Mikel Arteta has outlined his desire for the way he wants Arsenal to play, saying that the team have to show the same fight in possession and out of it.
After a period under Unai Emery which was much more opposition focused, the new manager is keen to ensure his team develops the right identity with the football we play.
Arteta is demanding his players are front-footed with and without the ball, telling Sky Sports, “The attitude I want the players to play with is to confront the opponent. It does not matter where we play, we have to go there and we have to face them.
“We have to feel that we are ready to go, not just when we have the ball but when we don’t have it as well, with the same attitude and aggression.”
It’s a case of so far so good for Arteta, just a couple of months into his new job. He’s got his sights set on developing the team – but at the right pace.
“What I can tell you is I am really proud to manage this football club at the moment and really happy with how everyone is reacting around the club,” he continued.
“The players – the passion and energy they are showing every day and the same with the staff and everybody who works here. We have a lot of things to improve and it feels like it was eight months ago but it was not that far away.
“We have a long way to go in this process, to develop a lot of things that I want to implement,” he said.
“We need time. I don’t want to accelerate the process and take them somewhere they cannot do because it would not be productive.
“We have to maintain the things we do good and maybe then we have little margins of improvement that we have to aim to achieve.”
The Gunners face the manager’s former club Everton at the Emirates today, looking to build on two successive wins and clean sheets. Fingers crossed.
We can smash Everton, no better time than today, CYG!
On my way there. Looking forward to seeing the attitude. Was great last time v Man U on 1 January. We’ll jump up a few places if we win.
COYR!!
Hope we can get off to a quick start, Everton will want to take advantage of any early signs of legginess being the fresher team.
Mikel, you smooth talker, you say all the right things.
Feeling like we have been creeping to the right place and much as Everton been playing well i think we can take them and very likely we are going to with a win margin of more than one.
Vince McMahon, is that you ?