O'Hara brands Premier League champions Arsenal 'unbearable' to watch
Jamie O'Hara has taken aim at Arsenal's style of play, branding the current Premier League champions the 'worst to watch' in the division and describing Mikel Arteta's side as 'unbearable'.
The former Tottenham midfielder made the comments on Sky Sports, offering a blunt assessment of Arsenal's approach despite the club sitting as reigning champions this season. The remarks come amid wider punditry debate around Arsenal's identity under Arteta, with the club also facing separate questions this week over Saka's fitness and their defensive solidity ahead of a Champions League test against Bayern Munich.
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A familiar criticism
O'Hara's comments echo a recurring theme from some pundits: that Arsenal's results have not always been matched by entertainment value. Arteta has built a side renowned for defensive organisation and control of matches, often at the expense of the free flowing, high scoring football associated with some title winning teams.
That debate has intensified following Arsenal's straightforward win over Everton, with Paul Merson describing the victory as 'comfortable' on Sky Sports coverage. Arsenal have also been under scrutiny for their struggles from set pieces this season, a tactical quirk that has drawn further attention from analysts.
Jamie Carragher has separately questioned whether Arsenal possess enough 'star power' up front to be considered the team to beat in the Premier League, suggesting the squad lacks the individual brilliance of past title winners even as results continue to stack up.
Results over aesthetics
Despite the criticism of style, Arsenal's status as Premier League champions means the substance of their campaign is difficult to dispute. Arteta has consistently prioritised control and efficiency, a method that has yielded silverware regardless of how it is received by outside observers.
O'Hara's characterisation of the team as 'unbearable' to watch is a subjective opinion rather than a reflection of results, and reactions from Arsenal supporters are likely to point to the trophy as the only metric that ultimately matters.
Arsenal will have the opportunity to respond to such criticism on the pitch, with Arteta preparing his side for what he has called 'another level' of defensive test against Harry Kane and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Performances in matches of that magnitude will do more to shape the ongoing conversation about Arsenal's style than any studio debate.
