Former Super Eagles Arsenal fan explains the problem of Arteta's team

Former Super Eagles midfielder and devoted Arsenal supporter John Ogu has questioned the team’s mentality as the primary catalyst behind the Gunners' recent struggles in the Premier League title run-in. 

During his recent appearance on the Home Turf podcast, Ogu warned that Mikel Arteta’s squad is currently navigating a highly precarious situation, as losses take a toll on the mentality of footballers.

To underscore the necessity of a championship mentality, Ogu leveraged his own relatively successful professional career, specifically referencing his dominant tenure in the Middle East.

The 37-year-old Nigerian emphasised the importance of having an elite psychological edge, presenting his three back-to-back Israeli Premier League titles (2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18) as credentials.

“I've been playing for almost 20 years. I'll tell you it has to do with mentality, because after every game, they watch their matches and analyse where they can do better,” he said.

“When I was in Israel, we won titles for three years straight, and the coach would ask us what we could've done better.

“Everyone wants to win. I'm a big Arsenal fan. they've been in my life for so long. We lost to Manchester City and Southampton, but I'll tell you no football player is happy to lose.”

With a title-defining showdown against Manchester City looming at the Etihad on Sunday, Arsenal’s recent slump is rightly a source of concern. 

They have managed just one win in their last five outings, including a demoralising 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth. Their current run of form mirrors the exact psychological collapses which saw them painfully surrender the 2022/23 and 2023/24 Premier League titles to Pep Guardiola's side during the gruelling final weeks of those respective campaigns.