Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal: Pressure grows on Mikel Arteta to deliver trophies

Mikel Arteta's 200th Premier League game as Arsenal manager felt less like a celebration and more like a funeral for yet another failed title challenge. Arsenal's "nearly men" delivered another "nearly" performance, with their 1-1 draw against Manchester United epitomizing their season; they need a telescope to see Liverpool, who are 15 points ahead. This draw underscores the gap between aspiration and achievement for the Gunners this season.

The Gunners wove intricate passing patterns around Old Trafford, enjoying 68.2% possession, but barely troubled a Manchester United side lacking in both quality and confidence until Declan Rice's crisp 74th-minute strike leveled the score, following Bruno Fernandes's trademark free-kick that opened the scoring for United in first-half stoppage time. The team needs to convert possession into tangible goal-scoring opportunities to compete at the highest level.

Arsenal's slump has been brewing for weeks, and the failure to sign a recognized striker has exposed a strategic flaw, compounded by injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, further exacerbated by the absence of key figure Bukayo Saka. At Old Trafford, when Arteta's side needed a winning goal to keep their faint title hopes alive, he opted for Raheem Sterling, a loan signing from Chelsea who has failed to make any impact, rather than introducing the soon-to-be-Celtic-bound full-back Kieran Tierney, further calling into question their failed transfer policy. The team's reliance on existing players highlights the need for strategic reinforcements.

Arteta appears to be pursuing a "vanity project," believing he can revive Sterling's stalled career at Stamford Bridge, where he was marginalized by manager Enzo Maresca, despite a more successful partnership at Manchester City. If proof were needed that the deal has been a failure, this was it. It's clearly a bad combination when Arsenal desperately needs a goal scorer. Midfielder Mikel Merino's futile struggles as a makeshift forward underscored how Arsenal has left this crucial position to fate, and ultimately, to failure. The team's struggles in the final third underscores the need for a more potent attacking threat.

Arteta conceded: "We weren't good enough in the last 20 meters. We know that. Coming to Old Trafford and doing what we did is superb, but you have to take your chances, and we didn't. And then after going behind, we had to try to turn it around, and you know how difficult it is to do that here," he added. This is without considering that Arsenal had 48 hours more preparation than Manchester United, who were in Europa League action away to Real Sociedad on Thursday and are facing their own injury problems. Arsenal's 7-1 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday meant the factors were in their favor, but they still weren't good enough to capitalize. The team's inability to convert advantages into victories is a concerning trend.

By most metrics, Arteta has elevated Arsenal and achieved progress. However, at a club of their stature, the only metric that truly matters is tangible success in the form of trophies, and he still only has the 2020 FA Cup to show for his improvements. That's not to say the Spaniard has been a failure. Quite the opposite. Arteta remains fully trusted by the Arsenal hierarchy, who believe he has them heading in the right direction. He is expected to soon work with a new sporting director, Andrea Berta, who will replace Edu after the Italian leaves the same role at Atletico Madrid in January. The club's unwavering support for Arteta underscores their belief in his long-term vision.

In his first 200 games in charge, Arteta has secured 119 wins, placing him fifth in the all-time list for most victories in the same number of Premier League matches. Since he took over from Unai Emery in 2019, only Pep Guardiola, his mentor from his time as assistant manager at Manchester City, has claimed more wins and points in the Premier League. Arteta's win tally is also eight more than Arsene Wenger had at the same 200-game top-flight milestone. Arsenal can also consider themselves strong contenders for the Champions League, virtually guaranteeing a quarter-final spot after their spectacular away win over PSV Eindhoven. Arteta's success rate highlights his positive impact on the team's performance.

However, this does mean that Arteta is under increasing pressure to deliver a trophy that has eluded them for five years – if not this season, then certainly next. After running Manchester City so close in the past two seasons, Arsenal must view this season's title race as a missed opportunity – simply stumbling near the finish line. Manchester City's unexpected collapse opened the door for their rivals, but ultimately it was Arne Slot's Liverpool who seized the opportunity, while the Gunners faltered once again. The team's inability to capitalize on opportunities is a recurring theme.

Liverpool's relentless march has seen them ease clear of Arsenal, who have slumped to such an extent that the subdued reaction of players and fans in one corner of Old Trafford after the final whistle had an air of resignation about it. They know the game is up. In his press conference, when asked if the title race was over, the Arsenal boss walked out after the same question was posed by Sky Sports, saying: "I don't want to say that, but what is frustrating today is that we haven't won the game. We know the urgency, if you want to have the chance to be there, we have the obligation to win every game. I think it is not the time to talk about that." The team's lack of conviction reflects their diminished title aspirations.

While it was practically meaningless in the wider context of the title race, things could have been worse for Arsenal. Goalkeeper David Raya was at fault for Fernandes's goal, positioning himself too far to the right, allowing the Portuguese midfielder to showcase his expertise, curling the free-kick perfectly into the net while the Spaniard dived in vain to his left. However, Raya redeemed himself with two excellent saves in the second half, denying Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee and producing a late moment of brilliance. After initially parrying Fernandes's shot, Raya somehow regained his footing to claw the ball off the line as Manchester United threatened a dramatic late winner. Raya's mixed performance reflects the team's overall inconsistency.

In between, Rice made a brilliant saving tackle as substitute Rasmus Hojlund bore down on goal, with only Raya to beat. It won't make much difference to where the title ends up. It merely highlighted Arsenal's impotence at one end, making them increasingly vulnerable at the other. This reflected poorly on Arteta and Arsenal's recruitment team for failing to address an obvious problem up front last summer. The team's defensive vulnerabilities underscore the need for a more balanced approach.

As he closes out his landmark 200th game in charge, it is becoming increasingly imperative that he marks his progress in the most important form. And that is by actually winning a trophy. The pressure is mounting on Arteta to deliver tangible success.