Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal squad to prove they are streetwise enough for a title challenge ahead of a mouthwatering clash with Manchester United.
Last weekend, the Gunners opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table but with matches coming thick and fast there’s a high chance the advantage over Manchester City, who beat Sp*rs in midweek and face Wolves at 2pm, could be down to two points by the time things kick off at the Emirates this afternoon.
Arteta’s youngsters haven’t experienced this level of pressure before and the manager continues to hammer home the need to face each challenge as it comes. Just like successful Arsenal sides of the past, balancing physical and mental strength to keep opponents at arm’s length will be vital.
“Having that balance and having those qualities in the squad is necessary. To have the mentality and capacity to control emotions that is required to play on big stages is very necessary,” he told his pre-game press conference.
“The physical aspect is necessary – without that you cannot compete over 11 months in the conditions in which we work. We have tried to build a team that has everything.”
The Spaniard is clearly happy with the way his side are performing at the moment and the fact they are in with a shout of ending a Premier League title drought that stretches back to 2004. That the supporters are also energised by what’s going on is something he wants to capitalise on.
“Absolutely, I feel the excitement around the players and our supporters. I’m talking to the boys about what we’re going to experience on Sunday because for us it’s very meaningful, for our fans it’s very meaningful and we are creating a special atmosphere in the stadium and we have to take advantage of that.
He added: “We haven’t done it in the last many years. To be in the title race, it’s something that we have to show we can do. Words mean nothing, we have to do it on the pitch.”
In his programme notes, Captain Martin Odegaard reiterated the message following a couple of weeks on the road. Having guided Arsenal to a 2-0 win over Sp*rs last time out, he knows the terraces will be buouyant.
“The atmosphere could make a big difference for us again,” he said. “We know what the stadium will be like today, it will be amazing for sure, and I’m sure you can all help us a lot, give us energy and lift the team again.”
He’s also called on his teammates to learn from the mistakes made at Old Trafford in September. The Gunners went down 3-1 to Erik Ten Hag’s side despite dominating proceedings and know they can’t afford a similar result this time around.
“We must also remember the match at Old Trafford earlier in the season. I felt that day we controlled most of the game and I felt we deserved a better result in the end.
“This time we want to show some more discipline, to control the game for 90 minutes and not just small periods. It will be a tough game but we’re ready for it and we are feeling confident.”
I often think about this team like a poker game. In poker, you always want to get all your chips in with the best hand. And this Arteta side do that every game by being the aggressor, being more technically proficient and just outplaying the opposition. But anyone who has played any poker will know that the best hand sometimes gets cracked. AK goes down to AJ and pocket kings can lose to 3 4 suited. And that’s no different in football. But as long as we just keep going in with the best hand, we will win the majority… Read more »
Prime example is the reverse fixture at OT. Pure and utter luck that var over ruled a perfectly good goal that would’ve had us winning that game (or drawing at the very least).
Yep that shitty Old Trafford luck
Kind of puts into perspective (as if we needed it) just how miraculous the invincibles were.
It will never, ever happen again.
I feel like it could given how some of these teams are managed, other than us Liverpool seems like the only top club with good responsible ownership, a lot of these other billionaires and oligarchs seem eitber like they might chuck the team away once they’re in trouble or it no longer serves its purpose for them a-la Abramovich, and/or they will make the team go broke by being financially completely irresponsible. If that happens we might be one of 2-3 top clubs left in the Premier League and then we could have another Invincibles season under Arteta 😁
That’s true of every point we’ve dropped this season. We’ve done enough and been robbed by VAR/ref decisions.
Disallowed goal Man Utd changes the game.
Penalties not given against Newcastle and Southampton makes the difference.
A perfect metaphor, great stuff.
7-2 off suit is still about 7-1 underdog against aces iirc
At the moment every game we go into feels like having double aces and a monstrous stack of chips in front of us waiting to blow the opposition out if the water.
A great job done so far, the chance of 50 points from the first half of the season, hope we keep on going like this for the rest of the season. Luck will play a part eg on injuries, but the team is great and the fans are a big help.
Big match today, another chance to make a statement. Fingers crossed!
Yes. Even City can’t match the recent run of wins that Utd have clocked up – and that after a poor start. These are the sort of games that will test our PL winning credentials.
Keep the gunners flying high 😂
We should be about as well rested for this match as any and with the home support behind them the players will be flying in the first half. Really important to score early as we will surely dominate chances early as we have, but need to make sure we put one or two away and play with the lead. Excited to see what Trossard can bring from the bench late in the game. When he is brought into the game it will certainly bring energy with the players and the fans.
