Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes criticism of his team's playing style is coming only from a "very small minority" of observers. The Gunners have won 10 of their 11 games this season, but they have not been scoring freely and have struggled to break down teams that defend deep. On Sunday, they needed an 80th-minute goal from substitute Noni Madueke to edge past Nottingham Forest. It was just their 11th goal in seven Premier League games so far.
Arsenal won the Premier League last season by conceding the fewest goals in the league and scoring the most from set-pieces. They have not registered a set-piece goal yet this campaign in any competition. Asked about the debate, Arteta said: "I don't have that impression because I heard that the style was incredible. We have scored so many goals, we have more possession, more shots, different players participating, no goals on set-pieces. So the story is completely different to last year."
Arteta acknowledged there is room for improvement against teams with deep-lying defences. "The low block demands a different kind of game to the high block," said the Spaniard, whose side face Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. "Still, I think on Sunday, we could have done things better. And that's in our hands."
Goalkeeper David Raya says the players are not irritated by questions about their style and suggests the team's record speaks for itself. "We have lost one game in 11 this season and if you call that boring or irritating, I don't know what to say," he said. "We enjoy playing football... and that's the most important thing."
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing