Izuchukwu OkosiCurrent Premier League Coach Of the Month of November and December 2022, and Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta is looking forward to a run of difficult matches which he admits will need mental and physical toughness.
The Gunners are seeking to win their first Premier title since the 2003/2004 season.
Victory at the home of north London rivals Tottenham last weekend saw the Gunners go eight points clear at the top of the table albeit it was soon cut to five after Manchester City came form behind to defeat Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners faces Manchester United on Sunday evening at 5. 30 pm.
“Having that balance and having those qualities in the squad is necessary.
“The physical aspect is necessary – without that you cannot compete over 11 months in the conditions in which we work. We have tried to build a team that has everything.”
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Pushed on whether Arsenal were streetwise enough to maintain their pace at the summit, the Spaniard added: “We haven’t done it in the last many years.
“To be in the title race, it’s something that we have to show we can do. Words mean nothing, we have to do it on the pitch.”
Arteta’s first win as Arsenal boss was a 2-0 win over Manchester United on New Year’s Day 2020 and he will be looking for a similar outcome when Erik ten Hag’s in-form Red Devils visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.*
“I feel the excitement around our players and our supporters,” he said.
“I’m talking to the boys to understand what we’re going to experience on Sunday. For us it’s very meaningful, for our fans it’s very meaningful and we are creating special atmospheres in the stadium and we have to take advantage of that for sure.”
New signing Leandro Trossard is expected to be part of the squad following his arrival from Brighton on Friday.
Arteta joined Arsenal from Everton in 2011 on the back of an 8-2 thrashing at the hands of United – although he insists he was not a panic buy made by Wenger as a result of the humiliation.
“I don’t think I was (signed because of the loss) but it probably helped, another layer probably,” he revealed.
“I was lucky enough to get that phone call a few days before that to have again the opportunity to play for this club.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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