I hope the ref does a decent job today making sure the game flows but taking action quickly when aggression spills over into dangerous play. Can see Man U doing their best to stop us playing – rotational fouling of our key players, feigning injury whenever they’re tackled & generally trying to upset our rhythm by slowing the game down. Hopefully it doesn’t work & we give them a right doing – COYG!!
Anthony Taylor is the ref today.
“Anthony Taylor is an English professional football referee from Wythenshawe, Manchester.”
That just shouldn’t be allowed to happen.
Let’s just hope Wolves can get a 0-0 at the Etihad!
He better be a City fan!!
But if he’s a City fan, with Arsenal top of the league, he would still want Arsenal to lose!
As I posted I realised that – think that’s what’s called double jeopardy 😱
Taylor lives just six miles from Old Trafford and his appointments for games involving Manchester United often draws the ire of rival supporters.
However, the 43-year-old from Wythenshawe is as neutral as they come, being a fan of non-league Altrincham.
*being a public fan of non league club
But the cost would be having Utd catching up with them. So maybe he’d vie for a draw?
In fairness- what else could they do? Aren’t all PL refs white middle aged men from the North East…?
Taylor is arguably our most successful referee – we’ve only lost 6 out of 47 matches he’s been in charge of.
“ARTETA: WE’VE TRIED TO BUILD A TEAM THAT HAS EVERYTHING”
But that’s the problem: this team doesn’t have everything. The one player we’re missing is a top-quality out-and-out goalscorer. Even, when fit, Jesus doesn’t fulfill that role. Jesus is basically an old-fashioned number 10. Can you imagine what an Ian Wright at his peak would do in this team?
Next summer Arteta should make it his priority to bring in a top striker. Forget about Eddie.
Why would he forget about Eddie who has proved himself to be a good stand in/squad player? There isn’t a hugely prolific goalscorer in the squad but there is a very good chance that arsenal will have 5 or even 6 players with 10 goals in the premier league this season. No other team has that. It’s a different approach to having a Kane or a Haaland but they aren’t easy to find. More strength in depth would be good upfront but if you’re thinking that there will be a player doing a Van Persie/ Henry/ Auba esque 25 goal… Read more »
Bollocks. A quality striker could easily get 25 goals a season in this team. He’d get plenty of chances.
And there is talent out there: we just need to find it.
But is it not better to spread those extra 25 goals between 3 or 4 players? Which is essential what we’re doing with equal spread between Eddie, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli.
Diversified portfolio and all that.
Eddie’s numbers since he’s come in are something like 7goals from 7 games. The man scores goals. Don’t think you can ask for more than that from your 2nd striker.
Then we’d need to sell jesus who has not completed even 6 months with us. And then bedding in the new player, he might flop… That’s not easy as you say fg. I believe that Jesus will go on a goalscoring run and maybe good numbers this year, and kick it into a higher gear next year. He can be our 25-30 gp year scorer.
Better to have four or five players like Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli who can get 10 plus goals a season AND a striker who can score 25 goals.
Why not ask for everything..
The Mudryk situation is gone, but seeing his short cameo yesterday, it threatens to be a massive missed opportunity. He looks a fantastic player who could have been a game changer, literally. Hopefully Trossard proves to be a useful addition and Arsenal still have enough in the squad to push on for the title.
His name should be band from here. Fuck him .Let’s move on
Or we can just refer to him as Mud.
“My name is mud…
Not to be confused with Bill
or Jack or Pete or Dennis
My name is mud and it’s always been. Cause I’m the most boring sons-a-bitch you’ve ever seen
I dress in blue-yes navy blue
From head to toe I’m rather drab except my patent shoes
I make ’em shine, well most the time
‘Cept today my feet are troddin’ on by this friend of mine
Six foot two and rude as hell
I got to get him in the ground before he starts to smell
My name is Mud”
Good call. I love Primus!
https://youtu.be/953PkxFNiko
Miki Mudryk And The Bluesbreakers.
100%, we’re a football club that is run how any other should be, a business that should be profitable. Spending 80 odd mill for an unproven kid was too risky an investment. Trossard for the price we got him in the January window seems like shrewd businesses to me.
He missed a sitter.
Yes, he has fast, small paces just like messi. But messi never played in the prem.
I hope Martinelli watched all the hype about Mud and takes it upon himself to prove his worth tonight in front of a fullhouse Emirates.
Mudryk may have pace and trickery but his finishing is average. Trossard is a much better option for us this season. He even scored a hattrick at Anfield a few months back
Nketiah has scored 7 in his last 12 Premier League starts. Those are out-and-out goalscorer numbers.
Over the course of a season, multiply that by 3, would be 21 goals in 36 games.
To put into context; Salah and Son were top scorers last season with 23 goals in 35 games.
