‘Step up and drag the club out of crisis’ – Mikel Arteta tells Arsenal senior stars

Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta has told the Gunners senior stars to step up to end the club’s crisis.

The Gunners boss is under pressure and wants his established players to shield suffering young stars like Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka from mounting pressure.

Arsenal are reeling from their worst start to a season in 118 years following back-to-back defeats by Brentford and Chelsea without scoring.

Now they face an awkward Carabao Cup second-round trip to Championship high-fliers, West Brom. 

 “The senior players are the ones who are going to determine our success and who have to lead the team.

“These are the guys who have to drive everybody else and they have that responsibility to be the leaders.

“Then our young players can add to that and I think that will make them better and stronger. But they need to be given time to mature.

“We sometimes get really carried away because of the youth, the quality talent and the potential that we have through the squad.

“They should not be trying to take on the external opinions and pressures that are not their responsibility because they’re not ready to do that.

“And that for me is the biggest danger and why we really have to protect the boys.” Arteta said.

Arteta’s plans for Arsenal’s two league matches this season have been thrown into disarray by the COVID outbreak which struck down Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alex Lacazette, Ben White, Willian and back-up keeper Alex Runarsson. 

But Aubameyang, Lacazette and Runarsson have returned to full training, while Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale are available after completing their transfers last week.

With a trip to Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime, Arteta could hold back some of his players at The Hawthorns tonight — the first time since 1995 that the Gunners have been involved at this early stage of the competition.