GUNNER We’ve Scott to get right at it
SCOTT PARKER wants his Fulham players to come firing out of the blocks against Arsenal by showing “energy, excitement and resilience”.
But most of all he is determined to see quality when it matters most as they battle for their Premier League survival.
Since beating champions Liverpool at Anfield on March 7, Fulham have been unable to build on that momentum with four successive defeats leaving them adrift in the bottom three.
They had been level with Brighton at that point last month – and one victory away from leapfrogging Newcastle.
But both of those sides have now pulled clear.
While Arsenal are fresh off the back of an impressive win in Prague which booked a spot in the Europa League semifinals, Parker (above) doesn’t anticipate Mikel Areteta’s men taking their eye off the ball.
He said: “I don’t know if they’re vulnerable but certainly a quick start, an aggressive start, that’s the ambition.
“We need to be organised, we need to be disciplined, we need to go and take the game to Arsenal.
“In terms of the predicament of the teams that are down there, most of the managers will find it’s about how players transfer their habits and the freedom of the training field to then go and execute in the arena with what’s at stake.
“That’s the difference between top, top players and top teams – being able to handle that.”
Parker’s young squad have undoubted ability but he is keen to stress they need to remove any fear and instead showcase their skill on the big stage at a crucial time.
He said: “When you are in the Premier League there is pressure every week.
“You are always in the spotlight and always one bad result away from trouble.
“Individually as players you are one mistake away from being highlighted.
“The difference between teams and players that are successful is that they handle those pressures well.
“They don’t let it drown them and they don’t listen to the noise too much.”
Quality, more than character, will be the key for Fulham producing a great escape now.
Parker added: “You don’t get many chances in this division so when you do, can you execute?”
MIKEL ARTETA has warned his Arsenal players against taking it easy during the Premier League run-in.
Having secured a place in the Europa League semi-finals, the North Londoners could be tempted to concentrate solely on that trophy instead of improving their dismal domestic campaign.
But Arteta will not tolerate any such laid-back approach from his troops, who are currently languishing ninth in the table and a whopping nine points adrift of the top five.
In fact, the Spaniard is demanding the reverse. He expects them to keep performing to the heights produced during Thursday’s 4-0 second-leg rout of Slavia Prague.
Starting at The Emirates today when Scott Parker’s struggling Fulham are the visitors.
Asked if it would be dangerous to put all their eggs in the Europa League basket, Arteta said: “A big mistake. I love that phrase. My dad always tells me that since I was 15!
“We cannot do that. The league is really important. There’s a lot of points to play for and there have been a lot of changes in the table in recent weeks.
“We want to be involved right up until the last match and the way to do it is put a run together.”
Winning sequences of any length have been in short supply this term.
Arsenal’s best to date is three in a row, which they have managed on three occasions.
As they look to do that once more by beating Fulham, Areta added: “After the positive performance and result against Sheffield United, to do it again, the way we did in Prague, is reassuring.
“It breeds confidence. There’s a level that we can reach and when we play at that level we are really difficult to play against.
“We cannot accept anything less than that. That’s the bar we’ve set ourselves.”
While the Gunners have lacked any consistency from one week to the next, Arteta argues some of their better displays have come against the so-called ‘big boys.’ All of which provides further evidence, according to the former Manchester City No.2, that they can mix it with the best.
Arteta, who faces Unai Emery’s Villarreal in the Europa League last four, said: “If you look at the performances and results against some of the more difficult opponents, you would say, ‘How is that possible?’
“This hasn’t happened in years here but then for different reasons – some in the details, some our own mistakes – we’ve conceded and given away a lot of points.
“That’s put our season under scrutiny and ourselves in a position we’re not comfortable with.
“But the form in the Europa League has been very positive.
“We earned our place in the semis and we’re optimistic about getting to that final.”
Homegrown pair Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe were again integral in Arsenal’s 5-1 aggregate victory over Slavia Prague.
And the facts indicate that when they both start the Gunners fare far better.
Arteta, though, is wary about placing too much of a burden on such young shoulders.
He said: “They know playing every game is impossible. So we have to change those stats.
“It says a lot about what’s happened this season. Eight months ago, if anybody had said we’d rely so much on these two guys to get a result, you would have said we were not going to be in a strong position.
“That’s our reality. We have to change that because it doesn’t work in our favour.”