“I think that's what they have now,” says Mikel Arteta sky sports Smile. The Spaniard has explained his efforts to bring an element of fear back to Arsenal, citing recent footage of players staring down their opponents in the tunnel before games.
The footage delighted fans and brought back memories of previous title-winning Arsenal teams. Former vice-chairman David Dein tells how Patrick Vieira and his teammates developed their intimidation tactics. Arteta seems to have heard that too.
“In my opinion, that body language is very, very important,” Arteta added. “That's what the players have to feel. And to feel that, they have to feel confident and they have to be mentally ready to take that step. ing.”
Of course, it helps that they have become a physically imposing team. There are two natural centre-backs in Ben White and Jakub Kivioglu in the full-back positions, and with Kai Havertz and Declan Rice joining the midfield and attack, there is growth throughout the team.
The Arsenal team Arteta played in was different. Although he is technically advanced, he lacks the ability to dominate physically. He is proud of his current team's ability to be both defensively committed and lethal from set-pieces, yet fluid and imaginative in possession.
“We want to maintain all the quality we had in the past and continue to improve,” he explains. “Don't lose them. Add and add and add without losing anything. That's the goal of the club and all the coaches, to get better in all departments.”
“That's what this league needs.”
Havertz and Rice were signed at great expense due to their physical abilities. However, only some of them. “That's their big quality, but so is their intelligence, their character, their passion for the game and their competitiveness,” Arteta said.
Who will come out on top between Declan Rice and Rodri on Super Sunday?
“You have to add a lot of elements. At this level, one particular element is not enough to have a big impact on the team. But these two brought a lot of quality.”
“To win big trophies, you need game winners. You need world-class players who can win games every time, players who can open the door when the door is closed. We are developing players because they are needed in the game's big moments. ”
Matching Man City and Liverpool
Nothing is bigger than Sunday's showdown with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola vs Arteta. Winner vs. Runner-up. And just one point separates Liverpool, who sit at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal have beaten City twice this season, once in a penalty shootout in the Community Shield at Wembley, and once in a Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium with a late goal from Gabriel Martinelli. I am going to But Etihad Airways is an even bigger test.
Guardiola's team are undefeated at home in 38 competitive games. Arsenal haven't won there for nearly a decade. The previous visit was at a similar stage to last season, ending in a humiliating 4-1 defeat, effectively ending any hopes of winning the title.
“I think this is a different moment,” Arteta says of the last meeting.
“We were going through a difficult period with a lot of injuries and some results that didn't go our way. Then we had to go there and they were by far the best team that day.
“They raised the level to a level this league has never seen before, and we have to get there and get even better.
“That's what we're trying to do.”
Last season's trip to the Etihad showed Arsenal still had positions to fill, but Arteta has denied the idea that the result had much of an impact on his plans to improve the team, and by then It is a suggestion that Arsenal already knew what they needed.
Check out the most iconic moments from Man City vs Arsenal in the Premier League.
“To be fair, if you're talking about recruiting, I don't know much about that,” he says. “It was more about being able to play big matches at that level. It was a painful experience, but probably one we needed. I think we learned a lot from it. I hope so.”
Their growth in big games this season has been evident. Arsenal have played six times against the big six sides in the Premier League and have never lost. It has evolved into a more street-like and more complete coordination. But since then, the City has also evolved.
“They always are,” Arteta says with a smile. And given his time as Guardiola's assistant, he should know that too. “They have the ability to play in different ways and change personnel and change shapes, which is always a big quality they have.
“They can do it from the start of the game all the way through the game. You have to put energy into it.”
Well, what kind of game is it? do does he want it? Will Arsenal try to overwhelm City this season, who also have a lot of teams in their own backyard? Or is the situation calling for realism?
“I think even if you want to, there are moments when it happens.” [dominate]”They won't let you do that,” he says. He showed that in the last two games against City.
“When you want to change the rhythm or pace of the game, you have to be very smart, smart and decisive to change it effectively to cause problems.”
