Wayne Rooney has defended Arsenal's playing style, insisting the criticism directed at Mikel Arteta's side is unfair. The Gunners secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, but remain seven points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League title race and are set to face City in the Carabao Cup final later this month.
Rooney's comments come in response to former Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes, who labelled Arsenal the "most boring team" to win a title. However, Rooney praised Arteta for developing a pragmatic approach, saying: "They've got a good mix, they've got different players who score goals, they're hard to play against, they keep clean sheets. I actually enjoy watching them play."
The former England striker also defended Arsenal's use of set-pieces, arguing it is a legitimate part of football. "Why would you not use it? If teams aren't clever enough or haven't got the players to deal with it, why wouldn't Arsenal continue to do that? I would be doing it even more if I were Mikel Arteta," he said. Rooney added that Arsenal have made up for a lack of open-play goals through other means and do not need to change their approach.
Arsenal now turn their attention to a Champions League last-16 first-leg tie against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, having topped the league phase. Meanwhile, Arsenal legend Perry Groves has criticised the decision to allow Ethan Nwaneri to join Marseille on a season-long loan in January. The 18-year-old impressed on his debut but has since been reduced to cameo appearances after manager Roberto De Zerbi left the French club.
Groves said he could not believe Arsenal let Nwaneri go, insisting the club should have kept him regardless of game time. When it was suggested Nwaneri might be unhappy, Groves replied: "He can be unhappy at the end of the season... I don't care if he's happy or unhappy."
