Mikel Arteta says he finds it hard to understand why Arsenal have been made to play three crucial and difficult games in just 6 days.
After facing Everton on Sunday, the Gunners flew to Naples on Tuesday to play Napoli on Wednesday, before arriving back on Thursday ahead of a Friday trip to Manchester.
The Gunners game against Man City takes place at 12.45pm because of TV, and Arteta points to the fact that Man City, who played in the Champions League on Tuesday, have extra time to recover.
“The recovery time is very tight,” he said. “I don’t understand why we play Sunday afternoon, Wednesday evening, get back at 4am and then play again on Saturday morning in Manchester. There is nothing we can do – just recover well. It’s a big game and we want to win it.
“The preparation will just be about recovery. It’s not ideal. There is a late warm-down , we try to get our legs back for Friday … travel on Friday and be as well prepared as we can because they will be ready for us. They rested seven or eight players in Munich.”
However, Arteta is not out to make excuses for Arsenal, saying they have options in the squad, and with a 9 day break after the City game, they’ve got to give it everything at the Middle Eastlands.
“I think we have different options. You could see that we changed the team a bit again against Napoli. We have to be ready, no excuses. We know it can be a big statement if we get a good result against City. That’s what we want.”
The Spaniard also hit out at his sending off in Italy, castigating the referee’s decision
“It was a joke,” he said. “Two fouls in the whole game and two yellow cards, so I’m very disappointed. You miss the next game and you put your team in a difficult position. It was harsh and very unfair.”
el capitano!
Listen gunners when a team top of prem ev team try there best to win last nights game showed napoli had to get 3 goals afc an away game again, arteta done his best o.k but oi the last few games mikel has had a few cards for a bad challenge, lst nites game shows cause he got a red so the team missed certain players but look at the
Next fixtures arteta a ball reader & flamini bust a rhyme
Hmmmm…. What?
I feel like I’ve just taken crazy pills! Please can someone translate this for me?
R.I.P English.. you had a good run..
I read this comment anticipating that afew sentences down it would get better. IT DIDN’T
Woah crap, sorry,
I forgot to give him his dried frog pills before I released him onto the internet
he’s gone totally bursar o.0
Do you want Flamini to rap on field ?
palace gunner? are u Chamakh by any chance?
Listen up, follow Arsenal supporters. When a team is, like us, perched comfortably at the top of the Premier League standings, every opponent will try their very best to defeat us. Last night’s match against Napoli – a crucial away match for us – showed that in spades, as Napoli consistently attacked us but still were not able to score the three goals they required. Arteta worked hard, but has shown a tendency recently to pick up yellow cards for bad challenges. Last night I believe he went too far, and got himself dismissed. This caused us to have to… Read more »
of course it was a joke sending off.. uefa refs are all a joke. A red card for nothing
I remember when the sent the Dutch Traitor off for having the temerity to actually shoot at goal. Now, I’m not saying that Uefa are corrupt, but… Uefa are fucking bent.
Obligatory: that dutch traitor much like uefa is a cunt.
Arteta must be watched on the pace of his marker or marked player,
This is as confusing as your comment above….
what the fuck are you trying to say?
Wow! Thank you for bringing clarity to the constant ramblings on this site. You sir are a gem.
Good job palace gunner isn’t the gaffer.
palace gunner: “Mikel you must be watched on the pace of your marker or marked player. Oui?”
Mikel ‘Lego Hair’ Arteta: “Boss, you’re instructions were unclear. I got my dick caught in the ceiling fan.”
Why all the complaints, is Jebeerish so difficult to understand? let me translate: ”
Arteta, jeerishingsjsi rishuikiki kikukuku arrahuyarty. Arteta runingoin hummluinokklk.” Eh Palace Gunner?
Engleesh as she is spoke.
He’s spot on to be honest. Absolute farce. Would be shocked if Theo, Ramsey & Jack aren’t brought into the team. The freshness in midfield will be key.
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/4963/1re0.jpg
First world problems eh? I really can’t feel much sympathy here, this happens every year, other teams have to deal with the same problems and yet they act shocked at the fixture list. Man up, stop moaning and put the effort in, then maybe you will be able to deliver a trophy this year, instead of only delivering excuses.
