Arsenal's collapse against Wolves leaves questions for Mikel Arteta over mentality, selection and Premier League title bid

Arsenal's title charge is faltering following their second-half collapse against the Premier League's bottom side Wolves. It's two wins from seven Premier League games for Mikel Arteta's side. Next up? A trip to Spurs, live on Sky Sports on Sunday.

Arsenal are still rated as title favourites. According to Opta, they have a 79.7 chance of lifting the crown. But their recent wobble gives Manchester City the chance to close the gap to just two points and supporters are anxious about history repeating itself.

Here, we look at the key questions facing Arteta as Arsenal fight to get their title challenge back on track in what might prove to be a pivotal weekend, with Manchester City facing Newcastle on Saturday before the Gunners go to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Is it time to take the shackles off?

Arsenal's collapse at Molineux was the undoubted low point of their season so far. Wolves are not just the Premier League's bottom club, they are statistically one of the worst sides in the history of the competition, seemingly doomed to relegation already.

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But the way it played out was familiar. Arsenal appeared gripped by panic, despite being in front. And instead of pressing home their advantage, they retreated, just as they did in last month's loss to Manchester United and last week's draw with Brentford.

Arsenal have lost seven points from winning positions across their last five Premier League games. Since the turn of the year, only Crystal Palace and West Ham have higher totals. But this pattern of surrendering the initiative in games is not new.

Arteta has built the best defence in the Premier League. Increasingly, though, it feels like he falls back on that defensive strength too readily. The instinct is to protect rather than go for the jugular. As a result, Arsenal make games more difficult than they need to be.

The punishment has been brutal lately. Arsenal have conceded eight goals from chances worth an expected total of only 4.93 across their eight Premier League games since the turn of the year. Wolves scored twice on Wednesday from only 0.29 xG.

Maybe their luck will turn. But it feels increasingly clear that a switch of emphasis is necessary. It might require Arteta to go against his instincts, but there is surely enough evidence now to suggest Arsenal would be better off dialling up their attacking intent than falling back on their defence after going in front.

If Arteta is reluctant to make the change, it is probably because he knows it might leave his side more open out of possession. But right now, Arsenal's attack-then-defend mentality is inviting pressure, literally and figuratively, and it is taking a heavy toll.

Arsenal's hopes of getting their title challenge back on track, and avoiding a repeat of previous disappointments, may depend on their manager adjusting the balance between defence and attack.

Does Arteta really trust his squad?

Events at Molineux raised more questions about Arteta's use of his squad. Much has been made of Arsenal's strength in depth. Is the manager really tapping into it?

Only six Premier League sides have made more than Arsenal's 60 line-up changes this season but certain players appear overworked while others are underutilised.

Martin Zubimendi and Jurrien Timber fall into the first category. They rank first and second among Arsenal players for minutes played in all competitions this season. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that they have shown clear signs of fatigue lately.

All the while, Christian Norgaard and Ben White have hardly featured in the Premier League. Arteta's reluctance to use White is particularly curious given his importance to the side in previous seasons. Timber might be the more reliable defender, but White's attacking thrust has been sorely missed on Arsenal's right.

Further forward, Eberechi Eze is the obvious candidate for more minutes.

As in the case of White, there might be some trade-off defensively in picking him ahead of other options. But there can be no doubting his attacking quality. A player signed to bring Arsenal an 'X-factor' has only started one of their last 11 Premier League games.

Arteta has not been helped by injuries to Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard lately, but a lack of balance in his forward line has been a reoccurring issue too.

Against Wolves, his front three was made up of players who need space to run into in Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli, leaving Bukayo Saka in the No 10 role as the only small-space specialist with the guile to unlock a deep defence.

The issue of imbalance was apparent in last month's defeat to Manchester United too, when Arteta went the other way, selecting a highly technical front three of Leandro Trossard, Saka and Gabriel Jesus which left Arenal with little threat in transition.

The lack of variety in his attacking selections is harming Arsenal offensively and adding to the questions around how Arteta is using the personnel at his disposal this season.

Can Arsenal recover for Spurs test?

Clearly, there are multiple ways for this supremely-talented Arsenal side to win football matches. Too many times since the turn of year, though, Arteta has chosen the wrong route. Wolves are just the latest side able to tip the balance too easily, a vulnerability Igor Tudor will hope his Tottenham side can exploit on Sunday.

Opposition teams are regularly looking to tap into Arsenal's uneasiness late in games if the scoreline remains unsettled. The lack of composure from players previously unflappable has been telling. Rather than rising to the pressure the Gunners have bowed to it.

Arteta cannot afford to champion a defensive mindset at Spurs this weekend, form will not allow for it, besides the north London derby is laced with more expectation than an everyday Premier League game and demands more risk for greater reward. Caution is surely not the way.

Where they might come unstuck, however, is in their attempts to break down a back three/five, if indeed that is Tudor's preferred set-up. Arsenal have made hard work of unlocking teams who sit in a shape with more focus on stopping them than attacking themselves. It is on Arsenal to offer the impetus when that happens and, of late, inspiration has been in shorter supply.

History will tell you that Arteta's side lack the strength of personality in these defining moments. That they are the nearly-not-quite team, unable to summon the mental toughness to challenge until the very last. No doubt that burden becomes harder to squash against sides such as Wolves who Arsenal are expected to roll over with ease. Nervousness becomes the overriding emotion.

Perhaps, then, the jeopardy of a derby has arrived at the perfect juncture, a fixture where incentive takes care of itself. A positive result could re-energise everyone invested in Arsenal's title bid; from Arteta to his players to the doubting fanbase. The Gunners' power is ultimately in their collective.

And now, with Manchester City poised to pounce, they have left themselves little to no room for error.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Arsenal's collapse against Wolves leaves questions for Mikel Arteta over mentality, selection and Premier League title bid