Mikel Arteta is not interested in silencing the cynics and says his sole motivation is to provide success for the Arsenal fans.
Arsenal’s recent wobble that has seen them lose the EFL Cup final to Manchester City, crash out of the FA Cup to Southampton, and suffer defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, has seen them targeted by social media trolls who claim the club have started to ‘bottle it’ when it counts.
They did win 1-0 at Sporting CP in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final last week and have the chance to advance to the last four tomorrow night.
That would provide a major psychological boost ahead of Sunday’s crunch Premier League clash with City and Arteta insists he is focused solely on bringing success to the Emirates.
He said: ”The motivation is to give the people who deserve it what they are looking for. It’s not for the rest. The energy is on these people because they are the ones who deserve it.
“The players need perspective on where they are in the Champions League and the Premier League.
“We need to embrace that, and the higher you are, the bumpier it gets. I am more demanding, and the line is thinner between being the best and the worst, and you have to cope with that.”
Arsenal have suffered from injury problems in recent games and the situation has not eased with Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori all missing the open section of training today.
“We know how important availability is in this crucial period of the season,” Arteta added.
“We have probably been missing four or five starters for weeks now, which has had an impact. We need them back, that’s for sure.”
Sporting CP are still in the tie and Arteta accepts the job is far from done.
“They are a really good side, and they proved that in the first leg,” he said. “That is why we know tomorrow is going to be a really tough match. They are a team that tries to be dominant through their press and on the ball. We will apply what is necessary to win the game.”
Rui Borges’ side remain second in the Primeira Liga and warmed up for their trip to North London with a 1-0 victory at Estrela at the weekend.
Team news for Arsenal v Sporting CP
Arteta said one of Bukayo Saka or Jurrien Timber could be fit for tomorrow with the latter most likely. It is unlikely Rice will be risked with City on the horizon. Mikel Merino remains a long-term casualty.
Sporting will be without Nuno Santos, Luís Guilherme and Fotis Ioannidis.
Predicted line-ups for Arsenal v Sporting CP
Arsenal: Raya; White, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber; Zubimendi, Norgaard, Eze; Madueke, Martinelli, Gyokeres
Sporting CP: Rui Silva; Fresneda, Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio, Araújo; Hjulmand, Morita; Catamo, Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves; Suárez
Where to watch Arsenal v Sporting CP: TV and online streams
Kick-off on Wednesday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 1.
Streaming is on the HBO Max app. TNT Sports costs £30.99 a month and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
To watch elsewhere in the world, click HERE to find your local rights holder.
