Arsenal got their season off to a flyer with a comfortable win over Fulham this afternoon and it was done without some of the bigger name players starting.
Record signing Nicolas Pepe was on the bench, highest earner Mesut Ozil was not included in the matchday squad and neither was young Matteo Guendouzi.
Naturally, Mikel Arteta was going to be asked about these players and the manager could not have been clearer with his response.
Arteta basically said that the players that were on the bench or left at home have to raise their game and while he never actually referred to any specific player, it was clear who he was talking about.
Arteta sends out a warning to Ozil, Pepe and Guendouzi pic.twitter.com/YKGROH4iEQ
— Just Arsenal News (@JustArsenal) September 12, 2020
Balls is all that it takes to succeed💪🏾Man like Arteta..A no nonsense man
Cojones 😀
Give it time man give it time. It’s a loooooooong season.
Ozil has had it so easy and comfortable in the past 4 years. Now it’s either he starts putting in the shifts or the exit door beckons! If he loves Arsenal as he says he does, he should exit now and save us the financial headache. We will respect him for doing that but if he digs in, then he might as well be digging his own grave as the fans will never forgive him. Go Ozil, go!!!
ozil have to go because at this moment we don’t need him any more, please arteta should go and bring in partey because the midfield is the area I’m seeing problem tomorrow
All these negative speculations are unhealthy & pedestrian. Not all players can be fielded in a match. Alot of variables come to play for selection for particular matches. It is most dishonest on some of these Arsenal fans to continously deduce negative reasons for benching some players. It breaks their self esteem. Laca said something to that effect when asked about those speculations out there in the media of his being part of a package to be shipped out for a certain new player. He said most of those yarns were from the Press pple. Pls let’s help our players believe in themselves. I bet a lot of fans would be supprised to see a player like Elneny on the field of play against Fulham. Allow Arteta to do his job without all these unwarranted speculations.
Well said. Thank you
Yup
Totally agree
👍 The media never let’s the truth get in the way of a good story. Bad news sells more papers.
They should please allow the players breath. Let the manager do his work.
Everyone will get what’s coming to them…
If this keeps up, we’re getting into the top four.
All Arteta has are “his words and his balls ” he won’t break any for any fooooking player on the team
It’s quite simple really.
As a player, you either show Mikel Arteta that your willing to play the way he wants, or your not going to get selected.
It doesn’t matter what any fan thinks and I give you Mohamed Elneny as THE PERFECT EXAMPLE.
It now just needs the fans to support him 100% and our fan base could be as strong as any other club.
👍 As it should be, ken.
Yes. You work hard you. Names don’t play football and what you did yesterday does not matter
Actually arsenal women team re ruthless ooo. 6-1 first game and 1-9 away at westham. Wow long may this continue oo and of course same for the men’s team
One game in the season. One and ya’ll already talking about which player is favored ? How do you know it wasn’t just a coin toss between Willian and Pepe?
I hope it wasn’t
Should let holding go he could not turn in an air field defends with his hands
Willian three assists in 57 minutes,Ozil two assists in each of the past two seasons.
Bravo Arteta let him screw Afc for his outrageous wages for another year at home and then get rid of him asap.
First of all Willan had 2 assists.
Second when a player does not play, the only looser is the club. So if Artera is a good manager, he should find a way to make the players contribute and earn their keep. That’s his job.
Arteta can only field 11 players plus subs
With the team that he put out yesterday Arsenal won 3-0 so how is the club losing?
My concerns was martinez, never allowed this man move out from the club, Ozil should go no compromise he is very lazy in tackling football, if he was just touch small he would fall down, this laziness we are even tired of him
Gus the yesterdy’s game is perfect and each player played well, but remember for the arsenal to finish in top four we need a defencive midfielder like Thomas Partey or Houssem, because even yesterday the Fulhum took an advantage of our weak midfield to be taken the ball forward through the middle.
We should stop the urge of buying new players, Thomas partey can not do better than what Erneny did yesterday.
You’re kidding surely, sojious? Trip to Specsavers required.
Elneny played well, but in Partey’s class (rated as one of the top midfielders in Europe) he is not. There is a reason Thomas Partey has a buy out clause of €50 million and Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid want to re sign him with an increased buy out clause.
A bit dishonest from the author of this article as the editing of the interview conveniently misses the beginning of the sentence where Arteta clearly states this message is not directed at Pepe (“it’s not for Nico, it’s for other players… ” )