State-of-the-Art identity will take time, says Hector

HECTOR BELLERIN insists it will take time for Arsenal to build their new identity but setbacks will not see them deviate from the style head coach Mikel Arteta wants to play.

Monday’s 3-1 defeat at Liverpool, which ended the Gunners’ 100 per cent start to the season, saw them have just 34 per cent possession as they found it difficult to play out from the back against their hosts’ high-intensity pressing.

But despite there being occasions, most notably when Rob Holding was in possession, when the tactic looked decidedly dodgy, Bellerin (pictured) said they had faith in Arteta’s philosophy as that was how they would improve going forward.

‘I think when you build a new identity, a new way of playing football, it’s not something that happens overnight. It’s something that takes a lot of time, it takes losses, it takes wins, it takes a lot of learning,’ he said. ‘ We’ve got new players that have come in this season and they need to get used to the system.

‘This is our game. This is what we have been training since Mikel has been here, so just because a team is the best in Europe at doing that (pressing), doesn’t mean we change the way we play.

‘We train this every single day, every single week, so we can master it and we can hurt teams by doing this. It doesn’t matter how good the other team is, we have an identity, a way of playing football, and that’s how we create our chances.

‘We should all be proud that we stick by what we know. Sometimes it is difficult. Not every game is going to be easy. I think we just need to keep working and getting better, because these are the games we need to be winning.’ The Londoners will have an immediate chance to respond following their defeat as the sides meet again at Anfield tomorrow night in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. Both teams, who played out a highly entertaining 5-5 draw which Liverpool won on penalties in the competition last season, are likely to make changes but that will not affect the mindset. ‘Every game we understand each other more and I am very positive about what this season holds for us,’ defender Bellerin added. ‘There is a hunger in this team that wasn’t there the last few years and we want to win every single game.’