Ex-Liverpool Star Doubles Down on Rodri’s Criticism on Arsenal’s Mentality, Blaming ‘Wrong Attitude’ for PL Title Loss to Man City

Once again, luck didn’t reach the doors of the Emirates Stadium. It was another disappointing season for Arsenal as they lost the Premier League title to Manchester City for the second consecutive time. With many finding reasons for their failure, former Liverpool star Danny Murphy has slammed the Gunners for not having ‘things in their own hands,’ echoing Rodri’s sentiments about their mentality.

The former England international was invited on talkSPORT and asked to give his views on what actually went wrong for the Londoners. Murphy replied, “Well, I was trying to give Arteta and Arsenal more credit they deserve because when they played a draw against City, they didn’t have things in their own hands; Liverpool were topped by two points.” He continued, “So unless Arteta had a crystal ball and thought Liverpool might lose, it was going into that game[vs. City] with the wrong attitude.”

Murphy insisted that by playing a stalemate against City at the end of March, Arsenal failed to steal the advantage that Liverpool had over City. This kept things under the control of Jurgen Klopp’s side, who eventually failed to capitalize due to their own misery. The former midfielder questioned Mikel Arteta and Co. for staying on the ‘back foot’ while facing the Cityzens. Rest, City did what they had to clinch their record fourth consecutive title.

Perhaps if Arsenal had shown a bit more resilience and optimism to clinch a victory against the reigning champions, the story would have been completely different. Nevertheless, this is a bold assertion from Murphy, which somewhat mirrors what Rodri said earlier.

Rodri questions Arsenal’s mentality despite having an ‘unbelievable’ season

After stepping onto the podium with the prestigious title, Rodri revealed Manchester City’s secret formula for success, attributing it to the team’s mindset. He explained that great players are everywhere, in all leagues and clubs, and acknowledged that Arsenal also had an incredible season, but emphasized that the difference lay in mentality. The 27-year-old then criticized Arsenal’s lack of optimism during their recent encounter with City. 

“When they came to face us in Etihad, I saw them, ‘They don’t want to beat us, they just want to draw,’” he said. The former Atletico man believed that this mentality was something City would not adopt. The holding midfielder further praised his team’s determination and drive to win the title, insisting that even if City only salvaged a point, it wouldn’t affect their attitude in the subsequent games.

This is what separates Manchester City as a winning team from the rest. Let’s hope that Arsenal implements this in the future.