Why Arsenal F.C. deserved to win the Premier League title under Mikel Arteta despite ongoing criticism of their playing style.

Arsenal F.C. sealed the Premier League title after their final match of the season against Crystal Palace F.C.. Despite constant criticism of their playing style throughout the campaign, the Gunners finished as deserved champions of England’s top flight.

Since October, Arsenal have remained consistently at the summit of the table, even while facing heavy scrutiny from pundits and rivals. Earlier this year, Paul Scholes labelled them “the worst Premier League title winners ever,” while others questioned the absence of a standout contender for the league’s Player of the Season award. Even Arne Slot appeared to aim a subtle dig at Mikel Arteta’s side, pointing out that a large percentage of Arsenal’s goals came from set-pieces — something not seen from champions in decades.

But none of the criticism will matter to Arteta, his squad, or the Arsenal faithful, whose celebrations are set to continue long into the summer.

Although Arsenal may not have displayed the same attacking flair as recent champions like Manchester City F.C., nor possessed the league’s top scorer, they still proved clinical enough to secure the title. Much of the criticism surrounding their style has also ignored the reality that opponents spent the entire season sitting deep and committing huge numbers of players to defence in an attempt to frustrate them.

The statistics underline that approach. Arsenal recorded the highest number of open-play shots in the Premier League against teams defending with nine or more players inside the penalty area.

Complaints about their style persisted throughout the campaign, reaching another peak when Fabian Hurzeler criticised Arsenal’s time-wasting in March. Arteta’s sarcastic response — “What a surprise” — reflected growing frustration at the repeated attacks on his team’s methods.