Perhaps wary that Brentford’s visit to the Emirates could feel a bit “after the Lord Mayor’s show”, Mikel Arteta issued a pre-emptive rallying cry, urging supporters to turn up for the 7.30pm kick-off “like animals”.
After eye-catching home wins over Sp*rs and Bayern Munich, plus a hard-fought derby at Stamford Bridge, he’s clearly determined to keep standards high. The fixture might lack glamour, but the stakes remain the same: a title race to contest, three points to secure, and a chasing pack to keep at bay.
Asked in his pre-match press conference whether the game offered an opportunity to rotate, Arteta quickly steered things towards atmosphere instead.
“That’s an opportunity tomorrow at 7.30pm, everybody…7.30pm kick-off, to be at the Emirates, bouncing and putting energy to win the game.
“That’s the opportunity that we have tomorrow. 7.30pm. Like animals. Everybody at the Emirates to go again and beat Brentford. That’s the opportunity.”
Before the next question even arrived, he jumped back in.
“Vital. Massive,” he stressed, fully aware his side can’t afford a slip with an in-form Aston Villa waiting on Saturday.
Asked if motivating his players is ever an issue, he was firm: “No, because our motivation comes from preparation and how we prepare for every game to try to be better than the opposition.
“And where we are in the league and what we are doing, I mean, I don’t think we need any more motivation than that.”
If the players bring intensity, the crowd will follow. This season’s performances – top of the table at home and in Europe – have given Gooners little to grumble about, but complacency is always a risk.
“You can always be more [positive], especially when you play a different type of game,” said Arteta.
“That’s where you have to lift the standards. The team, the fans and ourselves as well, with the way we’re going to play tomorrow, to lift everybody and make sure that we produce the same energy, atmosphere and positivity around the place.”
Brentford under Thomas Frank built a reputation for physicality, long balls and set-piece prowess. Keith Andrews has retained that pragmatism – organised, aggressive, and happy to press – qualities that may mirror the in-your-face approach Arsenal faced from Chelsea and Sunderland.
“I think every game that we play, when you look at the intensity in the Premier League against any opponent, what is needed is incredible,” said Arteta.
“Brentford brings different threats, different challenges, as we all know, and you need to dominate that if you want to win the game.”
On Sunday, Chelsea’s aggression crossed the line. Moises Caicedo’s red card for a reckless challenge on Mikel Merino was the headline moment, but the Blues repeatedly pushed the limits. Arteta sounded frustrated, not just by their approach, but by Arsenal’s failure to take advantage of the man advantage.
“I think every team in the Premier League, the first thing that they do is be aggressive. I don’t think that’s going to be something that teams are going to change at all.
“You take it to certain extremes; hopefully, that will be looked after. It should have been in the first action of the game on the kick-off with Mosquera [when Joao Pedro smashed into him].
“But we have to learn from it and use it in a better way because we should have explored what we had for a period of time. It wasn’t 60 minutes [with 10 men for Chelsea], because from 33 to 39, we didn’t play, and then it was a Piero [challenge] and another player on the floor, and the next four minutes we didn’t play.”
While Arteta stressed he doesn’t believe the injuries that ruled William Saliba and Leandro Trossard out on Sunday are serious — suggesting both could return in “a matter of days” — he didn’t hide his irritation at losing two key players just as others were making their way back.
“Especially how we lost them [the injuries] with Leo as well, because Leo was in a great moment, and Gabi Martinelli was just coming back, and we had to manage his minutes. He wasn’t able to play more than he did on Sunday.
“So, managing that, the fact that obviously Willy trained the day before, and then he was uncomfortable, players are not training in certain positions, having to play there. But again, the attitude towards it and the way the players are performing and giving absolutely everything they can to fulfil those absences, it’s been the key part of the season because we have to deal with a lot already.”
Arsenal spent much of last season improvising their way through an injury storm, so it was no surprise that Arteta agreed that experience has helped this time around.
“Yes, because this season has been worse in some areas, especially in the front line, and now what’s happening with the back line. But we learn, and we were able to put together a squad that is much more reliable and has more options.
“We learned from the past as well that we have to use players in different positions and they have to be able to fulfil different roles if we want to compete at this level, and the example of Mikel [Merino] is the best one, probably.”
Merino’s adaptability was tested again either side of the Interlull, with the Spaniard once more asked to operate as a makeshift striker – a role he hadn’t played regularly since childhood. His goal at Stamford Bridge took him to 20 for club and country in 2025, an extraordinary return for a midfielder pressed into service as a pseudo-number nine.
Asked whether he ever foresaw Merino making such an impact up front, Arteta smiled:
“As a striker, certainly not. But that’s the thing as well, that you learn when you sign a player.
“I knew that he could offer much more than what he had, and especially after I met him for the first time, because a player that has that amount of curiosity and the amount of questions that he’s asked, how willing he is to learn constantly, the way he loves his profession and football, it’s difficult to put limits to that because when someone wants to grow every single day, is that determined, is that hungry to win and evolve and to be part of something, that’s very powerful and Mikel certainly has that.”
The post “Like animals” – Arteta wants Emirates bouncing for Brentford visit appeared first on Arseblog News – the Arsenal news site.
Comments
0