Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal supporters to “attack the final” alongside his players when they face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
The Premier League leaders remain in contention for four trophies this season but almost six years have passed since they last lifted major silverware, when Arteta won the FA Cup in his first season in charge. “When you have been in this position and [gone] years without winning a trophy obviously it adds more necessity, but as well more drive because you really want it and that’s something that we have,” said the Arsenal manager. “That is something really important for us and something that we’ve been trying to achieve for a while, and I know we have the opportunity to do it.”
With Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup victory taking place without supporters at Wembley due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Arteta can rely on plenty more noise this time round. “Be with us, push for every ball, for every action,” he said when asked for a message for the fans. “Show how much we really want it and together attack the final.”
Arteta refused to be drawn on whether victory would mark a new, glorious era for Arsenal, the 43-year-old very much on guard throughout his pre-match press conference. “You live the moment and the present … that’s the only focus that you can put in,” he said. Have his players discussed the quadruple at all? “No, because we know that we need to go game by game and trophy by trophy. The fact that we are at the end of March and we are in four competitions tells a lot about the team. As I said, now it’s about the next step, the next game and the defining moments.”
Unlike Pep Guardiola, who has confirmed James Trafford will start for City at the weekend, Arteta did not reveal which goalkeeper he has chosen. While David Raya is his No 1, Kepa Arrizabalaga has been Arteta’s pick in the domestic cup competitions.
Arteta also did not confirm if Martin Ødegaard and Jurriën Timber will be available. Ødegaard has not featured since the north London derby in February because of a knee injury while Timber was forced off in the first half against Everton last weekend. “We have another session tomorrow, so let’s see if they can make it,” said Arteta.
The Spaniard was asked about his relationship with Guardiola, under whom he worked as an assistant coach at Manchester City. “The feelings from my side hasn’t changed at all,” he said. “He’s in Manchester, I’m in London. We are managing two different clubs.
We cannot spend time together. That’s important in our relationship, but it’s not the most important thing. Because what I feel about him and the time that we had together and what he did for me, the inspiration has been since I was little for me. That’s never going to change.”
