Manchester United legend, Peter Schmeichel has delivered a scathing assessment of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, describing their style of football as “ugly” and “annoying” following the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s thunderous 83rd-minute free-kick at Anfield handed Arsenal their first loss of the 2025–26 Premier League season, as Arne Slot’s Liverpool maintained their perfect start.
Speaking to Viaplay, Schmeichel said Arsenal have become difficult to watch under Arteta and claimed their approach to the game lacks entertainment value.
“I don’t want to insult Arsenal, but their brand of football is so annoying to watch,” the former Denmark goalkeeper said. “It’s designed to exploit opponents’ mistakes and wait for set pieces. Then they slow the game down and kill the tempo.”
“Arsenal bring an ugly brand of football to our game,” he added. Schmeichel argued that Arteta should encourage his team to play more attractive, attacking football — even if it means occasionally dropping points.
Despite Sunday’s defeat, Arsenal are still considered serious contenders for the Premier League title this season, after narrowly missing out in the previous campaigns.
