trophies at Arsenal
Despite a shaky start to his tenure, Arteta has steadily transformed the Gunners into a top 4 side, with consistent second-placed finishes for the past few years.
However, one has to wonder how long he can go on without winning a major trophy.
And when posed with this question, Lehmann was quick to suggest what Arteta needs to change in order to win silverware.
Speaking on talkSPORT he said: “Obviously, he has to win next year. This year, they could have won [the Premier League], Man City dropped a little bit, Liverpool replaced them.
“Next year he has to win, but he probably needs to change his personality a little bit to win things.
“Because sometimes, it’s [about] control and being cautious.
“But if you want to win some things, in my opinion you could be a little more risky.”
Mikel Arteta’s time at Arsenal
Arteta was appointed the manager in 2019, taking over an Arsenal side in transition and struggling to find consistency under previous managers.
The former Arsenal midfielder, who spent a significant time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City, had an inconsistent start but showed progress each season, and steadily established Arsenal as a dominant side once again.
He has spent nearly £700 million on transfers, with Arteta investing over £100 million to sign Declan Rice, and also splashing out on high-profile players such as Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Ben White, and Thomas Partey, among others.
| Season | League Finish | Trophies Won | Money Spent on Incomings (£m) |
| 2019–20 | 8th | FA Cup | ~£30m (Jan only) |
| 2020–21 | 8th | Community Shield | ~£75m |
| 2021–22 | 5th | None | ~£150m |
| 2022–23 | 2nd | None | ~£135m |
| 2023–24 | 2nd | None | ~£210m |
| 2024–25 | 2nd | None | ~£100m |
However, unfortunately for him, he only has one major trophy to showcase, the FA Cup, which he won in 2020.
They have come close to winning the Premeir League several times in the past few seasons but have been eventually beaten to it by Pep Guardiola’s side.
And this season, when many thought that Arsenal would capitalise on Man City’s drop in form to go on and win the Premier League, they lost the league to Liverpool who bulldozed their way to their 20th league title.
The pressure will be on Arteta to deliver another trophy soon. Whether he can do so in the Champions League this season remains to be seen.
