ARSENAL vs MANCHESTER UNITED: Mikel Arteta believes the Gunners are doing better than they were at this stage of last season and for that reason, he insists everybody around the club must remain positive despite the midweek defeat to Newcastle
Mikel Arteta has told disgruntled Arsenal fans to stick with his side – as their energy transmits to his players.
This week’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg defeat to Newcastle has proven a bitter pill to swallow but Arteta insists the Gunners are still in a better position than they were at this stage of last season.
He said when asked whether it’s important that supporters stay patient ahead of today’s FA Cup clash with Manchester United : “In my opinion, it’s crucial. The success we’ve had is very much related to the atmosphere and the energy that we have created amongst our supporters so that’s it.
“In the first part of the season, with all the injuries and suspensions, with more games and more competitions, we are in a better position than last year or exactly the same in the Premier League. How is that possible? Everything is ahead. It’s in our control. There are things we can still do better with or without injuries, and with the schedule, and we focus on that.”
Arsenal are facing a gruelling run of nine matches in the space of just 28 days this month. Last year, they played just three games in January and relished a mid-season break to Dubai which notoriously changed the trajectory of their campaign.
Arteta makes no secret of the fact he will continue to shuffle his pack to combat the issue, indicating there are no guarantees he will name a full-strength starting XI against United.
He continued: “I think we have rotated a lot for different reasons and we’re going to have to continue rotating because of the amount of games that we have and the level of the players that we have. I don’t see it being about competitions – it’s about momentum, it’s about feeling, it’s about what we need in the occasion as well to give ourselves the best chance to win. So my selection is going to be in that, not on the competition.”
Arsenal, who have won the FA Cup more than any other club (14), are out to wreak more set-piece havoc upon Ruben Amorim. Jurrien Timber and William Saliba both netted from corners in December as the Gunners once again called upon their dead-ball expertise to inflict the first defeat of the Portuguese’s tenure.
And with United set to field shaky deputy goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, he is primed for a barrage. Arteta added: “If there’s a way that we believe we can hurt them, certainly we will focus on those areas.”
The Spanish tactican also played down suggestions he does not receive the credit he deserves for guiding Arsenal to FA Cup glory in 2020, concluding: “I don’t expect to get credit. I expect to get judged on what we do on the day. What we have done in the past or in the future is not relevant. It doesn’t interest me at all.”
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