Mikel Arteta pinpoints Arsenal player giving him ‘big headaches’ who is ‘very close’ to a start
Mikel Arteta has expressed that he is facing significant challenges due to a particular Arsenal player who is close to starting more matches.
Arsenal is currently leading the Premier League standings, with a two-point advantage over Manchester City, and they have a game in hand. They are set to face Leicester City on Saturday.
The team ended their three-game winless streak in the top-flight last week with a 4-2 triumph over Aston Villa.
Before the game against Leicester, Mikel Arteta announced that Fabio Vieira, who joined the club during the summer transfer window, is nearing a point where he could feature more frequently in the starting lineup.
Fabio Vieira, who plays as an attacking midfielder, has made four consecutive substitute appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League. He also contributed an assist in the previous game against Aston Villa.
When asked about the possibility of Vieira starting in a league game, Arteta responded that the player is “very close” to achieving that.
“He is starting to give me big headaches because I see every single day what he is capable of doing. A tremendous player,” said Arteta
“He now understands exactly what we want and physically he is a condition to compete at the right level in this league.
“He brings qualities that we don’t have in the squad. Very eager to give him more.
When questioned about Fabio Vieira’s strengths and weaknesses, Arteta mentioned that if the 22-year-old needs to contest 30 aerial duels against certain players in the Premier League, he may only win two out of the 30.
“But if we give him the ball in the right spaces, and if we ask him to do some defensive work he can do…
“If we put him in front of goal the amount of times that we want to do, I think he will do really well in this league.
“But if we do the opposite I don’t think he is going to do well.”
Mikel Arteta pinpoints Arsenal player giving him ‘big headaches’ who is ‘very close’ to a start