They will take confidence from this season's outstanding defensive performance. Arsenal have conceded two fewer goals than Liverpool and four fewer than City. In 28 games, they have conceded only 19.73 expected goals, a total far less than either of their rivals.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães continue to develop as a centre-back duo. Rice's addition to the midfield was transformative. However, Arteta believes the team's improved defense is due to the contribution of attacking players.
“The important thing is that everyone is going 100 miles per hour on every ball,” he explains. “Our strikers, wingers and attacking midfielders love to defend.
“It's really important to instill that in the players, as well as applauding them and giving them compliments. So when those defensive actions happen, they don't take offensive actions. “If you want to win consistently, that door has to be closed.” ”
Explain Havertz's influence
Meanwhile, Arsenal at the other end have made it a habit of knocking down the doors of their opponents, winning their last eight Premier League games by a combined score of 33-4, thanks in part to Havertz's scoring form on the false nine. are doing. position.
The 24-year-old, signed from Chelsea for £65m, has been used primarily as a left-sided midfielder this season. But what does Arteta like most about being a central striker?
“In both roles, what's important is his intelligence and his ability to read the situation,” he says.
“He's always a threat. He can be a threat at the back, he can come into good spaces and cause a lot of positional problems for the opposition. And yes, he's also a real threat in the opposition box. He's scoring a goal.”
City managed to beat Arsenal at the Etihad last year by using Erling Haaland directly. The 6ft 3in Havertz, scorer in the 2021 Champions League final between City and Chelsea, gives Arsenal similar options, albeit without the same tremendous goalscoring ability.
“When you have the ball, you want to make the pitch as big as possible,” Arteta said. “It's easier to play when the opponent is worried about who can open up the space.”
Especially if the player in question is playing with confidence.
“The most important thing for me is that the players feel that we trust them, that we protect them, that we love them,” Arteta said. Masu.
“Also, they are allowed to make mistakes and that doesn't change our opinion, especially when you have a player like him, the way he trains and works every day.”
His praise for Havertz doesn't end there. He also values the unpredictability his versatility gives them. “Now everyone knows what you do. You have analysts, you have all the data in the world, you have a great coach and coaching staff.
“We all know very well what the other person wants to do, so sometimes we need to do things differently to catch and surprise them.”
Accept the pressure of the run-in
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can achieve that against City at the Etihad. But Arteta remains calm in the face of the significant challenges ahead. So are the players, he says.
“I saw the players come into the building yesterday after the international break and they were excited and the energy was very positive and that’s exactly what I wanted to see.
“It means they missed spending time with each other and I know that for a fact. They were happy to be back and that's a huge compliment to everyone who works at Arsenal and to the staff. Now they understand what's what's coming and they're ready for it.
“The most beautiful part of the season is still in play.”
Arteta's hope is that he can take the lessons of last season's struggles and face the game with courage. “I think what we realized was the difficulty and the high level of what we were facing,” he says.
“It's not just City who have been able to do that for seven years, Liverpool have been able to do that for seven years. Considering the numbers they produce, you need incredibly high numbers to have a chance of winning.”
So how does he prepare his players for the psychological challenges that lie ahead, not just on Sunday but over the next few weeks as they compete against Guardiola and Klopp's formidable forces, with the pressure mounting with each passing game? I wonder if it's letting you do it?
“That should be motivation,” he says. “I think when you have someone who pushes you or who sets different limits for you, you look at that person and want to be better than that person. That’s a big driving force, and I feel that way. I think we’ve seen that with our team.”
He now hopes it will appear again at Etihad Airways.
“What I want to see in my players is that they have complete belief deep down, that they go out to win games and have the desire, determination and aggression to achieve that. It's about playing.”
In other words, his message is to play without fear.
And perhaps even bring in their own horror elements.
Watch Man City v Arsenal live on Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm on Sunday.Kickoff 4:30pm
