Mikel Arteta has called on Arsenal fans to produce a big atmosphere on Saturday afternoon knowing his players will need all the help they can get to overcome Manchester United.
The Spaniard criticised the Premier League for the scheduling of the Gunners’ current run of fixtures when they were confirmed last month and is clearly mindful of tired legs affecting his small squad with there being minimal time to recover from Wednesday’s important win over Chelsea.
After the 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge, Arteta wasted no time focusing attention on the next challenge.
“I’m now thinking about Manchester United,” he told Arsenal.com. “This one is done now, we have already enjoyed it in the dressing room. Now it is about recovery, preparing mentally.
“We don’t have any time to prepare for the match, so we are going to have to need our people to turn up and make the Emirates a real place against Manchester United.”
In his post-game press conference, Arteta was asked if the contingent who travelled to West London deserved an assist for the 4-2 win over Chelsea because of their incessantly vocal support.
“For our fans, the only thing I can say is what I have said all season; in good and difficult moments, they have been right behind the team.
“I know that we have disappointed them in the last few weeks with the results that we’ve had, and look how they were today again.”
He went on to reiterate his call to arms.
“This victory is for them [the supporters],” he said. “And I tell them that they have to be at Emirates Stadium with us on Saturday, because we don’t have time to recover and they need to be really noisy and loud to help us win the match.”
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