ESPN’s pundits, including former Arsenal player Stewart Robson, spent a surprising amount of time complaining about Mikel Arteta after last night’s Champions League semi-final.
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The Gunners boss had just celebrated guiding the club to only their second ever appearance in the Champions League final after beating Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium, and yet it seems much of the focus was on personal digs at his antics.
Watch below for a bizarre exchange between the ESPN host and ex-Gunner Robson as they discuss wanting to “punch Arteta in the face” whilst questioning if he’s actually doing any real coaching or just acting up for the cameras…
Meanwhile, this is what the folks at ESPN are talking about. These men are so weird. pic.twitter.com/K8O3XsYBXt
— Uzumaki Tony (@thearsfamily97) May 6, 2026
Pictures from ESPN
“He’s meant to coach the game, he’s meant to give instructions,” Robson said.
“All Arteta does, I think he’s doing it for himself, is ‘look at me I’m great, I run this club, I do this, I do that’.
“It’s just absolutely pathetic.”
Robson added that in last night’s game he could hardly watch Arteta and said he had to turn away when his face appeared or he would have had to throw something at his TV.
Why does Mikel Arteta rub people up the wrong way?
Arteta is clearly not everyone’s cup of tea, and yet it’s a bit strange that he seems to get so much more criticism than a lot of managers who do similar things.
Last night’s opponent, Diego Simeone, is one example of someone else who doesn’t always cover himself in glory, while even greats like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp often get quite animated.
And don’t get us started on Jose Mourinho.
Perhaps the issue with Arteta is that he’s yet to win one of the major trophies, though the Spanish tactician may now be in with a serious chance of lifting both the Premier League and Champions League titles this season.
Is it time to show him a bit more respect, or does he need to calm down with his behaviour on the touchline? Give us your thoughts in the comments!
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The post Pundits and ex-Arsenal player joke about wanting to “punch Arteta in the face” in bizarre rant appeared first on CaughtOffside.