Arteta backs united Gunners to move forward

Arsenal
Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta believes his Arsenal players are starting to rebuild their relationship with the club's supporters, while dressing room is also united.

The Spaniard was appointed last month to succeed Unai Emery, whose own 18-month reign ended with plenty of animosity pouring down from the Emirates Stadium crowd.

The Gunners were pegged back by Sheffield United on Saturday as Gabriel Martinelli’s opener on the stroke of half-time was cancelled out by John Fleck’s late leveller.

The 1-1 draw leaves Arsenal 10th in the Premier League and with just one win from their last seven games.

But, unlike the jeering and negativity which greeted the final whistle during the majority of Emery’s last games at the helm, Arteta praised Arsenal’s supporters for sticking with the team against the Blades.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1218911742283206656

Arteta believes the vibe around the Emirates Stadium is ‘completely different’ to how it was a month ago and hopes his team can now start to reward them with some much-needed wins.

It is still arguably the honeymoon period for Arteta though and results will need to improve if the fans are to be fully on board once again. But for now the stadium is united.

Meanwhile, defender Shkodran Mustafi believes is not just in the stands where unity is being used to drive Arsenal forward.

Mustafi insists the unity in the dressing room has always been there, in the good times and the bad, but says it is stronger than ever right now.

“That’s the only way to get out of it and I think if we want to be successful, we need to stick together, players, staff and everyone at the club,” he said.

“Obviously all the people that comes to the games, we want them to be happy but it’s always good when a game like this finishes and you go round and applaud and they are too, it shows that we are united.”

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