Mikel Arteta has expressed his pride at how our supporters have remained by the team’s side as we build towards something special.
The fans are back in N5 for the first time in four weeks this Saturday lunchtime, when we host Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium in our long-awaited Premier League return.
Our previous outing both in north London and in the league ended with a magical moment, as we scored two late goals to claim a hard-earned three points against Everton on March 14 – and the boss wants to emulate that electric atmosphere inside the stadium.
“The closer we get, the relevance and importance of the match increases obviously, and tomorrow is a big day for us,” affirmed Mikel during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
“The players know it, our supporters know it, it’s an early kick-off, so get up early, have an early breakfast, bring your lunch, bring your dinner, and let’s all go together for it because it has to be a big day.”
“Our pride is reinforced because that talks about your culture and the identity of this club and the team, and to define that, you have to go through different scenarios, different moments, individually and collectively. I always said that that’s one of the proudest things that I have, not only with the people but our supporters as well, they’ve always been with the team regardless of the situation and that’s great to see in football.
“I think that attitude and that behaviour and that unity gives you more will to win for them. That possibility, the opportunity to make so many people proud and happy, increases and that’s what has driven everybody, me first of all, and then all the players and the people in the organisation.”
As we prepare to take on a Cherries outfit managed by Arteta’s compatriot Andoni Iraola and unbeaten in their last 11 league matches, the manager has rallied the supporters to make a huge contribution to Saturday’s fortunes throughout the 90 minutes.
“For every game, we have to be there. We know the meaning of every match here and the opportunity that we have, especially when we play at home. We need to maximise every result. It’s about each individual and how they turn up there. It’s actually impacting the game, the atmosphere and energy in the stadium.
“Whoever comes tomorrow, I ask them to (come) with that mindset, energy and commitment, because the team is going to respond beautifully to that.”
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Every word from Arteta’s pre-Bournemouth presser
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