Pain as fuel
After two blows in a row that left Arsenal without cups, Mikel Arteta is not hiding. On the contrary. He asks his team to feel that pinch, to live it… and then use it.
“Feel that pain, feel that emotion, and use it to be better,” the coach said this Monday.
His message is clear: instead of panicking, we must analyze, understand and improve. Perspective is the only thing that stops a free fall. And with the Champions League and the Premier League still alive, there is no time for regrets.
Reinforcements in sight
The good news comes with the names. Gabriel Magalhães, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard are ready for the clash against Sporting Lisbon this Tuesday. A relief after an international break that left ten of the club’s players with problems.
But there is more. Although Bukayo Saka and Jurriën Timber did not travel to Portugal, Arteta is confident of having them for Saturday against Bournemouth. A key match to maintain the nine points advantage over Manchester City.
The coach has also turned to an insider: Viktor Gyökeres. He has asked him for information about his former club, Sporting.
“Just to understand the dynamics, the culture here, and have more information about them that we can use to our advantage,” Arteta explained.
Gyökeres returns for the first time to the place that catapulted him. And according to Arteta, he does it with a full heart.
“He is full of gratitude for his time here,” he said. “The experience he had at Sporting was a very important part of his journey.”
That’s how things are. Pain turned into a lesson. Casualties that are recovered. And a forward excited to face his past. Arsenal does not give up, it reinvents itself.
