Arteta prepared for Arsenal to play ugly to win | OneFootball

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he's prepared to play ugly to win.

The Gunners go to Liverpool tonight in a big test of their progress under Arteta.

And he insists: “I'm here to win and my job is finding ways to do it.

“Sometimes it's what you want to do as a coach and sometimes it's what you're allowed to do with the levels of players and performance that the top teams can do against you.

“In the games against Liverpool, City and against Chelsea in the FA Cup final, we obviously had very long periods where we had to defend deeper than we would like to.

“So we have to find scenarios to prepare for that and if I propose something very difficult that would expose our team right now, I wouldn't be acting in the best interests of the club or the players.

“We have to be able to adapt and the players we have available can change our game plan.

“Playing only one way doesn't work in football anymore unless you are superior to the opponent all the time."

But recent victories have convinced the players that they can hold their own against anyone and Arteta admits: “Results are obviously driving our belief.

“The players have to be comfortable with the plan we put in place. They need to realise that we can achieve what we want and then they will feel more secure and know what is going to happen."

Arsenal's fortunes have taken a dramatic turn for the better since Arteta opted for three at the back since coming out of lockdown.

That also involves two wing-backs, two defensive midfielders and just three attacking players, which leaves no room for the likes of Mesut Ozil.

But Arteta insists: “It's not three at the back all the time. It's only for short moments of the game. A lot of the time it's four at the back.

“I have the versatility to use players in different positions to cause problems for the opponent."