Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that after last week's dramatic victory over Aston Villa, the atmosphere and confidence in the Arsenal camp are "much better.".
A Gabriel Martinelli goal in the 98th minute and an own goal by Emiliano Martinez in the 93rd minute saved the Gunners from going five games without a victory.
Speaking in advance of Saturday's trip to face Leicester, Mikel Arteta acknowledged there has been a much more upbeat atmosphere around the camp this week. That victory, coupled with Manchester City's 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest, saw Arsenal move back to the top of the Premier League.
“Much better mood, much more positive,” he told the media. “The confidence is much better, the environment around training is much better.
“The fact the team showed the capacity to reveal in an adverse situation when you are 2-1 down and played less than 72 hours before and everyone is expecting you to be tired mentally – to be able to come back and win the game is a real big boost for us. I see how much they want it.”
Mikel Arteta also spoke about the performance of Jorginho in the team since the 31-year-old arrived from Chelsea in January.
“He’s got the experience,” Arteta said of the Italy international. “He’s got the qualities we need in the team and he knows the league so well so there is not a lot of things that are new or catching him by surprise.”
Arteta said he was hopeful that Thomas Partey could be available.
The midfielder has been out of action haven missed the game against Manchester City and Aston Villa due to muscle injury.
“Not a lot of changes. Obviously a question mark on Thomas. He hasn’t trained much but looks like he could be available so let’s see how he trains today. He is a really important player for us who we have missed in the last few games but hopefully he can be available.”
Meanwhile, the Gunners boss gave a positive update on Gabriel Jesus rehabilitation.
The 25-year-old forward has been out of action since he suffered knee injury last year December at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“He is progressing really well, he is doing more and more on the field,” he said. “The knee is not reacting, so really positive.
“I would like to have him back as quickly as possible but we have to respect the time frame that we got from the doctors and the specialists – but he is really pushing the boundaries right now.”
No comments:
Post a Comment