Henry defends Arsenal’s style under Mikel Arteta
Thierry Henry has defended Mikel Arteta’s style of play at Arsenal, insisting the manager deserves respect for transforming the club into champions.
Arsenal were in decline when Arteta replaced Unai Emery, having conceded too many goals and struggled to compete for major honours. Arteta had never managed a club on his own before taking the job, having spent three years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City.
The decision was criticised at first, but Arsenal remained patient. Seven years later, the Gunners are one of the most feared teams in Europe and have ended their long wait for another Premier League title.
Henry Defends Arteta’s Style
Henry believes Arsenal’s critics are overlooking the progress Arteta has made. He says the Gunners were once easy to play against, but they are now tough, dominant and difficult to break down.
Speaking via the Metro, Henry said: “At a certain point, you’ve got to get ahead of Liverpool and City, so the guy [Arteta] is working, he’s trying to find a way to overtake City. Suddenly, we’re tough, we dominate, it’s hard to create chances against us, we don’t get walked all over, but now they are saying they are not playing pretty.”
Henry added that Arsenal had waited too long to win the league, and Arteta had to find a way to get the job done. He believes the manager should be respected for ending the club’s 22-year wait for a Premier League title.
Arsenal Now Hard to Beat
‘For me, it had been a long time since the team won the league, so at some point, you have to find a way to actually win it.’
The Arsenal legend also defended the team’s approach in their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. He argued that Arsenal’s method was not malicious but simply a way of operating against elite opposition.
Henry accepts that Arsenal may not always play attractive football, but he insists results matter most. For him, Arteta has done what was required by building a team capable of winning the Premier League again.
