Mikel Arteta needs all of his Arsenal squad to be sharp as they continue the fight on all four fronts
Arsenal are heading for a tense Premier League run-in(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal will need all the manpower they can muster if Mikel Arteta is to bring the Premier League title back to the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners are sitting on top as it stands but with Manchester City breathing down their necks.
The north London side have been impressive domestically and in Europe this season. They topped the Champions League table and will face Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 later in March.
Arteta is keen to continue this run of impressive form as he eyes a first league title since 2004. He recently urged the squad to keep their heads as they enter the run-in.
He said: “We have a very clear instruction. We have to live in the present and the present is beautiful. “We are exactly where we want to be in every competition.
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“So, keeping calm, keeping my eyes open, my ears open, and understanding what the players need to give their best.” Here, Mirror Football has some of the latest surrounding the Gunners.
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Paul Merson reckons Arteta doesn’t have the required faith in Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze to produce in the key moments. Arsenal will need all of their players to step up and be counted in the run-in.
Both Eze and Gyokeres recently scored braces against rivals Tottenham, and Merson was quick to point out how well they compliment one another. On Sky Sports‘ Soccer Saturday, he said: “Yeah, he put Saka in there against Wolves.
Merson believes Arteta may not have faith in Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres(Image: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
“It’s a hard position to play, the 10. You don’t just put someone in there and go, ‘Oh, you do what you want and make something happen.’ You’ve got to find pockets, and Eze is very good at that.
“I think that’s what he was bought for, to get in there those little pockets; if you get him on the ball he can turn, he’s elegant, he goes past people like they’re not there.
“That game (the north London derby) was perfect for Arteta – they win the game 4-1 and Gyokeres gets two goals and Eze scores two. I mean, if you could pick two players to get the goals, those would be it. If these two hit fire until the end of the season, Arsenal win the league. If they can go and be 8/10 every week.
Arteta tends to stick to a familiar starting XI week-in, week-out(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
“Because we said at the start, when Eze got bought: he was the X-factor and going to be the one who got them over the line. I still think that’s the case, as long as he plays and Arteta trusts him.”
But when asked if Arteta does have faith in the duo, Merson added: “No, I don’t think he does [with] a lot of people. I think Arteta plays on sparks where he’ll watch someone do something wrong and, ‘Oh, you’re out of the team.’
“We saw it with [Riccardo] Calafiori not too long ago; he had a nightmare game, gets ripped off, don’t play again. Eze gets caught on the far post against [Matty] Cash at Villa, don’t really play again. You’ve got to give them a chance, trust in them more, these players. I don’t think he does that enough in my opinion.”
Gyokeres could face awkward reunion
Viktor Gyokeres is heading for an awkward reunion(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Viktor Gyokeres could reunite with former club Sporting CP in the Champions League. The Sweden international joined the Gunners last summer from the Portuguese side in a deal worth up to £64million, signing a five-year contract.
The saga between Gyokeres and Sporting was highly debated last year after the ex-Brighton star failed to return to pre-season training in Portugal in an attempt to force the club’s hand.
The 27-year-old even took to Instagram to share frustrations as he said: “There’s a lot of talk at the moment, most of it is false. I will speak when the time is right.”
Now, he could face an awkward meeting with Sporting in Europe if both clubs progress past their round of 16 opponents. Arsenal face Leverkusen while the Liga Portugal side will take on high-flying Bodo-Glimt in a two-legged tie.
Gyokeres could meet Rui Borges once more(Image: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
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Should both teams win, they will match up in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Despite the issues last summer, Sporting manager Rui Borges previously insisted there is no bad blood and he wishes the striker well.
He said: “Hurt? No. Honestly, I wasn’t hurt. That’s football. It’s part of football. There are arrivals and departures. We have to know how to deal with it. We have to readjust all the time. He was a very important player, not only this season.
“I wish him the best of luck in the world, he marked an era in our football. He will be missed in his own way. We will have other players. We will continue to be competitive. Players come and go, but the club remains. Others will come in and become great and better and better.”
But Borges won’t be wishing Gyokeres any luck if the pair reunite in European competition.
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