Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney backs Mikel Arteta and says players to blame for slump

Kieran Tierney has defended under-fire Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and said the players must shoulder the blame for the club’s worst start to a top-flight season since 1974.

Arsenal have endured a miserable campaign so far and that continued last night as Burnley beat them 1-0 at Emirates Stadium after Granit Xhaka was sent off for grabbing Ashley Westwood by the throat and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored an own goal.

Defeat leaves Arsenal 15th in the Premier League after 12 games and this is their worst start to a top-flight campaign since the 1974-75 season. The Gunners have now also lost four straight league games at home for the first time in 61 years and they were booed off the pitch last night.;

 

That poor form has led to pressure increasing on Arteta and the Spaniard coming in for criticism, but Tierney has now defended his manager and claimed the players must take responsibility for results.

“It’s not good enough. There is no way to disguise it. It’s terrible, to be honest,” he said.

It’s not what we are, not where we are as a club. It’s not what the fans deserve, it’s not what the manager deserves, it’s not what the board and that deserve.

“It’s us players that need to take responsibility for this. It’s on us and nobody else. We have got a great manager and we believe in him 100 per cent. The blame is on us, nobody else.”

Burnley’s win on Sunday was their first top-flight victory over Arsenal since 1974 and it ended a 15-game winless run.

They secured the victory 17 minutes from full-time when Aubameyang headed a corner into his own net.