Tottenham put an end to their 17-year wait for silverware, winning the Europa League title with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the final on Wednesday night.
While their poor domestic form will see them finish 17th in the Premier League, Spurs have ultimately emerged as the more successful North London side this season.
Tottenham’s Europa League win ensures they finish the season with a trophy, unlike their arch city rivals Arsenal, who, despite contending for multiple honours, ended their season without a silverware.
Mikel Arteta, who has spent over £700 million on transfers, has now gone five seasons without winning a trophy since his 2020 FA Cup win.
But beyond the lack of silverware, it’s his comments in the media that are attracting increasing criticism.
Fans react to Mikel Arteta’s comments about comparison between Arsenal and Tottenham’s season
When asked in Thursday’s pre-match press conference whether Tottenham’s season now can be seen as a better season than Arsenal’s, Arteta said: “I don’t like to compare with other teams. I need to analyse my team. That’s my job.”
However, fans, particularly Liverpool and Spurs supporters, were quick to call out what they saw as blatant hypocrisy from the Arsenal boss.
This is because Arteta has been comparing his team with Liverpool and others all season, most recently after the Reds secured the title.
One fan highlighted the contradiction, noting how the Arsenal manager claimed he doesn’t like making comparisons, despite recently drawing one himself by saying: “Man literally said ‘Liverpool have won the title with fewer points than we had the last two seasons.’”
Another expressed his disbelief at the comments: “Now…didn’t you compare your total points from last season to Liverpool’s total from this season???”
A third said: “This guy is a liar he didn’t mind comparing his points tally over the last few seasons against Liverpool’s the other day. No accountability again.”
Another fan added: “Compared points totals, injuries, red cards, trophies, and more all throughout the season. Now that the narrative doesn’t suit him and he has no excuses he doesn’t like to compare? Get a grip.”
One more pointed out the contradictory remarks: “That’s funny, I seem to recall you comparing your injuries to other teams on Sunday.”
The criticism kept coming. Another said: “Guy literally compares to other teams all the time.”
Mikel Arteta’s unsportsmanlike comments this season
Mikel Arteta has come under increasing criticism for his comments this season, which have come across as unsportsmanlike.
After Liverpool clinched the league title, Arteta appeared to downplay their achievement, suggesting Arne Slot’s side was simply in the right place at the right time, rather than recognising their consistent performance throughout the season that saw them edge out Arsenal.
Similarly, after Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of PSG, Arteta was branded a ‘joker’ as he insisted his team was the better side over the two legs, despite the performances suggesting otherwise.
Comments like these are painting a negative image among rival fans, with Arteta increasingly coming across as a sore loser rather than someone who handles defeat with grace.
