Manchester United may be enduring a miserable season, but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta remains cautious about their ability to rise to the occasion.
Arsenal host United in an FA Cup third-round tie on Sunday and, although new manager Ruben Amorim is still getting to grips with Old Trafford, the Portuguese managed a 2-1 win at Manchester City in December and a 2-2 draw at Liverpool last weekend.
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For the fourth consecutive season, we will be wearing an all-white kit, without our iconic colors on Sunday in support of the No More Red campaign.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 10, 2025
“Look at how they play against the big teams and how they perform and the results they have achieved,” Arteta said.
“I know him [Amorim] Well, I followed him in Portugal and there’s a big reason why he’s where he is right now and he deserves to be there.
“Each manager is appointed for different reasons. Sometimes it’s to transform a football club.”
Arteta has fond memories of the FA Cup
Arteta has had a transformative effect on Arsenal, returning them to the elite of English football, but he is yet to translate that into regular silverware with the 2020 FA Cup the only trophy he has won as a manager at the Emirates, despite lifting it twice as a player.
The competition has undoubtedly lost some of its appeal, but Arteta has fond memories of Arsenal’s successes, adding: “The memory of winning something and sharing it with people is the ultimate goal.”
Arsenal will be hoping to bounce back from Tuesday night’s 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final – a game in which they dominated for long periods without being able to convert any of their many chances.
Afterwards, Arteta partially attributed the failure to the ball, which is different in the EFL Cup, a remark that attracted a lot of attention.
Asked about it today, he said: “We are adapting. It’s different in the Champions League. Each ball is different, a different flight. That’s not an excuse. Every pitch is different, the weather is different.”
