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Theo Walcott said he felt “scared” of Arsenal on Wednesday night, while both coaches voiced their opinion on the former Gunners forward’s comments.
Walcott scored against his former club at The Emirates in Draw 1-1 on Wednesday and then he said: “I felt a lot fear at Arsenal tonight to be honest. “
Mikel Arteta admitted, however, that Walcott said nothing of the sort to him when the two had a post-match chat.
“I was going to say, I just talked to him and he never mentioned it to me,” Arteta said.
“If he said that is his feeling. Considering the fact that we played 35 minutes with 10 men, we have to win the point.
“We showed some stamina and character to last that long against a really dangerous team. We came back after conceding the goal and showed how much we wanted it ”.
Southampton once again showed their quality with a draw that kept them in the top four of the Premier League.
Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl insisted he never brought in Walcott to fill in the numbers on his squad.
The Austrian said he was always convinced that Walcott could have the big impact he has on his return to the south coast.
“I was convinced of its quality from the get-go,” Hasenhuttl said.
“It was interesting what we want to do here, a little different from what we do. He was a quick learner, I think, and this is why he’s doing so well. “
When asked if Arsenal are showing fear at the moment, Hasenhuttl added: “They are not so convinced of what they are doing right now, you can feel this.
“But they are always dangerous as opponents, it only takes a moment for that to change.
“So it was good that we did what we did today, we took a point here and we moved on.”
Is Auba’s target a catalyst?
Meanwhile, Arteta hopes that Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Southampton could be the catalyst for a change of fortune for gunners in distress.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his first goal in six games and the 10-man Arsenal avoided a fifth straight league loss at home.
Frustrated boss Arteta lamented a third red card in five games, punishing his players’ poor discipline, but insisted this small step in the right direction should spark a full-scale recovery for the listed Gunners.
When asked if the shape of the comeback could be the beginning of a genuine comeback, Arteta replied: “Yes, I agree, yes, because if you lost that game at the end, it would have been very difficult to take.
“The players showed what we expect them to do, so at least the work is there.
“I saw all the players who were not participating and were in the stands, shouting and right behind the team.
“It is a very strong signal too and I am very satisfied with that.
“It is very difficult to compete in this league when you play so long with 10 men.
“It makes it more complicated, but the guys resisted it, they showed their character and stamina and they never gave up.
“I was worried because you could start to see the hidden players when we conceded the first goal, but they did the exact opposite.
“I was very disappointed with two yellow cards, one for Dani (Ceballos) and one for Gabriel.
“But the second (for Gabriel) … yes.”
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