OPINION: Arsenal must stay united, or they will lose more than matches

Mikel Arteta is losing matches, but he can not lose the dressing room.

No matter the sport or the geographical location of any team or club, the one thing a coach or manager can’t do is lose the confidence and respect of his players.

Now, I’m not saying this is happening at Arsenal right now, however, with the current state of our Premier League status continuing in decline, this is the time when negativity and blame sets in. This is when internal division begins, and when players start taking sides, either for or against the boss.

With that said, it’s now time for the senior players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Willian, Hector Bellerion, Granit Xhaka and David Luiz to step up and unite this squad. In my opinion, the players need to stay the course behind Mikel Arteta. Let the owner and club executives make the tough decisions. Players need to play.

Yes, I would agree Arteta has made some critical mistakes in his first year as the head guy. Mesut Ozil, William Saliba, Lucas Torreira are among a few players he could have dealt with differently for the well being of the club, both on and off the pitch.

Today, Arsenal is in crisis mode. Games are coming thick and fast through December, and positive results are needed.

Leaders lead by example, and so far in the past two days, I’m most impressed by the leadership from two of the younger guys, Kieren Tierney and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Like I said, leaders lead by example. We’ll soon find out who those leaders are.

Arsenal must stay united, or they will lose more than matches. They will begin to lose respect.

Gunner1953