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The Spaniard says he has been trying to rebuild a broken bond since succeeding Unai Emery as the Gunners’ permanent manager.
Mikel Arteta says he was “shocked” by the division between the fans and the team upon his return to Emirates Stadium, and believes that Arsenal have been “seriously damaged”.
The Gunners turned to their former captain to stabilize the ship after deciding to fire Unai Emery in November 2019.
Emery was relieved of his duties after overseeing a seven-game winless streak, having been hired to replace legendary coach Arsene Wenger 18 months earlier.
Arteta’s only previous coaching experience had come at Manchester City, where he spent three years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, but has since proven his credentials by transforming Arsenal back into a formidable force.
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Arsenal finished their final Premier League campaign in impressive fashion with the 38-year-old, and he also planned an exciting race to FA Cup glory, which ended with a 2-1 final victory over Chelsea at Wembley.
Arteta has been trying to build on that platform at the start of the 2020-21 season, with mixed results, and has warned that the “puzzle” he is assembling in the Emirates will take time to complete.
“You can’t build something new [quickly]When something has been badly damaged and injured, you can see a great divide even between our own fans and the team, “he told the Gunners. official Web site. “When you were in that stadium 10 months ago, I was surprised.
“You have to rebuild that [bond]. To do that, you have to build some foundation and then start a process. You have to prioritize that process up front and where you are going to get.
“To do that you need some pieces that have to be filled in there, and you have to start creating a puzzle and try to handle it because there will be bad times and you don’t want to break it.
“All the time you have to be very alert because it takes very little to break what you are building.”
The Gunners are set to return to Premier League action at Leeds United on Sunday.
Arteta saw his team comfortably beaten at home by Aston Villa before the international break, but is expected to get back on the winning track at Elland Road.
Arsenal will turn their attention to a Europa League meeting with Molde four days later, before preparations begin for a tough trip to Wolves at the end of the month.
