Arsenal are bottom of the Premier League table having lost their opening three matches against Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City; Mikel Arteta's side next face Norwich at the Emirates on Saturday; Arteta: "We have to reset now... and start to improve our game"
Friday 10 September 2021 08:04, UK
Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal need immediate results and says the club must "reset" after their disappointing start to the new season.
Arsenal are bottom of the Premier League table after losing their opening three games against Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City without scoring a goal.
The Gunners were the league's highest spenders during the summer window and technical director Edu has been forced to defend the club's transfer policy after their slow start to the campaign.
Arteta admits he is under pressure to deliver results but is confident his squad can turn their form around - starting at home to Norwich on Saturday.
"We have tried to explain the project and the decisions that we have made over the last few months in the transfer window," Arteta said.
"The amount of changes that we've had in two or three years is almost 30 players. Edu explained it like I've tried to explain it.
"We have all participated, trying to create and build this project obviously led by the owners. It is a project that we believe in, that we have to assemble.
"It was the option that we believe is best for the future of the football club. We all take responsibility because we were all involved in the decision.
"Now we have to make it work. The complexity in football is that you want to build a medium, long-term project with immediate results.
"And we have to embrace that because there is no other way in football, you're going to have to have results and we are ready to do that."
Arsenal are due to welcome back a number of players for the visit of Norwich, with Gabriel, Thomas Partey, and Eddie Nketiah returning from injury and Ben White available after previously testing positive for coronavirus.
Arteta will be without Mohamed Elneny [thigh injury] and Granit Xhaka [suspended] but the Arsenal manager is glad to have nearly a full squad.
"I am really looking forward to having everybody available and trying to start the season the way we want," he added.
"We don't want to use any excuses but we know how difficult the start was with injuries and a lot of covid issues we had, and extremely difficult games to play.
"We have to reset now, we need to start and hopefully get everybody back on track, and start to improve our game, which is what we have to do."
When asked if the match against Norwich was now a must-win game, Arteta added: "It always is at Arsenal. The pressure is always there to be as high as possible in the league table.
"We need that first win. We're playing in front of our fans after a disappointing start so it is down to us to provide everything that we have performance-wise, to gain a result at the end."
Arsenal are hopeful of finalising a work permit for summer signing Takehiro Tomiyasu in time for the Japan international to feature against Norwich.
Tomiyasu will meet with Arteta on Thursday afternoon after returning from international duty and the Arsenal manager is looking forward to working with the defender, who joined the Gunners on a £19.8m move from Bologna.
"He has got the capacity to play in any position in the back four," said Arteta.
"He has done it all across the back four and in a back three as well. He gives us versatility, he gives us different qualities in that right-back position.
"He's a player that we've followed for a long time and he brings qualities that we didn't have in the squad."
