Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel didn’t hold back after Arsenal snagged a 2-1 comeback win against Newcastle United, labelling the victory “very lucky.” On his podcast, The Obi One Podcast, Mikel also accused the Gunners of being soft in the head, even claiming that Bukayo Saka got “bullied” for most of the match.
Mikel picked apart Arsenal’s performance at St James’ Park, where they managed to claw back from a goal down. Nick Woltemade put Newcastle ahead before Mikel Merino leveled things late on and Gabriel Magalhães sealed the deal with a dramatic header in the 96th minute for Mikel Arteta’s team.
Mikel’s assessment of Arsenal was brutal: “I think they’re very, very weak,” he declared. “Arsenal, I think, mentally, they’re a weak side, and if you can be able to bully them and be aggressive, you have the upper hand.”
He pinned the blame largely on Newcastle’s physical, in-your-face style of play: “For the best part of 80 minutes, 85 minutes, Newcastle were very aggressive, bullied Arsenal. And you can see Saka was always on the floor.”
Despite his old rivals taking the loss, Mikel was full of praise for Eddie Howe’s team and their high intensity, suggesting that their midfield trio of Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, and Bruno Guimarães is one of the best in the Premier League.
He even made sure to give props to the official in charge of the heated clash, Jarred Gillett: “One thing I have to say: credit to the referee. Fantastic. We don’t give them enough credit, we always batter the referees.”
While admitting that Arsenal has a high-quality squad, Mikel straight-up dismissed their chances of lifting the Premier League trophy. “I don’t think Arsenal can win the Premier League this season, I don’t think so.
I think they’re still miles off it with the team they have. They have the best squad in the Premier League, absolutely no doubt about it, but when you watch that game, the way they played, I think mentally they are very, very weak.”
The last-gasp win finally broke Arsenal’s winless streak at St James’ Park and put them just two points behind league leaders Liverpool, who stumbled against Crystal Palace.
