With Arsenal struggling towards the wrong end of the Premier League table for long periods, there had to have been a reason why.
Poor collective form can happen of course, but reading between the lines during Mikel Arteta’s press conferences, you always had the feeling of an undercurrent.
Now, the Daily Mirror are reporting that during a recent team meeting, the manager was called out in front of the squad by one of his players.
It would appear to be that the brunt of the un-named player’s ire was down to a perception that the Spaniard had favourites in the Gunners squad, with some being treated differently to others.
Arteta does appear to be a person that has the strength of character to deal with such challenges to his authority.
However, incidents like the one reported can’t do anything for team morale.
With two wins from two and the January transfer window now open, perhaps Arteta can turn the corner and guide the Gunners to a satisfactory finish, even if that means upsetting some players along the way.
Arsenal transfer latast