What Mikel Arteta made Arsenal players do to avoid Leicester City problem
Mikel Arteta forced his Arsenal players to write down the potential issues of facing winless Leicester City as he looks to avoid complacency creeping into the Gunners’ ranks.
Arteta’s title challengers are unbeaten after five games and are heavy favourites for victory when they host Steve Cooper’s men on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off). City head to the Emirates seeking their first league win of the campaign.
When every result counts in the battle to topple Manchester City, Arteta knows his team cannot afford a slip-up to a side like Leicester. To dispel complacency, the Spaniard didn’t just discuss Leicester’s qualities, but got his players to get out the pen and paper and write the possible issues they could encounter.
He said at his press conference on Friday:
“I asked them the question yesterday, to write it. What are the difficulties and challenges here?
“They were very clear about it. So they know what’s coming and they know this league so good and they know that we’re going to have to be at the top level tomorrow to beat them.
“They (City) have a lot of ability. What he (Steve Cooper) has done with previous teams, what he’s trying to do, I’ve watched three or four of the games this season and they have a lot of threat.
“He’s got the formula as well because he beat us when he was at Forest. It’s a game we are going to take very seriously because it’s going to be a very tough opponent.”
Arteta’s final season as a player was in 2015-16, when, as part of Arsenal’s midfield, he finished as a Premier League runner-up to City. The Spaniard has been wanting more tactical questions, but seemed taken aback to be asked if there was anything the Gunners could have done differently eight years ago to beat City to the title.
“I have enough of my own tactical issues to go through now!” he said. “It was a beautiful story and they fully deserved it. What they did was absolutely amazing and it’s part of the Premier League history, so it was great.”
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