As Mikel Arteta continues his quest to win another major trophy at Arsenal, Champions League legend Clarence Seedorf outlined what he believes the Gunners need to do
Real Madrid legend Clarence Seedorf believes Mikel Arteta’s squad might have a tendency to over analyse and it could be holding Arsenal back.
Arteta has taken many drastic steps to turn the Gunners into a team who can compete on multiple fronts. He has invested a huge amount of money, particularly in defence and central midfield and has also paid a huge amount of attention to set-pieces.
While it has no doubt made the Gunners a stronger squad, they are still without a trophy since his first campaign – when he won the FA Cup by beating Chelsea at Wembley in 2020. Seedorf thinks Arteta’s thoughtfulness could be holding his side back.
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Arsenal continue their UEFA Champions League campaign as they host Atletico Madrid on October 21. Fans can watch the game for free by signing up for an Amazon Prime 30-day trial.
Speaking before their Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid, Seedorf said: “We want them to win now right? We want them to get to that point where they can win. I think that they are analysing things too much, and there are always these things around.”
Ex-Arsenal defender Gael Clichy was left surprised by that comment and immediately challenged the Dutchman. Clichy said: “Isn’t that football today? They analyse a lot of things.”
Seedorf replied: “I’m not saying us. We can. They’re analysing too much. Every year there is too much of this chat around Arsenal. For the team, the challenge for them and Arteta is to keep that noise out of the changing room.”
When questioned how exactly Arteta can keep his dressing room watertight to external noise, Seedorf, who is the only player to win the Champions League with three different clubs, said: “Exactly this. They need to talk about it and mention it. There is too much talk about the past, the pressure and this and that. They need to believe they can win and that’s the only thing that matters.”
Arsenal are performing strongly domestically and in Europe. They sit top of the Premier League with a three-point gap over second-placed Manchester City, and also beat Athletic Club and Olympiacos in their first two Champions League matches.
It’s likely Arteta agrees with Seedorf, too as he recently told his players to ignore those who believe they are the favourites to win the Premier League and the Champions League. In a recent press conference, Arteta said: “The only thing that I embrace is when I see the team, the energy, the temperature, the commitment – and the quality that they can deliver – that it gives me that conviction that we can go all the way.
“But that’s it, that’s just a feeling. Then in the next day you have to prove it, the next training session you have to prove it and nothing else. We cannot be busy thinking about those topics.”
When asked if he believes his players have an extra spring in their step as a result of their displays, the Spaniard added: “I haven’t noticed that but obviously there is a lot of narrative afterwards, but that’s it.
“Every game in this league is a must-win and [they are] a very difficult game to win. We’re all very appreciative of that, so you don’t get carried away with any of that. It’s happy obviously and especially after international breaks when you know that you have to align and regroup everybody.
“You could tell that in the first 10 minutes that we were a bit still getting that rhythm, but afterwards watching the game back I think that we deserved to win. There are things to improve, but we take the win and we move on now for the Champions League match.”
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