Mikel Arteta believes that having no fans in the stadium is actually helping his Arsenal players as they prepare to face Leicester in a crucial Premier League clash.
Arteta’s team welcomed the Foxes on Tuesday after winning their last four games, after losing two on the rebound immediately after soccer restarted.
Arsenal’s mini revival has brought them to seventh place in the table, and tonight’s victory at the Emirates would be a major boost to their hopes of qualifying for European football next season.
Fan discontent at The Emirates has been palpable at times in recent years amid the Gunners’ underperformance.
And while only one of Arsenal’s games since the restart has been at home, Norwich’s beating last week 4-0, Arteta acknowledges that playing behind closed doors could be taking pressure off his players.
(Image: POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
“When they play in front of 80,000 people it is much more difficult, especially when they are on the ball or the ball approaches them,” said the manager.
“Others need that extra motivation, extra pressure, extra passion to perform better. Each player is different. But some of the players don’t rush what they do. “
Arteta’s team is currently on the way to seventh place for the Europa League, but their form since they returned to action last month has given them hope of being able to return to the Champions League.
North Londoners are six points behind Manchester United in fifth place, which might be enough to secure a place in Europe’s elite club competition if the European ban on Manchester City is upheld.
(Image: PA)
And with tonight’s Leicester opponents in third place, a victory for the Gunners would help further open the Champions League career.
One player who appears to have benefited from Arsenal’s recent upgrade is midfielder Dani Ceballos.
Ceballos faces an uncertain future as there is no obvious place for him in his parent club, Real Madrid.
But after a season of ups and downs in the Emirates that was affected by injury, the midfielder is beginning to play with Arteta’s thoughts and the coach wants him to stay.
“I am very happy with him, he is becoming a very important player for us,” Arteta said in quotes reported by the Daily Mail.
“We are talking to (Real), obviously we do not own the player, he is not in our hands, so the clubs will need to communicate and see what we can do.”
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