MY ACCOUNT
Mikel Arteta has urged his Arsenal players to do their talking on the field against Liverpool after accusing unnamed parties of “lying” about the reasons behind Sunday’s north London derby postponement.
The Gunners had a request to call off the match against fierce rivals Tottenham accepted by the Premier League on Saturday due to having a lack of players available to choose from.
However, Arteta’s side were accused of exploiting the Premier League’s rules for a game to be postponed, with the majority of their players absent due to injury, suspension or Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Arsenal had only one confirmed positive COVID-19 case at the time of lodging an application to get the derby called off, but the Premier League deemed they were unable to meet the required number of available players – 13 outfielders and a goalkeeper – despite their Under-23s having a squad of 16 for a game on Friday.
Speaking on Tuesday, Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte felt the decision to postpone the match was “very, very strange”.
But Arteta hit back at Arsenal’s critics in response to Conte’s remarks and added: “We’re not going to let anybody damage our name or try to spread lies.”
Doubling down on those comments, Arteta said: “We have to defend ourselves. The best way to do that is demonstrate who we are, and the best way to do that is on the pitch.
“Whoever is saying we are trying to do something we are not, that’s a lie. We have all the evidence we have to provide.
“You have to provide evidence individually, all the MRIs, all the COVID cases that you have, you have to put it on the table, you have to explain it, you have to answer more questions and you have to go again and do it. We’ve done all the right things.”
As the fallout from Sunday’s derby cancellation continues, Arsenal have a crucial EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool to prepare for on Thursday.
The tie is delicately poised following last week’s goalless draw at Anfield, where Arsenal held on with 10 men for more than an hour after Granit Xhaka’s sending off.
And for Arteta, the match at Emirates Stadium represents a chance for his young squad to continue their development by reaching a major final.
“I can sense the excitement when they’re training. They’re really looking forward to it. The majority of them have not experienced [a semi-final],” he said.
“It’s why you play football, it’s why you want to play for this club, to win trophies. We want to go through and then go and win it, which is the best memory you can have.”
Arsenal confirmed on Thursday that defender Pablo Mari has completed his loan move to Serie A side Udinese.
Mari, who has made 22 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions, will remain at the Dacia Arena for the remainder of the season.
