Wayne Rooney has spoken up for Arsenal in the face of ‘unfair’ criticism as they attempt to win the Premier League.
Even though Arsenal now lead the Premier League by seven points, numerous pundits and supporters have criticized the team.
Given their style of play, former Premier League manager Alan Pardew stated last week that Arsenal’s anticipated title victory would ‘come with an asterisk.’
While Brighton won 1-0 at the Amex Stadium, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said Mikel Arteta’s team were not even ‘trying to play football’ and accused Arsenal of ‘making their own rules.’
But former Manchester United and England captain Rooney cannot understand the criticism of Arsenal and insists he ‘enjoys’ watching the Gunners.
What Rooney Said About Arsenal And Arteta’s Criticism
Speaking on his BBC podcast, Rooney said: “I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Arsenal and the way they’re playing but I think they’ve been brilliant.
“Football is played in different ways. Man City have had spells when they were absolutely incredible, the same for my Man United team.
“But Arsenal have got a good mix, they’ve got different players who score goals, they’re hard to play against, they keep clean sheets. I actually enjoy watching them play.
“The set-pieces are part of football – why would you not use it? They put bodies in the box, if teams aren’t clever enough or haven’t got the players to deal with it, why wouldn’t Arsenal continue to do that?
“I would be doing it even more if I was Mikel Arteta. It’s part of the game and I love it – they don’t have to change anything.
“I’m not saying this because I like Arsenal, I’m saying this because I think the criticism they’re received is very unfair.”
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