{"id":321937,"date":"2026-04-21T01:09:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T19:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=321937"},"modified":"2026-04-21T01:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T19:39:54","slug":"arsenal-stars-might-be-questioning-strange-mikel-arteta-decision-against-man-city-says-paul-scholes-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/04\/21\/arsenal-stars-might-be-questioning-strange-mikel-arteta-decision-against-man-city-says-paul-scholes-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal stars might be questioning ‘strange’ Mikel Arteta decision against Man City, says Paul Scholes | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Eberechi Eze\u2019s substitution in Arsenal\u2019s loss was a \u2018strange\u2019 call, says Paul Scholes (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Paul Scholes says Arsenal players would likely have been scratching their heads over Mikel Arteta\u2019s \u2018strange\u2019 decision to take off Eberechi Eze within the side\u2019s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.<\/p>\n

Erling Haaland steered City to inside three points of league leaders Arsenal with the decisive goal in Sunday\u2019s showdown, however the visitors had their fair proportion of opportunities to come back away from the Etihad with at the least a draw.<\/p>\n

Kai Havertz squandered a golden likelihood to equalise within the dying moments, having earlier cancelled out Rayan Cherki\u2019s sublime opener, while the impressive Eze also struck against the woodwork in a compelling second period.<\/p>\n

But second-placed City held on to preserve their narrow advantage in front of a euphoric home crowd, ensuring they’ll dislodge the Gunners at the highest of the Premier League table in the event that they get the higher of Burnley on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

The result means Arsenal \u2013 runners-up in each of the last three seasons \u2013 have won just one in every of their last six games in all competitions ahead of their encounter with Newcastle this weekend. <\/p>\n

Jus nine days ago, a win over Bournemouth would have sent Arsenal 12 points clear on the summit. Nonetheless, a pair of crushing losses in as many games mean City have all of the momentum ahead of their trip to Turf Moor.<\/p>\n

\u2018I believe Pep Guardiola might put winning the league this season down as one in every of his biggest achievements as a coach,\u2019 Scholes said on The Good, The Bad & The Football<\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n

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City will leapfrog Arsenal in the event that they win at Burnley on Wednesday night (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Arteta\u2019s side had the possibility to go 12 points clear before their defeat to Bournemouth (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018You think that where City were in December, they were struggling. Last 12 months, they were struggling.<\/p>\n

\u2018One thing I might say is that they spent well in January. You think that of Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi\u2026 <\/p>\n

\u2018I believe Arsenal were decent yesterday but once you play big games, you may lose them. You understand you could.<\/p>\n

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\u2018But I\u2019ve just seen with Arsenal, over the previous few years, in the event that they\u2019re going to win the league then they\u2019re going to must beat them and so they\u2019ve failed to try this again yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u2018They’d big probabilities and also you discuss difference in centre-forwards, I believe if those probabilities come to Erling Haaland then it\u2019s a goal. You\u2019ve got to be ruthless in those situations and unfortunately Kai Havertz just wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u2018I believe Arteta modified just a little bit yesterday and it\u2019s not all the time easy to try this once you\u2019re going a certain way, playing a certain way. Hastily, he played quite an attacking team, a really attacking team.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was exciting but you may\u2019t just switch it on and off like that.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Eze was arguably Arsenal\u2019s biggest threat before he was replaced (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Considering Eze\u2019s impact up until that time, ex-Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira was left puzzled by Arteta\u2019s decision to substitute the England international for Leandro Trossard within the 74th minute.<\/p>\n

Based on Scholes, Eze\u2019s team-mates on the pitch can have been similarly confused after they saw the forward\u2019s number raised on the fourth official\u2019s board.<\/p>\n

\u2018To indicate a little bit of intent they need to have brought Declan Rice or Martn Zubimendi off, just go for goal,\u2019 Scholes argued.<\/p>\n

\u2018Whenever you\u2019re taking a look at the sport, you\u2019re pondering, \u201cEze\u2019s playing well here, Eze is having an enormous influence on the sport\u201d, and I might\u2019ve thought the opposite players might be pondering, \u201cThat\u2019s an odd one\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Silva was \u2018unbelievable\u2019 against the Gunners, says Scholes (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Afterward in his evaluation, Scholes made sure to focus on the \u2018unbelievable\u2019 impact Bernardo Silva made in Sunday\u2019s top-of-the-table clash.<\/p>\n

\u2018You discuss big players standing up. Take a look at who stood up yesterday\u2026 Bernardo Silva. Unbelievable,\u2019 the 11-time Premier League winner gushed.<\/p>\n

\u2018Where are Arsenal\u2019s players which are going to win you the league in big games like that? Where\u2019s your Declan Rice? Declan Rice is an ideal player but he wasn\u2019t quite there yesterday.\u2019<\/p>\n

Speaking shortly after Arsenal\u2019s setback in Manchester, a defiant Arteta insisted his \u2018belief\u2019 had not waned given the standard he continues to see from his players each day in training.<\/p>\n

\u2018I imagine today, I imagine on Wednesday, I believed per week ago because I see them day by day and I do know the extent that we’ve got,\u2019 the Arsenal head coach told reporters.<\/p>\n

\u2018But today, in the event that they should be more convinced, I believe they at the moment are more convinced. We’re talking about it within the dressing room.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a brand new league now. We’ve got three points of advantage, they’ve the sport in hand.<\/p>\n

\u2018All the things remains to be to play for. We know the way much we would like it and we will not be going to stop!\u2019<\/p>\n

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Who will win the Premier League title this season?<\/h3>\n