John Obi Mikel: Arsenal can retain Premier League title, but Arteta must make them more entertaining

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has backed Arsenal to retain their Premier League title but challenged Mikel Arteta’s side to add greater entertainment to their game as they seek to build on last season’s historic triumph.

Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the English top-flight title last season, finishing seven points ahead of Manchester City after collecting 85 points. Their success capped a long-term project under Arteta, following three successive second-place finishes.

But with the pressure of ending that drought now gone, Mikel believes the champions should approach their title defence with greater freedom and express themselves more in attack.

Speaking to Flashscore during his visit to Ghana for The Obi One Podcast, the former Nigeria international identified Arsenal’s continuity as a major advantage over their rivals.

“Arsenal, I think they win because, again, they are the team that is settled. They have had the same team for the past five or six years, the same manager. He has built the team, he has built the winning squad, and now again he has added to that squad.”

Mikel believes Arsenal’s stability could prove decisive after several of their main challengers underwent significant changes.

“I think they will get better and better. You can see City now, they struggle. Pep Guardiola has left, a lot of players have left, Rodri has gone. Chelsea have a new manager, Liverpool have a new manager, Newcastle have a new manager, Tottenham have a new manager, Manchester City as well, and Manchester United still have a relatively new manager.”

“When you put all of that into consideration, Arsenal are the team that is steady, stable and settled. I think that is something that is going to give them the advantage this season.”

Mikel wants Arsenal to entertain

While Mikel expects Arsenal to successfully defend their crown, he believes their style of play must improve.

The Gunners built much of their title-winning campaign around defensive organisation and set-piece strength, but Mikel wants Arteta to unleash the attacking quality within his squad now that the burden of a 22-year wait has been removed.

“I think they will go on to defend the title, but again, the question is: how do they defend it? Do they play more entertaining football, more exciting football, or are they going to be boring like they did last year?”

“We want to see them express themselves because they have the players there. They have the talent to do it. Be free, express yourself. Now the pressure of not having won it for the past 22 years is gone.”

“Now they have to be free, play with freedom, defend it with pride. That’s what we want.”

Mikel was particularly critical of Arsenal’s reliance on set-pieces and their tendency to slow matches down, arguing that their squad has enough quality to win games without resorting heavily to those methods.

“We don’t want to see the boring Arsenal scoring with set-pieces and corner-kicks. The first game I saw, they played well, they were exciting. That’s what the fans want to see.”

The match he referenced was Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City in their opening game of the title defence, a performance he viewed as an example of the attacking freedom he wants to see more regularly.

‘I talk about the things nobody wants to talk about’

Mikel has previously questioned Arsenal’s use of set-pieces and game management, but insists his comments are not driven by hostility towards the champions.

Instead, he believes he has been highlighting issues that have since prompted changes to the Laws of the Game, particularly around time-wasting.

“Listen, when I talk about Arsenal, I talk about the things that nobody wants to talk about. That’s the thing. I talk about the things that people don’t want to talk about most of the time.”

“The corner-kicks, the way they won games. I wasn’t making it up. Now what has happened? FIFA has changed the rules.”

He pointed to changes targeting time-wasting, including sanctions against goalkeepers who hold the ball for more than eight seconds and measures designed to speed up delayed restarts.

“The waste of time has changed. They take 20 seconds to kick a corner, to take a throw-in, all that has changed. FIFA has changed the rules. You can’t foul now.”

“So if I wasn’t saying the truth, nobody would care about it. But it means I was saying something that was right. A lot of people are scared to say it, but I say the things that people don’t want to say.”

Despite his criticism, Mikel insists he has no issue with Arsenal’s success and accepts that teams have the right to find different ways to win.

“I don’t have a problem with Arsenal. They can win a game however they choose to win a game, but I want to see the game played in the right way, in an honest way, whereby you can’t keep fouling the goalkeeper time after time.”

West Ham clash remains significant

One match from Arsenal’s title-winning campaign remains particularly prominent in Mikel’s criticism: their meeting with West Ham.

He believes the fixture highlighted the controversy surrounding the use of physical tactics and the interpretation of fouls in set-piece situations.

“The game against West Ham was the pivotal one last year. I think that game will be talked about for many, many years because a lot of things happened.”

“Arsenal were scoring so many goals like that, but then when it happened against them, a foul was given.”

Mikel ultimately maintains that his comments are about how he believes football should be played rather than an attempt to undermine Arsenal’s achievement.

“I have nothing against Arsenal. I wish them well, but of course I want to see my team Chelsea continue to win. I hope we get back to winning ways.”