‘Nothing is broken’ at Arsenal, Arteta insists after Chelsea victory

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Mikel Arteta has insisted that “nothing is broken” in his Arsenal squad after steering them to a 1-0 Premier League victory over Chelsea.

Despite the win, given to them by a first-half goal from Emile Smith-Rowe, Arsenal remain off the pace in the Premier League and are likely to miss out on European football entirely next season.

READ MORE: Arteta promises change at Arsenal this summer following disastrous campaign

They are eighth in the standings and suffered defeat to Villarreal in the semi-finals of the Europa League.

The players give me everything – Arteta

As a result, Arteta’s position has come under question, though the manager says that there are no problems in the squad.

“Nothing is broken. Inside nothing is broken,” Arteta said. “The media will try to put things on me that I never said.

“You can see the spirit of the team from the first minute. You can see that. You can never doubt their efforts and how much they try.

“I said that if I don’t get 120 per cent off each player, it is my fault and my responsibility. And it wasn’t like that in the press, and I am so annoyed with that.

“My players I will defend in front of anybody for the rest of the time that I am here, because they deserve that, because they earn it every single day. I don’t deserve that.

“The players give me everything every single day. I am really happy with a lot of things that we have done tonight.

 “My players, I will defend them in front of anybody for the rest of the time that I am here because they deserve that because they earn it every single day. They give me everything every single day.”

Previously, Arteta had promised changes at Arsenal due to their disappointing campaign, though his latest words suggest they might not be as wide ranging as some fans would wish.