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  "path": "/sport/football/where-is-it-going-wrong-for-arsenal",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-05T11:17:22.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "2-1 defeat to Southampton",
    "Clare Balding forced to apologise after Oxford cox outburst on live TV",
    "Matt Le Tissier handed EFL job four years after leaving role following Gary Lineker criticism",
    "Emma Raducanu's illness explained as British tennis star targets Madrid Open return",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nArsenal’s season has not collapsed, but over the past fortnight, the illusion of control has.\n\nDefeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, followed by a shock FA Cup exit at Southampton, has exposed fragilities that had been quietly building beneath the surface of Mikel Arteta’s project.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nOn paper, this remains a strong campaign. Arsenal still lead the Premier League and are alive in Europe. But cup football has a way of revealing uncomfortable truths—and right now, the Gunners look a side running on the edge.\n\nThe most immediate issue is defensive vulnerability. Arteta himself admitted his side conceded “avoidable” goals in the 2-1 defeat to Southampton, a match in which Arsenal dominated possession but lacked control where it mattered most.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThis is becoming a pattern. Against Manchester City at Wembley, Arsenal were similarly undone by moments rather than sustained pressure.\n\nElite teams win cups by managing moments. Arsenal, increasingly, are losing them.\n\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Clare Balding forced to apologise after Oxford cox outburst on live TV\n  * Matt Le Tissier handed EFL job four years after leaving role following Gary Lineker criticism\n  * Emma Raducanu's illness explained as British tennis star targets Madrid Open return\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\nThere is also the question of squad depth - and how Arteta is using it. Rotation at St Mary’s saw only a handful of players retained from the previous match, a decision that disrupted rhythm and cohesion.\n\nWhile understandable given a packed schedule, it hinted at a lack of trust in the wider squad or, at the very least, a drop-off in quality beyond the starting XI.\n\nInjuries have compounded the problem. Key players have been in and out, and Arteta has acknowledged the team is in a “difficult period.”\n\nWhen margins are fine, as they are in knockout football, those absences become decisive.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBut perhaps the most concerning issue is psychological.\n\n\nThis Arsenal side had been chasing multiple trophies, with talk of a treble or even more. That ambition has now been cut down abruptly.\n\nThe Carabao Cup final defeat ended hopes of a domestic clean sweep, and the loss to a Championship side has punctured the aura that had been building around this team.\n\nGreat sides respond to setbacks. But they rarely suffer two in such quick succession -especially not against inferior opposition.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThere is a sense that Arsenal have struggled to handle expectation. When chasing, they have looked dynamic and fearless.\n\nBut when presented with the pressure of delivering silverware, they have tightened up. The clinical edge disappears, defensive concentration slips, and games drift away.\n\nSouthampton’s winner, late, decisive, and avoidable, felt symbolic. Arsenal had control, but not command.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nNone of this means the season is doomed. Far from it. Arsenal remain favourites for the league and are well-positioned in Europe. But the past two results have shifted the narrative.\n\nWhat once looked like a historic campaign now risks becoming one of missed opportunity.\nArteta said his players must “look in the mirror.” He is right.\n\nBecause the warning signs are clear: defensive lapses, squad imbalance, and a mentality still short of champions when it matters most. Until those are addressed, Arsenal may continue to flatter in the long run - but fall short when the stakes are highest.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Where is it going wrong for Arsenal? Two devastating defeats in a row for Gunners"
}