TONIGHT’S LOWDOWN
Arteta ready for the fight and demands his faltering Gunners unite and fire back to end slump
MIKEL ARTETA admits he is under fire – but claims he has a chest big enough to take any bullets headed in Arsenal’s direction.
The Gunners entertain Southampton tonight having picked up just one Premier League point from the last 15.
Kieran Tierney has insisted the players are to blame while technical director Edu has gone public with that dreaded vote of confidence.
So perhaps it is not surprising Arteta accepts that the heat is on just four months after he lifted the FA Cup.
“I feel the pressure all the time,” he said. “When we had those good spells, everything was not beautiful.
“We had those last few months of last season and there were some difficult moments. It wasn’t all nice and easy. The pressure is always going to exist but when you are winning you create a different mood and then the pressure is to keep winning.
“I prefer that pressure of trying to win the next trophy but this is the reality and we have to face it, being brave and fighting and no one giving up.
“It’s no time to hide, it’s time to put your face and body on the line. At the moment we have to take the bullets.
“We are not winning matches and you have to put your chest there and you have the right to hit me because I am not winning.
“It’s natural that the criticism comes my way. I accept it and it’s part of the job. When he is not getting results it’s the manager who has the maximum responsibility to lead.
“You can say whatever you want, but at the end you have to win matches.
“This club is too big to accept this many losses in the last week.”
Despite Arteta’s valiant attempt to take all of the flak, there is no disguising the impasse with Mesut Ozil that has seen him dumped from the squad, Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang’s loss of goalscoring touch since he signed his last contract or Nicolas Pepe’s poor return since his £ 72million record
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 25 home league games against Southampton (W18 D7) since a 1-0 loss in Nov 1987.
Southampton drew this exact fixture with Arsenal 2-2 last season, conceding a 90th-minute equaliser. They’ve not avoided defeat in consecutive away league games against Arsenal since September 1988. signing. Reluctantly, he concedes that some of the blame does have to fall at the feet of his players.
“It is a good test and it is good to see how we react,” he said. “It is how the club reacts in difficult moments as a club.
“At the moment there are some cracks in how we react.
“Do we start to blame each other, to criticise each other, or do we start to get reunited and push it all together?
“The players have to take responsibility, like I have to do, because at the end of the day we have to put it right on the pitch which is the only area where it makes a difference.”
Arsenal are unbeaten in all 21 of their league home games against Saints, the most home games a team has played against another in the competition without losing.
Arsenal have lost just one of their 21 Wednesday Prem games at home, losing 2-1 against Swansea in March 2016.
Saints have 23 points in their opening 12 league games this term – assuming three points for a win in all seasons, only in 2014/15 have they had more points after 12 matches.
SOUTHAMPTON: