Mikel Arteta needs to stop micromanaging – he must have more belief in his Arsenal players

EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal took their winning streak in all competitions into double figures on Tuesday night - but that hasn't stopped MIkel Arteta being sent a blunt message

Mikel Arteta has been told to stop micromanaging and give his Arsenal players licence to thrill. The Gunners took their winning streak in all competitions into double figures with a 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Saturday's 2-0 win at Burnley was their fifth in a row in the Premier League and moved them six points clear in top spot. The Gunners are now the overriding favourites to win the title this season, having finished second in each of the last three campaigns.

But former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer believes Arteta is still guilty of micromanaging and has told him to start believing in his players more, especially from an attacking point of view.

“As for Arsenal, I think they bought really, really well,” McAteer told football.london, via Casino.org Ireland. “I think Arteta has got to stop micromanaging.

“I think he's a fantastic manager. I think what he's done over the last three or four seasons has been brilliant.

“It's a funny sport. It's like you can be at the top of your game, and then you get a (Roger) Federer that comes along and just wins everything. It doesn't mean that you're bad.

“It just means that they are like one in a million, and it happened to Arsenal. It happened to Liverpool; it was City.

“It happened to Arsenal because of City and then because of Liverpool. But I think right now, I think the team he's built is the strongest.

“I think it's the most equipped. I think he's got to stop micromanaging, and he's got to start believing in his tools.

“It feels like he's holding them back a little bit. He's a little bit too pragmatic. He's got to believe in (Eberechi) Eze. You've got to believe in (Martin) Odegaard.

“He's got to believe in all that creative talent and go and win football matches with it instead of going, I'm going to defend.

“I'm going to get a nil-nil, and then I'm going to nick it because I can throw Eze on. I can throw on (Leandro) Trossard, I can throw on so-and-so, and so on. I know Odegaard is on; I've got (Bukayo) Saka.

“I can throw (Noni) Madueke on. Just pick the team to win the game by two or three or four and go and win it by two or three or four. Go and do it, and stop micromanaging everything.”