Mikel Arteta’s career as a manager might have only started but based on his first few games in charge, there are a lot of reasons to be excited.
The Spaniard will be taking charge of his first FA Cup game today as Arsenal welcome Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United. Ahead of the game, Arteta sent out a message to the squad. According to Metro, he said:
“When you take the fans to Wembley they are all proud of you. It’s a special day for everyone, they all travel with their families looking for success.
“The history of this club means they are used to winning trophies and when you do that it generates something special. So if we can get connected with the fan-base again, that will be a powerful weapon.”
Arteta knows all about the importance of the cup as he was instrumental in Arsenal’s FA Cup win in 2014. That was a particularly important moment for the club as it ended a nine-year trophy drought. The FA Cup presents a very good opportunity for the club to win a piece of silverware this season.
If the squad takes in what the Spanish boss has to say, we might see a performance like the one we saw against United. Having the same kind of hunger and intensity will help the team emerge victorious on this occasion as well.
The cup is also a chance for some of the youngsters as well as fringe players to get some playing time. They will be able to make a case for themselves and prove to Arteta that they belong in the first team.
One of the points that Arteta speaks about is connecting with the fans and that seems to be happening already. There were many glimpses of that against Chelsea. But, it was against United that we could see the fans completely behind the team as they were cheering them from the first minute.
It is heartening to see the players giving their all under the new manager and fans will be hoping that it will continue for a long time.
