Mikel Arteta exclusive: Arsenal coach on Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard and winning back fans | Football news

In the two years and eight months since Mikel Arteta took charge at Arsenal, not many Premier League managers have experienced their club’s backing as strongly or as often as the former Gunners captain.

Arteta has been free to refine his squad, with 18 players arriving and the same number leaving on permanent contracts since he replaced Unai Emery in the company. According to Transfermarkt, only Chelsea have had a higher net player spend than Arsenal since the summer of 2020.

Two of those leaving the club were Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who were once fan favorites with huge signings for which Arteta was not only dropped from the team but was later allowed to leave. without a transfer fee, which made him willing to move on.

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Arteta was also supported when people questioned his ability to lead the team and his lack of managerial experience, especially as Arsenal started the season with 3 defeats, no goals and 9 goals. in the first 3 games of the 2021/22 season. .

But despite the respect with which Arteta is clearly held in north London, there is one problem he seems powerless to.

“I have no other choice!” Arteta stated when asked in an exclusive interview with Sports sky whether he has any reservations about the recently released documentary about the club’s 2021/22 season chart.

The cameras reveal the manager’s thoughts, tactics and team conversations with fans and opponents, but he said: “If we’re going to do it, we want to do it. in a way that naturally reflects who we are.”

Establishing – or perhaps re-establishing – Arsenal’s identity is something that has been at the core of Arteta’s thinking since he took the job in December 2019. The club are still adapting to life after Arsene Wenger, whose final season saw a split develop between those who continued to support the legendary manager and those who believed he was holding the club back.

Wenger’s successor Emery lasted just 16 months, while his departure comes just weeks after Granit Xhaka was stripped of the captain’s armband because of conflicts with his own supporters during the match against Wenger. Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium.

The reality is that some supporters have had issues with the Kroenke family – the club’s owners – and it’s fair to say the relationship between Arsenal and their fans has fractured.

Healing relationships with supporters is important to Arteta, who explains: “Everything that we’ve done in the last two years is to fix that and build a completely new relationship. They are the soul of this football club and they have to face the decision in everything we do.

“Your perfection and the feeling of playing in front of the fans, and you feel that energy – it makes everything stand out and makes everyone happy, I think.”

The hard work is paying off for Arteta, with the combination of that refreshing relationship, Arsenal’s impressive start to the season – they won their first two Premier League games after winning all year. their pre-season game – and five new signings helped create an atmosphere unmatched at the club for several seasons.

When asked if this is the most optimistic thing he’s felt since taking on the assignment, Arteta admitted: “Probably about the environment, yes.”

However, the manager is determined not to get caught up in the optimism surrounding the Emirates, and warned his side to remain focused for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth, live on Sports sky.

“We don’t have to go far,” said Arteta. “We’ve played two games and we’ll have another tough game tomorrow against Bournemouth.

“You know how difficult this tournament is so there’s still everything to play – we didn’t do anything and we have to be very conscious of that.”

Arteta is similarly wary of suggestions that Arsenal – the only one with a meeting with a major club Friday before October go to Manchester United on September 4 – will be in person. Sports sky – was given a chance by the fixture to generate some early-season momentum.

“When you see the schedule and the results for the first two games of the season and you have to bet, I’m sure you’ll lose a lot of money!” he say. “Unfortunately, that’s not the way in the Premier League.

“All we need to do is play and perform as best we can to win. It doesn’t matter who we play against.”

Arteta hopes to avoid one of those unpredictable outcomes when his side host newly promoted Bournemouth. But, while Arsenal saw off Crystal Palace and Leicester So far this season, it’s worth noting that the Gunners have not won three games in a row to start a Premier League season since 2004/05.

“These are statistics and they have a reason,” says Arteta. “Obviously our goal is to go there and win and we know they’re not going to make it easy for us.

“It’s a team that has started the season pretty well – they had a really good win before [Aston] Villa and they have been operating continuously for over a year. It will be very difficult. “

One of Arsenal’s key weapons at Vitality Stadium is likely to be rookie Gabriel Jesus, who produced two goals and two assists in a remarkable performance on his home debut in the Premier League. 4-2 win over Leicester last weekend.

Jesus’ quality on the pitch is unquestionable – he also scored the most assists in the league for Manchester City last season despite not starting as often – but so are the off-field characteristics. his grass attracted Arteta to the Brazilian striker.

“That’s one of the biggest reasons why we wanted to sign him,” said Arteta, who worked with Jesus at the Etihad Stadium during his time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant.

“Obviously we know what kind of player he is and what he’s going to bring. He’s won everything in the last few years, he knows the standards, what it takes to win. win.

“Obviously we had to change his role and what he had to do in this football club and now he’s one of the leaders. He’s a natural leader. born, but he’s also a prepared man and I think he’s at a stage in his career where he can do what we’re asking him to do.”

Jesus has gone from a Man City squad with seasoned title winners to the youngest dressing room in the Premier League. However, Arteta says the opportunity to assert himself not only as a casual starter but also as a leader was key to Jesus’ decision to move to north London.

“That’s what he needed,” Arteta said. “Obviously he’s played a lot in this league over the last few years but not as much as a starter, especially in the last two years.

“He really wants to feel like he’s the player who can make a difference for the team and that’s the next phase.”

No one fits Arsenal’s youthful approach under Arteta more than Martin Odegaard, the 23-year-old Norwegian, who was named Gunners captain this summer after just 18 months at the club.

While Arteta was reluctant to compare Odegaard to Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, his predecessors as Arsenal captain, the manager was full of praise for the former Real Madrid prodigy.

“Everything he’s done in the last 18 months since he joined us,” said Arteta when explaining why Odegaard was given the captain’s armband.

“The way other people see him, the way they respect him, the way they admire him, the values ​​he has as a person and the way he shows those values ​​through the club. the set.

“He’s an outstanding footballer who wants to play the way we want to play and he’s very hungry to make this club successful. That’s why.”

Odegaard’s desire to bring the good times back to Arsenal is the right thing for his manager. Arteta led the team to FA Cup glory at the end of his first season but further silverware – as well as a long-awaited Champions League return – remained out of reach.

It’s easy to think that a place in the top four at the end of the season would be enough to satisfy Arteta. But while it will certainly represent constant progress under his leadership, the manager has set his sights even higher.

“This club is built on – and history will tell you – that you have to be the best,” he insisted. “That’s the goal that we have every day.

“You have to win titles and you have to play hard every day to make your supporters proud – that’s the goal.”