Doesn’t make any sense what so ever, how can we go from playing 3 games in the space of 6 days and then all of a sudden face 9 days just sat there twiddling our thumbs in our underpants until our next game. The TV companies and the FA need their heads banging together repeatedly like something out of the film Drive.
Have to agree. I much prefer twiddling my thumbs in my pants while watching Arsenal.
Berhami made like 6 fouls and got no card yet booked Arteta twice for 2 fouls-ish committe and that cunt Maggio kept niggling the ankles of Cazorla time and again yet it was not untill the dying minutes hat he was cautioned. Ramsey enters the pitch gets booked when he wasn’t even at fault. Refs are just bloody cunts.
I can feel the anger in you, take it out on the keyboard boy, it will help
That hair is fuckn immaculate!!! Far out..
He’s right we had a tough run of fixtures in close proximity to eachother.
At least there is the 9 day rest between this and Chelsea.
3 Points please. (I’d secretly be stoked with a draw though)
Television rights do pay players wages. Don’t think they should complain really.
My boss pays my wages, doesn’t mean I have to smile when he rests his cock on my bald head.
rotation, rotation, rotation. Why didn’t Vermaelen start a couple of games? Walcott? His speed would have put Napoli on their heels in the second half. Very happy at our position in the league. Just think we could have won in Italy and wrapped up first place in the group.
Walcott wasn’t sent in during the 2nd half at Napoli since Jenks was having a bad day, and Walcott doesn’t track back as much as you’d need him to. However Vermaelen and/ or Monreal could have played that game, giving either Kos/ Per and/ or Gibbs a break.
Either Wenger thinks Theo isn’t up to it yet or he’s saving him for City.
Hopefully the latter. He won’t be tired, obviously, and Wilshere and Ramsey shouldn’t be either. If Sagna and Monreal can play we’ll be fine in those positions too. If Podolski makes the squad Giroud might even have some backup. Sounds like Arteta expects some rotation, judging from the interview.
Fuck City, Arsenal can do this! And I for one don’t care about the CL draw. If you can’t beat those teams, you’re not going to win.
I Have to agree with your last statement. If you can’t beat the big boys your not going to win the trophy anyway. I’m hoping we draw Barca, beat them to a pulp and then all the other “heavy hitters” won’t want to draw us.
COYG!!!!
Think we will end up with PSG. Then we will have to put up with a load of tripe from our press for nigh on two months linking Wenger with there managerial position.
You’re absolutely right. If we’d won the group and avoided the top clubs in the first round, you know we’d just face the same list of five plus Chelski and one of Untied or Schitty in the quarters. You have to beat three out of those five at some time or another, if you want to lift the trophy.
palace gunner is my hero.
I am Still trying to figure out what that ‘palace gunner’ is trying to say! “R.I.P English”, as my friend noted above.
I really dont want to see our players complain about the scheldule. ‘Coz every team has its own hard time. If we overcome this period, we are real challenger!
re the 2 yellow cards: its a joke!!!
Hope we don’t go there and give a non-performance. We aren’t the type of team that can scrape results when we play badly. Doubt city will let us get away wit it either. Time for Ramsey to hit the form button again. Brace from him would do nicely.
This should not be an excuse in the making on our part.
Felt we were too timid in our approach against Napoli and paid for it.
We need to take City and Chelsea scalps. No room for error. The team plays better with their back against the wall rather then with the luxury of calculated permutations I feel. And Wenger should ensure that killer instinct. We don’t want to hear excuses even if they are true.
Giroud really needs to deliver goal(s) against Citeh and other teams ofcourse. I know all about his hold-up play, work-rate and all that but 3 goals in his last 10 aint good enough for Arsenal.Someone tell him him Eithad Stadium is in london.
Etihad Stadium is in London it is then. Good idea though.
The scheduling is a joke but when I was a teen I’d play two hours of football every evening and not feel drained – oh to be a teenager lol
We will lose to city mark my words! the fixtures are unfair but moaning about them already shows weakness just get on with the job.
They already have their excuse ready i think we have a better chance against Chelsea personally.
People only want to see the good and never seem to criticise on this blog, the facebook page is completely different (and people use their real profiles), the same facebook status had people saying he should stop moaning, yet on here you just get thumbed down by the clueless sheep wearing their rose tinted glasses. Enjoy your price hiked tickets won’t you.
Fifa uefa the fa. All the bloody same if you ask me.