Mikel Arteta reveals biggest Arsenal fear to leave him 'praying' after Chelsea draw | OneFootball

Gunners boss demands his stalling side “show their teeth” with title bid already faltering badly

Mikel Arteta has bemoaned Arsenal’s unacceptable “standards” shown against Chelsea, calling on his players to step up and “show their teeth” as he prayed that their “nightmare” injury problems finally begin to ease.

It was the latest frustrating performance in a worrying downturn for Arsenal, who have won only one of their last five matches across all competitions and already appear to face an uphill battle in the title race as they sit down in fourth place and nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

And while Arteta was pleased with the fight displayed by his team against Chelsea, he insisted that Arsenal’s defending for Neto’s equaliser fell well below the level that he expects.

Head in hands: Mikel Arteta watched his Arsenal side continue their winless run against Chelsea

REUTERS

“I think we dominated them,” the Gunners boss told Sky Sports. “We were the better team in many phases and situations in the game and after going ahead, very disappointed in the way we conceded. It was so poor. It is not our standards and we don't accept.

“Really proud, but at the end we are here to get the three points and we didn't. It is a second phase set-piece and we were disorganised. We don't reorganise quick enough and you can't allow the pass that way.

Arsenal have been dogged by injuries during a difficult start to the new campaign, with their ongoing fitness issues only getting worse against Chelsea as both Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice limped off at Stamford Bridge - making them huge doubts for England’s concluding Nations League double-header against Greece and the Republic of Ireland this week.

Arteta admitted that the constant fitness woes had created a nightmare situation as his problems continued to mount, with the Spaniard left “praying” that he can have a fit squad to choose from when Arsenal return to action after the latest international break with a gruelling schedule across all competitions in the run-up to Christmas, beginning with the visit of Nottingham Forest in the top-flight on November 23.

“My biggest fear is physically to get players at their best for 90 minutes. With that I'm fully confident we will have a good season.

“There's nothing that we can do about that. What I'm praying is that after the international break we have the team fully physically equipped. That they are available and that they are fit, because it's been a nightmare for eight weeks.

“Doubt after doubt, issue after issue, not only with the ones that are not able to play, but with the ones who are able to play only for certain moments and not able to play.”

Arteta demanded a return to consistency for Arsenal as he looked for leaders to step up during some difficult moments, insisting they were no longer at “Disneyland”.

“So I'm just asking that, because the desire the team has and how much we want it there's no question. It's going to come,” he said. “We just need that on our side to be more consistent.

“When it gets nasty, show your teeth and show how much you want it. When it's Disneyland it's very easy. Everybody's next to you, telling you how beautiful you are.

“When it gets dark and difficult and everybody's questioning it, that's when I want to see people. I'm looking around.”