But anyway, why do we need an out-and-out goalscorer if Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard are regularly scoring?
We’ve transcended the need for a traditional number 9 and are playing a different game right now.
Spot on
You do understand the meaning of “tried”, right?
On the evidence of goal share so far so far, your obviously right that we don’t have an out and out goalscorer. However, ours is clearly more of a whole team (or most of them anyway) approach with goals spread across several players. No bad thing should an out and out goalscorer get injured or suspended. Of course it would be great to add someone who is that type of player into the mix but they are few and far between – and often hugely expensive unless you’re very lucky. I don’t see any particular cause for concern at present… Read more »
Nketiah has 4 goals in 5 games since the World Cup. I don’t exactly see what more you need for him to be an out-and-out goalscorer?
Sorry, I had not refreshed before posting, and therefore seen the previous answers, but I second them.
If Saka, Gabi, Ode, Eddie and Jesus all score 12-15 goals, which is far from unrealistic, we’ll already have 65-70. Add a few from Xhaka, ESR, Gabriel and Trossard, and we’ve got more than enough to win the league.
prolific scorers like Levendoski, Ronaldo, Lukaku, etc….. what are their performances this season? We need to and we will trust the club and Arteta / Edu and co. to get the right players for the team via the market or from Hale End….. we have been patient even for the past three years and now we are seeing the fruits being bear now…. COYG!! By the way, happy CNY to those who will celebrate and sure the 3 pts we will get can come as a tremendous gift for the celebration!
This is such an outdated thinking. If Ian Wright here, we might not play the same system. When we have one very good goalscorer, for example: Haaland, opponent will know where the threat is coming from and we will try to play to his strength. But what makes us good right now is because opponent can’t predict where our threat is coming from. That’s basically what makes City very dangerous before Haaland came. Now they are more predictable.
“Forget about Eddie” Fat Gooner, a few hours ago. You have not got a Scooby Doo, mate.
In answer to the Brighton question on today’s blog post
“East Asian betting syndicate”
I’d love for us to convince Zubimendi to join us in the summer and get a loan signing from Real Madrid in the meantime.
As Arteta indicates, the upcoming game against Utd (surely the most in form side we’ve faced in the PL to date) will be a good test of the “team for all seasons” that he’s trying to create.
So far, the Arteta/Edu project has surpassed most expectations I think, but the ability to overcome a side that’s now having the same sort of successful run that we are having will be a real test.
In other news, I’m so glad we didn’t buy this guy – seems like an absolute mercenary: https://www.facebook.com/117118184990145/posts/pfbid02zsLDCL7xW2xYkLR4967B6UUeWvx7ZYgbYXnBCqjF5YqE8QkLQUpbznGJpXLWSEbLl/
Not to defend this prick but this is according to some cunt tabloid. Don’t even give it the time of day.
And even if he did mock us, so what? He chose a club for life that’s currently on 28 points and languishing in the middle. While we sit at the top of the PL they’ll have to work hard to even get ECL next season.
Fuck him, his shit club and the blood money he took. Long may his fans sing songs about Abramovich to him.
Stopped caring about the player and the situation when he signed for someone else- suggest you do the same
I am 100% we’re winning today. That’s my mantra and I’ll repeat that to myself all day and during the match. I’ll not think or worry about any of the asshole players manure has as they will lose at the end of 90mins today.
By the way, can someone please say a prayer for Vlahovic. In 1 year his fortunes have changed some. I hope he gets the support he needs
It would take a heart to stone etc…
We did control the last game against them. But we must also remember that team is not the same team as the team we are facing off against. They are in a much better place. Hopefully we won’t get complacent.
You’re right. Utd were not playing well when we played them (which made the defeat more unfortunate, although there were other factors) and there were regular calls for their manager to be sacked. Nothing new there. Many Gooners wanted Arteta to be sacked a couple of years ago of course. Utd persevered (as we did, albeit over a longer period) and they’re now in as good a run of form as anyone, including Arsenal. However, I don’t see Arteta allowing any complacency to creep in though. Restoring that eight point cushion would be a big plus at this stage, especially… Read more »
Hope for the win! Though if City win this afternoon we’ll only have a 2 point gap before the United match.
Yes, the three points is what we want – hopefully we’ll get them. City won’t stop though. Their form has been a little up and down recently, but they know what’s needed and have the squad.
Well, a comfortable win by City – they know what’s needed and have the squad. We shouldn’t need any more incentive to try for the three points against Utd.
We absolutely need a proper backup that would make us feel comfortable if Partey or Xhaka got injured. Elneny is very average and Lokango is not there yet. We need another Partey/Xhaka type player.