Bruno Guimares and Newcastle United influence Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal tirade at St James’s Park

Newcastle United effectively ended Arsenal’s Champions League hopes with an impressive 2-0 win over The Gunners at St James’s Park back in May – much to the disappointment of manager Mikel Arteta.
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Newcastle put in arguably their performance of the season against their top four chasing opponents as a Ben White own goal and a late second from Bruno Guimaraes saw the hosts secure a deserved victory.

The Magpies had already secured Premier League safety and had little to play for other than the bonus of finishing marginally higher in the table.

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Meanwhile, Arsenal were going toe-to-toe with bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur as they looked to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

But the defeat against Newcastle left Arsenal two points behind Spurs with significantly inferior goal difference heading into the final day of the season.

Following the match, Arteta told his players in the St James’s Park dressing room that Newcastle could have scored eight on the night.

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A clip from an upcoming episode of All of Nothing: Arsenal on Amazon Prime, showed Arteta’s expletive laden rant.

Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal looks on during their defeat in the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St. James Park on May 16, 2022 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal looks on during their defeat in the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St. James Park on May 16, 2022 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal looks on during their defeat in the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St. James Park on May 16, 2022 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
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He said: “It doesn't matter what I say, it doesn't matter what you say, now it's too late. They were 10,000 times better than us today.

“In everything, with earning the right to play, we didn't win a f****** duel, we didn't win a second ball, we were horrible with the f****** ball.

“With the organisation, we have nothing, guys. Nothing. So now, shut your mouth and eat it. We could have conceded eight goals. If you see their chances, you will cry.

“You will cry the way we have competed. It's not that we competed [badly], we didn't compete at all in the game. It's f****** embarrassing to come here and work the way we have done it. Embarrassing, guys.

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“What happened today is f****** unacceptable. And if you accept something like this, you live in a different world, guys. A different world.

After a short break, Arteta continued: “Don't worry, I will face the people. Today it is hard to defend you, guys, hard. I will take all the s*** again, no worries.

"But we prepare to start tomorrow to start training, to be there, because we have our fans there.

'You never know what happens in football. They [Tottenham] might lose at Norwich. You don't know.”

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Arteta promptly stormed out of the dressing room to conduct his media duties, where he would assess the match in a more conservative and diplomatic manner.

“Really tough night,” he said during his post-match press conference. “Newcastle were 100 times better than us in every department from beginning to end. It’s very hard to accept it, but that’s the reality of what happened on the pitch.”

"The way we competed today [was disappointing]. In every department, you have to earn the right to play – and we didn't do it.

"We have to put our head down and accept the performance was nowhere near the standard required for the Champions League. From tomorrow, we'll prepare for Everton. It's still mathematically possible."

Ultimately, Arsenal missed out on a Champions League place by two points despite beating Everton comfortably on the final day.