Mikel Arteta says he was even more pleased with how Arsenal prepared than their 6-0 win at West Brom in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, via quotes by football.london.
The Gunners visited The Hawthorns looking for their first win of the campaign after defeats to Brentford and Chelsea. Arsenal were also yet to score this season before travelling to the West Midlands, where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bagged a hat-trick.
Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette also got on the scoresheet against the Championship Baggies’ heavily-changed line-up. Adding extra polish to a performance they desperately needed after their worst start to a top-flight campaign in their history.
Yet, for Arteta, the result came second to how Arsenal prepared for the West Brom fixture after successive league defeats. The Gunners squad impressed the Spaniard with their mentality in training and how that transferred onto the pitch.
“The spirit [in the team] has been really positive, to be fair,” Arteta said. “I’m really pleased with winning tonight, scoring six goals away from home, getting a clean sheet and being in the next round. [But] I’m even more pleased about the preparation in the last two days.
“The togetherness that the players are showing, the dedication, how much they want to turn this situation around. I’m really happy for them and the fans today, that we can give them something to share, because we had a lot of supporters here tonight.”
Arteta will need high Arsenal spirits to last after West Brom rout
Arteta will need the high spirits at Arsenal to last after beating West Brom with his job now under threat. The Telegraph report the ex-Gunners midfielder has just five Premier League games to show he deserves to stay in charge. The Emirates Stadium hierarchy also already have their ideal replacement in Antonio Conte, but the Independent note he’s not keen.
Those concerns will ease rapidly if Arteta oversees wins over Manchester City and rivals Tottenham Hotspur. As beating a Championship side in the EFL Cup will not be enough to save the Spaniard’s job. So, he will be thrilled to see players are striving to turn the tide.
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