"It's very easy to be next to the players when they're winning and performing," Arteta had said at Goodison Park. "These are the moments when I love my players more and my staff more and we're going to stay together."
The sentiment was sound from a manager who, for all his touchline outbursts, seems to posses a more measured emotional intelligence when it comes to shepherding his young squad through their more challenging moments, seen clearly in the way they managed to park what really ought to have been a scarring end to last season in time to launch such a fearless charge from the start of this, one that is yet to fizzle out.
Such moments of adversity have been few and far between during an outstanding Premier League campaign so far, but with the season's most anticipated fixture - a first meeting of the top two - looming, the need for the Gunners to bounce back from a Merseyside no-show against Brentford tomorrow is pronounced.
This story is from the February 10, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the February 10, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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