EMERY’S GUNNER KEEP IT FRESH

Henrikh backs boss as stars start on bench

SOUTHAMPTON midfielder Oriol Romeu admits tomorrow’s clash at home to Fulham will be critical to his side’s Premier League survival hopes.

Saints are third from bottom – one place above their visitors – after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.

Romeu said: “It’s crucial. We want to make sure Fulham are going to take nothing from us.

“It’s one of those games that can help us recover from the situation we’re in right now. Alongside our fans, I think we can create something nice.

“There have been some

HENRIKH MKHITARYAN insists Arsenal aren’t obsessing about the Premier League table just yet.

The Gunners regained a top-four spot with their 2-0 win over Southampton on Sunday.

Unai Emery’s men took advantage of Manchester United’s draw with Liverpool to replace them in the final Champions League place, with both sides having 11 games left to go.

Staying there and winning the Europa League are Arsenal’s two main priorities between now and the end of the season.

And winger Mkhitaryan said: “Well, we are not looking at the table at the moment because we still have lots of games to play. It is not the main thing at the moment. Everything is possible.

“The most important thing is to be focused and to be ready for every game because we are not going to think that we are in the top four and nothing will change. We just have to keep working tough results, especially in the last few minutes, but that’s something that can happen in football.

“It’s a matter of keep working hard, keep doing the right things in training and the results and the points we need will have to come.

“There are not many points, so we can’t throw many more away.”

Saints staged a ‘Great Escape’ to stay up at the end of last season and Romeu is confident Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men can save their skins again.

The former Chelsea ace and trying to do our best to win three points in every game.”

Emery dropped Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the bench against Southampton, not calling on them until the last half hour at the Emirates.

Mkhitaryan, who set up the Gunners’ first against Saints and scored the second, said: “It was a game that the manager decided to leave them on the bench to give more opportunities to the other players.

Connection

“The good thing is when they came on they had freshness and could give more drive to other players. I am very happy they came on.

“Everyone knows what they have to do. There is nothing to be under pressure [about] because we know exactly what we have to do.

“We know how to play the ball and understand each other to have a good connection between the players to score goals.”

Arsenal continue their top-four bid against Bournemouth tomorrow when they will be targeting an eighth successive Emirates win.

And Emery hinted he might make changes that could see Ozil and Aubameyang return.

He said: “Wednesday is an important game at home to Bournemouth.

“It is the moment to use different players, to get good fresh players with energy and quality.

“We need to do the mix and save some players for the next games. We have a lot of matches and it is important to have big performances, like against Southampton.” added: “This team has picked up from hard situations before, and I’m sure it will do it again.

“I’m pretty positive that, with the lads and the way we’re working, it’s the right way. Sooner or later we’re going to get our rewards.”

Saints will be without striker Michael Obafemi for Fulham’s visit after the teenager hobbled off at Arsenal with a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

Saints boss Hasenhuttl admits losing the Republic of Ireland international, with top scorer Danny Ings still sidelined, is “a disaster”.