Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Sunday’s final against Manchester City is a defining moment for his team to prove they are winners.
MIKEL Arteta says Sunday’s League Cup final against Manchester City will be a defining moment for Arsenal as they seek to shed their tag of “nearly men”.
The Gunners are on course for an unprecedented quadruple, leading the Premier League by nine points and with favourable draws in the Champions League and FA Cup.
But after three consecutive second-place finishes, Arteta acknowledged his side must prove they can get over the line. “It’s going to be one of the defining moments because at the end of the day it is about whether you win the trophy or not,” the Spaniard said.
“That is the most important thing once you get to the final. But in order to be there you have to do a lot of things.”
Arteta has won just one major trophy since taking charge in 2019, the 2020 FA Cup. He said his team now needs to prove a point that “has to be done on the pitch”.
The Arsenal boss also discussed his relationship with rival manager Pep Guardiola, under whom he served as an assistant at City. “How I feel about him and the time we had together and what he did for me, the inspiration he’s been… that is never going to change,” Arteta said.
On team news, Arteta hopes captain Martin Odegaard and defender Jurrien Timber will be fit after missing the midweek win over Bayer Leverkusen. He refused to confirm who would start in goal for the final.
For Manchester City, Pep Guardiola confirmed that cup goalkeeper James Trafford will keep his place ahead of number one Gianluigi Donnarumma.
