Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe has embraced the ‘challenge’ he set himself to improve ‘a lot of stuff’ in training at London Colney with the support of Mikel Arteta.
The 23-year-old admits there are many areas of his game that the Arsenal academy product wants to improve. But Arteta is helping Smith Rowe to realise his full potential in training at London Colney. He also accepts patience will be required to regain a key role in their line-up.
Smith Rowe made his first start since May 2022 as Arsenal beat Brentford 1-0 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. The midfielder nearly marked his long-sought return to the starting line-up with a goal, as well. Mark Flekken foiled his shot with the goalkeeper’s outstretched foot.
Smith Rowe showed what he can give as Arsenal beat Brentford
Flekken was at full stretch to stop Smith Rowe’s low drive from nestling into the back of the Bees’ net. The Arsenal talent did magnificently to create an opening inside the area after his one-two with Jorginho. Smith Rowe waltzed past two defenders and fully deserved to score.
Had it not been for 6 ft 4 Flekken’s outstretched leg, Smith Rowe would have scored his first Arsenal goal since April 2022. The Hale Ender emerged as a key player for Arteta during the 2021/22 season. He hit 11 goals and two assists through 37 appearances in all competitions.
But injuries thwarted Smith Rowe’s progress and he only played for 195 minutes through 14 appearances in 2022/23. The three-cap England international further failed to score and had just two assists from his occasional games. While this season has started slowly for him, too.
Arteta is helping Smith Rowe to realise his potential in training
Arteta had only afforded Smith Rowe 24 minutes through three appearances before Arsenal visited Brentford this season. He further introduced the midfielder in just the 97th minute of the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur for his first Premier League appearance.
The Carabao Cup proved again what Smith Rowe can produce when given a sustained run in Arteta’s Arsenal line-up. Yet even he admits there are aspects of the playmaker’s game that still need improving. While Arteta is helping Smith Rowe to realise his talents with Arsenal.
“I’ve got to stay patient [and] keep working hard in training,” Smith Rowe told CBS. “There’s a lot of stuff I’ve been trying to work on in training, [like] my positioning and stuff like that. [Arteta] has been helping me a lot. It’s been a challenge for me but I’m really enjoying it.”
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