How My Wife, Family Stood By Me When Results Were Not Going Arsenal’s Way -Arteta

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has thanked his wife foe standing by him during his difficult time with the Gunners this season.

Three Premier League games, three defeats. No points, no goals and nine conceded. Arsenal were at rock bottom; metaphorically and literally.

Saturday’s tense win over Norwich should help ease Arteta’s conflicted mind. It wasn’t convincing by any stretch of the imagination. But that didn’t really matter by the end as the Gunners’ season finally got off the mark courtesy of Aubameyang’s second-half tap-in.

Arteta cited the club’s Covid problems and, in fairness, he had a point — Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Ben White all contracted the virus. More importantly, those in the corridors of power at the Emirates also felt the illness that ravaged the squad during the opening weeks of the season was genuine mitigation for their dreadful start.

That said, Arteta was suffering — that is now clear. ‘You are upset with yourself, you are angry, you are tired. You just want to hit yourself because you are not doing things right and you are not getting the outcome you think you deserve,’ explained Arteta.

‘You have to understand why you do it. So after the (5-0) against Manchester City probably I was at the lowest. And then you start to try to analyse things, you hear different opinions — media, what you think, criticism — and then probably you go even further. And then starts the importance of having the family I have, the wife and kids, the parents and the friends I have.

‘In difficult moments they show their commitment in your relationship with them. After that it is every person that works in this club, from top to bottom, the energy they try to provide, the communication they have with me and the other people who make the big decisions, and how encouraging it is to see them with the hunger to change the situation. They don’t find any excuses. Don’t blame anyone. Just try to look for solutions.’