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Thierry Henry reveals what has ‘hurt’ Mikel Arteta the most in worrying Arsenal verdict

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes Mikel Arteta was “hurt” by his failure to win the title



With ten points remaining and an eight-point lead over Manchester City, Arsenal appeared destined to win the Premier League in 2022–2023, but they collapsed as Pep Guardiola’s team passed them.


Mikel Arteta was “hurt” by the squad’s unsuccessful attempt to win the Premier League title in the 2022–2023 season, according to Arsenal star Thierry Henry, who also feels the Spaniard has turned the Gunners into a more negative team as a result.



In the season before last, Arteta’s team accumulated an eight-point lead over Manchester City with ten games remaining, seemingly guaranteeing their first Premier League title since 2003-04.



Before a late-season meltdown saw Pep Guardiola’s team surpass them to win the league by five points, the Gunners were playing some fantastic football under Arteta and appeared to be deserving champions.

The following season, Arsenal came very close to winning the title with 89 points, but the Sky Blues won by a slim margin with 91 points.



Arsenal is currently trying to break their curse by defeating leaders Liverpool this season, and they played City at the Emirates on Sunday. However, Henry thinks their defeats have had a negative psychological effect.


Ahead of Arsenal’s match, he told Sky Sports, “I think, the first title that we lost against Man City, it did hurt a lot of people at the club, especially Mikel,” “You noticed that he approached big games differently. It was more let’s not give in until it was all fancy.

“Now, the team is excellent in set pieces, but it’s not the same. [Martin] Odegaard is no longer in charge. Sometimes the ball travels far faster on the flank to find a corner or a free kick rather than going to him.

With 226 goals in 370 games for the north London team, Henry is among the best players in Arsenal’s history and has helped them win the FA Cup three times and the Premier League twice. Under Arsene Wenger, he was a member of an Arsenal team that played breathless football.

Even though Arteta has given supporters some enjoyable displays, the former France international has questioned why Arsenal has chosen to grind out results rather than strive for victories.



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