Go to church if you do not like Arsenal’s celebrations: Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta responded to critics of Arsenal’s enthusiastic celebrations by suggesting that if they don’t enjoy the passion of the Premier League, they should attend church instead of football matches.
During their 3-2 victory over Bournemouth last weekend, Arsenal’s players and staff celebrated vigorously after Reiss Nelson scored a 97th-minute winner, with coaches and substitutes pouring onto the field.
The celebrations were notable enough that match referee Chris Kavanagh included them in his report, and the Football Association subsequently launched an investigation into Arsenal.
Following a review of the referee’s report, the Football Association has determined that no additional action will be taken against the club.
Asked if he had any concerns about whether his players are out of control, Arteta said: “None. If you win in football, you celebrate. You want passion and emotion. There is nothing better than scoring goals and winning football matches. So if not, you go to church.
“For sure, I will not be telling the players not to celebrate on Sunday [against Fulham].”
Arsenal has faced criticism for their celebrations in previous seasons, with midfielder Ruben Neves accusing Arteta’s team of celebrating excessively “like they won the league” after a victory against Wolves last year.
Arsenal is set to face Fulham on Sunday, and they are hoping that the recent illness in the squad has not impacted any other players. Both Martin Odegaard and Kieran Tierney missed Thursday’s draw against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League due to illness, while midfielder Fabio Vieira had a sore throat for the match.
Gabriel Jesus is making progress in his recovery from a severe knee injury and is getting closer to making his long-awaited comeback. He has resumed training, but it is unlikely that he will be ready for the trip to Fulham, as he needs more time to regain match fitness.
“He needs to feel confident and ready to go,” said Arteta. “He has a big say on that.”
Eddie Nketiah and January signing Leonardo Trossard will also not make the trip to Craven Cottage to face Marco Silva’s side, and Arteta said he may have to alter his approach to cover the raft of absences.
“Eddie is out too so we have Gabi [Jesus] out, Eddie out and Leo is out so we have to adapt in this period of the season,” Arteta added.
“We have different options, we can play with a winger more as a nine, we can play with a false nine, let’s see.”
Go to church if you do not like Arsenal’s celebrations: Mikel Arteta