Arsenal now switch their attentions to the Premier League and face an important trip to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town.
Paul Merson has predicted Arsenal changes for the clash with Kieran McKenna’s struggling side but Mikel Arteta will know that Newcastle are closing the gap on second place.
Myles Lewis-Skelly’s incredible defensive record this season means that he could continue in a left back role, despite talk of him replacing Thomas Partey in midfield with the Champions League in mind.
Arsenal will need to shelve any thoughts of that PSG clash in order to focus on the Premier League and Arteta will be drumming that into the players as he has already shown he doesn’t accept drops in standards on the training ground.
Mikel Arteta slammed Arsenal training standards
Speaking on Amazon Prime Video’s ‘All or nothing: Arsenal’ documentary series in episode five, the Gunners boss slammed the attitude of his players during training sessions.
Arteta stated: “I watched 21 training sessions, there are a few players that train exceptionally well, there is a vast majority of players that train well and there is a group of players that they just come.
“The training session on Sunday, if I was here, four players they would go out of the training session, four players after 15 minutes they would go. We are not training in the park, we are not in nursery and we are not here wasting our time.
“Too many players laughing and the other thing is complaining. Somebody gives a bad pass complaining, I give a bad pass it’s his mistake. No, we have to raise the level and it goes for everybody.”
The boss had just missed a period of the season with COVID-19, including a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium and let his players know about his unhappiness upon return.
Mikel Arteta and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had Arsenal fall out
One of those players that did not come up to Arteta’s standards in terms of application and attitude was captain at the time Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Arteta famously excluded the striker from Arsenal training during the 2021-22 season before mutually cancelling his contract to allow him to move to Barcelona.
Aubameyang has said he will never apologise to Arteta but the Spanish manager is now reaping the rewards for demanding values and respect amongst his players.
Arteta now has a squad that will run through brick walls for him, as shown on many occasions this season through much adversity.
The Gunners will now be hoping that culminates in their first ever Champions League triumph and etch their names in Arsenal history forever.
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