In brief
As their prospects of winning the title slip into darkness, Arsenal lost to Manchester United by even more points.
Mikel Arteta made the odd choice to send defender Kieran Tierney in attack when he needed a goal.
One attacking talent who was benched did not find the tactical shift to be particularly flattering.
If it wasn’t already over, Mikel Arteta’s team lost yet another game, this time against Manchester United at Old Trafford, and their waning title aspirations have all but collapsed. Since Ruben Amorim joined the team, the Red Devils have had trouble at home, but they displayed greater tenacity in Sunday’s 1-1 tie.
As anticipated, the visitors were at ease in possession and frequently maintained possession of the ball within the final third without posing a serious threat to Andre Onana. The Gunners had few attacking men because of the injuries sustained by players like Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz. Theoretically, this would provide Raheem Sterling with the ideal chance to establish his value following a disastrous loan stint.
Under Pep Guardiola, Sterling was one of the Premier League’s most effective strikers, contributing more than 20 goals for Manchester City for three consecutive seasons. There was hope that Arteta, a former England international and Guardiola’s assistant, could revive his career at the Emirates because he had previously worked with Sterling. But one significant choice made by the Arsenal manager demonstrated how little he trusts the 30-year-old.
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Raheem Sterling, an Arsenal loanee, is drawn to the idea of moving to Major League Soccer in search of a new challenge.
In the United Draw, Arteta chooses an odd attacking alternative substitution.
A defender is substituted for Sterling in attack when the Gunners need a goal.
The championship contenders began the afternoon with a front three consisting of Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard, and young Ethan Nwaneri. Merino was the main man down the middle and scored two goals in a victory over Leicester City. With only one other offensive option—the returning Gabriel Martinelli—who was not yet well enough to start, Sterling was placed on the substitutes’ bench.
As the Gunners attempted to equalise, the Brazilian did enter the game, but Sterling did not move, hardly leaving his place to warm up, much less threatening to really enter the game. On commentary, Arteta even appeared to surprise Gary Neville with his very perplexing decision.
Left-back Kieran Tierney replaced Thomas Partey with fewer than 15 minutes of the 90 remaining, possibly indicating that the Londoners were content to accept a point after Declan Rice’s goal. Myles Lewis-Skelly could get farther forward if Tierney dropped into a back three.
It wasn’t like that. As Leandro Trossard drifted centrally, Gabriel Martinelli moved to the right, and Mikel Merino dropped back into midfield, the Scotsman instead moved into the front three, playing on the left. When the team needed a goal, Arteta had more faith in a defender who has only scored three goals in the Premier League and is undoubtedly leaving in the summer after agreeing to rejoin Celtic than in a player who, despite his current form, is a natural attacker and could cause issues if he showed even a hint of his previous performance.
The choice to keep Sterling off the bench was sufficient for Arsenal supporters to highlight the winger’s deterioration on social media, with one calling him the worst acquisition in the team’s history. However, what Arteta said about Sterling just a month ago raises even more questions about his decision to dismiss him completely like this.
#30 can’t get minutes over Tierney at LW🤣worst signing in our history
— Kyle White (@Ky1eWhite) March 9, 2025
Arteta’s Comments on Sterling’s Potential Impact During Run-In
Sterling has scored just once since joining Arsenal
In February, when the Gunners were still dealing with an attacking injury crisis and Sterling had only scored once, Arteta was asked if the loanee could contribute significantly to the team’s efforts to catch up to Liverpool and establish themselves as a possible contender in Europe. According to The Guardian, his attitude seems even more perplexing in light of his tactical choices against United:
“Yes, and since we truly need him, he must have it. It will be crucial, and we need his finest effort. We are all on his side, and we are the best for him. And in order to affect the team, we need only guys that have that mentality present.”
It is perplexing that Arteta would say that while refusing to support Sterling in circumstances similar to the one he encountered at Old Trafford. Is it true that the forward, a four-time Premier League champion, does not currently exhibit the mindset he mentioned? Or is this just the last nail in the coffin of a guy who was once one of the league’s most dependable players but has accepted that he will never be the same as he once was?
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