“Mature teams that are used to winning don’t behave like that” – Pundit warns ‘immature’ Arsenal with example from last season

BeIN Sports presenter Richard Keys has advised Arsenal to avoid celebrating wins excessively as he feels it contributed to the Gunners missing out on the Premier League title last season.

The Gunners were in a strong position to end their nine-year wait to win the Premier League last term. They were atop the table for most of the season but bottled the lead to Manchester City towards the end. Mikel Arteta's side missed out on the title by five points after winning only four of their 10 games in April and May.

Despite last season's disappointment, Arsenal are determined to build on the improvement they have made under Arteta. They have made three major additions to their squad this summer, signing Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber for a combined sum of over £200 million.

The north London giants got their 2023-24 season off to a winning start, beating Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday (August 6). They beat Pep Guardiola's side 4-1 on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw in normal time.

Arsenal, therefore, appear to be in a strong position to challenge the Cityzens for the title again this season. However, former Sky Sports commentator Keys has explained that they need to learn to control their emotions if they are to win the Premier League.

"I didn’t ever really fancy them (to win the league last season), despite the stunning (2-1) home win over Fulham in August that was celebrated like they’d won the title. As I said at the time - too soon guys - and too often as it turned out," Keys wrote on his personal blog.

"Mature teams that are used to winning don’t behave like Arsenal did. That was more than half of their problem. Time and again they’d lose focus. Celebrations were too long, loud, frequent and premature. Immature would be another good word."

Arsenal begin their Premier League season with a home game against Nottingham Forest at home on Saturday (August 12).

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Richard Keys has often been critical of Arsenal

Richard Keys has often been critical of Arsenal's celebrations and Mikel Arteta's touchline antics. The pundit was particularly unimpressed after the Gunners expressed their joy after registering a stunning comeback win against Fulham in the league last season.

The north London giants found themselves trailing 1-0 after one hour in what was their second home game of the 2022-23 season. They, nevertheless went on to claim a 2-1 victory, with Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes finding the back of the net.

Arteta and Co. were spotted rejoicing after the Gunners managed to hold on to their one-goal lead. Keys, though, hit out at the Spaniard tactician, labeling his antics 'irritating'. He argued that legendary manager Arsene Wenger would have been howled out of the stadium for a similar result.

Keys continued to take shots at the London-based club over the course of last season. Although he acknowledged the team's improvement under Arteta, he maintained that their celebrations were excessive and premature.