Mikel Arteta has Arsenal in contention for both Premier League and Champions League glory this season but his tactics are not for everyone with some criticising the Spaniard
Thierry Henry says fans have to 'accept' Mikel Arteta's pragmatic approach amid complaints over how Arsenal have played at times this year in their pursuit of major honours.
The Gunners are fighting to land their first Premier League title in more than 20 years against Manchester City, while the north London outfit also have a golden chance to reach just their second ever Champions League final in the coming days with Atletico Madrid standing between them and Budapest.
Arsenal were challenging for both domestic cups, too, only to lose against City in the Carabao Cup final and Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals in a short period.
There has been criticism from some of Arsenal's own supporters over the team's tactics and performances despite another strong season, while others have branded the Gunners as boring due to the amount of goals they have scored from set-pieces and their defensive record.
But Henry wants people to embrace Arteta's approach rather than take issue with it. Speaking ahead of the first leg of Arsenal's semi-final tie with Atletico, the Gunners legend told CBS Sports: "Atletico lost at The Emirates, I think it was 4-0 in the league phase, which doesn’t tell you a lot but it tells you it’s a game where we created, actually.
"But it will be different. The win, Arsenal against Newcastle [on Saturday], in terms of how we played wasn’t outstanding but it’s way better to go into that game with a win against Newcastle.
"So let’s see what’s going to happen [on Wednesday]. It’s not so much what I want to see, people are expecting or wanting Arsenal to play a certain way now, they didn’t the whole year. Why do you want them now to just go forward and start to create?"
Arteta has re-established Arsenal as a force both domestically and in Europe since taking charge of the club in December 2019. After finishing second in the league for three consecutive years, this is the first time in the club's history that Arsenal have reached back-to-back Champions League semi-finals.
Pressure is growing on him to win silverware though, after Manchester City wiped out their significant lead at the Premier League summit, but there is still a chance for them to win the title and claim a first European crown before the season is done.
"They play a certain way, Mikel Arteta plays a certain way, we’re strong on set-pieces, solid, we don’t create a lot," Henry continued. "I would just like to see a win, that will do for me and bring something to The Emirates.
"You have to be pragmatic sometimes. You cannot always be Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain, we play a different way. I think people have to accept the fact that Mikel Arteta goes about the game like that and hopefully we can win."