Mikel Arteta pays Newcastle United fans ultimate compliment ahead of Arsenal's visit to St James' Park
Isn't it usually the case that the managers play mind games with each other ahead of a meeting? Why is Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta playing mind games with the Newcastle United fans?
Last season, the Toon Army relentlessly mocked the Arsenal boss for his comments after the Carabao Cup first-leg defeat, where he blamed the ball for being different to the Premier League ball.
Ignoring the fact that it's the same ball they'd used in every round prior, and also the same ball that the Newcastle players were using and they managed just fine.
That led to a chorus of "it must be the ball" in the second leg as Newcastle won once again.
Mikel Arteta says the St James' Park atmosphere is 'incredibly beautiful'
There's not a lot of love for Arteta amongst the Toon Army, and we're sure he's not our biggest fan either, but when asked about the St James' Park atmosphere in his pre-match press conference on Friday, the Spaniard was extremely complimentary.
“Incredibly beautiful. I think it’s one of the best football atmospheres in this country. As a player, as a fan, as a coach, you want to live in this atmosphere; they play every single ball with you.
“It’s electric, there is so much support there, and it’s one team, one city, I think that makes it different as well, and to play it’s such a challenge and opportunity as well, so it’s a great game to play.”
Well played, Mikel Arteta, you have effectively stunned us
We're not sure what to do now. We want to be nice about him for his kind words, but the very thought of it makes us choke down our own vomit.
Well played, Mikel. Very well played.
In all seriousness, we're sure the atmosphere on Sunday will live up to the Arsenal gaffer's expectations as the Gunners' fans always help to contribute to a spicy atmosphere, and seeing Arteta lose his head when things don't go his way always gets our fans going.
