Arteta on Sporting CP clash: "Togetherness always helps but we have to be at our best"

The Gunners are having a good season in the Premier League as they are in first place, five points behind Manchester City in second.

However, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has another priority besides winning the English competition. The Spanish manager wants his team to progress as far as possible in the Europa League and has said that the match against Sporting CP will be difficult.

"Our priority is the two competitions. Obviously we have to earn the right to continue in this competition to get as far as we want, and tomorrow we're going to face a really difficult opponent," he said.

"We have one team, and we have to play all the games with the best possible players to win them. At this moment we have made eight changes [in the competition] so we try to accommodate.

"We have certain players where we don’t know if they will last 60, 70 or 90 minutes. We have to be really good at maintaining the quality and the balance in the team, as well as the threat to be as competitive as we can for the 95 or 96 minutes the game is going to last," Arteta continued.

"As well, players have moments in the season where they are available or not available, and tomorrow it will be the same case, but for sure, we will try to put the most competitive team together to win the game," he concluded.

 

March 9, 2023