Magnificent obsession now harming Arsenal's title run

Mikel Arteta’s desire to control every single detail is the reason they are top of the table, writes Miguel Delaney. It is also exhausting, and could become a problem in the run-in

- Miguel Delaney

It was the sort of scene that just shouldn’t be possible for a team in command of first place.

Arsenal were going seven points clear and 2-0 up against the Premier League’s doomed bottom side - only to end the match arguing with Wolves players, after a chaotic late equaliser.

They suddenly looked like a team out of control.

There is a profound irony there, one that could be seen in Mikel Arteta's shell-shocked post-game press conference.

That is because he is a manager who seeks more control over his team than any manager, including Pep Guardiola.

It is both the reason Arsenal are where they are and a problem that may ultimately prevent them from getting to where they really, really, want to go. The very desire itself has become another issue.

Arteta has been empowered to fully indulge an instinct that was already there - and has taken them this far - but may now start to be self-defeating at the crucial moment when victory is so close.

Those who know Arteta say he is the ultimate “probabilities guy”. He looks at every single detail - right down to the temperature of the ice baths and the steering wheel on the bus - and assesses what can be done to statistically improve the chances of success.

Some around the club have already started to wonder how that fits with the signing and selection of Viktor Gyokeres as the main striker, a struggling player who may unfairly become a lightning rod for criticism if silverware doesn't happen for Arsenal.

Other sources insist that Arteta is no longer playing to the strengths of such attackers in the way he did between 2022 and 2024. This can be witnessed in relatively pitiful goal numbers for attackers. And it is here where this desire for control is starting to turn into a lock, one beginning to prevent Arsenal from pushing on.

Arteta has become so obsessed with increasing probabilities that it is starting to make a long-awaited title less likely.