Mikel Arteta Arsenal
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- What Mikel Arteta said about Brighton with Roberto De Zerbi #BHAFC

May 13, 2023
But there is no scope for his Arsenal side to drop points when the Seagulls go to the Emirates. William Saliba is once again missing from the Gunners’ back line with a back injury which has ruled him out in recent weeks, while left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) is also absent. Midfielder Mohamed Elneny and defender Takehiro Tomiyasu are out for the rest of the season with knee injuries. Arsenal boss Arteta said: “The way Brighton play under manager Roberto de Zerbi is remarkable. It is just a joy to watching them play. “What they have brought to the league is a different idea, a different way of playing and a different challenge to manage against. "What the manager has done with the team is incredible, so it will be a very tough match. "They pose an extremely tricky challenge, with the way they play, so we will have to handle the things they do, but it will be the same for them, managing the way we do it. "They have been ahead of other clubs in the way they have made decisions, the way they have developed players and recruited talent. “It's been really impressive, I think they have done extremely well." Arteta was being quizzed about contractual matters in the run-up to the weekend. He said: “Obviously where we are with each individual is probably different in terms of timing but the clarity is there,” he said of deals for players that may be in the offing. “We have communicated to each of them what the intentions are and we are trying to get that done as quickly as possible but respecting and not losing any focus on what is the real deal right now. “The moment there is anything to announce with any individual, we will do that as a club like we always do. It’s not the moment to talk about that.”
Theo Walcott
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton ace Theo Walcott makes ’emotional’ Arsenal admission ahead of must-win #ArsenalFC #SAINTSFC

April 20, 2023
Ex-England international Walcott made 397 appearances and scored 108 goals for the Gunners following a move from St Mary’s in 2006. The 34 year old has already scored against Arsenal for Saints back in December 2020, while initially on loan before making a permanent return to his boyhood side. Now, Walcott is likely to line up against Arsenal again but this time with the Gunners chasing the Premier League title and Saints facing relegation to the Championship. There is no time for sentimentality in the forward, as Ruben Selles’s charges sit four points adrift of safety with seven matches to play. “Every game is a win, it’s as simple as that. We need points, points. It will be an emotional game for myself, personally,” Walcott admitted. “But I’ve got to go out there and do a job and that’s to try and play as well and as hard as I can for this club and see where that takes us. “Arsenal are top of the league for a reason, we get that. We’re realists, I am particularly, so we’re not stupid, we know it will be a tough game.” Walcott added: “But a Friday night game, you never know. Hopefully, we’ll catch them in a doze but we’ll see. It’s going to be a very interesting battle.” The experienced forward has been called on by Selles to help lead a young dressing room out of potential disaster, with two managers sacked already this campaign. Walcott and the senior leadership group have been unable to shake off a mental scourge that has followed conceding the first goal in Premier League matches. In all competitions, Saints have lost 14 games by just one goal this season – including a number of six-pointers versus relegation rivals. “I don’t know what you want me to say about that,” Walcott said. “In the Premier League you need to get the first goal, it’s so important. “The level, we’re playing a team who has a lot of confidence at this time with Roy (Hodgson), they’ve had a complete change and it’s working for them and everything we’re doing at the moment…it’s just not quite going our way. “We need to just essentially forget about this game, we can’t change anything now. I know it’s such a cliche but we’re looking at the next game now. “But you’re looking at other results now too, it’s as simple as that, you do. You look at results and make sure we don’t get too cut adrift now.”