Manchester United may be enduring a miserable season but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta remains wary of their ability to rise to the occasion.
Arsenal host United in the FA Cup third round on Sunday and, although new boss Ruben Amorim is still finding his feet at Old Trafford, the Portuguese set up a 2-1 win at Manchester City in December and a 2-2 draw at Liverpool last weekend.
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“Look at how they perform against the big teams and how they perform and the results they got,” Arteta said.
“I know him (Amorim) well, I followed him in Portugal and there is a big reason he is where he is at the moment and he deserves to be there.
“Each coach is appointed for different reasons. Sometimes it’s about transforming a football club.”
Arteta has fond memories of the FA Cup
Arteta has had a transformative effect on Arsenal, returning them to the elite of English football, but it has yet to translate into regular silverware with the 2020 FA Cup the only trophy he has won as a manager at the Emirates, although he claimed it. twice as a player.
The competition has undoubtedly lost some of its appeal, but Arteta has fond memories of Arsenal’s successes, adding: “The memory of winning something and sharing it with the world is the ultimate goal.”
Arsenal will be hoping to bounce back from Tuesday night’s 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final – a game they dominated for long periods without being able to finish any of their numerous chances .
Arteta then partially attributed the rebound to the ball, which is different in the EFL Cup, a remark that caught many eyes.
Asked about it today, he said: “We are adapting. In the Champions League things are different. Every ball is different, different flight. It’s not an excuse. Every stadium is different, the weather is different.”