I need my men to be fighters... I don’t want any victims
ARTETA ISSUES RALLYING CRY TO HIS MISFIRING ARSENAL SIDE
MiKel arteta has told his misfiring players that he wants more fighters and fewer victims. the arsenal boss warned those found searching for excuses or blaming red cards and own goals for the recent run of miserable form that they will be cut adrift and not allowed to drag the club down.
‘You have two types of people: fighters and victims,’ said arteta, ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester City. ‘You need fighters and you don’t want any victims.
‘victims bring excuses, victims bring negativity. they start to blame anything that is happening around them or is not going their way. You need people who fight, people who contribute and people who are ready to give everything to the club in this moment.’
arteta did not name names but Mesut Ozil, Sokratis and Matteo
Guendouzi can testify that the arsenal boss is ruthless enough to f r eeze out anyone not committed to his plan.
asked if he had enough in the fighting category, arteta replied: ‘Some of them can have doubt. When you are in this situation, you are tempted to go to the other side and say: “Oh, we are scoring own goals, cannot play with ten men, we don’t have the crowd and the referee made these decisions”. i’m sorry but we don’t need any of those.
‘ there are people who are contagious and can transmit a certain level of energy. When you have a lot of them, it’s very easy.
‘You always have some on one side, some in the middle and some completely on board.
‘then you have to drag as many people as you want into your side, to the fighting side, and the ones who are not interested or cannot do it, they have to stay behind because if not they are dragging you back.’
arteta vowed not to walk away from the job he started a year ago, despite a run of seven Premier league games without a win.
‘ i don’t think about those steps,’ he added. ‘i have to try to be as positive as i can, believe in what we’re doing, try to modify things to make it work better, and stay strong.
‘We’re going through a lot of difficulties. the last thing we want to be thinking of is more problems coming up. i’m not in that state of mind. i know the responsibility i have and why i am here.’
the mood in the camp is good, he insisted, despite results and reports of cliques forming.
‘in the dressing room, when you are losing, it is difficult,’ said arteta. ‘ they suffer as well because they care. they want more. the confidence level starts to go. But the unity is there. is there 100-per-cent unity around the club? it is impossible in any club, even when you win, because of the players not participating.’
arteta has i dentified poor finishing as the main reason for the rapid decline of a team who beat Manchester City and Chelsea on the way to winning the Fa Cup last season. the Gunners also beat champions liverpool to win the Community Shield.
He also unleashed a battery of i n- house data to detail the chances created and converted — or not converted in this case — to support his point.
‘Our conversion rate and finishing quality is letting us down,’ said arteta. ‘ Before, our finishing quality was through the roof. What has been sustaining the team in the last two seasons is that our conversion rate and “expected goals” was much higher than it was supposed to be.
‘now it is much lower. it is a big gap and a lot of points. that’s what we have to change.
‘ last year, we won against everton with a 25- per- cent chance of winning. last weekend, it was a 67-per- cent chance of winning and a nine- per- cent chance of losing, and you lose. three per cent (chance of losing) against Burnley and you lose, seven per cent against tottenham, and you lose.
‘Football is not like basketball where you shoot 50 times and the opponent shoots once, so you win every time. it can be the opposite. We l ost 1- 0 against Burnley conceding zero shots on target.’
the former rangers midfielder puts the problems in front of goal down to confidence. it does not help to have Pierre- emerick aubameyang, captain and chief source of goals, out with a calf injury. aubameyang, perhaps so lethal in front of goal in recent seasons that he alone generated an artificially high conversion rate, could be fit to face Chelsea on Boxing Day but has been ruled out against City.
‘i can take a lot of positives from things we have done, things that have worked, the two trophies we have won,’ said arteta. ‘results now in the Premier league are taking a lot of the gloss off.
‘there is a negativity around the team because that is what happens. We cannot deny that.
‘We are hurting and we are suffering because we care a lot about this club.
‘We had other ambitions at the start of the season and it is not going our way. it is time to fight back, be together and get this club what it deserves.’