I have never paid much attention to the football 'pundits' who appear on television, because what passes for punditry these days is nothing more than recycled platitudes. Tribal allegiances are dressed up as objectivity and hot takes designed as expert analysis that are designed to generate social media engagement rather than genuine insight.
Of course there are exceptions, but they are rare. For every Thierry Henry there is a Jamie Redknapp and a Gary Neville.
But mostly the whole business of football punditry has always thrived on controversy. Say something ridiculous and watch the clicks and engagement increase. Impressions and clicks are given more priority than facts and insights. However, the recent chorus of criticism directed at Arsenal by these so-called experts reveals something far more revealing than legitimate tactical analysis — these rival legends just can’t swallow the fact that their former teams are nowhere near the levels of the Gunners.
When Paul Scholes and Jamie O'Hara label Arsenal as potentially "the most boring side to win the Premier League," they're just broadcasting their inability to wrap their heads around the fact that Mikel Arteta has set the ‘fogging estandards’ at the Emirates that everyone else, including Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, are finding hard to replicate.
Arsenal aren't boring. We are brilliant. And that brilliance, expressed through meticulous preparation, tactical sophistication, and relentless execution, has set a new benchmark that has left traditional football romantics scrambling for criticism that holds water.
The most laughable aspect of this manufactured outrage centers on Arsenal's proficiency from set pieces. Rival fans have in fact started calling us Set-Piece FC. Yes, we score from corners and free kicks. Nicolas Jover, the set-piece coach, has turned dead-ball situations into one of our most potent weapons. We are the best in this in Europe and and apparently, this constitutes a crime against the beautiful game.
This criticism would be comical if it weren't so transparent. When did effectiveness become boring? When did preparation become a weakness? Arsenal's set-piece mastery isn't some fortunate accident or exploitation of a loophole. It is the result of relentless work in training, innovative coaching, precise execution, and players intelligent enough to execute the plans. We have revolutionised how modern football approaches these situations. But since we are Arsenal, criticism is expected. When Liverpool were scoring from set-pieces last season, the very same pundits hailed them as ‘ruthless’. But apparently we are ‘boring’.
Perhaps we should retroactively strip titles from those who benefited from Didier Drogba's headed goals, from Sergio Ramos's crucial corners, from countless title-deciding dead-ball situations throughout Premier League history. The argument collapses under the slightest scrutiny.
Beyond the manufactured set-piece controversy lies Arteta and Andrea Berta’s genuine achievement — squad depth that rivals anything European football has witnessed in recent memory. They haven’t just assembled talented individuals; they have created a system where the drop-off from first choice to backup options is negligible, where tactical flexibility exists across multiple positions, and where squad rotation strengthens rather than weakens the team.
We have missed Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard through injuries yet never felt their absence, such is our bench strength.We possess options in every position that would start for most Premier League sides. This is what elite squad planning and execution looks like.
The depth extends beyond mere numbers. Arteta has cultivated a squad mentality where everyone understands their role, where egos are sublimated to collective success, and where competition for places elevates performance levels across the board.
This level of squad depth allows Arsenal to compete genuinely on multiple fronts without the fatigue-induced collapses that have derailed previous title challenges. It's why they can maintain intensity in their pressing game deep into matches and late in the season. It's why their tactical execution remains crisp regardless of personnel changes. And it's precisely why rivals are scrambling to find criticisms that stick.
The claim that Arsenal play boring football fundamentally misunderstands what constitutes entertainment in modern football. Arteta's Arsenal don't simply overwhelm opponents through individual brilliance, though they possess that in abundance. They systematically dismantle teams through positional superiority, tactical discipline, and execution precision that leaves opponents demoralized.
Teams fear us because we play suffocating football. Our press is relentless, which forces opponents to make mistakes. Our ball retention makes them chase shadows, positional rotations create overloads in dangerous areas. Our defence, the best in Europe bar none, crushes counterattacking opportunities. This is comprehensive dominance.
Watch how opponents set up against Arsenal. They defend deep, often with five at the back, prioritising damage limitation over victory. They celebrate point accumulation rather than performance quality. They acknowledge, through their tactical approach, that Arsenal represent a standard they cannot match. When was the last time a "boring" team inspired such consistent defensive capitulation from opponents?
The style criticism also ignores our attacking output. We score goals from open play, from set pieces, from counterattacks, from patient build-up, from explosive transitions. They create chances through individual skill, collective movement, and tactical innovation.
We are the only unbeaten side in the Champions League this season. This achievement, often glossed over by English media desperate to maintain their "Arsenal aren't quite there yet" narrative, represents unprecedented success. We have navigated European football's most demanding competition without defeat, facing quality opposition and outplaying them. This ‘boring’ Arsenal blew Bayern Munich and Inter Milan away.
When direct criticism of Arsenal fails, detractors pivot to environmental explanations: the Premier League must be weak this season, they argue, otherwise Arsenal wouldn't be succeeding. This lazy narrative disintegrates when confronted with actual evidence.
The Premier League has five teams in the Champions League top eight this season, so any suggestions that other teams in the Premier League are weak is completely false. If the league were genuinely weak, you'd expect English teams to struggle in European competition where they face supposedly superior opposition.
The weak league argument also insults the quality of our domestic rivals. Manchester City, despite their challenges, remain among Europe's elite. Liverpool continue performing at exceptional levels. Other Premier League clubs possess resources and talent that dwarf most European opposition. Arsenal's success comes despite facing relentless quality week after week, not because of its absence.
Understanding why these particular criticisms emerge requires examining their psychological underpinnings. Paul Scholes and Jamie O'Hara don't critique Arsenal's methods because they genuinely believe them to be problematic. They do so because our success challenges the very narratives they've invested in. It disrupts hierarchies they're comfortable with, and lays bare the fact that their former clubs' approaches aren't automatically superior.
There's a generational component too. Traditional football thinking emphasised individual brilliance, moment magic, and romantic ideals about how the game should be played. What Arteta has established at Arsenal represents modern football's evolution: systematic, data-informed, tactically sophisticated, and collectively greater than individual parts. This threatens the legacy of players whose careers predated such systematic excellence.
The boring accusation specifically reveals insecurity masquerading as criticism. When you cannot attack the effectiveness, you attack the aesthetics. When you cannot challenge the results, you challenge the methods. When you cannot replicate the success, you delegitimise it through subjective judgments designed to preserve your own relevance.
Mikel Arteta has established new standards across every dimension that matters. Squad depth that allows genuine multi-competition challenges. Tactical sophistication that adapts to any opponent. Set-piece execution that represents coaching excellence. Mental resilience demonstrated through pressure navigation. European success that confirms domestic dominance translates globally.
These standards aren't negotiable or temporary. They represent football's present and future. Teams must now match Arsenal's preparation, tactical intelligence, squad planning, and execution precision or accept inferiority.
The criticism Arsenal endure is confirmation of revolutionary strength. When you set new standards, those failing to meet them will always find reasons why the standards themselves are problematic. When you redefine excellence, those clinging to previous definitions will always claim excellence has been corrupted.
Arsenal aren't the most boring team to potentially win the Premier League. We are the most complete, the most prepared, and the most deserving. The evidence is overwhelming. These are the fogging estandards.