Mikel Arteta insists he DOESN'T MIND if his players make mistakes

Mikel Arteta insists he DOESN’T MIND if his Arsenal players make mistakes as long as they show bravery after Granit Xhaka’s comedy error gifted Burnley a point… leaving Gunners stuck in 10th

  • Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at Burnley after Granit Xhaka’s comedy error
  • The midfielder’s pass inside the box hit off Chris Wood for Burnley’s equaliser 
  • Manager Mikel Arteta insists he doesn’t mind mistakes if players are being brave

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted he does not mind errors like those from Granit Xhaka which gifted Burnley a point, if his players are being brave and playing the way he wants.

The equaliser was a comedy goal, with 6ft 3in Chris Wood standing beside Xhaka as he tried to lift the ball out of the area and instead sent it into the net off the striker. But Arteta was unmoved.

‘It is what it is,’ he said. ‘It’s the way we play. It’s the way I want to play and we just have to know the risk and the rules we have in certain areas and the type of balls that we have to play.

Mikel Arteta insists he doesn’t mind if players make mistakes as long as they show bravery

Granit Xhaka was the latest Gunners player to commit a gaffe after gifting Burnley’s equaliser

‘We are talking about [errors] all the time and trying to nullify everything we give to the opponent. If someone makes a mistake because they want to play, I will always support them. If someone is hiding I will not have that.

‘We scored a goal [today] from Auba (Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang) that started all the way from Bernd Leno and we conceded one chance – and that chance came from Bernd kicking the ball long and we could not control the second ball.’

Burnley manager Sean Dyche said that his side knew they could exploit a weakness by pressing Arsenal high up the pitch. 

The midfielder’s lofted pass inside the box ricocheted off Chris Wood and into the net

‘Most teams we try and get after,’ he said. We like front-foot football. The way we got about Arsenal as much as could. We get a reward for getting into the right place, pressing properly.’

Arteta insisted that the draw was a ‘bad point’ after his side hit the post late on and started well. 

‘I’m disappointed with the result but it is a tough place to play and have the chance we created,’ he said. ‘We don’t score enough and give a goal to the opponents.’




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