Mikel Arteta was rightly pleased with the grit and determination of his Arsenal players after they battled their way to a point at Stamford Bridge.
Hector Bellerin’s 88th-minute strike snatched a 2-2 draw against Chelsea who failed to make the most of their man advantage after David Luiz was sent off in the first half for conceding a penalty that was converted by Jorginho.
Gabriel Martinelli’s wonderful solo effort restored parity before Cesar Azpilicueta thought he’d stolen the points for the home side. Thankfully, it was our Spanish full-back who had the last laugh.
Here’s what Arteta made of it all when he faced the BT Sport cameras…
On the result being a turning point…
Time will tell if this is a stepping stone, but at least I saw a reaction. I demand from the players that they never give up, we have to keep playing with the spirit we showed in every game. I’m proud of the way they reacted. They stepped up – if a team-mate makes a mistake they have to have their back.
On whether he was going to substitute Martinelli in the first half…
We thought about taking everybody off because obviously the energy went down and every five minutes somebody was cramping. We changed our mind a few times. It’s a good point given the circumstances of the game.
On coming back from a disastrous start…
Yeah, in this place as well. I said to the team, I want to see how you behave in this stadium, coming here against a big team in this stadium. We are hoping to fight to stay in the race for the Champions League until the end. If you’re going to do that, you have to come here and perform. The way they did it, was brilliant.
On Bellerin’s return and Xhaka’s performance…
When you are willing, when you have the spirit and the attitude to do it, you can play anywhere on the pitch. Instead of complaining, they stepped up and they tried to help the team as much as possible. I asked Hector if he was going to be ready for today and his first answer was, ‘boss, I’m ready, so let’s go.’ These things happen in football. When you want to play, you enjoy your profession and good moments come.
On building on this result…
Absolutely, and not just next week but every three days. That’s the demands of this football club.
What a mass man! What a manager. Feels like we’ve struck gold.
We’ve struck Lego!
”Absolutely, and not just next week but every three days. That’s the demands of this football club.“
He never missed a chance to communicate his expectations. Realistic, demanding, and positive.
Love it!
Our Skipper!
That has to boost the confidence anyway. Going down twice and coming back with only 10 men? It’s certainly boosted my confidence!
And to think we did it missing Auba, an actual LB and with a pairing of Mustafi and Luiz.
“I would say, be excited”, excited indeed
After 26 minutes, it was a CB pairing of Mustafi and Xhaka! I don’t know if that will ever sink in.. Mikel has worked miracles in terms of resetting the players’ mentality!
The FIGHT is what fans want to see from the players.
I was soooo close to turning off the tv when we went down 2-1 – felt certain that was it – another disappointing finish to a game. Thankfully I didn’t. What a fantastic response and effort right to the end! Top 4 is out for sure, but the results will come soon and I’m reallty excited about the future.
Azpuelicueta thought that was it as well. 😀
I nearly broke something. Either my foot, or the coffee table. It’s been a long time since i’ve jumped up and roared with joy in the dying moments of one of our games. Table seems to have recovered, and so have I.
Mikel, you not only heal our team, but feet, furniture and hopes!
“We thought about taking everybody off…..” Well, from the fighting spirit the lads showed with 10 men, I also believe we could have matched Chelsea, even with everyone sitting on the bench! COYG!!!
Bottom line is :
1) DO NOT MAKE EXCUSES FOR YOURSELF OR FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF
2) DO NOT SET LIMITS ON YOURSELF.
Where’s the BUT, Santori? Are you running a fever mate? That’s the shortest post I ever seen you make on here…
HAHA.No mention of Emre Can either.
Club needs to give Arteta money to buy Cb/Fb and a playmaker of his type in summer irrespective of our
final position in the league. The more games I watch,the more I feel he is going to bring us back to our glory days.
“£80m Almunia” – Blogs, I love your humour. Made me chuckle a bit this morning.
Can’t remember a night we fought so hard in years