My Arsenal Blog

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke with the media in a game that felt very ‘lather, rinse, repeat’ as the Gunners drew 1-1 with Sheffield United. They had the lead for a long time before the Blades were able to bite back with an equaliser, and it was clear to see and hear the disappointment from Arteta as the attention now turns towards the Chelsea clash.

On how frustrating the result is:
I’m very disappointed today. I think the performance deserved three points and I think we lost two points. In the Premier League, if you don’t put the game to bed then in the last 10 or 15 minutes this type of team just need a long ball, a second ball, a set-piece, and you can give the points away. That’s it.  .......Read more here.....

On what the team will miss most about not having Auba involved:
Auba has been around, he was very sad after the game. He was disappointed that he left the team with 10 men. It’s an action that is completely accidental in my opinion. He’s been superb under me, he’s trained really well, he’s working so hard. He’s scoring goals and has probably been the most important player on the team. So to lose him, obviously, is really bad news for us.  .......Read more here.....

We’ve already spoken about how big this upcoming Sheffield United game is and the implications that may come with it, and we’ve done that because the Blades are currently one of the frontrunners to claim sixth spot – and, at the very least, that’s the sort of position that Arsenal needs to be occupying.

Prior to the game, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta spoke with the media about everything from Sheffield United to the January transfer window and beyond.  .......Read more here.....

Let’s take a short look at what has been going on in the last day or two that involves Arsenal.

Aubameyang red card appeal denied

As you probably know, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was sent off in the 1-1 draw away to Crystal Palace on Saturday as VAR overruled the initial decision of referee Paul Tierney and turned his yellow card into red for a rather reckless tackle on Max Meyer which forced the Palace winger out of the game. In case you still haven’t seen it, or you want to take another look to make up your mind about it, you can do so here.  .......Read more here.....

On coming close to a late winner:
That’s what I wanted to see from my team with 10 men. The reaction was really, really positive and they wanted to win the game. They went for it and we had three or four really good situations. We created the best chance with Nico and Laca. We were unlucky not to win the game.

On losing Aubameyang for the next three games:
That’s a massive blow. We know how important Auba is for the team. Maybe we’re going to lose him for a couple of games.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal were unable to get the three points at Selhurst Park this past weekend as they were held to a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace – although given the nature of the game and how it went, there’s an argument to be made that they were massively fortunate to even come away with a point at all. That, of course, is due to the red card sustained by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang which seemed to completely alter the tempo of the game, even after Palace’s equaliser.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal drew against Crystal Palace for the second time this season when the two teams met on Saturday. A glance at the result will give off an impression that the only different thing this time around was that the Gunners threw away a one-goal lead, not two. But if you’ve seen the two games in full, you should be able to tell that there was much more to it.  .......Read more here.....

On Aubameyang talking about his love for the club:
I was very pleased to read those comments. He knows exactly what I think about him and obviously he’s a massive player for us. But at the moment we’re in the middle of the season and we haven’t discussed anything further on that at the club.

On having talks with Auba before the end of the season:
My intention is to keep Auba obviously because I know that if we keep Auba with us, we’re going to be stronger and closer to winning football matches. That’s the only thing.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has had a mixed start to life as Gunners boss to say the least, and as we look ahead to the immediate future, things aren’t going to get any easier as he prepares for a tough outing against Crystal Palace. Before the game against Roy Hodgson’s top half side, Arteta spoke with the media.

On the difference that a full week of training makes:
At least we had some time to train a few things that I wanted to start implementing. It is nice to have a few more players back, a few from injury, and a bigger group where we can be not just match, post-match, recovery, pre-match all the time. So I am pleased, and when the weather is like this, even better.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal are set to make a short trip across town to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the reverse fixture of that infamous 2-2 draw at the Emirates earlier this season.  .......Read more here.....