Mikel Arteta hits out at 'Jurgen Klopp rule' ahead of Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Mikel Arteta has bigger problems than kicking off at Villa Park just 63 hours after the final whistle of Arsenal's title shoot-out with Manchester City.
The psychological damage of Arsenal being knocked off their perch, after being No.1 in the charts longer than Band Aid, will take some repairing. Coping with the bloated expectations of a fan base who had became accustomed to leading from the front will not be easy.
Restoring the confidence of striker Eddie Nketiah – four games without a goal, after scoring six in six deputising for the crocked Brazilian Gabriel Jesus – will be essential.
And denying his predecessor at the Emirates, Unai Emery – now in charge of Aston Villa - a first instalment of payback, after he was sacked by the Gunners in November 2019, might be the hardest part of all.
But Arteta can spot a tripwire on a level playing field like golfer Colin Montgomerie could be distracted by a cricket chirping in the light rough 200 yards down the fairway, and the Arsenal manager has an axe to grind with the Premier League.
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He is unhappy that the Gunners are required to keep an appointment in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off after Wednesday night assignment when teams involved in the Champions League are spared such a quick turnaround.
Arteta has demanded the same level of protection for all Premier League clubs, citing the risk of injury as a major concern. Usually there is nothing more tedious than managers whingeing about fixture schedules.
Mikel Arteta is aiming to get Arsenal's title charge back on track against Villa (talkSPORT)But the rules were altered in 2021 after Jurgen Klopp's colossal strop about Liverpool being held to a 1-1 draw at Brighton in the early kick-off after a 2-0 defeat by Atalanta in the Champions League on the previous Wednesday night.
Klopp complained it was “really dangerous” to force players into action so soon after midweek fixtures – and now Arteta wants the same courtesy extended to all Premier League clubs after the issue was raised at a pre-season managers' meeting.
He said: "There are certain rules with the Champions League. When you are playing on Wednesday night and then you cannot play (on Saturday lunchtime), so that should apply to any competition.
"If think you are talking physiologically, it is very difficult to turn around in that period to get the best outcome and reduce the injury risk for players.
"They put the schedule the way they did. It's a bit unusual, but it's not about being worried or not worried. We have to play. I want the players to be in the best possible mindset and physically ready to get that challenge going.
Arteta insists he will not use the early kick-off time as an excuse for performing poorly in their first reunion with Emery, adding: "We knew we were going to play at that time. The players are young – they have a lot of energy.”
Nketiah, 23, has been a revelation as stand-in for Jesus, but he missed gilt-edged chances against City and, like Gabriel Martinelli, he has hit a mini-slump in form.
Arteta said: “The most difficult thing is to score goals but Eddie produced a penalty that could have been a goal, he could have scored a hat-trick and then we’re talking about something else. Unfortunately he didn’t and so we have these debates. But we have full confidence in these kids.”
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On managing expectations and teams sitting deep to frustrate Arsenal – he has counted 16 teams who have arranged 'low blocks' to deny them space in the final third – Arteta remains defiant.
He said: “We have to look at ourselves, we have to be more efficient. For the play we have dominated, we haven’t generated enough points and that’s down to us.
“We have faced 16 low blocks this season and we have won a lot of those games. Then it’s about efficiency. When they block everything and the ball doesn’t go in the net, it’s great (for them). If you win 2-0, then you attacked the low block really well. Against Aston Villa it will have to be a really high level to beat them.”
*Arteta has condemned fans who pelted Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne with bottles on Wednesday night, saying: “There was an incident that no one is going to tolerate inside the stadium and the club is investigating that issue.”
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