”No Fear, Pure Fire!” Mikel Arteta delivers updates and a rallying cry ahead of Arsenals quarter-final second round clash with Sporting Lisbon

”No Fear, Pure Fire!” Mikel Arteta delivers updates and a rallying cry ahead of Arsenals quarter-final second round clash with Sporting Lisbon

Mikel Arteta took to the press today and issued updates across his players fitness, their mentality heading into the run-in and what he expects his side to do in the final games of the season.

It has seemed for the longest time that this would be Arsenal’s year, not just in the Premier League, but across every competition including the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Champions League. It has been a bruising few weeks for that dream as the Gunners lost to Man City in the final, exited the FA Cup to Southampton and, after a defeat at home to Bournemouth, have seen their gap to Manchester City shorten slightly too.

There has been a running joke in football for the past few seasons that Arsenal’s season always blows up in both their and their, sometimes volatile fans faces. It may be an over-generalisation but for manager Mikel Arteta, the outside noise must be hard to ignore.

They do have the chance to end this barren streak and progress to their second successive Champions League semi-final, Sporting Lisbon are formidable opponents however, and Arteta was more than complimentary of his opponents.

”I’m not surprised [about Sporting], there is an understanding of the quality they have and the ways they can hurt you. They’re a really really good side.”

Arteta will be hoping to get past Sporting Lisbon to put the side on their way to attaining their first silverware in over six seasons.

”The motivation is to give to the people with us what they deserve and what they’ve been looking for for so long.”

One thing that has been levelled against Arsenal has been their intensity in their mentality, which some say has caused them to fall at the final hurdle. Arteta was asked whether making his late games a cup final which could have damaging impacts on his teams mentality.

”Well, I wouldn’t say a cup final, but I think the importance of every game, we know what it is. We’ve done the same in September, October, November in the Champions League last year, and I think the outcome of what you’re trying to achieve at the end or the success or failure of your intention is based on the result”.

Wednesdays game against Sporting isn’t the only big talking point for the Spaniard as the league leaders travel to the chasers Manchester City on Sunday in a game that many have dubbed the title decider. It must be a fairly hard task to keep the group focused on the impending task, but Arteta insisted that wasn’t the case.

”The first one is that big and that important to get into the semi-finals of the Champions League again, that there is no time to find space for the weekend, that’s for sure.”

Prior to this press-conference, Arsenal hosted an open training session with notable absentees, those included Declan Rice who Arteta gave scarce detail as to the Englishman’s whereabouts, simply stating ”We have to wait and see how he is tomorrow.”

The Arsenal boss then issued a rallying cry when asked about how he wants the crowd to respond on Wednesday night.

”Respond with no fear and pure fire! That’s it. Me, the first one – pure fire. That’s what I want to see on the players, on the people, on myself – that’s it. Go for it because the opportunity is unbelievable. Let’s confront it, lets go for it by really putting absolutely everything into it.”

Strong words from the Arsenal boss, it remains now up to the players to deliver on his statements and show the rest of Europe that Arsenal are a force to be reckoned with and this season is not another one blighted by their ‘bottle’.

Arsenal vs Sporting Lisbon kicks off at 8:00pm GMT and can be watched in the UK on TNT Sports or HBO Max.