Gary Neville claims Mikel Arteta’s approach could cause unrest in the Arsenal dressing room.

Gary Neville warns Mikel Arteta’s cautious tactics risk sparking Arsenal dressing room unrest ahead of key Premier League clashes.

Former Manchester United captain and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has raised concerns about potential Arsenal dressing room unrest following Mikel Arteta’s tactical decisions. Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Neville suggested that the manager’s cautious approach in big matches could frustrate players and affect morale.

Neville’s comments followed Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Emirates. Arteta surprised many by benching attacking stars Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli, starting instead with Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard. The decision backfired early as Erling Haaland struck for City inside ten minutes.

Although Martinelli came off the bench to score a late equalizer, Neville argued that Arsenal wasted valuable time by playing too cautiously. He claimed such decisions might contribute to Arsenal dressing room unrest and undermine confidence within the squad.

“He names that team on Friday afternoon or Thursday in training and he leaves out Eze and Martinelli for Trossard and Merino. I guarantee you that dressing room, straight away, are looking at him and thinking, ‘Hmm, you’ve done it again,’” Neville said.

A Trend of Caution?

According to Neville, this is not an isolated incident. He highlighted similar conservative tactics in previous matches against Liverpool and Manchester United, warning that the pattern could damage Arsenal’s Premier League title push.

Jamie Carragher echoed his colleague’s views, urging Arteta to trust his attacking talents from the start. With Liverpool already five points clear at the top, pressure is mounting on Arsenal to be more adventurous and to avoid more Arsenal dressing room unrest.

Arteta Defends His Decisions

Arteta, however, stood by his approach. He argued that Arsenal controlled large parts of the game against City and that his selections were based on strategy, not hesitation. The Arsenal boss expressed surprise at Neville’s remarks but insisted his methods were right for the team.

Balancing squad depth remains a challenge, especially with captain Martin Ødegaard recovering from injury. With fierce competition for places between Eze, Martinelli, Saka, and Trossard, Arteta must keep both performances and morale high. Arsenal’s next Premier League clash against Newcastle United will be another test of whether he can adapt and avoid more Arsenal dressing room unrest.

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